Sophie C. Boerman and Eva A. van Reijmersdal
This chapter provides an overview of what is currently known in the scientific literature about the effects of disclosures of sponsored content on consumers’ responses.
Abstract
Purpose
This chapter provides an overview of what is currently known in the scientific literature about the effects of disclosures of sponsored content on consumers’ responses.
Methodology/approach
We provide a qualitative literature review of 21 empirical studies.
Findings
Awareness of disclosures is rather low, but when consumers are aware of a disclosure, it successfully activates persuasion knowledge and can increase brand memory. The literature shows inconclusive findings with respect to the effects of disclosures on attention paid to sponsored content, critical processing, brand attitudes, and purchase intentions. In addition, the literature shows that modality of the disclosure has no significant effects, but the content of the disclosure, its timing, its duration, receivers’ moods, and their perceptions of the sponsored content or the endorser are important moderators.
Research implications
More research is needed on differences in effects of disclosures in different media and on disclosures of online sponsored content online (e.g., sponsored tweets and vlogs).
Practical implications
This chapter provides advertisers with insights on how disclosures affect the persuasiveness of sponsored content in several media.
Social implications
For legislators, explicit guidelines on how to create effective disclosures of sponsored content are provided. For example, to increase persuasion knowledge, disclosures should be portrayed for at least 3 seconds and if logos are used, they should be accompanied by texts explaining the logo.
Originality/value
This overview is a valuable starting point for future academic research in the domain of disclosure effects and provides insights for advertisers and legislators.
Details
Keywords
Matthew A. Lapierre, Eva A. van Reijmersdal and Sophie C. Boerman
This study aims to examine how individual differences and contextual factors affect audience responses to sponsored video content. Specifically, this study tests whether executive…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine how individual differences and contextual factors affect audience responses to sponsored video content. Specifically, this study tests whether executive function (EF, both hot and cool) skills in young adults influence persuasion knowledge and advertising responses. The study further tests the moderating role of disclosure presence and country of participants (US vs The Netherlands).
Design/methodology/approach
An online experiment (N = 368) with a 2 (disclosure: present versus absent) × 2 (country: US versus The Netherlands) between subjects design featuring young adults (M age = 21.06; SDage = 3.06) is conducted.
Findings
Participants with more advanced cool EF showed a better understanding of the persuasive intent of the video, and hot EF was associated with higher brand recall. In addition, disclosures only enhance the understanding of persuasive intent of the video for people with less advanced levels of hot EF. Lastly, Dutch participants were more responsive toward the disclosure.
Originality/value
This study provides key insights regarding how young adults process sponsored content and the role that cognition plays in shaping responses.
Details
Keywords
Brahim Zarouali, Sophie C. Boerman, Hilde A.M. Voorveld and Guda van Noort
The purpose of this study is to introduce a comprehensive and dynamic framework that focuses on the role of algorithms in persuasive communication: the algorithmic persuasion…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to introduce a comprehensive and dynamic framework that focuses on the role of algorithms in persuasive communication: the algorithmic persuasion framework (APF).
Design/methodology/approach
In this increasingly data-driven media landscape, algorithms play an important role in the consumption of online content. This paper presents a novel conceptual framework to investigate algorithm-mediated persuasion processes and their effects on online communication.
Findings
The APF consists of five conceptual components: input, algorithm, persuasion attempt, persuasion process and persuasion effects. In short, it addresses how data variables are inputs for different algorithmic techniques and algorithmic objectives, which influence the manifestations of algorithm-mediated persuasion attempts, informing how such attempts are processed and their intended and unintended persuasive effects.
Originality/value
The paper guides future research by addressing key elements in the framework and the relationship between them, proposing a research agenda (with specific research questions and hypotheses) and discussing methodological challenges and opportunities for the future investigation of the framework.