Tag: Research

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Faculty Faculty Research International Advertising Professional Development Research

New Research on Virtual Influencers by Dr. Xie

 

Dr. Quan Xie has conducted new research on “Prosocial Campaigns With Virtual Influencers: Stories, Messages, and Beyond” alongside Eunjin Kim, Joo-Wha Hong, and Hye Min Kim.

How can virtual influencers be used to promote prosocial messages? In the digital age, virtual influencers (VIs) hold great potential to enhance prosocial campaigns. This research aims to identify effective strategies for using VIs to create a greater impact, build deeper connections with consumers, and drive meaningful social change. Specifically, it examines how VIs can promote socially responsible behaviors, such as raising awareness about cyberbullying. The study explores whether storytelling (narrative messaging) can make VIs more effective in delivering prosocial messages.

The study concentrates on the ways in which social media platforms have revolutionized the curation and diffusion of material. Influencers are leading the way in these changes, with Virtual Influencers (VIs) occupying a unique space in digital interaction. The use of virtual influencers (VIs) to encourage socially conscious behavior is examined in this research. By contrasting human-like (HVIs) and anime-like (AVIs) influencers, as well as narrative vs. non-narrative messaging approaches, it looks at how VIs can successfully transmit prosocial messages.

The research tested two types of VIs: one that looks human-like (human-like virtual influencers, HVIs) and another with an anime-style appearance (anime-like virtual influencers, AVIs), across two messaging styles—narrative (storytelling) and non-narrative (informational). Focusing on Gen Z and younger Millennials, the results showed that HVIs were more effective than AVIs in increasing support for the social cause and enhancing message credibility, especially when the message was non-narrative. However, when using a narrative style, this advantage of HVIs disappeared, with no significant difference in effectiveness between HVIs and AVIs in terms of message credibility and intent to support the cause. This study offers valuable insights for marketers and non- profit organizations on the effective use of VIs in disseminating prosocial messages.

In addition, the study highlights how look and narrative influence viewers understanding and reaction to prosocial messages from VIs, providing useful information for companies and marketers.

This research was presented in the annual 2024 Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) in August.

Read the full research article here.

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Awards and Projects Better Advertising. Better World. Faculty Research International Advertising News Research

Dr. Joe Phua Publishes New Research on the Power of Emotional Messaging in Vaccine Communications

By Bella Cox and Liby Navarro

Dr. Joe Phua is a Professor and the Endowed Distinguished Chair at the Temerlin Advertising Institute at Southern Methodist University.  In 2011, he earned his Ph.D. from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California. Throughout his career, Dr. Phua has worked with over $4.5 million in external research funded by distinguished organizations.  His research has explored new communication technologies, their impact on advertising and branding, and their application in sports marketing and health communications and have been featured in significant media outlets such as ABC News and National Public Radio (NPR).

Through his published work in some of the utmost journals, including the Journal of Advertising and Journal of Consumer Behavior, Dr. Phua has won awards from the International Communication Association (ICA), American Academy of Academy (AAA), and the International Communication Association (ICA), among many others.   

His most recent research titled, “Encouraging Positive Dialog Toward COVID-19 Vaccines on Social Media Using Hope Appeals, Celebrity Types, and Emoticons” was published in the journal,  Mass Communication & Society, and was conducted in conjunction with an international team of colleagues from Washington State University, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, and the University of Melbourne. This study evaluates how utilizing hope appeals, celebrity endorsements, and value emoticons shaped attitudes about COVID-19 vaccinations.  In addition, it discusses ongoing research to refine messaging strategies and improve the effectiveness of public health campaigns.  

For this research, Dr. Phua and his colleagues were interested in examining how social media posts by celebrity endorsers can influence their followers’ attitudes towards the COVID vaccine. Two experiments were conducted in the study:

In experiment one, they tested three celebrity endorser types (politician, scientist, athlete) and two message types (high and low relevance hope appeal). This experiment revealed that politicians posting low relevance hope appeal messages had the strongest effect on changing attitudes towards the COVID vaccine.

In experiment two, three emoticon types (positive, neutral, negative) and the same two message types (high and low relevance hope appeal) were used. It was concluded that neutral emoticons (wow, haha), rather than positive (like, love, hug) or negative (sad, angry) emoticons, had the strongest effect on changing attitudes towards the COVID vaccine.

For both experiments, it was concluded that the more someone strongly identified with the celebrity endorser posting the message, the more strongly their attitudes towards the COVID vaccine were changed.

Dr. Phua emphasized that “through examining COVID vaccine messages, this study was helpful to healthcare organizations who can be better prepared to use the most effective social media-based message strategies to combat and mitigate any major health pandemics that may arise in the future in the wake of the COVID-19 global pandemic.”

In addition, Dr. Phua recently visited Nanyang Technological University in Singapore to initiate research and teaching collaborations. 

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Conference Faculty Faculty Research Professional Organizations

FACULTY RESEARCH: Engaging Luxury Brand Consumers

Luxury brands have increased their social engagement by investing heavily in interesting brand value propositions and captive storytelling. Yet, research to understand the mechanisms of luxury content marketing in brand building is still scarce. Drawing on value perceptions, brand prestige/exclusivity, customer intimacy, and brand loyalty, Dr. Xie’s research proposes and tests the perceived values of luxury content marketing on social media (i.e., YouTube) which shapes brand loyalty among luxury consumers. Dr. Quan Xie’s research “Deconstructing Luxury Content Marketing on YouTube: The Roles of Content Values in Brand Prestige, Brand Exclusivity, Customer Intimacy and Brand Loyalty” was recently accepted by the International Communication Association (ICA) Annual Conference to be presented at the Gold Coast, Australia this May. The conference accepted only 44.27% of the papers and panels that were submitted this year!

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Faculty Faculty Research

FACULTY RESEARCH: Can Advertising Encourage Bystander Intervention in Response to Domestic Violence?

Temerlin Advertising Institute faculty are studying ways to encourage bystander action when they encounter victims of domestic violence. According to the CDC, “About 1 in 4 women and nearly 1 in 10 men have experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime.”

According to the research, bystander intervention is one way to help minimize occurrences of domestic violence. However, bystanders tend to be apathetic toward the victims they happen to encounter or observe.

In the research published in the Journal of Advertising, Dr. Carrie La Ferle and Dr. Sidharth Muralidharan examined the role of guilt and shame on attitude toward the ad and reporting intention of bystanders in India. While the effectiveness of negative emotions has been thoroughly researched in the West, conceptualizing guilt and shame from an Eastern perspective and using fluency in processing theory revealed that ads featuring emotional appeals strengthened reporting intention more than control ads did.

Professor Muralidharan explained that this action occurs through self-construals which impact the ways that the different emotions elicited are processed. Self-construal refers to the grounds of self-definition, and the extent to which the self is defined independently of others or interdependently with others and is thought to vary between Westerners and East Asians.

With respect to the findings, Dr. Muralidharan thought that it was interesting that shame was more effective than ads with guilt and the control. However, what was more intriguing was that ads with negative emotions (and lack of) were equally effective among those with an independent self-construal. Basically, such ad appeals were not as important as the duty to help a victim in need. A probable answer lies in research that touches on the characteristics of the independent self-construal (being assertive, autonomous, and possessing a stronger sense of equality), which could explain these gaps in future studies.

According to Dr. La Ferle, “We hope that this research will allow for more impactful public service announcements in India and further prosocial causes by encouraging people to take action in response to perceived needs.” This is one way SMU Advertising research is helping to create better advertising which leads to a better world.

For more information see:

Dr. Carrie La Ferle, Dr. Sid Muralidharan & Dr. Anna Kim “Using Guilt and Shame Appeals from an Eastern Perspective to Promote Bystander Intervention: A Study of Mitigating Domestic Violence in India” Journal of Advertising, 2019.

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Faculty Faculty Research

FACULTY RESEARCH: Can Empathy Offset Low Bystander Efficacy? Effectiveness of Domestic Violence Prevention Narratives in India?

Dr. Sid Muralidharan co-authored “Can Empathy Offset LowBystander Efficacy? Effectiveness of Domestic Violence Prevention Narratives in India.” (Journal of Health Communication, 2019)

Abstract:

Domestic violence stems from deeply rooted patriarchal norms and directly conflicts with humanitarian standards. Given that this issue impacts women across the world, many countries have initiated campaigns to heighten awareness and fight this epidemic. Based on Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), we explored whether narrative health messages might prompt bystanders to intervene (e.g., calling a helpline number) when they encounter domestic violence. Using a sample of participants from India, we found that narratives had a stronger impact on attitude toward the ad and reporting intention than non-narratives and such effects were mediated by feelings of empathy. More importantly, the mediating effects of empathy were significantly greater when bystander efficacy was low rather than high.

Click for the full publication: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10410236.2019.1623645

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Faculty Faculty Research

FACULTY RESEARCH: Dr. Sid’s Latest Publication: What Triggers Young Millennials to Purchase Eco-Friendly Products?

Dr. Sid Muralidharan recently co-authored “What triggers young Millennials to purchase eco-friendly products?: the interrelationships among knowledge, perceived consumer effectiveness, and environmental concern.” (Journal of Marketing Communications, Volume 25, 2019, Issue 4)

Abstract:

As the attention to environmental sustainability heightens, marketers increasingly claim that their products help preserve the environment. Without proper understanding of how emerging target markets, such as young Millennials, are triggered to purchase green claims, their efforts may be futile. Accordingly, the current study examined the interrelationships among major environmental antecedents, such as environmental knowledge (EK), perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE), and environmental concern (EC) on environmentally conscious consumer behaviour (ECCB). The results of an online survey with younger Millennials revealed that EK and EC were significant predictors of ECCB, with EC being the stronger predictor. Unlike past literature, PCE was not directly related to ECCB. The study also found a strong mediating role of EC between EK and ECCB, as well as PCE and ECCB. Implications for green marketers are discussed, along with theoretical discussion.

Click for the full publication: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13527266.2017.1303623

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Professional Development Research Scholarship TAI Classes

RESOURCE: Replace Your “For Dummies” Collection With THIS Online Learning Resource

SMU Libraries has just started a subscription to O’Reilly’s Learning Platform for Higher Education, which includes e-books, case studies, videos, and Learning Paths.  Topics range from graphic design, software training, leadership, job search, and business strategy.  Here is a sampling of what is available:

UX Design – From Beginner to Professional Learning Path

This learning path is designed to teach you basic and advanced concepts in UX design with the help of real-world use cases on process, design, and techniques.

Careers for Creative People: Design and some real world advice from ridiculously talented individuals doing jobs they love

This book provides a comprehensive list of creative jobs in advertising, career best practices, and advice from experts in their field, helping talented creative people.

The Handbook of International Advertising Research

The handbook’s comprehensive treatment highlights existing knowledge, reports major findings across the subject, and recommends directions and agendas for future research.

Adobe InDesign CC Classroom in a Book (2019 Release)

The 15 project-based step-by-step lessons in this book show users the key techniques for working in InDesign. Designers will build a strong foundation of typographic, color, page layout, and document-construction skills that will enable them to produce a broad range of print and digital publications.

Need help? Want to know more about research or databases for advertising? Contact Megan.

Rani Vestal

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Faculty Faculty Research

FACULTY RESEARCH: Dr. Sidharth Muralidharan and Dr. Anna Kim Author Article on Narrative Advertising in India and the United States

Abstract:
The persuasiveness and popularity of narratives in commercial advertising has gained much attention but its application in inculcating responsible behaviour is severely limited. Domestic violence against women is a global issue and there is a dire need for effective bystander intervention campaigns. This two-part study delves into how narratives could be employed to elicit favourable ad attitudes and encourage bystanders to report instances of domestic abuse in their neighbourhood. Study 1 focused on testing the effectiveness of narratives in two culturally diverse countries – India and the United States. In general, findings showed that narratives (vs. non-narratives) were more persuasive in both countries. As the next step, using culture (interdependence vs. independence) and social distance (parents vs. neighbours), Study 2 found narratives with a socially proximal entity (parents) to be more persuasive in India while no differences between countries were observed for the socially distant entity (neighbours). Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

Click here to read the full article on LinkedIn.

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Faculty Brown Bag Guest Lecturers Research

VISITING SCHOLAR: TAI Hosts Dr. Cong Li for Lecture on Measuring Ad Attitude

Friday, February 22nd, the Temerlin Advertising Institute hosted a lecture by Visiting Scholar Dr. Cong Li, Associate Professor of Strategic Communication at the University of Miami. Dr. Li discussed his research, “Should Attitude be Measured with “Random” Scale Points?”, with many SMU faculty, students, and professionals attending the event. Through his research, Dr. Li examined how using different scale points to measure ad attitude influences statistical results.

While attitude is an important construct frequently measured in advertising research, there is no consensus on the scale points it should be quantitively assessed.  In practice, researchers have measured attitude using different scale points (i.e., 1-5, 1-7, 1-9, 0-10, and 0-100). Dr. Li’s research questions the influence of such inconsistency on empirical findings.

In his lecture, Dr. Li discussed a series of studies that examine the methodological issues associated with attitude measures. Using varying types of data from content analysis, simulation, a longitudinal study, and an experiment, Dr. Li’s research suggests that using arbitrary scale points to measure attitude may bias statistical results. The influence of scale points is also subject to cultural differences. As low replicability has long been an issue in empirical research, Dr. Li’s work is important in pointing out a methodological concern associated with self-report measures.

Dr. Li’s other research interests include computer-mediated communication, social media, and cultural psychology. His work has appeared in such journals as the Journal of Advertising, Human Communication Research, Media Psychology, and Communication Research. He has also authored two books focusing on advertising strategy and social media.

Temerlin Advertising Institute was honored to host Dr. Li for a lecture on his research. TAI is passionate about staying informed on all current topics in the advertising industry, hosting guest speakers periodically throughout the year.

Rani Vestal

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RESOURCE: Let’s Save the World from Ineffective Marketing

Knowledge – Intelligence – Benchmarks – Insights – Data

The World Advertising Research Center (WARC) is now available for SMU students, faculty and staff to uncover the latest evidence, expertise and guidance on any marketing issue. Through the library website or from the Advertising Research Guide, you can access the information that thousands of marketers use to make their marketing more effective.

WARC is an information resource that provides knowledge, know-how, and unbiased advice on almost any advertising issue.

  • Best practice and evidence on key issues from expert practitioners.
  • Distilled wisdom from effective brands to support your judgments.
  • Used by major advertising agencies and big advertisers in more than 100 countries.

Overcome your challenges with expert guidance:

  • Take advantage of best practice and ‘how to’ guides to key marketing problems, written by specialists from around the world.
  • Use WARC’s Topic pages to see the latest thinking across 100+ advertising and marketing subjects and issues.
  • Get quick guides to complex challenges through WARC’s exclusive ‘What we know about’ series.

Make your case with the right evidence:

  • Use WARC’s in-depth research papers, including peer-reviewed articles, to find the evidence you need to make the right decision.
  • Get an industry-wide view – WARC blends the best information from research organizations, trade bodies and awards organizers with its own exclusive content.
  • Be the first to see new learning on key advertising issues using our Topic Updates email alerts service.

Investigate Popular Topics by keywords such as: Brand Analysis, Luxury Brands, Youth, Brand Launches, Behavioral Insight, Social Media, Brand Positioning, Challenger Brands, Shopper Insight, Digital Media, and others.

WARC is like a living textbook. It provides…

Quick information to get up to speed on an advertising topic:

It provides succinct articles on many topics in advertising, giving you background information, summarizing what is currently known, or giving you step-by-step how to’s.  Start with WARC instead of Googling when you need to know something about advertising! In WARC, browse the “Topics” or conduct a keyword search.  Look for WARC Best Practice articles at the top of your search results.

 Research assistance for a client project:

Use the Pitch Support tool to quickly get to secondary research for your ad campaign.  This is a great place to start to get articles about your client, the product, the target audience, marketing strategy, and the media mix.

In-depth information on an advertising topic:

WARC also gives you access to research articles and extensive reports. Searching WARC can complement the research you do with our other article databases.  Look for research articles in your search results, or from the WARC homepage, choose Latest and the browse WARC Reports.

Examples of how others solved advertising problems:

Use the Case Finder to explore the thousands of case studies available in WARC. You can filter by category, audience, creative approach, media channel, campaign objectives, and more.  For example, if you were creating a campaign for a non-profit and you want to see how others have generated word of mouth, you can filter for those criteria.

 Examples of award-winning creative work:

The Gunn Report gives you access to a library of award-winning awards as well as WARC’s top 100 effective campaigns.

Need help? Want to know more about research or databases for advertising? Contact Megan.