Hilde A. M. Voorveld

Media multitasking and the effectiveness of combining online and radio advertising

Research on the effectiveness of cross-media campaigns has shown that combining online advertising with advertising in offline media can result in more positive consumer responses than using only one medium. However, when using computers, people increasingly engage in more than one media activity at a time (i.e. media multitasking), which might influence how consumers respond to advertisements they encounter in these media. Therefore, this paper investigates advertising effects during media multitasking. More specifically, the paper gives insight into the effectiveness of simultaneous exposure to online and radio advertising, because simultaneously surfing the internet and listening to the radio is a common media multitasking combination. Results of an experimental study with 111 participants showed that combining online and radio advertising resulted in more positive affective and behavioral responses than using only one medium. However, media multitasking seemed to have a negative influence on the recall and recognition of auditory information as combining media did not result in superior cognitive responses compared to using online ads alone.

Opening the black box: Understanding cross-media effects

Despite their popularity, the reasons why cross-media campaigns are more successful than single medium campaigns are still unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study is (a) to investigate which psychological processes are present when people are exposed to cross-media campaigns, and (b) to examine to what extent these processes contribute to campaign results. Three psychological processes are investigated to gain insight into the effectiveness of cross-media campaigns: forward encoding (i.e., the ad in the first medium primes interest in the ad in the second medium); image transfer (i.e., mentally replaying the ad previously viewed during exposure to the ad in the second medium); and multiple source perception (i.e., believing the brand is good and popular because of the amount of advertising). To identify the role of these processes, 219 participants were exposed to one of four media conditions (two cross-media conditions and two repeated media conditions). The results showed that two processes were present when participants were exposed to the cross-media combinations: forward encoding and multiple source perception. We also found support for the hypothesis that these two processes contributed to campaign results. However, the third process, image transfer, was present in all conditions and did not add to the explanation of cross-media effects.

Age Differences in Media Multitasking: A Diary Study

This study provides insight in age differences in the amount of media multitasking and in the media that people combine. Results of a diary study (N = 3,048) among 13- to 65-year-olds reject the popular notion that media multitasking is particularly prevalent among young people. The youngest (13–16 years) and the oldest (50–65 years) age groups did distinguish themselves in terms of media combinations. The youngest group particularly combined music with online activities, whereas the oldest group was unique in combining radio with e-mail or newspapers. A plausible explanation for these age differences in media multitasking are lifespan related and generational differences in media use in general.

The Fit Factor: The Role of Fit Between Ads in Understanding Cross-Media Synergy

This research investigates the role of fit between campaign ads in generating cross-media effects. Using an ecologically valid design, this article enhances our understanding of cross-media effects in real life. By combining a content analysis of Dutch cross-media campaigns with a secondary data analysis of tracking studies on the same campaigns (n = 900), this research revealed that fit contributed positively to campaign evaluations yet contributed negatively to brand and campaign memory. In conclusion, this research shows that fit is an important factor in understanding cross-media synergy but might have both positive and negative effects.

Dissociating explicit and implicit effects of cross-media advertising

Knowledge of cross-media advertising effects is mainly based on explicit psychological measures, such as self-reports. To fully understand the mechanisms responsible for the success of cross-media advertising, it is important to also use implicit measures. We used both types of measures to assess whether exposure to different media combinations affects the cognitive and evaluative impact of advertising. Results show that participants performed better on all explicit and implicit measures of memory and brand preference after exposure (versus no exposure) to target ads, which validated the use of these measures. Comparison of cross-media versus single medium exposure showed differences on the explicit level, but not on the implicit level. This suggests (1) that cross-media advantages may be driven by explicit rather than implicit memory mechanisms, and (2) that implicit advertising effects may require more drastic manipulations than context changes, such as varying the combination of media used for exposure to advertising.

Cross-platform advertising: current practices and issues for the future

The combination of different media, platforms, and channels in brand communication is changing advertising theory, research, and practice. The various players—advertisers, advertising and media agencies, media owners, research companies, and academic advertising researchers—all are eager to

The Underlying Mechanisms of Multiscreening Effects

Multiscreening, a relatively new form of media multitasking in which people use multiple screens simultaneously, has implications for the effects of persuasive messages due to limited cognitive capacities of people and concurrent modalities of the screens (i.e., both visual). The aim of the study is to examine underlying mechanisms (i.e., recognition, counterarguing, and enjoyment) of the effect of multiscreening on evaluative outcomes (i.e., brand attitude, message attitude, and purchase intention). The experiment (N = 182) showed that both recognition and counterarguing are underlying mechanisms of the effect of multiscreening on evaluative outcomes. Multiscreening has a negative effect on evaluative outcomes by recognition and a positive effect on evaluative outcomes by counterarguing.

Social Media in Advertising Campaigns Examining the Effects on Perceived Persuasive Intent, Campaign and Brand Responses

Inspired by the increasing popularity of advertising on social media, and especially on social network sites (SNSs), the aim of this study is to give insight into the effectiveness of SNS advertising. The first experimental study compares consumer responses to advertising on SNSs and television (TV) and demonstrates that while TV campaigns are evaluated more positively, SNS campaigns result in more favourable cognitive responses. Moreover, the persuasive intent of SNS campaigns is less recognized than for TV campaigns. Since SNSs are often combined with traditional media in advertising campaigns, the second study examines whether campaigns combining TV and SNSs lead to so-called synergy effects. Results showed that this was not the case: single-medium and multimedia campaigns were equally effective. The third study examines the role of perceived persuasive intent in this relationship and tests whether there is an indirect effect of type of campaign (multimedia or single-medium) on consumer responses via perceived persuasive intent. Results show that SNS–TV campaigns are perceived as less persuasive than SNS-only and TV-only campaigns, resulting in more favourable campaign and brand responses. In sum, the article provides empirical evidence for the value of integrating social media with traditional media in advertising campaigns.

Advances in advertising research (vol. VI): the digital, the classic, the subtle and the alternative

This book provides insights into the inspiring and multifaceted field of advertising research, which is confronted with challenges regarding ad content and execution, media placement, as well as online and social media. Distinguishing between digital, classic, subtle, and alternative advertising formats, renowned scholars from around the globe contribute state-of-the-art research on these issues in 30 chapters. Advances in Advertising Research are published by the European Advertising Academy (EAA). This volume is a compilation of research presented at the 13th International Conference in Advertising (ICORIA), which was held in Amsterdam (The Netherlands) in June 2014. The conference gathered around 150 participants from diverse countries from Europe, North-America, Asia, and Australia.

The online behavioural advertising icon: Two user studies

New Internet technologies provide the possibility of automated tracking of consumers’ Internet behaviour. Such tracking is used to create user profiles for the purpose of displaying advertisements that fit the interest of these individuals (e.g., Goldfarb and Tucker 2011; McDonald and Cranor 2010). Confident in the success of such targeted ads, businesses invested heavily in online targeted advertising and this spending is expected to increase.