Nathaniel J. Evans

Going native: : Effects of disclosure position and language on the recognition and evaluation of online native advertising

Despite recent industry attention, questions remain about how native advertising is perceived and processed by consumers. Two experiments examined effects of language and positioning in native advertising disclosures on recognition of the content as advertising, effects of recognition on brand and publisher evaluations, and whether disclosure position affects visual attention. Findings show that middle or bottom positioning and wording using “advertising” or “sponsored” increased advertising recognition compared to other conditions, and ad recognition generally led to more negative evaluations. Visual attention mediated the relationship between disclosure position and advertising recognition. Theoretical, practical, and regulatory implications for disclosures in native advertising are discussed.

Coddling Our Kids: Can Parenting Style Affect Attitudes Toward Advergames?

This study examined parents’ understanding of and experience with child-targeted advergames through exploratory interviews and quantitative pretests of an advergaming definition. Exploratory findings revealed that parents tended to overgeneralize when identifying advergames. Through the use of an online survey, this study also examined how parental socialization styles affect parents’ attitudes toward advergames. As predicted, results indicate that authoritarian and authoritative parents hold more negative perceptions toward advergames compared to indulgent parents, while all parenting styles exhibited negative leanings toward advergaming as a practice. These findings indicate the efficacy of parental socialization theory in explaining parents’ perceptions and attitudes toward this new form of advertising—advergames. We discuss important implications for regulators, practitioners, and parents.

Rethinking the Persuasion Knowledge Model: Schematic Antecedents and Associative Outcomes of Persuasion Knowledge Activation for Covert Advertising

Whether persuasion knowledge activation occurs naturally among adults as a result of covert advertising exposure is an underexplored area that should interest practitioners, researchers, and regulators. By using the Persuasion Knowledge Model (PKM) and Schema Theory as theoretical underpinnings, this article proposes a conceptual model that addresses two central questions. First, is persuasion knowledge activated for advertising or persuasive episodes in which individuals have no a priori knowledge? Since persuasion knowledge activation requires awareness or recognition of a persuasive or advertising episode, are individuals able to recognize covert advertising episodes as advertising—that is, ads that have the appearance of something other than advertising? Second, if individuals do activate persuasion knowledge when exposed to covert advertising episodes, are the associated attitudinal outcomes automatically negative? As posited by the PKM, persuasion knowledge activation generates coping mechanisms leading to increased skepticism and negative attitudes. We propose that there are alternative outcomes to attitude formation even when persuasion knowledge is activated. Our conceptual model offers an alternative view that may account for individuals’ understanding and processing of covert advertising.

Pinpointing Persuasion in Children's Advergames: Exploring the Relationship Among Parents’ Internet Mediation, Marketplace Knowledge, Attitudes, and the Support for Regulation

As part of a larger online study that focused on parents of children between the ages of 7 and 11, this study examined how (1) parents’ individual trait differences in persuasion knowledge and mediation of their childrens Internet use was related to their persuasion knowledge of childrens advergames, as well as their attitudes toward them, and (2) how parents’ attitudes toward and persuasion knowledge of childrens advergames was related to their attitudes toward regulating them. There was a strong negative relationship between parents’ existing persuasion knowledge and the activation of persuasion in knowledge in childrens advergames. There was also a strong positive relationship between parents’ attitudes toward childrens advergames and attitudes toward their regulation. Theoretical implications for persuasion knowledge research are discussed.

Exploring The Impact Of The US Measles Outbreak On Parental Awareness Of And Support For Vaccination

Despite consensus among health officials that childhood immunizations are a safe and effective means of protecting people from disease, some parents remain hesitant about vaccinating their children. This hesitancy has been linked to a lack of confidence in recommended vaccinations as well as a desire to delay or further space out scheduled vaccinations but also outright refusal of vaccines. Using two national surveys of parents of children ages five and younger, collected immediately prior to and in the weeks following the 2014-15 US measles outbreak, this study examined the awareness of this vaccine-preventable disease outbreak among parents and whether awareness of the outbreak affected their beliefs about childhood vaccination, confidence, and intentions. The study found that while most parents were aware of the outbreak, many were not, and the level of familiarity mattered, particularly on measures of confidence in vaccines and support for mandates requiring childhood vaccination. Increases in vaccine-related concerns were found as well, indicating that disease outbreaks foster not just awareness of vaccines and their potential to prevent disease but a range of parental responses.

Extending Expectancy Violations Theory to Multiplayer Online Games: The Structure and Effects of Expectations on Attitude Toward the Advertising, Attitude Toward the Brand, and Purchase Intent

Abstract This study identified the underlying structure and the dimensional properties of multiplayer online game (MOG) expectations by adopting expectancy violations theory (EVT) and examined its effects on attitudes and behavioral intention for in-game ads. We found a multi-dimensional structure for MOG expectations consisting of three factors. While each of the expectation factors significantly predicted attitudes toward the advertising, no specific factor predicted purchase intent or brand attitude. Attitudes toward the advertising partially mediated the effects of MOG expectations (centrality, socialness, and features) on brand attitudes and fully mediated the effect of socialness on purchase intent. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

What Does a Gamer Look Like? Video Games, Advertising, and Diversity

Recent years have seen changes to the video game industry and the image of video game players. There are more games on the market and a larger variety of ways to play those games. Yet, despite market shifts, authors such as Shaw demonstrate that there are still tensions surrounding gamer identification. Even as next-generation systems (such as the Xbox One, the PlayStation 4, and the Wii U) and casual gaming take hold of the market, tension remains between the perceptions of who is playing versus the reality of actual players. In our study, we perform a content analysis of video game commercials in 2013 to explore questions of diversity—particularly in terms of portrayals of the player’s sex and ethnicity—to consider how the gamer is represented in terms of physical and behavioral attributes.