Sequencing Publicity and Advertising Online
To answer this question, several sub questions have to be answered:
- What are the differences between advertising and publicity?
- What kind of advertising formats are used online?
- What is the effect of sequencing advertising and publicity on message persuasiveness?
- Which form of online advertising has the highest effect on the sequence of advertising
and publicity on message persuasiveness?
1.4 Scientific and Managerial Contribution
This thesis adds two major theoretical insights to the existing literature on marketing
communications: the effects of sequencing advertisements and publicity in an online
environment and the specific effect of different advertising formats on this sequencing
relationship are researched. This research thereby extends the results of Coleman and Loda
(2005) to a broader perspective.
Managers also benefit from this research, because it provides insight in the use of
different communication channels and its separate and combined effects. This is relevant,
because the use of the internet as a communication channel is increasing rapidly (Rie, 2007),
online advertising budgets are still growing double digit numbers (eMarketer, 2008), and the
total US online advertisement budget will exceed $25 billion in 2009 (eMarketer, 2008).
Especially in markets with declining print magazines, such as the videogaming industry, the
Internet will become more important for advertisers (van der Wurff, Bakker & Picard, 2008).
Therefore it is vital to understand the relationship between publicity and advertising in this
environment if companies want to persuade and reach consumers in the most efficient way. First,
this research helps managers gain understanding of three online advertising formats (banners,
interstitials and background advertisements) and second, it gives direction to the use of these
advertising formats in combination with publicity.
Knowing the best sequence increases the return on investment, because by spending the
same amount of money on an advertising campaign, choosing the right moment (before or after
publicity) might make a difference in the extend in which the consumer is persuaded. The more
the customer is persuaded about the benefits of a specific product, the higher the likelihood that
the customer will eventually buy the product (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975).
8
, Sequencing Publicity and Advertising Online
1.5 Delimitation
The aim of this research is to create a better working knowledge of the relationship between
sequencing and message persuasion in an online environment. The research is therefore only
focused on the online environment. This implicates that it is not possible to compare the results
of this research with those of Coleman and Loda (2005) in the print environment. No
recommendation about which medium (online or print) to use for advertising or publicity, neither
the sequence in which these mediums should be used, can be predicted. Also, because of the
experimental setting in which this research is conducted, the persuasiveness of the
communicated message can only be measured on attitudes and intentions scales, and not in
amounts of actual purchases made. Further, this research uses a real-life setting for the
experiment and this limits full control of all the variables by the researcher, but makes the results
more applicable in the business world.
1.6 Outline
In the next chapter, literature from advertising, publicity and their online components is first
discussed to create a theoretical framework. The chapter will be concluded by listing the
hypotheses and drawing a research model. Next, the research methodology is explained. After
this, the results are presented and the implications of the results are reasoned. The research is
concluded by a discussion of the limitations and providing recommendations for further research.
9
To answer this question, several sub questions have to be answered:
- What are the differences between advertising and publicity?
- What kind of advertising formats are used online?
- What is the effect of sequencing advertising and publicity on message persuasiveness?
- Which form of online advertising has the highest effect on the sequence of advertising
and publicity on message persuasiveness?
1.4 Scientific and Managerial Contribution
This thesis adds two major theoretical insights to the existing literature on marketing
communications: the effects of sequencing advertisements and publicity in an online
environment and the specific effect of different advertising formats on this sequencing
relationship are researched. This research thereby extends the results of Coleman and Loda
(2005) to a broader perspective.
Managers also benefit from this research, because it provides insight in the use of
different communication channels and its separate and combined effects. This is relevant,
because the use of the internet as a communication channel is increasing rapidly (Rie, 2007),
online advertising budgets are still growing double digit numbers (eMarketer, 2008), and the
total US online advertisement budget will exceed $25 billion in 2009 (eMarketer, 2008).
Especially in markets with declining print magazines, such as the videogaming industry, the
Internet will become more important for advertisers (van der Wurff, Bakker & Picard, 2008).
Therefore it is vital to understand the relationship between publicity and advertising in this
environment if companies want to persuade and reach consumers in the most efficient way. First,
this research helps managers gain understanding of three online advertising formats (banners,
interstitials and background advertisements) and second, it gives direction to the use of these
advertising formats in combination with publicity.
Knowing the best sequence increases the return on investment, because by spending the
same amount of money on an advertising campaign, choosing the right moment (before or after
publicity) might make a difference in the extend in which the consumer is persuaded. The more
the customer is persuaded about the benefits of a specific product, the higher the likelihood that
the customer will eventually buy the product (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975).
8
, Sequencing Publicity and Advertising Online
1.5 Delimitation
The aim of this research is to create a better working knowledge of the relationship between
sequencing and message persuasion in an online environment. The research is therefore only
focused on the online environment. This implicates that it is not possible to compare the results
of this research with those of Coleman and Loda (2005) in the print environment. No
recommendation about which medium (online or print) to use for advertising or publicity, neither
the sequence in which these mediums should be used, can be predicted. Also, because of the
experimental setting in which this research is conducted, the persuasiveness of the
communicated message can only be measured on attitudes and intentions scales, and not in
amounts of actual purchases made. Further, this research uses a real-life setting for the
experiment and this limits full control of all the variables by the researcher, but makes the results
more applicable in the business world.
1.6 Outline
In the next chapter, literature from advertising, publicity and their online components is first
discussed to create a theoretical framework. The chapter will be concluded by listing the
hypotheses and drawing a research model. Next, the research methodology is explained. After
this, the results are presented and the implications of the results are reasoned. The research is
concluded by a discussion of the limitations and providing recommendations for further research.
9
