VU UNIVERSITY AMSTERDAM
FACULTY OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Sequencing Publicity
and Advertising Online
A study on the Most Persuasive Way of
Combining Publicity and Advertising in an Online
Environment
Date: June 30, 2009
Author: Jaap van Nes
Student nr: 1471090
Research area: Online Marketing
Supervisor: Dr. F. Adiguzel
, Sequencing Publicity and Advertising Online
PREFACE
When I first walked into the VU University almost five years ago, I did not have a single clue
what to expect. If somebody would have told me that in a couple of years I would write 20.000
words in a thesis, I would have probably laughed at them. And here I am, the 20.000 words are
written and the end of an enjoyable journey is near.
This thesis is written as the final piece of the Master of Marketing at the VU University
Amsterdam. The thesis is inspired by an article by Coleman and Loda (2005) that I accidentally
found when looking for thesis topics last year, but inspired me from the moment I read it. The
subject of the thesis thus became sequencing advertising and publicity online, a new and exciting
subject in marketing communication.
While writing the thesis, I had help from so many people. There are a couple of people I would
like to mention here for supporting me. First and foremost I want to thank dr. Adiguzel for her
enthusiasm, flexibility and helping spirit. Next, I couldn‟t have made this thesis possible with the
support of the team at Gamer.nl, with a special thanks to Kris Boon and Joost Wouterse for
helping me out with the experiment. Also my friends who provided a healthy dose of
entertainment throughout the period played a role in the process. A special thanks goes out to
Juliëtte for listening to my endless and probably not always so interesting stories about this thesis
and Yoram, who gave a lot of useful feedback and helped me out in every way.
Last I would like to thank dr. Barbara Coleman and dr. Marsha Loda from Augusta State
University (Augusta, Georgia) for giving me some tips while writing the discussion. It is great to
know that the people behind the books and articles we students read are actually interested in
what we do and are willing to help motivated students.
Amsterdam, June 30th 2009
Jaap van Nes
1
FACULTY OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Sequencing Publicity
and Advertising Online
A study on the Most Persuasive Way of
Combining Publicity and Advertising in an Online
Environment
Date: June 30, 2009
Author: Jaap van Nes
Student nr: 1471090
Research area: Online Marketing
Supervisor: Dr. F. Adiguzel
, Sequencing Publicity and Advertising Online
PREFACE
When I first walked into the VU University almost five years ago, I did not have a single clue
what to expect. If somebody would have told me that in a couple of years I would write 20.000
words in a thesis, I would have probably laughed at them. And here I am, the 20.000 words are
written and the end of an enjoyable journey is near.
This thesis is written as the final piece of the Master of Marketing at the VU University
Amsterdam. The thesis is inspired by an article by Coleman and Loda (2005) that I accidentally
found when looking for thesis topics last year, but inspired me from the moment I read it. The
subject of the thesis thus became sequencing advertising and publicity online, a new and exciting
subject in marketing communication.
While writing the thesis, I had help from so many people. There are a couple of people I would
like to mention here for supporting me. First and foremost I want to thank dr. Adiguzel for her
enthusiasm, flexibility and helping spirit. Next, I couldn‟t have made this thesis possible with the
support of the team at Gamer.nl, with a special thanks to Kris Boon and Joost Wouterse for
helping me out with the experiment. Also my friends who provided a healthy dose of
entertainment throughout the period played a role in the process. A special thanks goes out to
Juliëtte for listening to my endless and probably not always so interesting stories about this thesis
and Yoram, who gave a lot of useful feedback and helped me out in every way.
Last I would like to thank dr. Barbara Coleman and dr. Marsha Loda from Augusta State
University (Augusta, Georgia) for giving me some tips while writing the discussion. It is great to
know that the people behind the books and articles we students read are actually interested in
what we do and are willing to help motivated students.
Amsterdam, June 30th 2009
Jaap van Nes
1
