| Abstract |
More and more brands want to create their own spokes-characters. Compared with
endorsers, spokes-characters can be fully controlled by marketers and are considered as
less risky in brand strategy. Previous research shows that a cute face is perceived as
more trustworthy than a mature face, and thus, is more likely to induce agreement with
the message. Based on the previous research of the cuteness effects, we develop hypotheses
of how different spokes-character trait, brand-customer relationship and
message tone affect advertising effectiveness.
The present study uses experimental design to investigate the effects of the trait
of spokes-character (cute vs. mature), brand-customer relationship (communal vs. exchange)
and message tone (assertive vs. nonassertive). A 2x2x2 factorial design is
conducted. Eight different scenarios are established and advertising effects are measured
through three dependent measure: attitude to the advertising, brand attitude, and
purchase intention.
The result can be explained through regulatory fit theory. When a spokes-character
is cute, there is an interaction between brand-customer relationship and message
tone. When consumers perceive the brand-customer relationship as exchange, an assertive
message used in advertising is more effective than a non-assertive one. When
consumer perceived the brand-customer relationship as communal, opposite results are
obtained. When a spokes-character is mature and consumers perceive the brand-customer
relationship as exchange, a non-assertive message used in advertising is more
effective than an assertive one. However, there is no difference between assertive and
nonassertive message when consumers consider the brand-customer relationship as
communal |
|---|
