"Authentic Warmth in These Uncertain Times": The Impact of Authenticity in COVID-19 Advertising on Brand Warmth and Consumer Responses

This study investigated the impact of the perceived authenticity of brands' COVID-19 advertisements on consumers' perception of brand warmth and the subsequent responses on brand attitude and engagement intention. An online survey was used to acquire consumers' evaluations of COVID-19...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of promotion management Vol. 29; no. 2; pp. 259 - 279
Main Authors Yang, Jing, Jiang, Mengtian (Montina), Kim, Taeyoung
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Binghamton Routledge 17.02.2023
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
ad-evoked emotion
Advertisements
Advertising
Attitudes
Authenticity
brand warmth
Brands
Consumers
COVID-19
Emotional responses
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Summary:This study investigated the impact of the perceived authenticity of brands' COVID-19 advertisements on consumers' perception of brand warmth and the subsequent responses on brand attitude and engagement intention. An online survey was used to acquire consumers' evaluations of COVID-19 video ads published between March and August in 2020. Results showed that the message authenticity significantly increased consumers' perception of brand warmth, brand attitude, and engagement intention. Furthermore, the serial mediation results revealed the underlying mechanism that authentic ads evoked positively valenced emotional responses, which increased perceived brand warmth and further resulted in positive brand attitudes and engagement intentions. Practical implications and theoretical advancement are also discussed.
ISSN:1049-6491
1540-7594
DOI:10.1080/10496491.2022.2143988