Hooking Consumers with Stories: Sequential Mediation Analyses On Ad Credibility and Purchase Intentions

Abstract

The present study aims to compare two different advertising types that are known to have a significant role on advertising credibility and purchase intentions. The effects of narrative ads through being-hooked and of expert endorsement through internalization on the dependent variables were analyzed via empirical research design. The hypothesized model was tested with the sequential mediation analyses. Besides, the differences of mediator variables within the scope of ad credibility and buying intentions were investigated by conducting a series of t-tests. The subjects were exposed to one of the stimulus ad types composed of either story-based (n=128) or expert endorsement (n=124) advertising style. The results showed that both the direct effects of narrative advertising and the mediating effects of being-hooked significantly predicted the dependent variables. Although almost similar findings were reached for the expert endorsing and internalization, the mean scores remained behind the narrative ad type.

Keywords

• öyküleyici reklam
• uzman desteği
• kancalama
• i̇çselleştirme
• güvenilirlik
• narrative ad
• expert endorser
• being-hooked
• internalization
• credibility