The effect of ad smiles on consumer attitudes and intentions: Influence of model gender and consumer gender

Rohit H. Trivedi and Thorsten Teichert

Journal of Business Research, 2019, vol. 99, issue C, 197-205

Abstract: Firms widely use smiling models to create a positive background setting for advertisements. This study assesses the various effects of smiling in print advertisements across different stages of consumer decision-making, while also considering interaction effects between the genders of models and viewers. Empirical evidence comes from 175,647 consumer evaluations of 421 real advertisements across a broad spectrum of product categories (22). Beyond gender, a smiling model not only effects a positive attitude change but also influences a product's integration into a relevant set and a consumer's purchase intention. For female consumers, a smiling model of the same gender exerts a greater influence on positive brand attitude change and on purchase intention. Advertisers should avoid using non-smiling male models when targeting female consumers. In contrast, smiling models of both genders can positively influence male consumer reaction, while use of a female model should be avoided during the early stages.

Keywords: Smile; Advertisement effectiveness; Emotional contagion; Nonverbal expressions: Model gender; Consumer gender (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:99:y:2019:i:c:p:197-205

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.02.052

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