I have a new publication out with two of my favorite co-authors – Dr. Gary Wilcox and Kristen Sussman – in the Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness. We used a fun dataset containing over 20,000 Facebook ads from a variety of industry verticals to better understand what drives advertising recall in social media environments over time.

Title: More Is (Not Always) Better: A Multi-Year Analysis of Advertising Effects on Ad Recall

Authors: Kristen L. Sussman, Laura F. Bright, and Gary B. Wilcox

Abstract: Using data from 46 businesses and over 21,000 ads, this study provides an analysis of the relationship between advertising spend, engagement and ad recall on Facebook. An initial analysis reveals that advertising spend, and post comments are positively associated with ad recall, while frequency is negatively associated. A second analysis, segmented the data by the advertiser objective of brand awareness, video views or post engagement and reveals additional insight into the relationships between the variables. It is concluded that Facebook offers an effective channel to drive recall, but that advertisers should be careful to avoid ad fatigue. In total, the results provide evidence that Facebook advertising can easily become intrusive, and that brand awareness driven advertising exhibit the most promising relationship with ad recall.

Keywords: engagement, brand communication, social media, recall, ad technology, Facebook advertising, ad fatigue, advertising effects

Full article available here.

I am excited to share that my book chapter co-authored with Dr. Karen Anne Wallach is now available in “An Audience of One: Drive Superior Results by Making the Radical Shift from Mass Marketing to One-to-One Marketing” by Jamie Turner and Chuck Moxley, Sr. The chapter is entitled “How to Turn Consumer Privacy into a Strategic Benefit for Your Brand” and it covers key privacy issues that brands need to consider in their interactions with consumers.

You can find more about the book and authors here.

Excited to have this one done and dusted after many months in the review and revision process! I worked on this with three of our rising PhD stars and it was so much fun to see them in action. The manuscript will be published in the forthcoming special issue of the International Journal of Advertising on “Social Media Influencers and Advertising”.

Title: Why are consumers following social media influencers on Instagram? Exploration of consumers’ motives for following influencers and the role of materialism

Authors: Jung Ah Lee, Sabitha Sudarshan, Kristen L. Sussman, Laura F. Bright, and Matthew S. Eastin

Abstract: Despite the ubiquity of social media influencers (SMIs) and the clear value they hold for marketers, little is understood about the sociopsychological motives that drive consumers to follow them. The current research identified unique consumer motivations for following SMIs on Instagram and examined its association with important consumer behavior outcomes (i.e., trust towards SMIs’ brand-related posts and frequency of purchasing SMI-recommended brands) as well as materialism. Based on survey data, findings revealed four motivations for following influencers on Instagram – authenticity , consumerism , creative inspiration, and envy – which had varying effects on trust and purchase frequency. Additionally, materialism was a significant individual difference variable that was strongly associated with the four motives, some of which served as key mediators underlying materialism’s impact on purchase behavior. Managerial and theoretical implications for marketers and advertisers are discussed as well as suggestions for future research in this burgeoning area.

Full article available here.

I am so happy to finally see this pop-up section in print! The process of co-editing this issue of Journal of Advertising began in Summer 2020 and is now available online here: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/ujoa20/current.

It was a learning experience to put together an issue like this and I am thankful for my co-editor, Dr. Hope Jensen Schau, for showing me the ropes. Out of 50 submissions, we accepted 8 excellent manuscripts that showcase the impact that COVID-19 has made on the advertising industry and consumer behavior. Hope and I wrote the introduction that speaks to the overall themes showcased in the issue.

This semester I taught a PhD methods course to a small group of students in my department – the course is the second in a series and it focuses on learning about the popular methods in advertising research as well as how to apply those methods to answer their specific research questions. We also talk a lot about how to manage an academic career – How do you build a research track? How do you handle rejection from journals? What is this whole peer review thing? How do you get tenure? What does service mean? How do I teach and work on research at the same time? Do you really get the Summer off? etc. etc.

In answering those questions this term, I found myself thinking about the rituals I have created over the years to get me through the ups and downs of trying to publish (and not perish!). One of my favorites is buying myself a hand-carved gemstone fetish at the end of each academic year – not to celebrate a specific publication or award but simply to mark the time. I started doing this when I completed my doctorate in 2009 and have done it each year since so I now have a small army of beautifully carved animals watching over me in my office.

The collection started with a serpent made out of serpentine – snakes symbolize rebirth so it felt right as I moved from being a student to a professor. Each year I have tried to tie in a theme – I have a bear for a year that I felt especially strong, a horned frog for the year I was awarded tenure at TCU, a lucky rabbit for the year I got a sabbatical and so on. This year I got a badger because, let’s be honest, it has been a hell of a year in Zoom land!

Office shelf with fetishes (L to R: Turtle, Lizard, Buffalo, Horned Frog, Bear, Rabbit, Fox, Otter, Serpent, Horned Frog, Rattlesnake, Badger).

So, why is this important?  Because, to be in this career you need to have things that celebrate the small wins to get you through so that you can make it to the big wins, too! An academic mentor of mine told me long ago to celebrate everything – all of those little steps along the way that get you to where you need to be – and not to hold out for the big career changing moments (because they are so few!). When rejections and disappointing outcomes happen, it sure is nice to have my little animal army to remind me that good things are on the horizon even if it simply means making it through the year.

A heart-felt congratulations to all of the students who graduated this semester as well as the faculty that made it through! This includes my first doctoral advisee, Emily Chadraba, who completed her doctorate and is now Dr. Chadraba. I hope all of my students who are embarking on new adventures will make it a ritual to come back to UT to tell me about their amazing accomplishments!

Drs. Bright and Chadraba at Littlefield House, UT Austin Campus