Citation
(2015), "Executive summary of “In ads we trust. Religiousness as a predictor of advertising trustworthiness and avoidance”", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 32 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCM-05-2015-032
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Executive summary of “In ads we trust. Religiousness as a predictor of advertising trustworthiness and avoidance”
Article Type: Executive summary and implications for managers and executives From: Journal of Consumer Marketing, Volume 32, Issue 3
This summary has been provided to allow managers and executives a rapid appreciation of the content of the article. Those with a particular interest in the topic covered may then read the article in toto to take advantage of the more comprehensive description of the research undertaken and its results to get the full benefit of the material present.
The scope for marketers to use different advertising channels has increased significantly over the past decade. In addition to conventional media forms, consumers can also be targeted via the Internet and on the various social media platforms that have become widely used.
Evidence suggests though that consumer avoidance of advertisements has risen accordingly. Marketers are concerned about this because such rejection of their efforts makes the task of persuading people to buy their products and services much more difficult. It is well-documented that people deliberately avoid exposure to advertisements, adopting ploys that include multi-tasking or recording content and fast-forwarding through the commercials. Among the reasons often cited for avoidance are: engagement in other activities, finding advertisements unappealing or unattractive, over-exposure to particular ads or lack of interest in the product or service being marketed. In addition, consumers report being skeptical toward the advertising message or medium used.
Trustworthiness is vitally important in the context of marketing. Consumers are only willing to respond positively when they deem advertisements as a credible and informative source. Any suspicion that advertising is less than honorable increases the inclination to circumvent it.
Avoidance of advertising has been previously examined with regard to socio-demographic variables such as age, gender, education and income. By comparison, the potential impact of religiousness has only been minimally explored. In addition, hardly any empirical studies have addressed the connection between religion and how trustworthy advertisements are perceived to be.
Where belief in the trustworthiness of advertisements is concerned, it has been proposed that differences are likely to exist between religious and non-religious people. Scholars suggest that this might be explained by a variation in the tendency to conform to authorities. Religious authority is highly significant to those who view religion as a central part of their lives. Another factor is the need for certain people for certainty and the “psychological stability” this provides. Religion serves this purpose through its “rules, norms and prohibitions”.
Such knowledge has prompted the assumption that this trust in authorities might operate more widely and include marketers, advertisers and other social establishments. The premise here is that conformity prompts people to believe that the authority in question will act honorably toward them.
This assumed attitude toward authorities is compounded by the propensity for mainstream religions to promote trust in fellow human beings. Researchers thus conclude that followers are likelier to have faith in the information that others provide to them. This means that they are less prone to treating advertising with suspicion and more favorable toward the marketing of products and services.
A contrasting opinion holds that perceiving, for example, a religious community as an authority can facilitate a narrow world view. The rationale behind this claim is that the focus is placed on the otherness of those outside of their group. As this can breed prejudice, suspicion and distrust, some observers have been moved to suggest that this shows that communities can have a “dark side” to them. It is suggested that “social trust” is lower in both other humans and authorities like advertisers due to the “strong symbolic boundaries” that communities build to differentiate between the “in-group” and various “out-groups”. However, it is conceded that differences between specific religions are likely to exist where the degree of mistrust is concerned.
Ketelaar et al. explore the issues in an online study featuring consumers aged 16 and above from five countries. Great Britain, the USA, France, Spain and Germany were chosen because of their diverse cultural roots and status as multi-cultural societies in which various religions are practiced. In each country, 1,000 completed questionnaires were obtained. Participants were asked for their response to statements pertaining to ad avoidance and perceived ad trustworthiness. The survey addressed advertisements in four traditional media and three digital media. Questions also measured subject perceptions of their level of religiousness. In addition, the authors asked respondents to indicate their particular religion or faith and provide socio-demographic information about their age, gender, education and income.
Analysis revealed that:
Religious people tend to put more trust in advertisements in both traditional and digital media.
Inclination toward avoiding ads in traditional and digital media is lower among religious people.
Less religious consumers exhibit lower levels of trust in advertisements. Avoidance is correspondingly higher among this segment.
People belonging to an Eastern religion are likely to only trust advertisements in digital media.
Among the demographic variables, education and age are most strongly related to trust and avoidance.
Catholics are prone to trust advertisements.
In the latter case, it is purported that the influential role of priests might explain the greater likelihood of practicing Catholics having faith in authorities. The authors also conclude that religious people are less disposed toward avoiding ads for other (unspecified) reasons. In addition, no evidence was found to substantiate claims of religious communities having a supposed dark side.
This study provides encouragement for segmenting consumers based on religion and religiousness. Ketelaar et al. note the various channels available to marketers but point out the need to use appropriate advertising strategies. They suggest that the ads which are explicit, informative and factual will be more convincing to religious consumers because of their tendency to view authorities as instructive and reliable. Use of experts or other credible sources within advertisements can help enhance this effect. However, the privacy of religion is acknowledged, and the authors do advise care when using this variable for segmentation purposes.
Further research could, however, compare this so-called “hard-sell” approach with softer tactics that rely on implicitness, image and feeling. It is argued that factors other than perceived trustworthiness are likely to be significant. Consequently, another suggestion is to investigate whether inherent values of major religions impact on ad avoidance. The authors likewise point out the relevance of advertising content and recommend exploring differences in attitudes toward controversial products and services with those deemed non-controversial.
The self-reporting of avoidance is seen as a possible study limitation along with the fact that conducting the survey online risks generating a bias toward Internet-savvy consumers who might accordingly be less critical of advertisements in digital media.
To read the full article enter 10.1108/JCM-09-2014-1149 into your search engine.
(A précis of the article “In ads we trust. Religiousness as a predictor of advertising trustworthiness and avoidance”. Supplied by Marketing Consultants for Emerald.)