Brand Novelty and Publicity About Athlete Endorsers Affect Psychological Processing of Ads

Using a hierarchy of effects theoretical framework, the present study investigates psychological responses to positive and negative publicity about athlete endorsers. Furthermore, this research addresses the role of brand novelty on these processes. Participants were exposed to an ad for a soft drink brand (either novel or well-established) that featured an athlete endorser. Each ad was paired with a news story that contained either positive or negative information about the athlete's off-field behavior. Participants' cognitive, affective, and conative responses were assessed. Results indicate more cognition, affect, and conation to ads associated with positive publicity about the athletes and for established brands. Unexpectedly, publicity and brand novelty interacted such that established brands were more susceptible to the effects of publicity than were novel brands. Results are discussed in regard to furthering theory and practical implications.

Automated summary

Using a hierarchy of effects theoretical framework, this study explores psychological responses to positive and negative publicity about athlete endorsers, as well as the role of brand novelty in these processes. The results indicate that ads associated with positive publicity and established brands elicit more cognition, affect, and conation. Surprisingly, there is an interaction between publicity and brand novelty, with established brands being more susceptible to the effects of publicity compared to novel brands.