The effects of sponsorship disclosure in short-form video: A moderated mediation model of sponsorship literacy and perceived features of sponsored short-form video

The increasing prevalence of sponsorship marketing in short-form videos has underscored the need to enhance sponsorship transparency. Researchers have identified disclosure as an effective way to inform viewers of the sponsoring truth. As one of the first to investigate the effects of short-form video sponsorship disclosure, this study conducted an online experiment with 601 Chinese TikTok users. Results indicate that disclosing sponsorship distinctly and last 6 s by prefacing a sponsored short-form video increased viewers' sponsorship literacy and their favorable attitudes toward the brand and video. The effect of disclosure on their demand for the sponsored products is improved by understanding the persuasion intent. During this process, viewers' perceptions of the relevant video's social interaction, informativeness, and relevance strengthened the mediation effect of sponsorship recognition on attitudes about the brand and short-form video. These findings contribute to the literature on sponsorship disclosure by drawing on the persuasion knowledge model and short-form video research, updating understanding of sponsorship literacy over social media, reinforcing the necessity of implementing regulations ensuring transparency in short-form video marketing, and providing practitioners with a new insight on the benefits of disclosing the sponsored fact in influencer marketing.

Automated summary

The increasing prevalence of sponsorship marketing in short-form videos has highlighted the importance of transparency. Disclosure of sponsorship has been identified as an effective way to inform viewers. This study conducted an online experiment with Chinese TikTok users and found that disclosing sponsorship before a short-form video increased viewers' understanding of sponsorship transparency and improved their attitudes towards the brand and video. The study also found that viewers' perceptions of the video's social interaction, informativeness, and relevance strengthened the mediation effect of sponsorship recognition on attitudes about the brand and video.