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Abstract
This study examined the role of sponsorship disclosures in YouTube eating shows that include a large amount of unhealthy food. To see the mechanism through which sponsorship disclosures affect viewers’ attitudes and behavioural intentions toward the featured product, we assessed the mediating role of inferences of manipulative intent, which refers to consumers’ inference that the persuasion method used by an ad is manipulative. Ad recognition and para-social relationships with the influencer were tested as moderators. Results showed that providing the disclosure significantly lowered inferences of manipulative intent when viewers’ ad recognition was high. Decreased inferences of manipulative intent led to positive attitudinal and behavioural outcomes. The results indicate that the presence of sponsorship disclosure might work against public health, making viewers more receptive to harmful messages.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
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Notes on contributors
Soontae An
Soontae An is professor in Communication and Media at Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea. She served as President of the Korea Health Communication Association from 2018 to 2019. Her books include Global Advertising Regulation Handbook and Children Advertising in the Digital Era. She has published in the Journal of Advertising, Journal of Advertising Research, International Journal of Advertising, Psychology and Marketing, Psychiatry Research, Archives of Suicide Research, Health Communication, Journal of Health Communication, Health Marketing Quarterly, and elsewhere.
Sieun Ha
Sieun Ha is a Ph.D. student at the Stan Richards School of Advertising and Public Relations at the University of Texas at Austin.