The disclosure paradox: how persuasion knowledge mediates disclosure effects in sponsored media content

Abstract

Persuasion knowledge is an established construct in the explanation of recipients’ coping with persuasive communication. It gains particular importance when persuasion attempts are covert. This is the case for sponsored content, as it closely adapts to its media environment. Hence, disclosures are employed to uncover such content as persuasion attempt. In the present study, we argue that disclosures activate different sub-dimensions of persuasion knowledge which can lead to paradoxical effects: On the one hand, disclosures increase recipients’ activation of conceptual persuasion knowledge by highlighting the persuasive intent of sponsored content. On the other hand, disclosures decrease recipients’ activation of attitudinal persuasion knowledge by making sponsored content appear less deceptive. This results in two opposing mediation effects where disclosures simultaneously increase and decrease anger through persuasion knowledge activation. The findings of two experimental studies show that these mediation effects occur consistently in the contexts of social media and blogs, while a third experiment reveals divergent findings in the context of journalistic media.

Keywords:

• Persuasion knowledge
• disclosure
• sponsored content
• persuasion
• advertising

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Johannes Beckert

Johannes Beckert (MA, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz) is a research associate at the Department of Communication, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany. His research interests include persuasive communication, advertising effects of sponsored content, the relationship between journalism and advertising, corporate communications as well as media effects.

Thomas Koch

Thomas Koch (PhD, Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen/Nuremberg, Germany) is Professor for Corporate Communications and Public Relations at the Department of Communication, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany. His research interests include persuasive and strategic communication, the relationship between journalism and public relations as well as media effects.

Benno Viererbl

Benno Viererbl (MA, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz) is a research associate at the Department of Communication, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany. His research interests include the relationship between journalism and public relations, crisis communication and issues management, corporate reputation and image as well as media effects.

Charlotte Schulz-Knappe

Charlotte Schulz-Knappe (MSc, University of Amsterdam), is a research associate at the Department of Communication, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany. Her research interests include internal corporate communications, corporate social responsibility, as well as the relationship between journalism and public relations.