The effect of covert advertising recognition on consumer attitudes: A systematic review

ABSTRACT

Consumers do not always recognize the persuasive intent of covert forms of advertising. Thus, when exploring consumers’ evaluations of these specific ads it is important to measure if, and to what extent, they recognize it as an ad. Amidst the current research, conflicting findings exist on what effect ad recognition exerts on attitudinal reactions. This quantitative systematic review found that the effects observed in most studies are negative. Additionally, among these studies, those employing an article-style ad display more negative relationships than social media-style ads. Similarly, studies using binary measures of recognition uncovered more negative relationships compared to continuous measures. Moreover, brand attitudes had fewer negative relationships with ad recognition compared to advertising attitudes and publisher/poster attitudes.

KEYWORDS:

• Native advertising
• covert
• advertising recognition
• attitudes
• sponsorship

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Louvins Pierre

Louvins Pierre is currently a doctoral student studying Marketing Communication in the Department of Communication at the University of Connecticut (UConn). Some of his research interests include digital marketing communication strategy, spokesperson/opinion leader use in advertising, cultural considerations in marketing, and the acculturation process of minorities through media. He teaches or has taught courses in advertising, public relations, public relations writing, public speaking, media literacy, and media effects on children. Prior to his doctoral study, Louvins earned his Master's in Communication from UConn and his Bachelor's in Communication from Tuskegee University.