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Cited by 581Digital Marketing and Social MediaMarketing and Advertising StrategiesConsumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification

“This post is sponsored”: effects of sponsorship disclosure on persuasion knowledge and electronic word of mouth in the context of Facebook

Open access
Boerman, Sophie C., Willemsen, Lotte M., Van Der Aa, Eva P.·2017·Journal of Interactive Marketing
DOI 10.1016/j.intmar.2016.12.002
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Abstract

Social media, such as Facebook, offer brands the opportunity to reach their target audience in a less obtrusive way than traditional media, through sponsored posts. Regulations require marketers to explicitly inform consumers about the commercial nature of these posts. This study addresses the effects of sponsorship disclosures by means of a 2 (no disclosure vs. the sponsorship disclosure ‘Sponsored’) × 2 (source: celebrity endorser vs. brand) experiment. Results suggest that a sponsorship disclosure only influences the use of persuasion knowledge when the post is disseminated by a celebrity. Moreover, a disclosure starts a process in which the recognition of advertising (i.e., the activation of conceptual persuasion knowledge) causes consumers to develop distrusting beliefs about the post (i.e., higher attitudinal persuasion knowledge), and in turn, decreases their intention to engage in electronic word of mouth.

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Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.intmar.2016.12.002

Cites

52 of 52 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • The model suggests that people know influencers are often paid to promote products, services, or destinations.

    “The model suggests that people know influencers are often paid to promote products, services, or destinations (Boerman et al. 2017).”

    From Influencer Marketing and Tourist Behaviour: A Systematic Literature Review of Attitudes, Intentions and Behaviours in Tourism (2026) · cites this paper as Boerman et al. 2017

    The Introduction (pp. 4–5) says celebrities are paid to promote products and brands, and that the persuasion knowledge model assumes adults usually recognize celebrity endorsements as advertising. But the Conclusion and Discussion (p. 9) says the study found consumers may struggle to recognize the commercial nature of celebrity posts on social media. The claim omits that qualification and extends the point beyond the products and brands discussed. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • In an experiment, sponsorship disclosure influenced individuals only when the post was made by a celebrity, not when made by a brand.

    “They were only influenced by the disclosure when the post was made by a celebrity, suggesting that people assumed sponsorship when a post was made by a brand, but not when made by a celebrity [32].”

    From Two social lives: how differences between online and offline interaction influence social outcomes (2020) · cites this paper as [32]

  • People may view parasocial online connections as friends and be less guarded to persuasion attempts, thus enhancing celebrity influence.

    “As a result, people may view these parasocial online connections as 'friends,' and be less guarded to persuasion attempts, thus enhancing celebrity influence [32][33][34].”

    From Two social lives: how differences between online and offline interaction influence social outcomes (2020) · cites this paper as [32]

  • People assumed sponsorship when a post was made by a brand, but not when made by a celebrity.

    “They were only influenced by the disclosure when the post was made by a celebrity, suggesting that people assumed sponsorship when a post was made by a brand, but not when made by a celebrity [32].”

    From Two social lives: how differences between online and offline interaction influence social outcomes (2020) · cites this paper as [32]

  • Firms often leverage social media to connect with consumers and increase purchase intentions.

    “and firms often leverage social media to connect with consumers and increase purchase intentions [32].”

    From Two social lives: how differences between online and offline interaction influence social outcomes (2020) · cites this paper as [32]

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Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 5

  1. Farace, Stefania, Tom van Laer, Ko de Ruyter, D. Ko, and Martin Wetzels (2015), ' The Selfie: Understanding Visualization of Stories in Consumer Photos, ' Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2638273. · DOI
  2. Freiden, Jon B. (1984), ' Advertising Spokesperson Effects: An Examination of Endorser Type and Gender on Two Audiences, ' Journal of Advertising Research , 24, 5, 33 -41. http://refhub.elsevier.com/S1094-9968(1630078-0/rf0115)
  3. Ham, Chang-Dae, Michelle R. Nelson, and Susmita Das (2015), ' Howto Measure Persuasion Knowledge, ' International Journal of Advertising , 34, 1, 17 -53.
  4. Jones, Michael E. (1979), ' Celebrity Endorsements: A Case for Alarm and Concern for the Future, ' New England Law Review , 15, 521 -44. http://refhub.elsevier.com/S1094-9968(1630078-0/rf0175)
  5. Peters, Kay, Yubo Chen, Andreas M. Kaplan, Björn Ognibeni, and Koen Pauwels (2013), ' Social Media Metrics -AFramework and Guidelines for Managing Social Media, ' Journal of Interactive Marketing , 27, 4, 281 -98.

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Authors
Boerman, S. C., Willemsen, L. M., & Van Der Aa, E. P.
Affiliations
  • University of Amsterdam (NL)
  • University of Applied Sciences Utrecht (NL)
  • University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR), PO Box 15791, 1001 NG Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Corresponding author
  • Boerman, Sophie C.
  • Willemsen, Lotte M.
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Interactive Marketing
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2017-05
Volume
38
Issue
1
Pages
82-92
ISSN
  • 1094-9968 (ISSN-L)
  • 1520-6653
DOI
10.1016/j.intmar.2016.12.002
OpenAlex
W2606236341
Cited by
581
References
52
Citations by year
2026: 108 · 2025: 92 · 2024: 81 · 2023: 65 · 2022: 57 · 2021: 55 · 2020: 57 · 2019: 39 · 2018: 21 · 2017: 5 · 2015: 1
FWCI
85.45
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
  • Journal of Interactive Marketing (publishedVersion)
  • Socio-Environmental Systems Modeling (acceptedVersion)
  • UvA-DARE (University of Amsterdam) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Marketing and Social Media
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Marketing and Advertising Strategies
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification
Keywords
sponsored posts, sponsorship disclosure, persuasion knowledge, electronic word of mouth, Facebook, social media advertising, celebrity endorsers, brand endorsers, advertising recognition, consumer distrust, disclosure regulation

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