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Volume 26, Issue 1 (Spring 2024)
Advances in Cognitive Sciences 2024, 26(1): 18-32 |
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Rodbari H, Elahi A, Javadi A, Akbari Yazdi H. An observational approach to the influence of famous sports endorsers on advertising attention (using eye-tracking technology). Advances in Cognitive Sciences 2024; 26 (1) :18-32
URL: http://icssjournal.ir/article-1-1654-en.html
URL: http://icssjournal.ir/article-1-1654-en.html
1- PhD Student of Sports Management, Khwarazmi University, Tehran, Iran
2- Associate Professor of Sports Management, Khwarazmi University, Tehran, Iran
3- Associate Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, Kent University, Kent, England
4- Assistant Professor of Sports Management, Khwarazmi University, Tehran, Iran
2- Associate Professor of Sports Management, Khwarazmi University, Tehran, Iran
3- Associate Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, Kent University, Kent, England
4- Assistant Professor of Sports Management, Khwarazmi University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract: (1488 Views)
Introduction
Advertising is one of the crucial marketing mix tools (1). Advertisements play an effective role in companies’ and organizations’ business policies and strategies (2). Companies focus on advertising campaigns to draw customers’ attention to products and brands and influence them (3). Increasing the attractiveness and effectiveness of advertising has always been one of the fundamental challenges of companies, forcing them to seek to create and use new methods in the advertising industry. Famous people can attract positive reactions to advertisements and increase people’s willingness to buy more than ordinary and non-famous people (4). Celebrity endorsements increase brand recall and advertising (5), strengthen brand loyalty (7), and positively affect word-of-mouth advertising (8).
One of these methods is using famous people in advertising, known as endorsement. The main question that arises is why do companies use celebrity endorsements as a promotional strategy.
Methods
The current research is both practical and innovative. It employs an experimental and semi-experimental approach, utilizing eye-tracking technology for data collection. This device minimizes the need for pre-tests and post-tests by the recording of people’s gazes from before watching commercials to after them. Furthermore, the presence of neutral promotional films was considered as a control group. The statistical population of the research was made up of students of Tehran universities. Sampling was done non-randomly and voluntarily. According to the studies by Jandaghi et al. (2020) (20), Salehi et al. (2019) (21), and Hossein Abadi Sadh et al. (2016) (22), 35 participants aged 18 to 26 were selected for this research. In order to prepare the stimuli for the research, promotional videos of famous and non-famous sports endorsers were prepared, and experts in the field of sports advertising and marketing confirmed their validity. Multiple regression analysis using SPSS-22 software was used for data analysis.
Results
The results of the multiple regression analysis related to the average length of fixations in Table 2 showed that at the 95% confidence level, the average length of fixations has a statistically significant relationship with the type of advertisement (P<0.05) so that the average length of fixations for sports shoe advertising is significantly lower than the average. The length of fixations for the neutral video was (P=0.001). It was also observed that the average length of fixations for the advertisement of Labtab had a statistically significant difference from the neutral video (P=0.051).
Advertising is one of the crucial marketing mix tools (1). Advertisements play an effective role in companies’ and organizations’ business policies and strategies (2). Companies focus on advertising campaigns to draw customers’ attention to products and brands and influence them (3). Increasing the attractiveness and effectiveness of advertising has always been one of the fundamental challenges of companies, forcing them to seek to create and use new methods in the advertising industry. Famous people can attract positive reactions to advertisements and increase people’s willingness to buy more than ordinary and non-famous people (4). Celebrity endorsements increase brand recall and advertising (5), strengthen brand loyalty (7), and positively affect word-of-mouth advertising (8).
One of these methods is using famous people in advertising, known as endorsement. The main question that arises is why do companies use celebrity endorsements as a promotional strategy.
Methods
The current research is both practical and innovative. It employs an experimental and semi-experimental approach, utilizing eye-tracking technology for data collection. This device minimizes the need for pre-tests and post-tests by the recording of people’s gazes from before watching commercials to after them. Furthermore, the presence of neutral promotional films was considered as a control group. The statistical population of the research was made up of students of Tehran universities. Sampling was done non-randomly and voluntarily. According to the studies by Jandaghi et al. (2020) (20), Salehi et al. (2019) (21), and Hossein Abadi Sadh et al. (2016) (22), 35 participants aged 18 to 26 were selected for this research. In order to prepare the stimuli for the research, promotional videos of famous and non-famous sports endorsers were prepared, and experts in the field of sports advertising and marketing confirmed their validity. Multiple regression analysis using SPSS-22 software was used for data analysis.
Results
The results of the multiple regression analysis related to the average length of fixations in Table 2 showed that at the 95% confidence level, the average length of fixations has a statistically significant relationship with the type of advertisement (P<0.05) so that the average length of fixations for sports shoe advertising is significantly lower than the average. The length of fixations for the neutral video was (P=0.001). It was also observed that the average length of fixations for the advertisement of Labtab had a statistically significant difference from the neutral video (P=0.051).
Table 2. Examining the relationship between the average length of fixations and the type of advertisement and the type of advertiser (famous, non-famous)
| Predictors | Count | The average of fixations | P |
| Product (shoes) | -184.01 | -295.26_-72.89 | 0.001 |
| Product (laptop) | -173.32 | -282.98_-63.66 | 0.002 |
| Author (unknown) | -104.51 | -218.92_9.89 | 0.073 |
| Shoe product * Author (unknown) | -57.66 | -99.76_215.08 | 0.473 |
| Product (laptop)* Author (unknown) | 91.22 | -66.29_248.73 | 0.256 |
| Observations 432 | |||
Table 3. Examining the relationship between the number of fixations and the type of advertising and the type of advertiser
| Predictors | Count | Count of Fixations | P |
| Product (shoes) | 2.22 | -0.01_4.45 | 0.051 |
| Product (laptop) | 2.27 | 0.57_-4.97 | 0.014 |
| Author (unknown) | 0.26 | -2.04_2.55 | 0.825 |
| Shoe product * Author (unknown) | 3.43 | -6.59_-0.28 | 0.033 |
| Product (laptop)* Author (unknown) | 0.27 | -2.89_3.43 | 0.868 |
| Observations 432 | |||
Conclusion
Research results reveal an interaction effect between athlete fame (famous and non-famous) and shoe advertisements at a 95% confidence level. Specifically, the impact of sports shoe ads on the number of fixations varies based on whether the athlete is famous or not. Ads featuring non-famous athletes significantly decrease the number of fixations compared to those with famous athletes, aligning with findings by Grigaliunaite and Pileliene (2017) (17). The results of another part of the research showed that the presence of a famous athlete in advertisements can attract the audience’s attention. The findings of this part of the current research are in line with the results of Falsarella et al. (2017) (3), Ferguson and Mohan (2019) (10), Lee et al. (2017) (30), and Prakash and Shamla (2015) (31). Considering the fit between the product and the sports sponsor, practical suggestions for usingadvertising managers are expressed to pay more attention to advertising: The obtained results show that featuring a famous athlete in advertisements can capture the audiences’ attention. This strategy can significantly boost audience engagement if the athlete is a good fit for the product or service.Studying the motivations, interests, and behaviors of the product target audience helps individuals choose the right sports endorser (Choosing the right sports endorser).
Limited scientific evidence supports the effectiveness of traditional methods, such as questionnaires, in measuring advertising impact. Given this study’s experimental nature and innovative methodology, it can serve as a valuable guide for future researchers in the field. The observational approach using the eye tracking tool confirms the influence of the famous endorser and direction of the gaze of the human source of the message on the audience’s visual attention to advertisements. However, examining people’s feelings and tendencies while seeing sports sponsors can be measured through neuromarketing tools.
Ethical Consideration
Compliance with ethical guideline
Among the ethical principles considered in this research were the voluntary participation of the participants, compliance with the principles of confidentiality, and obtaining the informed consent of the participants. Furthermore, the study has been approved by the Ethics Committee of the Research Institute of Physical Education and Sports Sciences (SSRI.REC-2305-2236 (R1)).
Authors’ contributions
This article is taken from the doctoral thesis of the first author in the Sports Management Department of Kharazmi University. All authors participated in ideation, writing, editing, and preparing the article’s final version..
Funding
This research has not used any funds.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to express their gratitude to all the participants and people who facilitated the implementation of this research in any way.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare no potential conflict of interest.
Type of Study: Research |
Received: 2024/01/9 | Accepted: 2024/05/30 | Published: 2024/08/28
Received: 2024/01/9 | Accepted: 2024/05/30 | Published: 2024/08/28
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