International Journal of Information Management 54 (2020) 102155

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

International Journal of Information Management

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijinfomgt

Consumer response towards social media advertising: Effect of media T

interactivity, its conditions and the underlying mechanism
Sreejesh Sa, Justin Paulb,c,*, Carolyn Strongd, Jose Piuse
a
Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode, IIMK Campus P.O., Kozhikode, Kerala, 673 570, India
b
University of Puerto Rico Graduate School of Business, San Juan, PR, USA
c
Distinguoshed Scholar- Indian Institute of Management (IIM-K), Kerala, India
d
Cardiff University, United Kingdom
e
Department of Operations, Rajagiri Business School, Rajagiri Valley, Kakkanad, P.O., Kochi, 682 039, Kerala, India

A R T I C LE I N FO A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Marketers increasingly use social media platforms as a promotion channel, and doing this, they prefer highly
Social media interactive social media because it allows consumers to socialize and network better. However, in this media,
Interactivity attention is often restricted towards primary purpose only as a result of the level of interactivity, thereby af-
Vividness fecting consumer response towards the advertisement(ad). In this setting, the study analyzes the role of media
Anthropomorphism
interactivity and the effects it has on the reaction of customers towards the social media ad. Further, the study
Attention
also introduces the conditional role of message relevant aspects, such as message vividness and anthro-
Recall
Recognition pomorphism, and examines the intervening role of flow experience. Results from a between-subjects study in-
dicate that interactivity hurts the consumer ad reactions. It also suggests that the right use of message relevant
aspects can mitigate these adverse effects. Thus, the study makes a significant contribution to the literature and
practice regarding the effects of social media interactivity which is relatively recent and has been overlooked by
past researchers.

1. Introduction platform which allows a high level of realism (Coyle & Thorson, 2001).
One of the ways by which the new media (e.g., social media) exert the
For nearly two decades, social-media networks (e.g., Facebook, level of realism is through interactivity. Steuer (1992) defines inter-
Twitter) have increasingly been utilized by marketers to advertise activity as "the extent to which users can participate in modifying the
brands (Arora, Bansal, Kandpal, Aswani, & Dwivedi, 2019; Lee & Hong, form and content of a mediated environment in real-time" (p. 84). The
2016). As of January 2020, around the world 4.54 billion people use level of interactivity exerted by social media is the key feature of all
the internet, with approximately 3.8 billion people engage actively in new media platforms, that not only change the way messages are being
social media, reaching a penetration level of about 49 per cent (Digital, communicated but also how they influence opinions and attitude
2020). It reported that over 90 per cent of brands use more than one (Fortin & Dholakia, 2005). It plays a critical role in influencing user
social media network for advertising, and companies are proactive in behaviour (Wang & Sundar, 2018). This is because, interactivity fa-
using social media strategies and tactics to increase consumption of cilitated by the medium allows the user to customize the appearance of
their brand (Lee & Hong, 2016). More importantly, the integral role the communication interface (cosmetic customization), make altera-
social media plays in the life of consumers has led to marketers ex- tions to task-oriented utility tools on the interface (functional custo-
tensively depending on the platform to market their offerings. mization), and manage information either filtering or through the
In this medium, what marketers/advertisers find critical and chal- creation of original content (Sundar, 2012). This is the evolving feature
lenging is directing consumer attention and response towards the ad- of new media and represents the quality of evolving communication
vertisement (ad). This research approaches this aspect from a different media (Rafaeli & Sutton, 1990). Social media as a platform carries in-
perspective, that is, moving away from traditional media to a new teractivity features that determine the extent to which the user of this
media outlet which helps marketers to attract the customers towards a medium uses and controls the form and content of communication in

⁎
Corresponding author at: University of Puerto Rico Graduate School of Business, San Juan, PR, USA.
E-mail addresses: [email protected] (S. S), [email protected], [email protected] (J. Paul), StrongC@cardiff.ac.uk (C. Strong),
[email protected] (J. Pius).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102155
Received 5 February 2020; Received in revised form 20 May 2020; Accepted 20 May 2020
0268-4012/ © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
S. S, et al. International Journal of Information Management 54 (2020) 102155

the real-time (Lin & Chang, 2018). For example, users interact with message/brand as "actual human beings with various emotional states,
their social environment through content development, creation, mind, soul, and conscious behaviours that can act as prominent mem-
sharing, posting their messages, and reading the messages posted by bers of social ties"(pp. 413), and it can elicit better message attention in
others. Thus, the interactivity facilitates the users to present them- social media settings (Tuškej & Podnar, 2018). Adding human elements
selves, as well as to have informational exchanges among the social directs the users to consider the message as part of a socialization
groups in real-time (Zhao & Lu, 2012). process, and feel better connected to the message. Therefore, we pro-
Though, interactivity of the social media platform directs the users' pose a fourth research question:
information processing towards the primary communication objective
RQ4: Does anthropomorphizing the brand/message presented in
of socialization, a higher level of interactivity in this medium work
highly interactive media work favourably in creating the users'
adversely. That is, it may result in deteriorating the information pro-
message attention?
cessing of the secondary communication of the advert presented be-
cause of the interactivity intended to facilitate the primary objective of Besides, the extant literature stated that the level of interactivity
socialization. Therefore, the effectiveness of adverts is threatened by and vividness could direct the user to create a flow experience con-
platform usage and directing the attention only on the task of sociali- cerning the medium (Hoffman & Novak, 1996; Novak, Hoffman, &
zation. Although research has provided an adequate understanding of Yung, 2000), which work as a critical intervening mechanism in
the importance of interactivity in general advertising contexts (e.g., creating customer outcomes. This flow is a state which is facilitated by
Chen, Griffith, & Shen, 2005; Liu & Shrum, 2009; Sicilia, Ruiz, & interactivity, the intrinsic enjoyment, loss of self-consciousness, and
Munuera, 2005; Sundar, Bellur, Oh, Xu, & Jia, 2014), limited research self-reinforcement (Novak et al., 2000). Therefore, in support of prior
analyses the effect of interactivity in the social media context, espe- literature (e.g., Hoffman & Novak, 1996; Novak et al., 2000), we posit
cially the effect it has on consumer responses towards the ad which is that in social media settings, the facilitation of factors, such as inter-
presented in these media. Besides this, clarity is lacking regarding how activity, vividness and anthropomorphism can elicit users' flow ex-
it impacts consumer responses towards the advert, which is presented perience, which is critical in generating the message related outcomes.
in the social media with varying levels of interactivity. This study aims The reach and popularity of social media as a medium of adver-
to answer the following research questions: tising, and a platform to provide a higher level of social interactions
suggests the need for a study to provide answers to our stated research
RQ1: Does the level of media interactivity (high vs. low) play any
questions. Providing answers to these questions will deliver accurate
role in influencing the consumers' attention and memory of the
directions for social media marketers and advertisers, and also help
advertised brand/message?
them to achieve better communication outcomes amongst the audience.
RQ2: If the media interactivity hurts the attention and memory of
the ad presented in the media, then what management options exist
2. Literature review and hypothesis formulation
to promote more considerable ad brand/message attention and
memory without reducing the interactivity exposure level of the
2.1. Social media interactivity
consumers in social media?
Managing the adverse effect of media characteristics of interactivity In the settings of advertisement and media communications, inter-
involves considering the message mechanics to elicit better message activity strives to provide end-users with the avenue to communicate
attention and memory among social media users. This study, firstly effectively as either senders or receivers with other users in real-time to
considers message vividness as a balancing factor which balances the access or to deliver information on an on-demand basis where the
audience attention between the primary communication (socialization) timing, content, and sequence of the communication is in the control of
and the secondary elements (ad/brand). Following Steuer (1992), we the end-user (Fortin & Dholakia, 2005). In line with Hoffman and
consider message vividness as the message mechanics, and it denotes Novak (1996), who conceptualized interactivity in two different per-
the extent to which the message contains formal features; that is, how a spectives, the first user-to-user interactivity focused on the inter-
message present in the medium delivers information to the senses of the personal communication perspective and the responsiveness to the
user. We presume that applying the perspective of the vividness of the content posted by a user (user to user), and the other perspective of
ad presented in the interactive social media elicit message richness by user-to-system (technology/medium interactivity), which focused in-
evoking sensorial appeal to the multiple senses of the person who is teractivity as the media characteristics. Sundar, Jia, Waddell, and
observing the ad presented in the media (Steuer, 1992). Consequently, Huang (2015) considered interactivity in a broad perspective, and the
we presume that within the same medium, the level of interactivity may authors considered the concept of the interactivity of digital media as a
vary. The variation in the level of interactivity diverts the users' at- source feature, media feature, and message feature (Sundar et al.,
tention from the primary communication of social interaction to the 2015). The media feature of this study allows users to manipulate the
message presented in social media. For example, higher interactive functionalities of social media in various modes, for example, zoom in
media direct more attention towards the primary mode of socialization certain parts, search, scroll down, and customize appearances. Inter-
than that of the message attention. In this setting, facilitating message activity facilitates users to participate in a variety of activities such as
vividness considers the level of interactivity exerted by the medium and the creation of portals or pages, expressing feelings, and opinions and
direct the users' attention back to the message embedded in this plat- even customizing the information using various media features. There
form. Therefore, we posit the third research question: are many benefits of the media feature of interactivity which allow the
user to have reciprocal and synchronous interactions (Gu, Oh, & Wang,
RQ3: Does message vividness work as a balancing factor to restore
2013), involvement (Sicilia et al., 2005), sense of control, and choice of
the customer attention towards the brand/message presented in a
the media (Song & Bucy, 2008). Social media carries this compelling
highly interactive social media?
media interactivity, allowing consumers to fully engage in the com-
The extant literature states that in social media settings, if con- munications strategy (Oh & Sundar, 2015), directing them to make the
sumers who are cognitively ready to see the message/brand presented full commitment of their cognitive resources in processing information
in the media as a relationship partner, then they have a higher moti- (Oh & Sundar, 2015).
vation to interpret the same and enhancing their perception towards the Past researchers noted the importance of media interactivity in
exposed message/brand (Hudson, Huang, Roth, & Madden, 2016). In different media settings, however, there is little understanding delve
this line, Puzakova, Kwak, and Rocereto (2013) stated that anthro- into social media (e.g., Lin & Chang, 2018). In this setting, this research
pomorphizing the message/brands directs the consumers to see the presumes that there is a need to analyze the effect of interactivity in

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social media ad settings, due to the benefits of social media as a com- resources from the encoding of the primary activity of social interaction
munication platform in comparison with traditional media. Firstly, the and leading to a reduction in the processing of the secondary in-
perceived balance facilitated by social media in terms of information formation of advertisement processing. Furthermore, in align with past
sharing and acquisition through its interactive features allows the users literature (e.g., Hsu et al., 2015; Lee & Ma, 2012) we also argue that
of the medium to engage more with this platform (Zhao & Lu, 2012). under higher interactivity conditions, the users of this platform will use
Whereas in traditional media, the consumer depends on the medium more of the functions facilitated by this media to fulfil their primary
purely for information acquisition/entertainment, and the absence or need of socialization. Therefore, we argue that it may adversely affect
partial interactivity features allowed by this medium restricts the users the secondary communication element of the ad presented in this
to share their information/entertainment. highly interactive platform. Therefore, this study postulates that:
Secondly, the interactivity in the form of user-to-user interaction
H1. In social media advert settings, media interactivity influences the
facilitated by social media enables the users of this medium to select,
users’ processing of the content of an advert, consumers who come in
search, and edit information in a customized manner (Wei, Lin, Lu, &
contact with high interactive (vs. low interactive) social media will
Chuang, 2015). This form of user-to-user interactivity also increases the
display a low (vs. high) level of ad (a) attention, (b) recall, and (c)
effectiveness of absorbing the information (Hsu, Chang, Lin, & Lin,
recognition.
2015). However, this mode of user-to-user interactivity is not accessible
in traditional media platforms. Therefore, the form of interactivity fa-
cilitated by social media may create differences in the effectiveness of 2.2. The moderating role of message vividness
communication and its absorption.
Finally, the interactivity facilitated by social media platforms may The above-stated hypothesis in isolation provides a direction to the
also direct the users to control the medium by modifying the content fundamental question: what types of social media should marketers
and its form in real-time (Steuer, 1992; Zhang, Lu, Gupta, & Zhao, choose to achieve maximum ad effectiveness? It provides a direction
2014), which is a critical feature determining the communication that low media interactivity will result in a higher level of ad attention,
quality of the medium (Lowry, Romano, Jenkins, & Guthrie, 2009). recall, and recognition, hence a social media platform with low inter-
However, in traditional media, the user has no control over the pre- activity is preferred. However, it assumed that this is not the right
sented content, and they can only view the contents that are sourced, approach to attain advert effectiveness in social media. Interactivity
developed and controlled by the marketers. Thus, interactivity driven represents the users’ perception of the social media environment (Zhang
control facilitated by social media may provide superior communica- et al., 2014), and low level of interactivity may hurt the users’ outcome
tion in comparison with traditional communication platforms. expectations (Lin & Chang, 2018). A media with low interactivity de-
In this study, in line with prior literature (e.g., Lin & Chang, 2018), velops a perception among users that it does not carry the expected
we propose that media interactivity creates a heightened level of visc- environmental factors, that in turn undermines the intended use of
eral user experience, by reducing the gap between the real and medi- social media. From the audience point of view, high interactivity media
ated environment. It causes an increase in the processing of the re- demanded, which deliver better communication quality and high-
sources related to the primary purpose of social interaction. For quality information exchange among users (Sykes, Venkatesh, &
example, Soares, Pinho, and Nobre (2012) argued that the interactivity Gosain, 2009). Therefore, in this section, we postulate the arguments
facilitated by social media plays a pivotal role in strengthening the substantiating a solution to the above-stated dilemma.
primary focus of building relationships, and it happens through the Since the high interactivity exerted by the social media direct the
increase in speed and convenience of interacting with their social users’ attention more towards the primary purpose of socialization,
group. Moreover, the extant literature in social media settings also ar- using message-driven persuasion tactics redirect consumers attention
gues that this platform contains many unique technical features that towards the message (Coyle & Thorson, 2001; Reyes, Thompson, &
direct the users to interact with others generating socialization focused Bower, 1980). This persuasiveness can be achieved through presenting
attention (Zhang et al., 2014). Thus, media with a highly interactive vivid messages, because, exposure to a vivid message develops a more
environment (e.g., social media) directs the user to a more intuitive and intensive reading experience in comparison with a nonvivid message
natural platform facilitating the absorption of cognitive understanding (MacKenzie, 1986). Nisbett and Ross (1980) support the fact that
of the primary resources. The increased level of cognition of primary messages carrying vividness in any platform are likely to attract and
communications increases due to the high level of modality inter- keep the attention of the user by stimulating the imagination to the
activity and directs the focused absorption of the advertisement content extent that it creates emotional interest, provoke imagery, and prox-
and dissociation towards the peripheral content (Oh & Sundar, 2015). imate in a sensory, spatial or temporal way. The extant studies (e.g.,
Agarwal and Karahanna (2000) highlighted the importance of cognitive Witmer & Singer, 1998) articulate that message vividness is expressed
absorption on successful media communications strategies, and suggest in terms of the breadth and depth of a message. The degree to which a
that the cognitive absorption is “a state of deep involvement…and the message appeals to the sensory organs through presentations and cues
experience of total engagement where other attentional demands are, in using graphics, colour, and animations is the breadth of a message,
essence, ignored” (p. 673). while the depth of a message is the quality and resolution of the pre-
It is noted that cognitive absorption that the user develops towards sentation (Fortin & Dholakia, 2005). The exposure of more vivid mes-
the primary communication activity helps the user to process the in- sages presented in the media also stimulates consumers’ cognitive ela-
formation that is related to the main activity, while it limits the impact boration processes (Nisbett & Ross, 1980). The Differential Attention
of the peripheral elements (Reychav & Wu, 2015). This is also sup- Theory and Availability Valence Theory (Keller & Block, 1997) also
ported by Limited Capacity Theory (Lang, 2000), which suggests that if support this argument that highly visible messages promote brand at-
the user uses more resources for encoding the primary activity, there tention, especially in a high resource-demanding situation. This mes-
would be fewer resources left over for processing of the related per- sage vividness also lets the audience mentally develop anticipatory
ipheral activities. For example, in a social media setting if the media experiences with the stimuli (Phillips, Olson, & Baumgartner, 1995),
facilitates a high level of interactivity, then the consumer allocates thereby resulting in a higher level of memory (Nisbett & Ross, 1980).
more resources for the processing of information related to the primary The extant literature strongly supports the importance of message
activity of social interaction. This might result in incomplete processing vividness as a persuasion factor, the studies also articulated the con-
of information associated with the secondary activity, i.e., processing of ditions under it may perform as a better persuasion element (e.g., Block
the ad. This happens because social media facilitates high media in- & Keller, 1997; Smith & Shaffer, 2000). For example, Block and Keller
teractivity through various means and it dominates by utilizing (1997) stated that elicited vividness may work as a persuasion element

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when enough cognitive resources exist. In support of this Smith and (branded messages) in social media has been identified as stimulation
Shaffer (2000) also argued that vividness create strong message out- of social cues, and it also generates expected user responses (Pérez-
comes when the platform provided is more supportive. In this setting, Vega, Taheri, Farrington, & O’Gorman, 2018).
the study presumes that high interactivity elicited by a platform is In support of this proposition, more recently, Tuškej and Podnar
supportive, where the users carry a favourable perception towards the (2018), found that anthropomorphism could influence consumer
environment as communication friendly which is also perceive that the brand/message identification positively, which is defined as a psycho-
media meet their outcome expectations (Lin & Chang, 2018). Therefore, logical state of perceiving, feeling, and valuing his or her belongingness
exposure to a highly vivid message in a highly interactive media will with a brand. While considering it as a psychological element, studies
stimulate the cognitive elaboration process of the users. Particularly, emphasized that anthropomorphism causes increased cognitive fluency
this will elicit consumer emotionality (MacInnis & Price, 1987), con- (Rauschnabel & Ahuvia, 2014), whereas cognitive fluency is defined as
creteness and detail (Taylor & Thompson, 1982), proximity (Sherer & the ease or difficulty of a cognitive process. In support of this, empirical
Rogers, 1984), or sensory breadth of the message (Cho, 1999; Fortin & evidence shows that high cognitive fluency provides a sense of intuitive
Dholakia, 2005), which result in great message attention and memory. fit with the product/message, whereas low cognitive fluency is frus-
On the contrary, a platform that provides a lower level of interactivity trating (Aggarwal & McGill, 2007; Belke, Leder, Strobach, & Carbon,
create a perception among users that it is unfavourable and do not meet 2010). Therefore, in highly interactive social media that has high
their expected outcomes. Under this low level of cognition, presenting message vividness, choosing to anthropomorphize the brand advert will
high (vs. low) vivid messages does not create any effect on the message result in higher cognitive fluency and better message related outcomes
related outcomes (Ophir, Brennan, Maloney, & Cappella, 2019). Thus, amongst the users of the media, including message attention, recall, and
in this study, we posit the following hypotheses: recognition. Therefore, we hypothesize that:
H2a. When the customer interacts on a highly interactive social media, H3. When a user interacts on a highly interactive social media
exposing an ad with high (vs. low) vividness will report a higher (vs. environment with vivid ad condition, exposure to anthropomorphic
lower) level of ad (a) attention, (b) recall, and (c) recognition. ad (vs no anthropomorphic) features will generate higher (vs. lower)
level of ad (a) attention (b) recall, and (c) recognition.
H2b. When the customer interacts on a low interactive social media,
exposing an ad with high (vs. low) vividness will not report any
difference in ad (a) attention, (b) recall, and (c) recognition. 2.4. Mediating role of flow experience

In this section, we propose that the effect of the media interactivity

2.3. Moderating role of anthropomorphism and its boundary conditions direct the user ad attention and memory
through an intervening mechanism of flow experience. Flow experience
Extant communication literature (e.g., Taylor & Thompson, 1982) is a cognitive stage in which the consumer becomes wholly involved in
states that if the presented vivid information produces an affective re- the activity becoming absorbed in a situation where nothing else mat-
sponse or emotional arousal, it can then produce vary favourable ters (Nakamura & Csikszentmihalyi, 2009). According to
communication outcomes (Block & Keller, 1997). More specifically, the Csikszentmihalyi (1975), flow experience is a state where the in-
effect of vividness can be further augmented when the audience of the dividuals focuses on doing an activity for a long time without experi-
message consider that the message is personally relevant and produces encing the passage of time. It demonstrates an intrinsic motivation or
an affective response (Taylor & Thompson, 1982). In support of this, we enjoyment of an activity (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975). Research indicates
argue that when consumers interact with a highly interactive social that enjoyment, challenge, control, curiosity and concentration are
media platform with high message vividness, then creating high mes- examples of flow experience (Chang, Liang, Chou, & Lin, 2017; Pelet,
sage relevancy arouses their affective responses towards the same, it, in Ettis, & Cowart, 2017). Following prior literary works (e.g., Epley,
turn, better customer outcomes. Waytz, & Cacioppo, 2007; Fan, Wu, & Mattila, 2016), this study sug-
In this line, Vidal (2007) argues that anthropomorphism represents gests that the simultaneous occurrence of media interactivity, message
an effective strategy which spontaneously develops strong personal vividness with anthropomorphic messages generate the customer’s
relevance and affective responses towards inanimate objects. This is sense of confidence, social connectedness, control and comfort in
because, anthropomorphizing the message/brand creates a perception human-machine interactions, thereby developing a higher flow ex-
amongst the consumers that as actual human beings with emotional perience. This is because, exposing anthropomorphic messages in social
states, mind, soul, hence they consider the same as part of their social media stimulates a set of social cues that are vital for social media
ties (Puzakova et al., 2013). Social media settings presenting a message immersion, enhancing the smooth flow of social communication
with anthropomorphic characteristics trigger the consumers’ social and (Gretry, Horváth, Belei, & van Riel, 2017; Liu, Chu, Huang, & Chen,
behavioural beliefs (Hudson et al., 2016). Anthropomorphizing of the 2016). It also supports work by Nowak and Biocca (2003) which pos-
message/brand direct the consumers to view non-human objects as tulates that the presence of anthropomorphic brand characteristics in
human entities being capable of reasoning and intent (Puzakova et al., social media advertisements leads to a message related cognition
2013). Mourey, Olson, and Yoon (2017) support that exposure to an- causing a positive influence on the flow experience (Pelet et al., 2017).
thropomorphic message characteristics may enhance their personal The flow experience received by the user from a medium influences the
relevance and social needs of users, this is important in social media consumers’ attention and memory towards the embedded brand-related
settings (Hudson et al., 2016). Therefore, we propose that in highly elements (Sreejesh, Anusree, & Ponnam, 2018). Therefore, it is sug-
interactive and vivid social media settings, consumers consider or gested that more intrinsic motivation and enjoyment in the social media
evaluate the media as a very favourable one. In this setting, presenting usage can be created by high anthropomorphic brand advertisements
a highly vivid and anthropomorphic message characteristic elicit resulting in a favourable flow experience, which in turn, leads to more
emotionality (MacInnis & Price, 1987), concreteness and detail (Taylor favourable brand-related outcomes. This flow serves as positive arousal,
& Thompson, 1982), proximity (Sherer & Rogers, 1984), or sensory which is related to the use of social media, and this positive perception
breadth of the message (Cho, 1999; Fortin & Dholakia, 2005), and also can be transferred to the advertised brand (Steffen, Mau, & Schramm-
more personal relevance. This is because, the consumers are less willing Klein, 2013). It also supports that, in case of no anthropomorphic brand
to replace a product/message when they saw it having a humanlike advertisement, the users’ intrinsic motivation and experiences will be
mind, as it creates a strong emotional base (Chandler & Schwarz, 2010). low, reports reduced flow experience and in turn this creates a reduced
Moreover, anthropomorphizing of the intimate and abstract objects level of ad-related outcomes, such as ad attention and memory.

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Therefore, we posit that: Focus group interview 2: During the third stage, another focus group
interview was conducted using 12 participants M age = 23.2, Male = 56
H4a. In highly interactive social media, presenting an ad with high
%). The primary objective of this focus group interview was to select a
vividness carrying anthropomorphic (vs. no anthropomorphic) features
product category and a brand in that category that can be used while
creates ad attention through flow experience.
designing the social media message. However, we decided to select the
H4b. In highly interactive social media, presenting an ad with high product category based on two preliminary conditions. First, the pro-
vividness carrying anthropomorphic (vs. no anthropomorphic) features duct category should have higher product familiarity among the study
creates ad recall throughflow experience. participants. Secondly, to identify a real brand from that product ca-
tegory with less awareness among the study participants. In this study,
H4c. In highly interactive social media, presenting an ad with high
an authentic brand with a low level of awareness among the partici-
vividness carrying anthropomorphic (vs. no anthropomorphic) features
pants was selected to avoid the probable confounding effect of prior
creates ad recognition through flow experience.
familiarity of the brand on the manipulated variables, and in turn the
outcome variables. These focus group resulted in a unanimous sug-
3. Methodology gestion, where they suggested: "automobiles" as the most familiar pro-
duct category, and “KIA” as the brand, which carries a low level of
3.1. Design brand awareness among the consumers in India.
Pre-test 2: Followed by the focus interview 2, the study conducted a
The study applied a 2 (interactivity: high vs. low) × 2 (vividness: pre-test with 30 participants (M age = 24.3, Male = 61 %), to under-
high vs. low) × 2 (anthropomorphism: yes vs. no) between-subjects stand the familiarity among the participants about the brand “KIA". The
experimental design. In this design, all three independent variables results reported that around 92 % of the participants stated that they
were manipulated, and the dependent variables were measured. In had no familiarity with the selected brand. Therefore, we decided to
addition to this, we also measured some of the confounding variables as select “KIA” as the brand, and use the advert based on the same.
covariates. Stimuli design: Further, in the fourth stage of stimuli design, an ad-
vertisement agency was approached to develop different social media
3.2. Stimuli selection adverts that incorporate the vividness and anthropomorphic advert
conditions in both the low and high interactive social media settings.
The study selected the stimulus required to manipulate the experi- The directions were given about the preparation of the stimuli carrying
mental conditions through a series of focus groups and pre-tests. varying levels of (high vs. low) of message vividness and anthro-
Focus group interview 1: In the first stage, a focus group interview pomorphism. Besides this, proper diligence was applied to avoid the
using ten participants was conducted to identify the popular social confounding effect of interactivity while manipulating the message vi-
media platforms with an adequate level of media interactivity. The vidness, as literature states that vividness is often mistaken for inter-
selected participants were regular users of social media (M age = 22.5, activity (Steuer, 1992). To achieve the vividness manipulations (high
usage daily 2−3 = 61 %, Male = 59 %). In this focus group interview, vs. low), our study reviewed how vividness conditions reflect the
various questions were probed concerning media interactivity and their richness with which the brand message is presented in the media. In
suggestions concerning various social media platforms with different other words, the extent to which the message/brand post stimulates the
levels of interactivity. At the end of the focus groups interview, the different senses (Steuer, 1992), in high vividness condition, vividness
group identified several popular social media platforms, including was achieved by including dynamic animations, contrasting colours,
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. and pictures (Cho, 1999; Fortin & Dholakia, 2005). In the low vividness
Pre-test 1: After the focus group interview, in the second stage, 65 condition, the use of animations, colours and pictures were less pro-
participants were recruited for a pre-test which aimed to select two minent in comparison with high vividness condition. Specifically, for
media platforms with high vs low interactivity from a list of suggested vividness manipulation, we considered vividness in terms of the
social media websites. In this pre-test, the participants were informed breadth and depth of the message exposed. Notably, the breadth of the
that the study aimed to analyze the perceived social media interactivity exposed message being achieved through the number of sensory di-
of five different social media platforms. At the beginning of the pre-test, mensions, cues, and senses presented (e.g., the colours, dynamic ani-
the participants were informed about the concept of interactivity. mations and graphics)—the depth of the message being exposed
Afterwards, these participants (54 % female, M age = 21 years, through the quality and resolution of the presented message.
S.D = 2.1) were asked to indicate their opinion towards several ques- In summary, we ensured that in high vividness conditions, the
tions. These questions are, first, what interactivity meant to them in message richness is relatively higher in comparison with low richness
these five different media platforms. Second, compare the social media condition (Daft & Lengel, 1986). Therefore, as indicated in Appendix A,
interactivity experience with these five different platforms. Third, in high vividness condition, we have exposed a high-resolution graphics
suggest the prominent interactive features that they experience from (ad) in various colours. However, in low vividness condition, there
these five different social media platforms. The participants were then were no graphics, and the resolution of the presented message was
asked to rate the perceived interactivity of each of these social media relatively low. Finally, to achieve the manipulation of the presence of
websites on a seven-point scale (1 = 'least interactive', 7 = 'most in- anthropomorphism (present vs absent) in the advert messages, the
teractive'). From the results of the pre-test, it was found that partici- agency was instructed to use and position brand messages using dif-
pants perceived interactivity of media as a feature of the media, that ferent human elements in an analogical or physical form. However, in
carries ‘two-way communication’ (33 %), ‘user-to-user interactions’ (26 the no anthropomorphic condition, no such human element was in-
%), ‘sense of control’ (21 %), ‘flooded with information’ (15 %), and tegrated into the advert. Therefore, executing all of the stated ma-
‘other interactive features’ (less than 5%). In addition, from the mean nipulated conditions of vividness and anthropomorphism, eight dif-
ratings of perceived interactivity of the media, we shortlisted two social ferent (four in highly interactive and another four in low interactive)
media websites, one with a highest mean rating (Facebook: M social media adverts were designed.
Facebook = 5.5) and the other with the lowest mean value (LinkedIn: M
LinkedIn = 1.8), and mean difference was statistically significant (t 3.3. Participants and procedure
(64) = 12.21, p < 0.001). Therefore, we decided to use Facebook as a
social media platform with high media interactivity and LinkedIn as the As part of this study, we made an open invitation to all the graduate
media platform with low media interactivity. students of a large Indian University. The eligibility was communicated

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in this invitation that they should have active Facebook and LinkedIn respondent mood, product involvement (automobiles: cars). This measurement was conducted
accounts, and they are the active users of the same. Within two-week under the impression that the respondent mood and product involvement may also carry
time, 480 participants confirmed their willingness to participate in the confounding effects on the reporting of the attention, recall and recognition of the brand
experiment and received the same through online. In this, 280 re- message, which became the covariates in the study. Besides this, the respondents were then
spondents reported that they are active on both Facebook and LinkedIn. asked to rate the questions covering the study manipulations, including media interactivity,
From this list, 240 participants were randomly selected. Subsequently, vividness, and anthropomorphism. Further, their responses towards the outcome variables,
another communication was sent to them informing the date, time, and such as message attention, recall and recognition, were also measured. Following this, we
venue of the experiment, and also requested to share their social media asked participants their perceived realism about the manipulated conditions (social media
IDs (Facebook and LinkedIn). message exposure), the question them to rate the extent of perceived realism concerning the
The experiment was conducted in two different computer labs of the exposed stimuli. Finally, they also provided information about their demographics. All the
University (Lab 1: high interactivity & Lab 2: low interactivity). Once scales used to measure the above-said variables are presented in Appendix B.
the participants arrived, they were randomly allocated into these two
different labs. They were asked to select their computer consoles placed 4. Data analysis & results
in respective labs. In addition to this, the researcher explained the
purpose of the study and then detailed the experimentation procedure. As part of the first stage of the data analysis, we assessed and
The participants were randomly allocated different stimulus (social confirmed the success of manipulations executed during the experi-
media messages) to their social media accounts in the form banner ads ment, we then assessed the fundamental assumptions behind the data.
which was placed in their social media newsfeeds. In lab 1, the parti- After manipulation and assumptions confirmation, a multivariate ana-
cipants were instructed to open their Facebook account, and in lab 2, lysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was performed to test the first set of
they were given directions to open their LinkedIn account. In the high hypotheses (H1–H3). Subsequently, we tested the mediation hypotheses
media interactivity condition (Lab 1: Facebook Users), in order to make (H4a-H4c) following the path analysis framework in AMOS 25.
exposure to the advertisements in subject's newsfeed, respondents were
requested to visit the Facebook page, named as "Brand Ads" and in- 4.1. Manipulation checks
structed to set the "receive newsfeed" option from the page, so that the
respondent received any updates on the page immediately upon posting In this stage, the study evaluated the manipulation of all the three
on his/her news feed. Similarly, in the low interactivity media condi- manipulated variables separately using t-tests. The results of the ma-
tion (Lab 2: LinkedIn), the stimulus was placed in their respective nipulation checks supported that the manipulation results of inter-
newsfeeds as banners. On this page, placing the messages was not as activity (α = 0.78, M[high interactivity] = 5.43, M[low interactivity] = 2.32,
straightforward as in the case of Facebook, as the postings on this page [t = 22.23, p < 0.01]), vividness (α = 0.81, Mean [high vividness] =
did not immediately reflect in user feeds. Therefore, for the LinkedIn 5.35, M[low vividness] = 3.12, [t = 13.81, p < 0.01]), and anthro-
profile, we prepared a newsfeed with the name “Brand Ads” and sent pomorphism (α = 0.77, M[anthropomorphism] = 5.23, M[No anthro-
the profile link to the subjects recruited for this study before the ex- pomorphism] = 2.19, [t = 18.15, p < 0.01]) were statistically different
perimentation process begins. Respondents were then asked to send a and significant. Hence, the study confirmed the success of manipulation
connection request to “Brand Ads”. During the experiment, all the re- execution. We also found that the mean realism scores as satisfactory
spondents were instructed to visit their (Facebook vs LinkedIn) page (M[realism] = 5.22). Further, we checked the difference of dependent
and to perform any kind of social interaction they wished through this variables along with the categories of gender and social media usage,
platform for around 15 min. After this, all the respondents were asked however the results did not show any significant difference in these
to close their social media page and were directed to complete a dependent variables. Hence, we inferred that consumer gender and the
questionnaire. Finally, the researcher debriefed and thanked the par- social media usage has no role in influencing the outcome variables.
ticipants for their active participation in the experiment. At the end of
this experiment, we were able to get a usable sample of 240 4.2. Test of assumptions
(Men = 190; M age = 22.5; S.D = 2.34).
Before the formal test of hypotheses, we checked the assumption
3.4. Measurement behind the data, such as independence, normality, and homogeneity of
variance of the outcome variables. During the data collection, each
The survey form consists of different sections. Firstly, we measured respondent represented a different manipulated condition, therefore the
the covariates, including the intensity of usage and attitude towards assumption of independence of observation was met. As part of the
social media platforms (Facebook vs LinkedIn). This measurement was analysis of normality, we checked the skewness and kurtosis of the
incorporated following the recommendation of Boerman, Willemsen, outcome variables. The results supported that the skewness and kurtosis
and Van Der Aa (2017). To measure the intensity of usage of the media, values of these outcome variables were within the acceptable limit
participants were asked: ‘how often they check their Facebook/Lin- of ± 2 (Field, 2009), this indicated that the data follow the assumption
kedIn accounts’(1 = never used, 2 = in a month less than once, 3 = in a of normality. While checking the homogeneity of variance using the
week 2–5, 4 = one time in a day, 6 = in a day 2–5 times, 7 = in a day Box's M test, we found that there is a slight variation in the homo-
6–10 times, 8 = more than 10 times in a day). In response to this, the geneity of variance assumption. However, in the study, we applied re-
majority of participants stated that they check their Facebook (51 %, latively equal sample size in the manipulated groups, and the ratio
2–5 times) and LinkedIn (49 %, 2–5 times) accounts regularly. This (large group sample size/small group sample size < 1.5) that supported
suggests that the same proportion of the participants in both the ma- that it carries a very minimal impact in the study results (Hair, Black,
nipulated conditions use Facebook/LinkedIn. In addition, we also asked Babin, Anderson, & Tatham, 2010). The study confirmed the suitability
the participants to report their attitude towards Facebook/LinkedIn of the data for performing subsequent analysis.
posts on a 5-point scale (1 = ‘very much unfavourable’, to 5 = ‘very
much favourable’). The mean analysis of attitude across the media 4.3. Test of hypothesis (H1 to H3)
(Facebook vs LinkedIn) reported a favorable score, showed no statisti-
cally significant difference in these score (M Facebook = 3.44, M Lin- To test the hypothesis (H1 to H3), we used a 2 (interactivity: high vs
kedIn = 3.02, t = 1.01, p > 0.01). These results confirm that the attitudes across these low) × 2 (vividness: high vs low) × 2 (anthropomorphism: yes vs. no)
manipulated conditions are statistically the same. There is no possible chance of confounding between-subjects MANCOVA with recall, message attention, and re-
of the social media attitude on the outcome variables, in addition we also measured the cognition as dependent variables. In this, we incorporated the

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categorical variables, such as media interactivity, vividness, and an- anthropomorphic message feature to condition the effect high media
thropomorphism as independent variables, social media attitude, usage interactivity and high message vividness. The test results showed that
intensity, product involvement, and consumer mood as covariates. In presenting anthropomorphic messages (vs no anthropomorphism) in a
this study, examination of the significance of the covariates showed that high interactive and message vividness condition strengthen the mes-
product involvement (α = 0.80; Wilk’s Ʌ = 0.949, F (3, 228) = 4.05, sage related outcomes of attention, recall, and recognition (Wilk’s
p < 0.05), and media usage intensity (Wilk’s Ʌ = 0.785, F (3, Ʌ = 0.732, F (3, 228) = 27.82, p = 0.00, attention [high interactivity, high
228) = 8.15, p < 0.05) are significant covariates. However, the con- vividness, anthropomorphism] = 4.75, attention [high interactivity, high vividness, no
sumer mood (α = 0.77; Wilk’s Ʌ = 0.914, F (3, 228) = 1.24, p > 0.05) anthropomorphism] = 3.07, recall [high interactivity, high vividness, anthro-
and social media attitude (Wilk’s Ʌ = 0.891, F (3, 228) = 1.45, p > pomorphism] = 5.30, recall [high interactivity, high vividness, no anthro-
0.05) did not show any significant effect. Therefore, support with past pomorphism] = 3.40, recognition [high interactivity, high vividness, anthro-
studies (e.g., Leung, Lyu, & Bai, 2020), to confirm clarity, we decided to pomorphism] = 5.66, recognition [high interactivity, high vividness, no
eliminate the insignificant covariates. anthropomorphism] = 3.24). This result supported the hypothesis H3.
The MANCOVA results supported a significant main effect of media
interactivity on the outcome variables (Wilk’s Ʌ = 0.829, F (3, 4.4. Test of mediation (H4a–H4c)
228) = 15.67, p < 0.01, attention (high interactivity) = 3.16, attention (low
interactivity) = 4.08; recall (high interactivity) = 3.37, recall (low inter- Since the hypotheses (H4a-H4c) explicitly mentions only the effect
activity) = 4.10; recognition (high interactivity) = 3.42, recognition (low in- of media interactivity along with high message vividness and anthro-
teractivity) = 4.00). This supports that a high level of media interactivity pomorphic (vs no anthropomorphic) message conditions through flow
(vs low interactivity) adversely affects the consumers’ message atten- experience, a subset of the data was derived from the original data
tion, recall, and recognition in social media advertising. Thus, we found representing the said exposure. That is, from the original data we
support for H1. eliminated low vividness exposed samples. We then performed a path
Followed by the main effect, we checked the effect of interaction analysis in AMOS 25, where we kept media interactivity (INT) as the
between media interactivity × vividness on the outcome variables. The independent variable (dummy coded 1 = high interactivity, 0 = low
results support a significant 2-way interaction effect (Wilk’s Ʌ = 0.77, F interactivity), flow experience (FLEX) as the mediator, ad attention
(3, 228) = 21.83, p < 0.01). Followed by this, as part of testing H2a and (ATTN), ad recall (RCL), and ad-recognition (REG) as the outcome
H2b, two different pre-planned contrast tests were conducted. The first variables. As part of the analysis using high vivid message exposed
pre-planned contrast test supported that in a highly interactive social samples we performed two separate models for anthropomorphic (see
media, an exposure to high message vividness (vs low vividness) re- Fig. 1a) and a non anthropomorphic (See Fig. 1b) message features, and
ported favorable message related outcomes (attention [high interactivity estimated the specific indirect effects using the user-defined estimands
with high vividness] = 3.91, attention [high interactivity with low vividness] = 2.47, in AMOS 25. We then compared these specific indirect effects and ex-
recall [high interactivity with high vividness] = 4.35, recall [high interactivity with amined its differences/dominance across anthropomorphic (vs no an-
low vividness] = 2.43, recognition [high interactivity with high vividness] = 4.45, thropomorphic) message conditions.
recognition [high interactivity with low vividness] = 2.44; Wilk’s Ʌ = 0.629, F As shown in Fig. 1a, the results indicated that, in a high (vs. low)
(3, 228) = 44.80, p < 0.01). Thus, the study found support for H2a. interactive social media, an exposure of high message vividness with
Followed by this, in the second pre-planned contrast test, we found anthropomorphic message feature reports higher flow-experience (INT
that message vividness do not carry statistically significant causal im- → FLEX = 1.97, p < 0.01), which in turn directs favourable ad-atten-
pact on consumers’ message related outcomes in a low interactive social tion (FLEX → ATTN = .67), ad-recall (FLEX →RCL = .65, p < 0.01),
media (attention [low interactivity with high vividness] = 4.19, attention [low and ad-recognition (FLEX → REG = .63, p < 0.01). More importantly,
interactivity with low vividness] = 3.92, recall [high interactivity with high vivid- there exists significant the indirect effects through flow experience on
ness] = 4.11, recall [low interactivity with low vividness] = 4.06, recognition ad-attention (IND1: INT → FLEX → ATTN = 1.31, p < 0.01), ad-recall
[low interactivity with high vividness] = 4.06, recognition [low interactivity with low (IND2: INT → FLEX → REC = 1.28, p < 0.01), and ad-recognition
vividness] = 3.90; Wilk’s Ʌ = 0.986, F (3, 228) = 1.09, p > 0.01). Thus, (IND3: INT → FLEX → REG = 1.23, p < 0.01).
the study found support for H2b. Similarly Fig. 1b demonstrates the results support that in a high (vs.
Followed by the two-way interaction effects, we examined the low) interactive social media, an exposure of an ad carrying high vi-
three-way interaction effect of media interactivity × message vivid- vidness featuring no anthropomorphic ad characteristics also reported
ness × anthropomorphism on the outcome variables (See Table 1). The to have a higher flow-experience (INT → FLEX = .78, p < 0.01). This
results showed a significant three-way interaction on the outcome flow experience leading to develop favourable ad-attention (FLEX →
variables (Wilk’s Ʌ = 0.965, F (3, 228) = 2.74, p = 0.04). Further, we ATTN = .60), ad-recall (FLEX →RCL = .35, p < 0.01), and ad-re-
conducted a follow-up contrast test to examine the effect of cognition (FLEX → REG = .42, p < 0.01). Further, the indirect effect
through flow experience on ad-attention (IND4: INT → FLEX →
Table 1 ATTN = .470, p < 0.01), ad-recall (IND5: INT → FLEX → REC = .269,
MANCOVA Results. p < 0.01), and ad-recognition (IND6: INT → FLEX → REG = .327,
p < 0.01) also reported as statistically significant.
Wilks' Lambda F (df) Sig.
A comparison of the specific indirect effects across these two-path
Intercept .515 71.602 (3,228) .000 models representing the differential intervening effect of flow experi-
PDTINV .949 4.05 (3,228) .000 ence across anthropomorphic (vs no anthropomorphic) message con-
USEINT .785 8.15(3,228) .000 ditions also reported statistical significance. That is, the comparison of
INT .840 14.524(3,228) .000
VIVD .761 23.927(3,228) .000
the specific indirect effect of media interactivity on ad-attention re-
ANTH .679 36.011(3,228) .000 ported that the indirect effect is stronger in anthropomorphic message
INT × VIVD .777 21.803(3,228) .000 exposure in comparison with no anthropomorphic message exposure
INT × ANTH .987 1.023(3,228) .383 (IND1-IND4: = .848, p < 0.01). Our study supports H4a. Similarly,
VIVD × ANTH .904 8.068(3,228) .000
the difference in indirect effect of interactivity on ad- recall (IND2-
INT × VIVD × ANTH .965 2.743(3,228) .044
IND5: = 1.01, p < 0.01), and ad-recognition (IND3-IND6: = .902,
Note: PDTINV = product involvement [covariate], USEINT = media usage p < 0.01) also reports that it is stronger when anthropomorphic (vs.
intensity [covariate], INT = media interactivity, VIVID = message vividness, no anthropomorphic) ad exposure was elicited. Therefore, the study
ANTH = anthropomorphism. supportshypothesis H4b and H4c.

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S. S, et al. International Journal of Information Management 54 (2020) 102155

Fig. 1. a Effect of interactivity (vs. high vivid and anthropomorphic message) on outcome. b. Effect of interactivity (vs. high vivid and no anthropomorphic message)
on outcome.

5. Discussion in prior literature that, the use of an advert featuring anthropomorphic

elements favour the ad effectiveness by developing personal relevancy
Although interactivity is an indispensable feature of consumption (Hudson et al., 2016), ad concreteness (Taylor & Thompson, 1982),
experience in social media, little theoretical or empirical work in- proximity (Sherer & Rogers, 1984), and also the sensory breadth of the
vestigates the effect of this feature on the advert presented and its ef- exposed ad (Cho, 1999; Fortin & Dholakia, 2005). Furthermore, the
fectiveness in this platform. We extend both the social media commu- results also supported that all these said conditions explaining the ad-
nication and media interactivity literature by building a causal vert effectiveness channelized through the flow experience. This finding
framework of exploring how media interactivity as an essential feature is in support with prior literature that the conditions which facilitate
effect the advert presented, conditions by which and the mechanism the development of positive arousal develop into the flow experience,
through it create better advert effectiveness in this platform. In doing and this is transferrable across the media, and the advert presented in
so, we investigate the conditions which minimize the adverse effect of this media (Steffen et al., 2013). In summary, the above-stated results
media interactivity on the advert presented in the social media plat- are significant as they based upon the theoretical literature and ad-
form. dresses the critical issue in social media advertising: that media inter-
In support of the study hypothesis, the results supported that in- activity and its effect on the advert presented in the media. Most im-
teractivity as a media feature reported an adverse effect on the effec- portantly, this research examines a very critical aspect of media
tiveness of the ad presented in the social media platform. More pre- interactivity and its conditions which shape the interactivity to develop
cisely, in comparison with low interactive social media, a highly advert effectiveness in the social media platform.
interactive social media direct low ad attention, and memory. Receiving
such support indicates that, though media interactivity is a vital feature 5.1. Theoretical implications
of social media, it can create an adverse effect on the advert. This was
explained by cognitive absorption that when the user process or ela- This study contributes to the marketing communication literature,
borate more on the main activity, it limits the cognition of the per- especially in advertising through social media literature in numerous
ipheral elements (Reychav & Wu, 2015). This aligns with Limited Ca- ways. Firstly, this research contributes to the emerging body of
pacity Theory (Lang, 2000) that when the user uses more resources for knowledge on brand promotions in social media platforms (e.g., Alves,
encoding the primary activity, it provides fewer resources for proces- Fernandes, & Raposo, 2016; Auschaitrakul & Mukherjee, 2017; Calder,
sing the peripheral elements or activity. Thus, this higher elaboration Malthouse, & Schaedel, 2009; Gretry et al., 2017; Kumar, Choi, &
on the high interactive social media results in lower attention and Greene, 2017) by studying the causal effect of social media interactivity
memory of the advert. on advertising effectiveness. More specifically, this study makes a sig-
While examining the conditions which accentuate the hampered ad nificant contribution to this stream of literature by giving a better un-
attention and memory in case of high interactive media suggested the derstanding of one of the important media characteristics, media in-
use of message/ad-vividness. This was especially true in case of high teractivity. In this attempt, the study provides vital directions to
interactive media, however, in low interactive media, vividness does academics in demonstrating how media interactivity works in social
not play any role in restoring or improving the level of attention and media settings? Which conditions can be further strengthened to create
memory of the users towards the advert. This is because, the vividness message-driven outcomes, and, how do these conditions create better
of the advert presented on highly interactive social media elicit a fa- social media advertisement-based outcomes?
vourable level of message richness by developing favourable sensorial Secondly, our research is a pioneering attempt to highlight the ad-
appeal to the multiple senses of the person who is observing the advert verse effect of media interactivity and noted several ways to manage
in the media (Steuer, 1992). Since the low interactive media create a media interactivity social media advertisement settings. In the extant
reduced level of cognition, presenting an advert in that platform that literature, there exists contradictory findings concerning the influence
carries vividness does not evoke appeal to the user senses (Ophir et al., of interactivity on the behaviour and attitude of consumers in general
2019). Therefore, message vividness will be ineffective in low inter- advertisement context (e.g., Guillory & Sundar, 2014; Song & Bucy,
active media condition. 2008; Sundar, Xu, Bellur, Oh, & Jia, 2010). For example, studies pro-
Besides, we examined the role of another critical accentuating ad- pose that web interactivity direct the consumers to process information
vert feature, anthropomorphism. That is, the use of anthropomorphic more thoroughly, and enhances the message recall (e.g., Gao, 2011;
message characteristics to improve the effectiveness of the highly vivid Sicilia et al., 2005), it does not affect consumer outcomes (e.g., Kim &
message in a highly interactive media setting. Following the study Stout, 2010; Lustria, 2007), and it adversely affect consumer cognition
postulation, we found that delivering messages featuring anthro- (Ashley & Tuten, 2015; Liu & Shrum, 2002; Sundar, 2004). In this
pomorphic elements further accentuate the limited attention and context this is the first attempt to empirically prove that interactivity in
memory of the advert in a highly interactive social media. It grounded a social media advertisement setting adversely affects the ad

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S. S, et al. International Journal of Information Management 54 (2020) 102155

effectiveness, however the adverse effect of interactivity can be man- through the message vividness, the message will gain more attention
aged by using the message mechanics of vividness and anthro- than a less vivid transitional message. In this situation, exposing a
pomorphism. This understanding is essential, because the interactivity highly anthropomorphic message elicits a higher level of social cues.
in traditional media is completely different from new media (e.g., social These social cues are stimulated through anthropomorphic featured
media), hence studies exclusively for social media settings warrant at- messages, as they generate interest towards both media and the advert
tention. amongst the users. More precisely, this research provides directions by
Further, this research also makes a unique contribution to the cur- indicating the conditions which help to overcome the adverse effect of
rent understanding of social media advertising by examining the effect interactivity, this research is a trigger for marketers, media planners,
of content related aspect of message vividness in creating a better un- and advertising agencies to develop their message design and execution
derstanding of how the depth and breadth of this message character- aspects.
istics influences the effectiveness of social media advertisement.
Furthermore, this research makes a contribution to marketing knowl- 5.3. Limitations and directions for future research
edge by integrating the importance of media mechanics, anthro-
pomorphism, and found its conditional effect on interactivity and Although this study offers several unique directions to both theory
message vividness in strengthening the effect of advertisement effec- and practice, findings of thi study is subject to some limitations. These
tiveness in social media platforms. This discovery is essential in social limitations can be judiciously addressed to enrich the body of knowl-
media literature as there is a lack of clarity sounding out whether an- edge in the field of social media communications. Firstly, this research
thropomorphising the product or brand elements influences consumer directs marketers towards identifying the causal process related to the
behaviour, especially in a social media advert context. In addition, this interactivity of the media and its impact on customers’ advert related
research examines the effect of the psychological process the users of outcomes in social media advert settings. More precisely, the under-
social media undergo while they interact with the social media advert, standing of this study is limited to one of the essential features of media,
that is the consumers’ flow experience. This insight into the underlying that is interactivity. In addition to interactivity, there can be other
psychological processes is essential in social media communication different media characteristics or features interact with interactivity,
settings because this provides direction to the current understanding which in turn influences consumer attention and memory of adverts
concerning the media interactivity in a popular and most demanding presented in social media. Hence, we recommend future researchers
platform, social media. look at other media relevant characteristics along with interactivity.
Secondly, at the end of the study, we presume that media interaction
5.2. Managerial implications and the evaluation of the advert presented can also vary across geo-
graphical contexts and age groups. Therefore, it is recommended that
In addition to the theoretical contributions, the study provides future researchers look into an extension of the current study in a wide
several directions to managerial practice. Firstly, marketing and ad- range of demographic groups, representing a wide range of cultural
vertising agencies can learn from the findings that high interactivity of settings. Third, this research is orientated towards two essential
social media adversely affects the consumer’s message attention, recall boundary conditions which will shape the adverse effect of high media
and recognition. This study can be used as a guide for media companies interactivity to create message attention and memory of social media
to understand how companies can minimise the adverse effect of in- users. Therefore, it is recommended that future research investigates
teractivity on social media platforms while promoting their adverts. the identification and application of other factors that are relevant to
Therefore, it is suggested that there is a need for innovative methods the various message and media mechanics so that better insight could
and marketing strategies that are suitable for social media commu- be made in social media advertising reviews and practice. Fourth, the
nications, specifically based on the degree of interactivity of the social sample respondents were exposed to brands which were very un-
media platform. familiar to them; this was basically to avoid the confounding effect of
The findings of our work suggest that marketing managers need to previous brand familiarity. Therefore, it is suggested that future re-
design highly vivid advertisements to gain better user attention and searchers conduct studies in real brand settings. Finally, this study
memory in highly interactive media. Social media marketers and considers the intervening effect of flow experience, which is a crucial
communication designers need to identify better techniques which psychological mechanism. We recommend that other critical social
elicit message vividness, especially when they want to communicate psychological mechanisms should be considered in future studies, for
their product or service information on a highly interactive social media example, felt involvement, and emotional connection, so that the ro-
platform. Further, the study also finds that while advertising in low bustness of this research can be further enhanced.
interactive social media marketers should take extra care because low
interactivity does not generate audience interest and expected out- 6. Conclusion
comes. In an extreme case, advertisements in social media with low
interactivity need to identify other innovative communication methods In this research, we examined a vital media characteristic, media
to motivate consumers to interact with the social media network. This interactivity and its effect on the advert presented in the social media
study recommends that marketers should direct their advertisements platform. Since high interactivity in this medium directs the users to
towards social media platforms which provide sufficient resources in involve more into the primary purpose of socialization, this feature of
their network to achieve the overall objective of social networking. On the media adversely affects the advert and its effectiveness. In this
these platforms, though ad attention happens to be low, marketers can context, the study presented conditions which accentuate the effec-
strategically use message mechanics to manage the adverse effect of tiveness of the advert presented in the high interactive social media
interactivity. condition. The findings revealed that the use of message vividness as a
This study also recommends that the use of anthropomorphic brand mechanics re-direct the users’ attention into the advert, and develops
elements offers a stimulus to generate message attention, recognition better ad effectiveness. Besides this, the use of anthropomorphic mes-
and recall in highly interactive social media. That is, human char- sage features as a message frame feature further accentuates the mes-
acteristics can be applied to elements of brands messages, and when the sage attention and memory in case of highly vividness messages used in
brand applies anthropomorphic brand characteristics, consumers are high interactive social media. All these are getting channelized to de-
more likely to perceive the message/brand as the human counterpart in velop ad effectiveness through the users’ overall flow experienced
the social network. Therefore, it is proposed that when an advert on an during social media interactions. Thus, the findings of the study add
interactive social media platform displays cognitive elaboration value to the current understanding in this relatively under researched

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practitioners in managing social media communication and better ad- Gu, R., Oh, L. B., & Wang, K. (2013). Differential impact of web and mobile interactivity
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