Does Surfingtelling Change the Attitude toward a Brand?

Does Surfingtelling Change the Attitude Toward a Brand?

Xavier MENAUD, Associate Professor at PSB Paris School of Business

59, rue Nationale, 75013 Paris, [email protected]

Claire GARCIA, Associate Professor at PSB Paris School of Business

59, rue Nationale, 75013 Paris, [email protected]

ABSTRACT

This article proposes to study a new phenomenon

in the field of communication: Surfingtelling.

Pictured as one of the evolutions of Storytelling

on digital means of communication, this novel

approach has not yet been the topic of academic

studies. To fill this gap, this paper aims to answer

the following question: Does the Surfingtelling

change the attitude toward the brand?

To answer this question, a two-wave quantitative

study was conducted. The empirical setting used

for the study was the internet video campaign

conducted by Mennen, a deodorant brand owned

by Colgate Palmolive. The first part of the study

consisted in the measurement of the initial attitude

for the brand Mennen; the second part, replicated

the measurement three weeks later, following

respondents’ exposition to the videoclip.

Following the analysis of the results, it appears

that being exposed to the campaign has not

modified respondents’ attitude toward the brand;

further the control variables used in the study

(product category involvement, advertising

involvement and attitude toward advertising) do

not enable to extract different profiles of

respondents and do not have either a significant

effect on the attitude toward the brand studied.

KEYWORDS

Surfingtelling, Attitudes, Brand, Communication,

Interactive.

1 INTRODUCTION

Nowadays, consumers are even more targeted

by advertisers: brands are increasingly

developing innovative strategies to capture

customers’ attention. They tend to leave aside

traditional media since their effectiveness

remains limited nowadays.

For instance, IKEA regularly uses street

marketing strategies in France. In one

instance, the brand had set up a stand in front

of one of the major train stations of Paris. For

this specific occasion, pedestrians passing-by

could make an order of a personalised product

in the morning (for instance when commuting

to work) and getting the product delivered and

ready for them in the evening on their way

back home. Such communication campaign

aimed at demonstrating the power of the

brand in terms of logistics, showing how fast

the products could be made and delivered to

customers. The brand should not be criticized

as the intention of the brand needs to be

recontextualised. Derbaix and Gregory [1]

explain "The proliferation of commercial

solicitations makes [...] cognitive processing

of messages by prospects unlikely. Every

person living in a large city and even

moderately attending mass media receives

every day more than a thousand contacts with

advertising messages." Therefore, an obvious

research question would to look at

consumers’ perception of such events: are

consumers getting the message sent to them

by the brand? Or are they merely

contemplating a commercial kiosk held by a

Swedish brand?

Creativity takes on a major role when one

discusses the memorization and retention of a

message by individuals. Yet, beyond the

evidence of the creative process, Mercanti-

Guérin [2] highlights the pitfalls that the latter

faces: the difficulty to model the process (1),

the reluctance of advertisers toward

innovative ideas (2) and the questionable

impact of creativity on sales (3). Since the late

90s, managerial practices have questioned the

reallocation of advertising budgets toward

Proceedings of the Third International Conference on E-Technologies and Business on the Web, Paris, France 2015

ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 ©2015 SDIWC 153

digital media to follow up on the changes in

consumer behavior.

Storytelling has proven its worth in

effectively increasing the attention of the

target through a story. Its digital transposal

was carried out in the form of a

communication campaign proposed by

Mennen (deodorant brand). Innovative,

because using the tools available through the

Internet, yet adding an interactive dimension,

the Surfingtelling raises the question of the

marginal advantage for the brand. As a recent

form of Storytelling, the Surfingtelling has

not yet been the topic of any study. It is in this

perspective that this article aims at providing

a pragmatic response to its use: does the

Surfingtelling change attitude toward the

brand?

To answer this question, this paper starts with

a literature review so as to introduce the

notion of Surfingtelling and attitudes toward

the brand to define the design of the research

and its methodology. Then the results of the

study are presented and discussed in order to

suggest further avenues of research.

2 A STATE OF THE ART:

SURFINGTELLING AND BRAND

ATTITUDES:

2.a. From Storytelling to Surfingtelling

As one of the newest forms of

communications, the Surfingtelling needs to

be discussed at a conceptual level. In order to

capture its characteristics, it is important to

first understand the closely related concepts

of Storytelling and Digital Storytelling.

Storytelling:

Storytelling (or narrative communication) "is

a narrative technique consisting of spreading

the story or stories, true or probable, of legal

or natural persons" [3] or even "an art of

conveying events in words, images and

sounds often by improvisation or

embellishment" [4]. The art of storytelling

goes back to the dawn of time, even though

the terminology is rather new. However, in a

global context where our societies are seeking

new unifying myths (Barthes [5], mentions

this for France), the Storytelling makes sense

for researchers and managers.

Storytelling was studied from a plurality of

points of view in social sciences. In

management, a considerable number of

studies have looked at Storytelling; each

emphasizes the powerful role that Storytelling

has. Some studies emphasize that Storytelling

is an effective communication tool (1) to

erase cultural differences which may coexist

within a company [6], (2) to reduce stress and

anxiety in times of crisis [7] or (3) to facilitate

the transmission of knowledge at the

workplace [8]. Further, introducing this

communication tool to future managers could

improve their public speaker skills [9]. This

approach is reminiscent of the definition of

the concept by Sole and Grey-Wilson [10]

who viewed Storytelling as a "sharing of

knowledge and experiences through stories

and anecdotes in order to transmit lessons,

complex ideas or concepts and causal

relationships."

In marketing, the interest of Storytelling is

mainly discussed from two perspectives. The

first sees this form of communication as a

methodological tool enabling consumers to

retrieve information about brands [11]. The

second approach views it as a real strategic

tool. In an environment where the brand

communication universes tend toward some

form of homogenization, the strategic

approach makes sense: Clodong and

Chétochine [12] suggest to give more

prominence to the "stories" when Bruner [13]

indicates that individuals recall information

better when it is presented in a narrative form

rather than in a digital one.

The plurality of thoughts and research on

Storytelling have allowed researchers to focus

on different elements of its implementation:

whether it was about the narrative typology

(Durand’s 7 discourses, 2011), the factors for

effectiveness [9] or even the determination of

the actantial scheme [3]. The concept needs to

be thoroughly analyzed before being

implemented. Therefore, if Storytelling is

essentially understood as a lens through


ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 ©2015 SDIWC 154

which one views the world [14], its narrative

structure is reminiscent of the work of the

Russian folklorist Propp [15] on fairy tales.

We find common elements: the protagonist

(1) faces an antagonist (2) as part of a quest

(3); those paths to the final goal (4) is lined

with pitfalls (5).

Digital Storytelling:

Since the increasingly important place of the

digital means of communication in

individuals’ lifes, the Storytelling has had to

be adapted to fit in this evolution and evolve

toward what is called Digital Storytelling.

Based on proposals made by American

professionals (Lambert, founder in the 80s of

the Center for Digital Storytelling), the

Digital Storytelling is defined as "a

multimedia format including images and

pieces of video with music and narration"

[16]. Far from being defined as a concept

related to management sciences, it is the

subject of research looking at the

improvement of teaching approaches [17].

Dogan and Robin [18] define it as "a

technological tool used during lectures."

The above section on Storytelling and Digital

Storytelling serves to introduce the central

concept of this research: Surfingtelling.

Surfingtelling:

Surfingtelling is a term that was coined by the

communication agency H for the launch of a

communication campaign for Mennen (a

health and beauty brand). Olivier Tewfik,

Channel & Strategic planner for the company,

defines Surfingtelling as "a story that

progresses from one website to another over

the "Surf”. The credibility of each sequence is

reinforced since it is fully integrated to the

editorial lines of the websites visited through

the full videoclip. The Storytelling uses the

cliffhanger-process throughout the

advertisement as well as for the final scene.

This sequence impregnated with suspense

makes the viewer craving for more. "

Unlike Digital Storytelling, the Surfingtelling

must be used for marketing purposes. This

form of communication includes the actantiel

model of communication, which is adapted to

digital tools. In the case of Mennen, the script

relates the story of the assistant of a movie-

director.

The assistant mission is to get a Mennen

deodorant stick back as it was stolen just

minutes before the shooting of the

advertisement begins. The videoclip takes

therefore the assistant (and the viewers)

through different situations and websites (see

Appendix 1 for screenshots)

Using Durand’s (2011) narrative scheme, we

suggest the breakdown of the advertisement

in different steps:

Quest: the deodorant stick must be recovered

so that the shooting of the advertisement can

actually begin.

The protagonist: the assistant of the the movie

director.

Antagonist: None. The context and different

situations highlight the complexity of the task

for the assistant to retrieve the deodorant.

The crisis: the on-going difficulties faced by

the assistant, stopping him from getting the

deodorant back.

The resolution of the crisis: the assistant

finally put his hands on the deodorant and the

advertisement can finally be shooted.

The ‘back to reality’ moment: at the end of

video, the viewers are invited to share their

experience.

The continuation of the story: Mennen has not

followed up this campaign.

This story starts on a Dailymotion page,

which throughout the video, gives way to

different pop-ups and takes the viewer from

one website of an invited brand to another ( of

which Pizza Hut and Facebook). Since these

brands have given their agreement, they

legitimize both the type of communication

chosen by Mennen as well as the positioning

of Mennen in the minds of its target: young

men.

Since Storytelling is a new form of

communication, it has not been yet the topic

of any paper. The communication objective

of Mennen with this project was to improve


ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 ©2015 SDIWC 155

the brand image, specifically to rejuvenate it.

Therefore, this paper goal is to see whether

the use of Surfingtelling really enables to alter

attitudes toward a brand.

2.b. From Attitude to Attitude toward a

Brand

Attitude is a key concept in marketing

research, and is defined as "the mental state of

an individual, formed by the experience and

information acquired, allowing to structure

the environmental perceptions as well as

preferences, and therefore guide the way to

respond to them" [19]. Overall this is

regarded as a unidimensional concept [20].

As a variation of the attitude, the attitude

toward the brand is the central variable of this

research. The latter is defined as "a

psychological tendency that is expressed by

evaluating a particular entity with some

degree of favor or disfavor, usually expressed

in cognitive, affective and behavioral

responses" [21]. If, like in [22], this definition

emphasizes the tripartite nature of the

construct (cognitive, affective and conative

components) [23] points out that [21]

"allocate [...] a very important place in the

assessment. Having an attitude means to be

able to locate an attitudinal object (tangible

things, abstract elements, behaviors) on an

evaluative dimension". Therefore, for the

remainder of the paper, the attitude should be

understood as a unidimensional concept and

should be viewed as a tool used to determine

the positive or negative valence of a

phenomenon (which, here, is the brand).

Attitudes are characterized as highly stable.

Therefore, it may be interesting to assess

attitudes toward a brand, since it is one of the

many possible forms an attitude may take

(e.g. attitude toward advertising). Hence, for

anyone considering a modification of

attitudes, one should expect a long-term work.

In the light of the literature review of this

concept, it appears that measuring this

variable raises a triple challenge for the

present study.

First, brand attitude is viewed as an indicator

of advertising effectiveness. MacKenzie, Lutz

and Belch [24] justify this by the existence of

a direct link to purchase intent, the latter

being accepted throughout the community as

a good predictive measure. For MacInnis and

Jaworski [25], the attitude toward the brand is

the most important variable of a model

proposing to understand its formation.

Second, to reinforce the present study three

independent variables are included:

involvement in the product category,

involvement in advertising and attitude

toward advertising. These variables will be

presented in more detail in the methodology

section.

Finally, the Surfingtelling is closely linked to

digital tools and support. Several studies have

highlighted the role of the Internet on

changing attitudes toward the brand. Thus,

Florès and Volle [26] point out that following

the visit of a website "50% of the visitors that

were very satisfied with their experience on

the website favorably review their attitude

toward the brand". Given the fact that attitude

is a rather stable construct, it may seems that

using a narrative communication with a

digital dimension may cause a positive

change in the attitude toward the brand.

Following this, and in view of the literature,

the central hypothesis of the research is

therefore:

H1: "The Surfingtelling favorably alters

attitudes toward the brand."

3 METHODOLOGY:

To test our main hypothesis, a quantitative

study was conducted. 161 individuals are

included in the sample. As Mennen targets

adolescents and young adults, a convenience

sample of students was deemed acceptable for

this study.

To measure the impact of Surfingtelling on

attitudes toward the brand, the study was

conducted in two phases: the first phase (from

25th

January to 17th

February 2013) enabled to

capture the attitude toward the brand before

exposure to advertisement; the second wave

(from 4th

to 8th

March 2013) was designed to

measure again the attitude after exposure to

the video clip (a much shorter period of time


ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 ©2015 SDIWC 156

was considered for the this data collection

period so as to minimize the risk of

contamination across participants, which

could have led to the apparition of skews).

Specifically, each respondent was given a

unique number at the beginning of the study.

This number had to be entered to begin

surveys for both waves by the respondents

themselves. This number was also used to

cross analyse the data obtained across the two

stages. In the end, only the respondents who

had participated in the two stages of the study

could be kept in the database for comparison

purposes. The final sample thus contains 161

individuals.

Descriptive notable figures about our final

sample reveal that 44% of our respondents are

male, about a third (29%) of the sample is 18

years old. Whilst 13.7% of respondents used

Mennen’s products in the past, 92.5% of

respondents are not current users of the brand.

In the remainder of this article, attitudes

measured during Stage 1 will be noted SA1

(for Brand Attitude 1) and those measured in

Stage 2 will be noted SA2 (for Brand Attitude

2).

Data were collected via the Internet. Indeed,

the literature points out that this mode of data

collection is similar to other data collection

modes [27]. The data obtained, was

subsequently exported and processed with the

IBM SPSS Statistics 20 software.

3.a. Measuring the Concepts

To measure the different variables, existing

scales were taken from the literature.

Attitude toward the brand

Numerous studies about the attitude toward

the advertisement have confirmed the positive

relationship between the attitude toward the

advertisement (and more generally the

attitude toward advertising) with the attitude

toward the brand: thus, the more positive the

attitude toward the ad, the more likely is the

individual to have a positive attitude toward

the brand ([28]; [24] cited in Mars and

Menvieille [29].)

In the present study, the attitude toward the

brand is measured using the 4-items scale of

Gardner [30]. This scale is accepted widely

for its good reliability and dimensionality.

The items are good / bad, I like / I do not like

the brand, pleasant / not pleasant, of good /

bad quality and were measured using an

Osgood scale from -3 to 3.

So as to strengthen our hypothesis testing and

allow for various sources of explanation of

our results, we introduced three control

variables. These explanatory variables and the

methods used to measure them are detailed

next.

Attitude toward advertising

So as to measure the attitude toward

advertising in general, the literature review

highlights three main approaches: first, some

authors have used methods from cognitive

psychology using open-ended questions.

Other authors recommend the use of global

judgments of advertisements based on items

expressed in the form of semantic

differentials enabling individuals to describe

their reactions to advertising. Finally, a third

approach recommends the use of adjectives to

evaluate separately the different elements of

the advertisement, enabling one to get an

accurate assessment of each of the component

of the advertisement ([31]; [32]). To measure

the overall attitude toward advertising, it was

decided to use Munch and Swasy’s scale [33].

This scale is a semantic differential five-point

scale with three items (good / bad, I do not

like / I appreciate and unpleasant / pleasant),

it has been used previously in other studies

([34]; [35]) which reinforced its

unidimensionality as well as robustness.

Following this, it is possible to lay down the

second hypothesis:

H2: "An individual with a positive attitude

toward advertising will more favorably alter

his/her attitude toward the brand than an

individual with a negative attitude toward

advertising."

Involvement in the product category:


ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 ©2015 SDIWC 157

Involvement is a central variable in

marketing. Many studies have highlighted the

utmost importance of involvement, when one

looks at consumer behavior.

Dussart strongly argues that involvement

ought to be systematically included in

consumer behavior research and that it should

be measured before anything else [36].

Three approaches are noted: the first looks at

involvement as a sustainable individual

characteristic [37], the second considers

involvement as a situational construct ([38]

among other authors) while the third approach

considers involvement as a continuum and

evolving variable taking different levels along

the different stages of the purchasing process,

which echoes the theory of effects [39]. In

this study, Zaichowsky’s IIP scale [37] was

used to measure involvement in the product

category. Although many scales exist to

measure this concept, in light of previous

work, this scale appears to be the one with the

strongest reliability. Indeed, Zaichkowsky

herself has adapted a previous scale for a

specific use in the context of advertising. The

scale consists of 20 items measured using a

semantic differential. The level of

involvement of each individual is

subsequently determined by summing up the

scores obtained on the 20 items. The

procedure detailed [37] defines the different

levels of involvement of individuals; it was

followed and helped the definition of three

groups: low-involved individuals (1st

quartile), individuals involved moderately (

2nd

and 3rd

quartile), and finally individuals

strongly involved ( 4th

quartile).

Thus, this first control variable allows us to

formulate the following hypothesis:

H3: "An individual strongly involved in the

product category will more favorably alter

his/her attitude toward the brand than a less

involved individual."

Involvement in Advertising:

Involvement in advertising is defined as “the

state of interest or internal excitation an

individual feels toward an advertisement”

[40]. This concept is a crucial variable in the

advertising persuasion process. It is

understood as the product of individual

characteristics (whether psychological or

situational characteristics) and of the type of

the advertising message (informational,

emotional). According to [41], involvement in

advertising plays an important mediating role

in the advertising persuasion process. Taking

this point further, this suggest that in the case

of an individual strongly involved in

advertising, the persuasion levels observed

are solely the result of the message itself.

Conversely, this means also, that individuals

having lower degrees of involvement in

advertising will use other cues (e.g. the

legitimacy of the source of the message or the

attractiveness of the message) in the

persuasion process. Involvement in

advertising was measured using

Zaichkowsky’s PIIA (Personal Involvement

Inventory for Advertising) scale [37]. This

scale contains 10 items, using a 7 points

measure in semantic differential. The

unidimensionality and reliability of the scale

have been checked to confirm our choice.

Thus, this control variable allows us to

express the fourth hypothesis:

H4: "A person strongly involved in

advertising will more favorably alter his/her

attitude toward the brand than a less involved

individual."

3.b. Reliability and Validity of the Scale :

Attitude toward the brand:

Before conducting means-comparison, a

Factorial Component Analysis (FCA) was

conducted on all the items of the scale to

check for its dimensionality. Alpha

coefficients were calculated too.

The principal component analysis (PCA)

conducted on SPSS confirms the

unidimensional structure of the scale, which

explains over 63% of the variance. The

reliability analysis gives a result for the

Cronbach's alpha above 0.7 (0,849). This

confirms the psychometric properties of the

scale and allows us to use it as it is.


ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 ©2015 SDIWC 158

Given all the methodological choices and

scales used have been presented, the main

results of the study are presented.

4 RESULTS:

In line with the standards of the literature, a

level of 95% was considered as the threshold

to assess the significance of the results.

To measure the impact of advertising on the

attitudes toward the brand, we conducted

paired-samples comparisons of means. Thus,

the scores obtained for the attitude before

(SA1) and after (SA2) viewing the

advertisement were compared. It appears that

the SA1 mean is below SA2 mean (Scores:

SA1 = 0.9332; SA2 = 1.0093, p> 0.05). The

test is not significant. H1 is rejected.

Table 1: Comparison of Means SA1 versus SA2

Although the score for the brand attitude has

improved, the test was not significant. This

attests that the Surfingtelling does not

favorably alter attitudes toward the brand.

However, in order to check the influence of

certain individual characteristics and to see in

the observation of the differences between the

two scores measured for the attitude toward

the brand, the following paragraphs consider

the influence of the control variables.

4.a. Impact of Attitude toward Advertising

on Changes of the Attitude toward the

Brand.

To assess whether the attitude of an individual

toward advertising may have an impact on the

attitude toward the brand, we proceeded in

two steps. First, a PCA was conducted to

check the dimensionality of the scale. Second,

a reliability test was performed. The attitude

toward the advertising confirms the

unidimensional structure of the scale, which

explains 82% of the variance. The reliability

analysis gives a result for the Cronbach's

alpha above 0.7 (0,888). This confirms both

the dimensionality and reliability of the scale

We then grouped individuals following the

same procedure as for the other control

variables used in the study. Three categories

were formed: individuals having a favorable

(scores from 4 to 12), neutral (scores from 13

to 16) or negative (scores 16 to 20) attitude

toward advertising.

People with negative attitudes to advertising

get a lower SA1 mean than their SA2 mean

(Scores: SA1 = 0.9659; SA2 = 1.0568, p>

0.05). The test is not significant.

Table 2: Comparison of Means SA1 versus SA2 (for profiles with a negative attitude toward advertising)

For individuals with a neutral attitude to

advertising, the SA1 mean is below their SA2

mean (Scores: SA1 = 0.8510; SA2 = 0.9087,

p> 0.05). The test is not significant.


ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 ©2015 SDIWC 159

Table 3: Comparison of Means SA1 versus SA2 (for profiles with a neutral attitude toward advertising)

Finally, even for individuals whose attitude

toward advertising was considered as

favorable, the SA1 mean was below the SA2

mean (Scores: SA1 = 0.8372; SA2 = 1.0930,

p> 0.05). The test is not significant either.

Table 4: Comparison of Means SA1 versus SA2 (for profiles with a favorable attitude toward advertising)

This allows us to conclude that the attitude

toward advertising in general has not

impacted favorably the attitude toward the

brand. H2 is rejected.

4.b. Impact of the Involvement in the

Product Category on the Change on the

Attitude toward the Brand.

To perform a comparative analysis,

individuals were grouped according to their

level of involvement in the product category.

The procedure described by Zaichowsky [37]

was followed: the first and fourth quartiles of

the sample were determined after removing

from the sample the observations for which

the score was either 20 (the minimum

possible) or 140 (the maximum possible)

which would have meant that respondents

used only the lowest/highest scores to rate all

the items. Removing these extreme scores

should ensure, according to Zaichkowsky,

that respondents did not choose their answers

randomly. This procedure helps the definition

of three profiles: low- involved individuals

(scores ranging from 39 to 85), individuals

moderately involved (scores ranging from 86

to 103) and individuals highly involved in the

product category (scores ranging from 104 to

127). The results of each of these groups are

presented successively.

For low involved in the product category

individuals, the SA1 mean is below the SA2

mean (Scores: SA1 = 0.7442; SA2 = 0.8430,

p> 0.05). The test is not significant.

Table 5: Comparison of Means SA1 versus SA2 (low involvement in the product category.)

For individuals classified as having a medium

level of involvement in the product category,

the SA1 mean is below the SA2 mean

(Scores: SA1 = 0.9416; SA2 = 1.0227, p>

0.05). The test is not significant.


ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 ©2015 SDIWC 160

Table 6: Comparison of Means SA1 and SA2 (medium involved profiles in the product category)

Finally, for individuals who were classified as

having a high level of involvement in the

product category, it also appears that the SA1

means is below SA2 means (Scores: SA1 =

1.1159; SA2 = 1.1585, p > 0.05). The test

remains insignificant

Table 7: Comparison of Means SA1 and SA2 (for individuals highly involved in product category)

To strengthen these results, a comparison of

the scores of attitude toward the brand before

and after viewing the advertisement was

conducted using the ANOVA procedure. This

allowed comparing individuals according to

their involvement profile in the product

category studied. Certain authors recommend

having samples of minimum 200 respondents

to conduct this test. However, the literature

also points out that when sub-samples are of

similar size, 150 respondents in each group

are enough to use ANOVA.

The results show that the means obtained by

the groups for their scores for their attitudes

toward the brand are not significant neither on

the entire sample, nor when groups are

compared 2 by 2. The conclusion is that the

profile of involvement in the product category

does not change positively and significantly

attitudes toward the brand. H3 is therefore

rejected.

4.c. Impact of the Level of Involvement in

Advertising on Changes of the Attitude

toward the Brand.

Similarly, we looked at the influence of levels

of involvement in advertising on the changes

measured on the attitude toward the brand.

Three groups of individuals were isolated

based on their level of involvement in

advertising (Low / Medium / Strong). The

results are presented below:

Individuals with a low level of involvement in

advertising, have a SA1 means lower than

their SA2 means (Scores: SA1 = 0.8571; SA2

= 0.9643, p> 0.05). The test is not significant.

Table 8: Comparison of Means SA1 versus SA2 (for low involvement in advertising)

For individuals with a moderate level of

involvement in advertising, the SA1 means is

below the SA2 means (scores: SA1 = 1.0132;

SA2 = 1.1053, p> 0.05). The test is not

significant.


ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 ©2015 SDIWC 161

Table 9: Comparison of Means SA1 versus SA2 profiles (medium involved profiles in advertising)

Finally, even for individuals strongly

involved in advertising, it appears that the

means SA1 is below the SA2 means (Scores:

SA1 = 0.8663; SA2 = 0.8837, p> 0.05). The

test is not significant.

Table 10: Comparison of Means SA1 versus SA2 (for individuals highly involved in advertising)

Finally, an ANOVA was also conducted so as

to compare the score for attitudes toward the

brand before and after viewing the

advertisement based on the profile of

involvement in advertising of each

respondent.

The differences observed for the means scores

of the attitude toward the brand are not

significant. Therefore, the profile of

involvement in the advertising does not

positively change attitudes toward the brand.

H4 is rejected.

5. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION:

This research is the first to look at

Surfingtelling as a new format of

communication. Considered as an evolution

of Storytelling applied to digital media,

Surfingtelling is a narrative tool that opens

many avenues of research. This research is, to

the best of our knowledge, the first to use a

real communication campaign to assess the

effect of Surfingtelling on attitudes toward

brands. As such, the purpose set at the outset

of the paper was to assess the influence of

Surfingtelling on the attitude toward the brand

using the communication campaign of

Mennen as field for the study.

First, this article proposed to compare

Surfingtelling to other existing forms of

narration pointing out its particularities and

emphasizing their differences. The existing

literatures on Storytelling and on the different

communication formats (digital, etc...) were

presented to define the theoretical framework

of the study.

The central question of this paper investigated

the impact of viewing such advertisement on

attitudes toward a brand. This underlines the

consistency with the initial strategy of the

brand (Mennen) whose initial goal was to

alter the brand image thanks to this

communication campaign.

The results of the study have shown that at

this stage of its development and at least for

this specific communication campaign, such

communication mode does not positively

change the attitudes toward the brand (on a

student sample), allowing us to reject H1.

Secondly, the influence of control variables

was assessed with the view this would help

discriminating individuals on the basis of

several individuals variables. Whether

involvement in the product category,

involvement in advertising or attitude toward

advertising, none of these variables could help

in identifying a profile for which the

evolution of the attitude toward the brand had

changed significantly. H2, H3 and H4 were

therefore rejected.


ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 ©2015 SDIWC 162

With regards to managerial contributions, this

article shows that this format of

communication will not be useful for

advertisers if the objective of the brand is to

alter the attitude toward the brand. Even if a

positive trend was observed between the

initial and final scores measured for attitudes

toward the brand, the differences observed

were not considered significant.

Notwithstanding the positive findings

outlined, this study has come with some limits

we shall now review.

First, the small size of the sample (n = 161)

can be considered as a limit. Although more

individuals have responded to stage 1

compared to stage 2, the imperative for

respondents to have been involved in both

stages has considerably reduced the sample

size. This may explain partly certain weak

results for statistical tests, whether it is

paired-means comparisons or ANOVAs.

Second, the sample only contains students; to

some, this may be a limit. However, in the

context of this study, this is defensible as

these individuals are clearly fitting with the

target of the brand. Nevertheless, a replication

of the study on other samples would prove

interesting, to check if similar results could be

obtained.

Another limit to this study, is that we had to

remove certain individuals from the database.

These respondents obtained a score of 21 out

of 21 for their attitude toward advertising

(these students were reading a degree in

Communication and may have been therefore

highly passionate/interested about

Communication in general). After weighting

the pros and cons, it was finally decided to

exclude them of the database, following the

recommendations of Zaichowsky [37].

Surely, the scores would have been different

if they had been kept in the database.

Several avenues for future research emerge

from this study: it is possible that other

individual variables can affect brand attitude.

It would be useful to focus on purchasing

intentions after viewing the advertisement.

Indeed, several studies have noted in the past

that the attitude toward the brand was a key

antecedent of purchase intention. This

element should be further studied. Indeed, the

results may have significant managerial

implications and allow advertisers to be

innovative in terms of their communication

strategies so as to improve their brand image

and associated purchase intentions. A final

suggestion could be to look at the influence of

past and current purchasing behavior on the

changes in attitudes toward the brand before

and after viewing the advertisement. This

could help in evaluating the influence of past

purchases of the brand on future purchases (or

purchasing intentions).

Beyond these points, we should question

individuals’ perception of the Storytelling,

presented as innovative by their originators,

yet no one has actually investigated this. Is

Surfingtelling perceived differently than the

existing means of communication? Is it really

considered as innovative? Does the evaluation

of the campaign on these elements impact the

likeliness of individuals to share the campaign

using digital media or the Internet? Going

further, it would be interesting to explore

determinants that could predict the potential

for a campaign to become viral. Specifically,

the profile of internet users can help in

determining different behaviors and reactions

from individuals. Finally, research on

persuasion and memorization of

advertisements, could benefit from evaluating

the impact of viewing such content on

subsequent behavior. If one considers the

specific attitudes toward an advertisement, it

would be interesting to see if subsequent

purchasing intentions are altered.

A strong theoretical basis was built with

regards to the use of a new format of

communication. Its influence on a key

element of consumer behavior, attitude

toward the brand, was investigated. Despite

the non-significant results, it remains

important to stress that other elements and

variables must be studied to further think

about the ways in which we can optimize the

use of such forms of communication in the

future.


ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 ©2015 SDIWC 163

REFERENCES:

[1] Derbaix C. & Gregory P. (1994) – Persuasion : la

théorie de l’irrationalité limitée restreinte, Edition

Economica, Paris.

[2] Mercanti-Guérin M. (2005) – La créativité

publicitaire perçue, modélisation et impact sur le

processus de persuasion publicitaire, Thèse en vue du

titre de Docteur en Sciences de Gestion, Université de

Caen.

[3] Durand S. (2011) – Storytelling, Réenchantez votre

communication, Dunod, Paris.

[4] Alexander B. & Levine A. (2008) – Web Story 2.0

Storytelling: Emergence of a New Genre, Educause

Review, 43 (6).

[5] Barthes R. (1970) – Mythologies, Points, Paris.

[6] Baker R. T. & Gower K. (2010) – Strategic

Application of Storytelling in Organizations, Journal of

Business Communication, Volume 47, N°3, p.295-312.

[7] Kopp D. M., Nikolovska I., Desiderio K. P. &

Guterman J. T. (2011) – « Relaaax, I Remember the

Recession in the Early 1980s… » : Organizational

Storytelling as a Crisis Management Tool, Human

Resource Development Quaterly, Volume 22, N°3,

p.373-385.

[8] Swap W., Leonard D., Shields M. & Abrams L.

(2001) – Using Mentoring and Storytelling to Transfer

Knowledge in the Workplace, Journal of Management

Information Systems, Volume 18, N°1, p.95-114.

[9] Ready D. A. (2002) – How Storytelling Builds

Next-Generation Leaders, MIT Sloan Management

Review, Volume 43, N°4, p.63-69.

[10] Sole D. & Grey-Wilson D. (1999) – Storytelling in

Organizations: The Power and Traps of using stories

to share knowledge in organizations, LILA, Harvard

University.

[11] Koll O., Von Wallpach S. & Kreuzer M. (2010) –

Multi-Method Research on Consumer-Brand

Associations : Comparing Free Associations,

Storytelling, and Collages, Psychology & Marketing,

Volume 27, N°6, p.584-602.

[12] Clodong O. & Chétochine G. (2009) - Le

Storytelling en action. Transformer un politique, un

cadre d’entreprise ou un baril de lessive en héros de

saga !, Editions d’Organisation, Eyrolles, Paris.

[13] Bruner J. (1996) – L’éducation entrée dans la

culture, Collection Psychologie, Retz, Paris.

[14] Godin S. (2011) – Le Story-Telling en Marketing,

Tous les marketeurs racontent des histoires, Maxima,

Paris.

[15] Propp V. (1927) – Morphologie du Conte, Edition

Seuil, Collection Points, Essais, Paris.

[16] Hull G. A. & Nelson M. E. (2005) – Locating the

Semiotic, Power of Multimodality, Written

Communication, Volume 2, N°2, p.1-38.

[17] Robin B. (2008) – The effective uses of digital

storytelling as a teaching and learning tool, Handbook

of Research on Teaching Literacy through the

Communicative and Visual Arts, Lawrence Erlbaum

Associates, New York.

[18] Dogan B. & Robin B. (2009) – Educational Uses

of Digital Storytelling: Creating Digital Storytelling

contests for K-12 Students and Teachers, Dogan’s

Research Site.

[19] Allport G. W. (1935) – A Handbook of Social

Psychology, Clark University Press.

[20] Lutz, R. J. (1991) – The Role of Attitude Theory

in Marketing, Perspectives In Consumer Behavior, 3ème

Edition, Kassarjian, H. H., and Robertson T. S. (eds.),

Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

[21] Eagly A. & Chaiken S. (1993) – The psychology

of attitudes, Fort Worth, Harcourt Brace Jovanovitch

College Publishers.

[22] Zanna M. P. & Rempel J. K. (1988) – Attitudes: a

new look at an old concept, in D. Bar-Tal et A. W.

Kruglanski, The social psychology of knowledge, New

York, Cambridge University Press, p.315-334.

[23] Girandola F. (2003) – Psychologie de

l’engagement et de la persuasion, Presses

Universitaires de Franche Comté, Besançon.

[24] MacKenzie S. B., Lutz R. J. & Belch G. E. (1986)

– The role of attitude toward the ad as a mediator of

advertising effectiveness: a test of competing

explanations, Journal of Marketing Research, Volume

23, N°2, p.130-143.

[25] MacInnis D. J. & Jaworski B. J. (1989) –

Information processing from advertisements: toward an

integrative framework, Journal of Marketing, Volume

53, N°4, p.1-23.

[26] Florès L. & Volle P. (2005), Potentiel relationnel

et impact du site de marque sur la performance

marketing, Décisions Marketing, Volume 40, p.39-50.


ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 ©2015 SDIWC 164

[27] Birnbaum, M. H. (2004) - Human research and

data collection via the Internet, Annual Review of

Psychology, Volume 55, p.803-832.

[28] Mitchell, A. A. & Olson J.C. (1981) – Are Product

Attribute Beliefs the Only Mediator of Advertising

Effects on Brand Attitude?, Journal of Marketing

Research, Volume 18, August, p. 318-332.

[29] Mars M-C. & Menvieille L. (2011) – L’influence

du contenu du message publicitaire et des

caractéristiques motivationnelles sur les réponses du

consommateur aux publicités vertes, Actes

International Marketing Trends Conference.

[30] Gardner M.P. (1985) – Does attitude toward the

Ad Affect Brand Attitude under a Brand Evaluation

Set?, Journal of Marketing Research, Volume 22, Mai,

p 4-12.

[31] Wells W. D., Leavitt C., & Mc Conville M. (1971)

– A Reaction Profile for TV Commercials, Journal of

Advertising Research, Volume 11, N°6, p. 11-17.

[32] Aaker D. A., & Bruzzone D. E.(1981) – Viewer

Perceptions of Prime-Time Television Advertising",

Journal of Advertising, Volume 21, N°5, p. 15-23.

[33] Munch J.M. & Swasy J.L. (1988)- Rhetorical

Question, Summarization Frequency, and Argument

Strength Effects on Recall, Journal of Consumer

Research, Volume 15, N°1, p.69-76.

[34] Debbabi, S., Baile, S., & Roehrich, G. (2006) -

Les réponses du consommateur à la téléprésence dans

une publicité en 3D sur Internet, 5ème Journée

Nantaise de e-Marketing.

[35] Tabbane R.S. & Hamouda M. (2012) – Impact du

Bouche à Oreille Electronique sur l’intention d’achat:

Cas du Consommateur Tunisien, 2nd

International

Symposium ISKO-MAGHREB, November 3rd -4th,

2012, Hammamet, Tunisia

[36] Dussart, C. (1983) – La prise de décision : forte ou

faible implication ? Comportement du Consommateur

et Stratégie de Marketing, MCGraw Hill, p 448-470

[37] Zaichowsky J.L. (1985) - Measuring the

Involvement Construct, Journal of Consumer

Research, Volume 12, N°3, p 341-352

[38] Krugman H. (1965) –The impact of television

advertising: Learning without involvement, Public

Opinion Quarterly, Volume 29, p 349-356.

[39] Park C.W. & Young S.M. (1983) –Types and

levels of involvement and brand attitude formation,

Advances in consumer research, Volume 10, N°1, p

320-324.

[40] Mitchell, A. A. (1979) – Involvement: a

potentially important mediator of consumer behavior.

Advances in Consumer Research, Volume 6, N°1, p.

191-196.

[41] Petty, R., Cacioppo, J. T. & Schumann, D. (1983)

– Central and Peripheral Routes to Advertising

Effectiveness: The Moderating Role of Involvement,

Journal of Consumer Research, Volume 10, N°2, p.

135-146.


ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 ©2015 SDIWC 165

Appendix 1:

Screenshots on the Mennen campaign

Image 1: Initial situation, the Mennen deodorant is stolen

Image 2: The fall into the void of the wizard, 1st cliffhanger


ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 ©2015 SDIWC 166

Image 3: The use of pop ups windows boost the narration

Image 4: The wizard endangered, 2nd

cliffhanger


ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 ©2015 SDIWC 167

Figure 5:End of the crisis, Sebastien Loeb gets the deodorant stick back

Figure 6: Passing on the experience


ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 ©2015 SDIWC 168

Does Surfingtelling Change the Attitude toward a Brand?

Documents

Transcript of Does Surfingtelling Change the Attitude toward a Brand?