Two is Better than One: The Influence of Disclosure Modality and Explicitness on Disclosure Recognition

• In Event: HIGH-DENSITY: The Role of Personalization, Disclosure, and Identity in Information Processing

Abstract

As the lines between User-Generated commercial and noncommercial content are blurring, it is becoming more challenging for audiences to identify the commercial intent and content. Regulators have developed guidelines that require vloggers to disclose any sponsored content. However, the rules are not clear on what these disclosures should look like. And little is known about the effectiveness of online disclosures. In a 3 (Disclosure Modality: Single Visual, Single Verbal, Dual) x 2 (Disclosure Explicitness: High, Low) x 2 (Message) within subjects experiment, the effects on disclosure recognition were tested. Results show that dual-modality are better recognized as compared to single-modality (both visual and verbal) disclosures. Also, for visual disclosures, more implicit content was better recognized than more explicit disclosures. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Authors

• Mark Adams, Radboud University

• Lelia Samson, Radboud University