The impact of ad appeals and source types on ad trust

This study aimed to understand how advertising appeals and message source types impact consumers' trust in advertisements. The two most common types of advertising appeals were investigated: narrative and argumentative. Narratives included a story in the advertisement. Argumentatives were more straightforward and conveyed the information rationally. For message source types, celebrity endorsers - a popular tactic in the current market - and laypersons who are increasingly used as endorsers were included. This study aimed to provide a better understanding of the best combination of advertising appeals and source types in cosmetic advertisements to win consumers' trust. A total of 73 responses were received from the snowball sample and the SONA system. The results were not statistically significant, but they suggested that celebrities endorsing argumentative ads may lead to a higher level of trust. Also, consumers held higher trust in celebrity endorsers compared to layperson endorsers. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Advertising

Grantor

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2025

Author dc:creator

• Lin, Chao-Yang

Contributors dc:contributor

• Maslowska, Ewa Halina

• Celebrity
• Layperson
• Endorsers
• Advertising Appeal
• Narrative
• Argumentative
• Ad Trust

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2025 Chao-Yang Lin

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129241

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F129241