In his dissertation, Karsberg concludes that the context around the receiver of advertising has a significant impact on the effectiveness of advertising. His experiments show that advertising effectiveness can be strengthened if the advertising is seen together with others or is received positively in social media. These factors also affect the likelihood of the advertising leading to a purchase.

"At a time when it is becoming harder and harder for companies to reach consumers with marketing, it is important to understand that the context influences how likely it is that we buy a product," says John Karsberg, Doctor of consumer marketing.

"Today we are often exposed to advertising via social channels, so it is important for marketing managers to take context into account. My experience is that this is not done sufficiently today," says Karsberg. He continues. "We have also seen that the social context affects not only consumers but also investors and employees. This should have an impact on how we look at advertising and the marketing manager's role".

The dissertation also shows that physical activity affects attitudes toward an ad and a brand. A subject is more positively affected by an advertisement after walking up stairs rather than taking an escalator and after exercising rather than before exercising.

Karsberg explains, "one could for example imagine that it should become even more attractive to advertise in gyms, and perhaps we should think about how advertising to children is used in amusement parks or playgrounds".

The dissertation is called "Reception, Reception, Reception - The Effects of Receiver Context on Advertising Effectiveness" and was presented December 8, 2016 at SSE

For more information and copies of the dissertation, please contact.

John Karsberg, PhD
Center for Consumer Marketing
Stockholm School of Economics
john.karsberg@hhs.se
+46 70 461 55 39