Effects of narratives in advertising: An experimental research on native advertising practices

Effects of narratives in advertising have been examined in the field, especially by comparing them with non-narrative forms of advertising, and in many studies the persuasive superiorities of narratives have been demonstrated. In this study, the effects of different narrative advertising forms were compared. It is predicted that the character-centered or product/service-centered story plots will have different effects. In addition, based on the Persuasion Knowledge Model, it is considered that brand salience in advertising story will limit the possible effects of narrative advertising. In line with these variables, an experimental study with 2x2 factorial design was conducted using video ad stimuli designed for the study. In this research, advertising stimuli were published on Instagram as sponsored posts in a native advertising context, and advertising effects were tested in a real media setting. In this way, online engagement data of the targeted Instagram users was collected within the relevant metrics. In addition, users who clicked on the ad were directed to the website designed for this study; then they were asked to answer the questionnaire which includes the scales of narrative transportation and attitude toward the ad. With this aspect, the study suggests a new experimental design for advertising effect research. Findings revealed that the narrative ads differing in terms of story plot and brand salience had different effects on online engagement, narrative transportation, and attitude toward the ad. Keywords: Narrative advertising, Native advertising, Narrative transportation, Persuasion knowledge, Experimental research