Trust Me, You Should Buy This: Cosmetic Marketing and Product Reviews on YouTube

YouTube beauty gurus, in combination with traditional marketing and advertising techniques, manipulate the opinions of cosmetics consumers. Today, advertising techniques are not only being applied online by companies and corporations using conventional strategies (e.g. banner ads and text-based Google ads), but are becoming blended, integrated, and disguised as user-generated content. So-called “beauty gurus,” for example, are using online advertising platforms to spread messages that promote cosmetic products to the public on behalf of corporations. This paper will examine how beauty gurus on YouTube review products while offering advice that is accepted as truth on an allegedly democratic, or at least user-generated, online platform. This Major Research Paper will examine the application of advertising models and propaganda techniques to YouTube beauty marketing using the insights of Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky (1988), as well as Edward Bernays (1935), whose ground-breaking and influential methods of analyzing advertising and public relations can offer new insights into contemporary online media and the ways these seemingly open platforms are being taken over by private interests and large corporations (all while projecting the images and ideals of authenticity, amateurism, and open access). This study will demonstrate that YouTube beauty reviews are a form of advertising that utilize trust and bias, two important factors that Herman and Chomsky (1988) and Bernays (1935) explore, in order to disguise advertising as individual opinion expressed in the interest of the consumer. My findings suggest that corporations have been able to adapt traditional methods of beauty marketing to YouTube (and, implicitly, other online video platforms beyond the scope of this study) through the use of “beauty gurus.” Despite disclaimers in these “beauty gurus’” YouTube channels that products have been sent to them for free, the lines between what constitutes an advertisement and what constitutes user generated content are being blurred. My suggestion is that this blurring leaves the public confused and more susceptible to influence within the realm of online beauty guides, reviews, and tutorials.

Trust Me, You Should Buy This: Cosmetic Marketing and Product Reviews on YouTube

YouTube beauty gurus, in combination with traditional marketing and advertising techniques, manipulate the opinions of cosmetics consumers. Today, advertising techniques are not only being applied online by companies and corporations using conventional strategies (e.g. banner ads and text-based Google ads), but are becoming blended, integrated, and disguised as user-generated content. So-called “beauty gurus,” for example, are using online advertising platforms to spread messages that promote cosmetic products to the public on behalf of corporations. This paper will examine how beauty gurus on YouTube review products while offering advice that is accepted as truth on an allegedly democratic, or at least user-generated, online platform. This Major Research Paper will examine the application of advertising models and propaganda techniques to YouTube beauty marketing using the insights of Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky (1988), as well as Edward Bernays (1935), whose ground-breaking and influential methods of analyzing advertising and public relations can offer new insights into contemporary online media and the ways these seemingly open platforms are being taken over by private interests and large corporations (all while projecting the images and ideals of authenticity, amateurism, and open access). This study will demonstrate that YouTube beauty reviews are a form of advertising that utilize trust and bias, two important factors that Herman and Chomsky (1988) and Bernays (1935) explore, in order to disguise advertising as individual opinion expressed in the interest of the consumer. My findings suggest that corporations have been able to adapt traditional methods of beauty marketing to YouTube (and, implicitly, other online video platforms beyond the scope of this study) through the use of “beauty gurus.” Despite disclaimers in these “beauty gurus’” YouTube channels that products have been sent to them for free, the lines between what constitutes an advertisement and what constitutes user generated content are being blurred. My suggestion is that this blurring leaves the public confused and more susceptible to influence within the realm of online beauty guides, reviews, and tutorials.

How to overcome online banner blindness? A study on the effects of creativity

Purpose This study aims to explore whether creativity can overcome banner blindness in the viewing of web pages and demonstrate how visual saliency and banner-page congruity constitute the boundary conditions for creativity to improve memory for banner ads. Design/methodology/approach Three studies were conducted to understand the influence of advertising creativity and banner blindness on recognition of banner ads, which were assessed using questionnaires and bias adjustment. The roles of online user tasks (goal-directed vs free-viewing), visual saliency (high vs low) and banner-page congruity (congruent vs incongruent) were considered. Findings The findings suggest that creativity alone is not sufficient to overcome the banner blindness phenomenon. Specifically, in goal-directed tasks, the effect of creativity on recognition of banner ads is dependent on banner ads’ visual saliency and banner-page congruity. Creative banners are high on visual saliency, and banner-page congruity yields higher recognition rates. Practical implications Creativity matters for attracting consumer attention. And in a web page context, where banner blindness prevails, the design of banners becomes even more important in this respect. Given the prominence of banners in online marketing, it is also necessary to tap the potential of creativity of banner ads. Originality/value First, focusing on how creativity influences memory for banner ads across distinct online user tasks not just provides promising theoretical insight on the tackling of banner blindness but also enriches research on advertising creativity. Second, contrary to the popular belief of extant literature, the findings suggest that, in a web page context, improvement in memory for banner ads via creativity is subject to certain boundary conditions. Third, a computational neuroscience software program was used in this study to assess the visual saliency of banner ads, whereas signal detection theory was used for adjustment of recognition scores. This interdisciplinary examination combining the two perspectives sheds new light on online advertising research.

PENGARUH Penggunaan Media Sosial DAN DIVERSIFIKASI PRODUK TERHADAP PENINGKATAN PENJUALAN UMKM MAKANAN DAN MINUMAN DI SIDOARJO

The development of communication technology has developed rapidly because of this many business owners have to adapt in the current technological advances, with the majority of people are accustomed to using social media which has caused a massive shift in introducing products to people who previously focused on using offline media such as newspaper advertisements, banner ads, and others can now be replaced with the use of social media such as Instagram, Whatsapp, and others. Coupled with a new problem, namely the Covid-19 Pandemic which greatly affects offline stores. The author believes that through this problem there is an opportunity to get used to and turn to the use of social media as a means of introducing products and selling. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the use of social media and product diversification had an impact on increasing MSME sales in the Sidoarjo area. The data were obtained by conducting a survey of 100 respondents where the population was businessmen of MSME food and beverage in Sidoarjo by using purposive sampling and distributing questionnaires to people who have characteristics that match the criteria sought. The statistical software used in this study is SPSS version 23 of the results of the study. This states that the use of social media and product diversification has a significant effect on increasing the sales of MSME food and beverages in Sidoarjo. Keywords: The Impact of Social Media, Product Diversification, Increased sales, MSME, Adapting to technologies

Characterizing Pathways of Non-oral Prescription Stimulant Non-medical Use Among Adults Recruited From Reddit

Objective: Prescription stimulant non-medical use (NMU) is a national predicament. While the risks of prescription stimulant NMU have been considered, less is known about non-oral use. To focus on this gap, a sample of adults with non-oral prescription stimulant NMU within the last 5-years was recruited. The purpose of the present study was to characterize the pathways and substance transitions associated with prescription stimulant NMU and non-oral prescription stimulant NMU in this unique sample of adults.Methods: Adults (n = 225) reporting non-oral prescription stimulant NMU within the last 5 years were recruited to complete an online survey by banner ads placed on the Reddit website between February and September 2019. After completion of the survey, a second study consisting of an in-depth telephone interview was conducted with 23 participants: interviews took place between July and September 2019. Data reported here include substance, route of administration and class transitions, as well as qualitative data from the interviews.Results: Approximately 1 in 5 began their substance use trajectory with prescription stimulants (19.1%). Other than marijuana, most exposures to illicit substances occurred after both initial prescription stimulant NMU and initial non-oral prescription stimulant NMU. The most frequently reported route of administration transition was from oral use to snorting (n = 158, 70.2%), however, other route of administration transitions included oral use to injection drug use (n = 14, 6%). In-depth interviews elaborated upon these transitions and indicated that prescription stimulant NMU was consequential to substance use pathways.Conclusions: Oral prescription stimulant NMU was a precursor to non-oral prescription stimulant NMU. Non-oral prescription stimulant NMU was a precursor to illicit substance use, suggesting that prescription stimulant NMU impacts substance use pathways and revealing opportunities for intervention.

The Effects of the Content Elements of Online Banner Ads on Visual Attention: Evidence from An-Eye-Tracking Study

The aim of this paper is to examine the influence of the content elements of online banner ads on customers’ visual attention, and to evaluate the impacts of gender, discount rate and brand familiarity on this issue. An eye-tracking study with 34 participants (18 male and 16 female) was conducted, in which the participants were presented with eight types of online banner ads comprising three content elements—namely brand, discount rate and image—while their eye movements were recorded. The results showed that the image was the most attractive area among the three main content elements. Furthermore, the middle areas of the banners were noticed first, and areas located on the left side were mostly noticed earlier than those on the right side. The results also indicated that the discount areas of banners with higher discount rates were more attractive and eye-catching compared to those of banners with lower discount rates. In addition to these, the participants who were familiar with the brand mostly concentrated on the discount area, while those who were unfamiliar with the brand mostly paid attention to the image area. The findings from this study will assist marketers in creating more effective and efficient online banner ads that appeal to customers, ultimately fostering positive attitudes towards the advertisement.

Capturing COVID-19 Symptoms At-Scale using Banner Ads: A Novel Survey Methodology Pilot using an Online News Platform (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Identifying new cases of COVID-19 is challenging. Not every suspected case undergoes testing, because testing kits and other equipment are limited in many parts of the world. Yet populations increasingly use the internet to manage both home and work life during the pandemic, giving researchers mediated connections to millions of people sheltering in place. OBJECTIVE To assess the feasibility of using an online news platform to recruit volunteers willing to report COVID-19 symptoms and behaviors. METHODS An online epidemiologic survey captured COVID-19 related symptoms and behaviors from individuals recruited through banner ads offered through Microsoft News. Respondents indicated whether they were experiencing symptoms, whether they received COVID-19 testing, and whether they traveled outside of their local area. RESULTS A total of 87,322 respondents completed the survey across a span of three weeks at the end of April 2020, with 54.3% responses from the U.S. and 32.0% from Japan. Of the respondents, 19,631 (22.5%) reported at least one symptom of COVID-19. Nearly two-fifths of these respondents (39.1%) reported >1 COVID-19 symptom. Just 4.8% of respondents reporting at least one symptom disclosed having received testing for COVID-19. Respondents were geographically diverse with all states and most ZIP Codes represented in the dataset. More than half of respondents from both countries were >50 years of age. CONCLUSIONS News platforms can be used to quickly recruit study participants, enabling collection of infectious disease symptoms at-scale and with populations that are distinct from those found through social media platforms. Such platforms could enable epidemiologists and researchers to quickly assess trends in emerging infections potentially before individuals present to clinics and hospitals for testing and/or treatment.

Effect of Mobile Commerce Interaction Characteristics on Game Advertising Effect and Game Re-purchase Intent

Background/Objectives: This study is to present marketing strategies and implications for mobile game companies’ intention to buy games again.Methods/Statistical analysis: The questionnaire was distributed to then collected from 260 people who enjoyed playing games. The collected data verified the suitability of the structural equation model and the causal relationship to each concept.Findings: First, mobile game companies should try to use websites or famous websites to provide information about their own products and utilise trusted models and formulate advertisement copies, in order to build trust on their games and incidental products.Second mobile game companies will have to strive to show consistency between product advertising and the community through continuous management and providing information.Third, mobile game companies will have to restructure their homepage to focus on user-oriented design, and further care about the convenience of connecting to their homepage and the convenience of searching for information in famous sites (considering the location of banner ads) even among popular sites that game users often use.Fourth, mobile game companies will have to pay close attention to the trust and acceptance of advertising by paying attention to their promises with users, continuous website updates, swift Q&A activities, and the consistency between advertising and products.Finally, mobile game companies should spread information such as, gameplays, game item and character introduction, and create videos and programs that gamers would like to interact with in order to expose their websites and information on famous websites.Improvements/Applications: Companies that develop and sell games are analysing the characteristics of people who intend to repurchase games, which shows suitable direction of marketing strategies for sustainable management in the mobile game market.