Dr. Joe Phua
About: Dr. Phua’s research examines the impact of new and emerging communication technologies, including social media, on advertising and branding, social marketing campaigns for public health issues like obesity and smoking cessation, and sports marketing. His teaching specialties include digital and social communication strategies, advertising and communication management, and digital advertising at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Education
Ph.D., Communication, University of Southern California
M.A., Communication Management, University of Southern California
B.A., Cinema-Television Critical Studies, University of Southern California
Research Interests and Activities
Dr. Phua’s research examines the impact of new and emerging communication technologies, including social media, on advertising and branding, social marketing campaigns for public health issues like obesity and smoking cessation, and sports marketing. His research has been published in top journals in the field, including Journal of Communication, Journal of Advertising, Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, Journal of Health Psychology, Journal of Smoking Cessation, Asian Journal of Communication, International Journal of Sport Communication, Journal of Sports Media, and Social Influence. His research has also received coverage in publications including Newsweek, Men’s Health, Huffington Post, Men’s Fitness, and WebMD magazine, as well as in news outlets like ABC News, Yahoo! News, and NPR Marketplace Tech.
Top Three Paper Award in the Advertising Division Open Research Competition: Youngjee Ko (Grady PhD Student) and Joe Phua. “Effects of Eco-Labels and Perceived Influencer Expertise on Perceived Healthfulness, Perceived […]
Read MoreAlex Pfeuffer, assistant professor of advertising, and Joe Phua, associate professor of advertising, were awarded a AAA Research Fellowship Award for a 3-year research project studying vlogs and trust cues […]
Read MoreJoe Phua has been named an Associate Editor of International Journal of Advertising effective March 2022.
Read MoreAbstract: Given the increasing amount of public and government related attention devoted to issues surrounding e-cigarette use, the current study examined how disclosure source and content-publication fit in an ENDS […]
Read MoreAbstract: Electronic cigarette brands are increasingly using social media to advertise their products. This study examined effects of advertising message claim type (reduced risk [“Healthier than regular cigarettes”], cessation [“Quit […]
Read MoreA multi-method study (Study 1: Focus groups; Study 2: Survey; Study 3: Online experiment) will examine user-generated COVID-19 vaccine information in social media-based vlogs to (1) identify eWOM content attributes […]
Read MoreJoe Phua served as guest editor (with Kevin Byon of Indiana University, Bloomington) for “Journal of Interactive Advertising,” Special Issue in “Digital and Interactive Marketing Communications in Sports”, Vol. 20, […]
Read MoreAbstract: In October 2019, a heated tobacco product (HTP) IQOS debuted in the United States. This study examined young adults’ attention and cognitions in response to an IQOS ad that […]
Read MoreAbstract: Trust is a significant factor in electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) effects. Consumers often need to form judgments about others using heuristic cues when they cannot rely on previous cumulative experiences with […]
Read MoreAbstract: Online, consumers often cannot develop trust through cumulative experiences with another party but must instead rely on heuristic cues for their trust formation. Drawing on the theoretical construct of […]
Read MoreAbstract: Consumer-driven sharing and creation activities are valuable engagement activities as they help spread awareness and interaction for brands on social media. Loyal fans of brand pages are an important […]
Read MoreAbstract: Introduction: In October 2019, a heated tobacco product (HTP) IQOS debuted in the United States. This study examined young adults’ attention and cognitions in response to an IQOS ad […]
Read MoreAbstract: Background: The perceived threat of a contagious virus may lead people to be distrustful of immigrants and out-groups. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the salient politicized discourses of blaming Chinese […]
Read MoreAbstract: Purpose: Through two experiments, this study assessed source and message effects of Instagram-based pro-veganism messages. Design/methodology/approach: Experiment 1 (N = 294) examined effects of organization (brand vs nonprofit) and […]
Read MoreAbstract: Introduction: In October 2019, a heated tobacco product (HTP) IQOS debuted in the United States. This study examined young adults’ attention and cognitions in response to an IQOS ad […]
Read MoreAbstract: Fans of brand pages are valuable as they help spread positive word-of-mouth on social media, and drive brand recommendations to other social media users. Companies, such as Nike and […]
Read MoreAbstract: Trust is a significant factor in electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) effects. Online, consumers often need to form judgments about others using heuristic cues when they cannot rely on previous cumulative […]
Read MoreAbstract: Introduction: In October 2019, a heated tobacco product (HTP) IQOS debuted in the United States. This study examined young adults’ attention and cognitions in response to an IQOS ad […]
Read MoreAbstract: Celebrities endorsing veganism may exert social influence on consumers’ attitude toward veganism and behavioral intention to become vegan. A between-subjects online experiment (N=303) examined the effects of consumers’ eating […]
Read MoreAbstract: Background: The perceived threat of a highly contagious virus may lead people to be distrustful of immigrants and outgroups. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the salient politicized discourses of blaming […]
Read MoreAbstract: Sports sponsorship has been considered a key branding strategy for various marketing objectives, but little research investigated how consumers perceived sponsor brands through sports competitions. This study aimed to […]
Read MoreAbstract: Through two studies, this research examined consumer responses to empowerment hashtags in social media–based fashion advertising. The findings of Study 1 indicated that consumers showed more favorable attitudes toward […]
Read MorePan, Polin, & Joe Phua (Forthcoming). Connecting Sponsor Brands through Sports Competitions: An Identity Approach to Brand Trust and Brand Loyalty. Accepted for publication in Sport, Business, Management: An International […]
Read MoreJihoon (Jay) Kim (Grady Ph.D student), Joe Phua, Nah Ray Han (Grady Ph.D student), and Taeyeon Kim (Grady Ph.D student), “Investigating the Impact of Immersive Advertising on Attitude toward the […]
Read MoreMarilyn Primovic and Dr. Joe Phua, Comparing Expectancy Violations Committed by Influencer Advertising Sources on Social Media. To be presented virtually at the AEJMC 103rd Annual Conference in August, 2020. […]
Read MoreAbstract: This study examined effects of Facebook reaction icons and user comments on brand attitude, trust, information seeking, purchase intention, and eWOM intention towards a health brand, as well as […]
Read MoreAbstract: Through 2 studies, this research examined consumer responses to empowerment hashtags in social media-based fashion advertising. The findings of Study 1 indicated that consumers showed more favorable attitudes towards […]
Read MoreAbstract: Through two experiments, this study assessed source and message effects of Instagram-based pro-veganism messages. Experiment 1 (N = 294) examined effects of organization (brand versus non-profit) and message types […]
Read MorePaper accepted for presentation at the International Communication Association Annual Conference, Gold Coast, Australia, May 2020. Abstract: Through two experiments, this study assessed source and message effects of Instagram-based pro-veganism […]
Read MoreAccepted for presentation at the 2020 American Academy of Advertising (AAA) Annual Conference, March 2020, San Diego, CA. Abstract: This study examined effects of match versus mismatch of message concreteness […]
Read MoreAbstract: This study posits that human values can be used to identify and segment audiences for social media‐based valuable brand activities. Three online surveys were conducted with Facebook, Twitter, and […]
Read MoreAbstract: Companies consider social media‐based consumer engagement behaviors such as sharing, content creation, and reviews for brands as more valuable than “liking” or consuming brand content. Studies show that branded […]
Read MoreAbstract: This study examined the effects of joining and actively participating in e-cigarette-related social media communities (SMCs), along with e-cigarette-related subjective norms, and social identification with other e-cigarette users, on […]
Read MoreAbstract: Social media-based consumer engagement behaviors, such as sharing, content creation and reviews for brands as more valuable than “liking” or consuming brand content. As consumers trust consumer-driven recommendations more […]
Read MoreAbstract: A between-subjects 2 (source type: celebrity versus non-celebrity) x 2 (message valence: positive versus negative) factorial experiment (N = 288) examined the effects of source type and message valence […]
Read MoreAbstract: This study examined exposure to three types of e-cigarette marketing—sponsored advertisements, brand pages, and user-created groups—on social networking sites and their influence on health-related outcomes. Results (N = 1,016) […]
Read MoreAbstract: Celebrities endorsing veganism may exert social influence on consumers’ attitude toward veganism and behavioral intention to become vegan. A between-subjects online experiment (N = 303) examined the effects of […]
Read MoreAbstract: With an estimated 10.8 million adult users, particularly amongst 18 to 24-year olds, e-cigarette use is an increasingly serious health issue within the United States. These products are often […]
Read MoreAbstract: This study examined effects of hashtag type (brand name versus empowering campaign hashtag) on information value and attitude towards hashtags. Results indicated that consumers showed more favorable attitudes towards […]
Read MoreAbstract: Through a 2×3 between-subjects experiment, this study examined effects of health warning labels (presence or absence) and advertising message claims (“Quit smoking using e-cigarettes,” “Healthier than regular cigarettes” or […]
Read MoreAbstract: Snapchat geofilter advertisements use augmented reality (AR) technology to place consumers in photographs embellished with branded content. This study examined the joint influence of self-brand congruity, self-referencing and perceived […]
Read MoreAbstract: Celebrities endorsing e-cigarette brands on social media may exert a strong influence on e-cigarette uptake. Using a between-subject experiment, this study examines the effects of endorser type (celebrities, non-celebrities […]
Read MoreAbstract: Purpose – Applying social identity theory, the social identity-brand equity model and excitation-transfer theory, the purpose of this paper is to examine effects of game outcome (win/loss) and location […]
Read MoreAbstract: This study examined effects of Facebook reaction icons and user comments on brand attitude, trust, information seeking, purchase intention, and eWOM intention towards a health brand, as well as […]
Read MoreTeaching Specialties
Dr. Phua’s teaching specialties include digital and social communication strategies, advertising and communication management, and digital advertising at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Experience
Dr. Phua has worked in corporate communications at MTV networks, account management at Dailey and Associates Advertising, and in film production at Paramount Pictures in Hollywood, California, before attending the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism at the University of Southern California, where he earned his Ph.D. in 2011.
Awards and Fellowships
Dissertation of the Year Award 2012, NCA Health Communication Division, National Communication Association (NCA) Conference, Orlando, Florida, November 2012
Dissertation of the Year Award 2012, ICA Health Communication Division, International Communication Association (ICA) Conference, Phoenix, Arizona, May 2012
CTL Lilly Teaching Fellows 2012-2014, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
International Dissertation Research Award 2010-2011, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Top Student Paper, Human Communication and Technology Division, National Communication Association (NCA) Conference, Chicago, IL, November 2009
Top Student Paper, Intergroup Communication Interest Group, International Communication Association (ICA) Conference, Montreal, Canada, May 2008