Examining the Effectiveness of Retargeting Display Ads with Online Demarketing Campaigns: The Role of Browser Settings

Hye Jin Yoon, Yoon Joo Lee, Shuoya Sun (Ph.D. alumnus), and Jinho Joo, “Examining the Effectiveness of Retargeting Display Ads with Online Demarketing Campaigns: The Role of Browser Settings,” has been accepted for presentation at the 2023 AAA conference in Denver, CO.

Abstract: Retargeting is a form of advertising served to people who have previously interacted with the business’s digital presence. With higher click-through rates than regular display ads, retargeting has gained popularity with advertisers over recent years. This research tests how the congruency of the campaign shown on a brand’s homepage and a following retargeting ad could impact retargeting effectiveness with a demarketing campaign as a case of online brand activism. Further, media context effects are tested by varying the browser setting where the demarketing retargeting ads appear. Guided by the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), an online experiment finding shows that in a news browser setting, users perceived that the retargeting ad had a higher quality argument, perceived importance, and attitude when the retargeting ad matched with the earlier demarketing homepage content. These ad evaluation differences were not present in a shopping browser setting. It was found that this different effect emerged through the mediation role of perceived congruency. The results have timely theoretical and practical implications for digital ads, online brand activism, and a greater internet usage era.