Internet advertising video facilitating health communication: Narrative and emotional perspectives

Abstract

Purpose

Based on narrative theory, emotional contagion theory, and anticipated emotions theory, the purpose of this paper is to adopt an experimental design intended to understand how narrative advertising video on internet, narrator flow and online audience characteristics influence the health communication effects and depression prevention messages of public service advertisements.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses two experimental designs. The first contrasts the effectiveness of persuasion between narrative and argument advertising videos on internet, while the second contrasts the effectiveness of persuasion between narrators with high and low flow. This study employed partial least squares path modeling to validate the research structure hypothesis.

Findings

Empirical results indicate that internet narrative advertising video is not direct, but rather draws on flow and positive anticipated emotions to stimulate the production of online audience intention to adopt health risk-reducing behaviors. Compared with narrative advertising video, which influences intention to adopt health risk-reducing behaviors through flow and positive anticipated emotions, narrator advertising video with an emotionally invested high-flow narrator can strengthen online audience intention to adopt risk-reducing behaviors more directly and positively.

Practical implications

The study results can provide elements to assist in the design of online advertising video on depression prevention and health promotion.

Originality/value

In this study, the dialogue among narrative theory, emotional contagion theory, and anticipated emotions theory is constructed, and an integrated conceptual framework is developed for the relationship between internet advertising video type and the health communication.

Citation

Tseng, C.-H. and Huang, T.-L. (2016), "Internet advertising video facilitating health communication: Narrative and emotional perspectives", Internet Research, Vol. 26 No. 1, pp. 236-264. https://doi.org/10.1108/IntR-09-2014-0217