Exploring the Effect of Incorporating Danmaku into Advertising

Abstract

This study explored the effect of incorporating danmaku, a website feature which allows viewers’ comments to scroll on top of videos that are streaming online, into advertising. Through a 2 (danmaku: absence versus presence) × 2 (ad type: nonhumor versus humor) × 2 (comment type: not cueing humor versus cueing humor) online experiment, we found a conditional effect of implementing the danmaku format on boosting advertising effectiveness. Specifically, when the ad content and comment content were incongruent—such that comments not cueing humor were used for humor ads, or comments cueing humor were used for nonhumor ads—danmaku ads fostered more favorable attitudes toward the ad, the brand, and the advertised product via heightened social presence. In light of the conditional effects, we discuss theoretical and practical implications of the findings and directions for future research.