Exploring the Communication and Spillover Effects of the Advertising Endorser and Appeal of Nonprofit Organizations

Abstract

This study provided an integrated model for an advanced understanding of an audience’s elaboration routes, communication effects, and the reciprocal spillover effects between NPO and endorsers using rational and emotional advertising appeals for smoking cessation with a celebrity endorser. Questionnaires with two advertising appeals (rational and emotional) were randomly distributed to adult participants, and 468 valid responses (243 rational and 225 emotional) were analyzed using linear structural equation modeling. The results revealed that although advertising attitudes toward smoking cessation did not directly affect idea acceptance, they mediated the changes in the elaboration route of the audience and spillover effects. Further, evoking the audiences’ responsible thinking was critical for smoking cessation and social marketing. This advertising appeal could change the elaboration path effects of the audience. Nevertheless, it has no significant influence on communication effects. Moreover, the reciprocal spillover effects existed for endorsers and NPOs, with endorsers having more spillover effects than NPOs. The rational appeal had better spillover effects than the emotional appeal for NPO. However, its effect on endorsers was insignificant. The findings show that regardless of whether it is rational or emotional appeals, the audience’s central and peripheral elaboration of coexists and interaction effects influence idea acceptance, and the reciprocal spillover effects existed for endorsers in the advertisement of NPOs.