Om att kreativt charma B2B
Signaling effectsCreative advertising effortsAdvertising creativityBusiness-to-businessThird-person effect
Previous research has recognized that advertising creativity can result in positive signaling effects for consumers, thus proving creativity to be a useful tool and not a wasteful effort within marketing. However, research within this matter has only lightly touched upon the outcome of signaling effects within a business-to-business context. Since other implications prevail within a B2B market - for instance the professional position in which individuals act, the existence of buying centers, and the heavy weight placed on most decisions - the conception and influence of advertising creativity may be altered. This paper aims to give an overview of whether increased advertising creativity results in positive signaling effects among individuals employed within a B2B context. Furthermore, the paper aspires to examine the potential influence of aspects prevailing within B2B markets, such as the need for contemplating the desires of numerous individuals involved, on the outcome of advertising creativity. An experiment with two advertisements - one defined as more creative and one as less creative - was undertaken and outcomes in terms of signaling effects and the third-person effect was measured in order to gain a profound understanding of the implications of a B2B context. Evidence was found confirming that a creative advertisement signaled higher product quality as well as increased brand attitude for decision-makers within a B2B context. Additionally, the third-person effect was found to amplify within a B2B context and also impact the signaling measures, both separately and in interaction with advertising creativity. However findings also suggested that purchase intention was not affected by an increasingly creative advertisement, which may be explained by the complex purchasing processes that characterize B2B markets.