City Research Online

Abstract

This study examines digital video advertising, focusing on the impact of single versus multiple models on social media responses and the role of group diversity (age, gender, ethnicity) in international ads. Using theories of information utility, message repetition, and cue-diagnosticity, it analyzes 234 YouTube and Instagram campaigns with 38,774 consumer comments via machine learning-based facial recognition. Results show that social media ads with multiple models outperform single-model ones in driving responses, consistent with theoretical predictions. However, group diversity within ads shows no significant effect. The study offers theoretical, managerial, and methodological insights, highlighting future research opportunities on diversity in advertising.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2026, The Authors. Published by Wiley. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Publisher Keywords:	Smart shopping carts; In-store technology; Shopper behavior; Empirics-first
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HM Sociology H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA75 Electronic computers. Computer science
Departments:	Bayes Business School Bayes Business School > Faculty of Management
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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