JOURNAL OF APPLIED BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS
Offensive Advertisements Influence You More Than Me: An Examination of the Third-Person Effects in the Chinese Cultural Context
Author(s): Shanshan Lou, Hong Cheng
Citation: Shanshan Lou, Hong Cheng, (2021) "Offensive Advertisements Influence You More Than Me: An Examination of the Third-Person Effects in the Chinese Cultural Context," Journal of Applied Business and Economics, Vol. 23, Iss.5, pp. 165-179
Article Type: Research paper
Publisher: North American Business Press
Abstract:
This study examined the third-person effect (TPE) hypothesis (Davison, 1983) in offensive advertising in the Chinese cultural context. Based on a survey of 1,539 Chinese Internet users about the third- and first-person effects among offensive ads, neutral ads, and public service ads, the study inquires into the relationship between the TPE and respondents’ levels of acceptance toward advertising. Besides confirming the TPE existence in an Eastern cultural context, the results suggest that the TPE predict word-of-mouth (WOM) spreading for both offensive and neutral product ads, but not for PSAs. Theoretical contributions and managerial implications of these findings are discussed.