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Repositório Institucional da Universidade Católica Portuguesa
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Transparent but not always trusted : the impact of AI disclosure on ad credibility
Publication . Jung, Moritz Alexander; Mendonça, Cristina
The increasing adoption of generative artificial intelligence in advertising has heightened debates regarding transparency and consumer trust among both regulators and industry managers. In anticipation of the forthcoming EU AI Act, which will require disclosure of AI generated content, this study examines the impact of AI disclosure in commercial advertising on perceived advertisement credibility and subsequent consumer responses. Utilizing persuasion and source credibility theory, a between-subjects experiment (N = 125) compared advertisements labeled as AI-generated with identical advertisements lacking such disclosure. The research also investigates whether perceived advertisement credibility affects brand attitude and purchase intention, and whether individual differences in AI aversion moderate the effects of disclosure. The results indicate that AI disclosure does not significantly lower perceived advertisement credibility for commercial, medium-involvement products. Perceived advertisement credibility continues to be a strong predictor of both brand attitude and purchase intention, irrespective of disclosure. Contrary to initial expectations, AI aversion does not moderate the relationship between disclosure and advertisement credibility. These findings suggest that the effects of AI disclosure are present but not significant and context-dependent, rather than universally negative. This research contributes to the literature on AI-generated advertising by offering empirical evidence from a standard commercial context prior to regulatory implementation. The findings suggest that, for managers, designing messages to enhance credibility is more critical for advertising effectiveness than the technological origin of the content. Consequently, AI disclosure should be regarded as a contextual design choice rather than an inherent risk
Social procurement as a driver of corporate social innovation : a multi-stakeholder perspective in Portugal
Publication . Vilaverde, Maria Inês de Almeida; Azevedo, Carlos
This dissertation explores how stakeholders engage in social procurement initiatives in Portugal, and how these practices contribute to the implementation of Corporate Social Innovation in the private sector. Since existing literature predominantly focuses on the public sector, this research seeks to bridge the knowledge gap regarding the dynamics of these partnerships in the corporate context. Based on a qualitative and inductive approach, the study draws on semi-structured interviews with nine organizations, including representatives of companies, social organizations, and intermediary organizations. The results evidenced a continuous evolution in business practices, showing that social procurement goes beyond social actions or legal obligations, becoming a central strategy integrated into the companies' core activity. This integration allows aligning financial objectives with social impact, generating shared value. In this context, the study points to two major conclusions. First, intermediaries are essential: they act as "strategic bridges" to translate languages and reduce risks between sectors. Second, the success of these collaborations relies primarily on the quality of relationships, based on trust and leadership commitment, being this more determinant than contractual rigidity. In sum, it is confirmed that social procurement converts social challenges into concrete opportunities for innovation and inclusion.
Self-enhancing humor after football defeats : effects on fans’ emotion regulation and brand attachment
Publication . Dötsch, Can-Luca Dario; Simão, Cláudia
Football fandom is characterized by intense emotional reactions, particularly following team defeats. As clubs increasingly use social media to communicate results, humorous messaging has emerged as a potential tool to diffuse negative emotions. This study investigated whether self-enhancing humor in post-defeat Instagram communication facilitates fans’ emotion regulation and strengthens brand attachment, while considering the moderating role of fan identification. Four hypotheses were tested using an experimental between-subjects design with 223 football fans, in which a single experimental factor - humor condition (self-enhancing vs. neutral) - was manipulated. The results show that self-enhancing humor significantly improved emotion regulation after a loss. Although humor alone did not directly increase brand attachment, its effect on emotional coping indirectly enhanced attachment levels. Fan identification did not moderate the relationship between humor and emotion regulation, indicating that highly and lowly identified fans benefit similarly from humorous communication. These findings highlight humor’s strategic value for clubs aiming to maintain positive fan-brand relationships after defeats.
The power of short video reviews : a comparative study of influencer and peer endorsers on instagram and TikTok
Publication . Francisco, Rafaela Fernandes; Romeiro, Paulo
Social media has revolutionized the marketing environment, encouraging marketers to adopt social media platforms, to reach and engage audiences, using endorsement as a marketing strategy. However, the existing literature remains limited in exploring the way in which social media endorser types and platform types influence consumer behavior. Therefore, this study examines how short video reviews published on social media platforms by peer and influencer endorsers impact consumers’ purchase intention, while examining the role of perceived credibility, and comparing how this effect differs across TikTok and Instagram. A 2x2 online experiment with one control condition was conducted. Overall, findings offered strong evidence that, in the context of short video reviews, peer endorsers are more effective in increasing consumers’ purchase intention compared to influencer endorsers. Moreover, results emphasized the no-endorser condition, since short video reviews without an endorser may generate higher purchase intention than those with an endorser. Perceived credibility was found to partially mediate the relationship between endorser type and purchase intention, while platform type did not moderate this relationship. This study contributed to the literature by directly comparing influencer endorsers and peer endorsers, expanding the theory of social comparison and the source credibility theory applied to a short video review context. Finally, it offers practical insights for marketers, brand managers, and firms interested in using social media platforms, specifically short video reviews, as part of their communication strategy.
Concreteness in clean beauty messaging : how claim concreteness affects brand attitude, authenticity, and skepticism
Publication . Singh, Lídia; Romeiro, Paulo
The growing importance of “clean beauty” has intensified scrutiny of brand communication around ethical, safety, and transparency claims, given the absence of a standardized definition. This dissertation examines how the concreteness of clean beauty claims influences consumer brand evaluations and under which conditions these effects occur. Drawing on the Elaboration Likelihood Model, Signaling Theory, and Persuasion Knowledge Model, this study explores the relationship among claim concreteness, brand attitude, and perceived brand authenticity, while considering advertising skepticism as a boundary condition. A between-subjects online experiment was conducted in the skincare context, using a fictitious brand and three advertising conditions that differed only in claim wording. Perceived brand authenticity, brand attitude, and advertising skepticism were measured using validated multi-item scales. The findings show that claim concreteness does not directly improve brand attitudes. Instead, perceived brand authenticity operates as the principal mechanism. Concrete, verifiable claims strengthen authenticity perceptions, which then translate into more favorable brand evaluations, whereas abstract wording does not reliably produce the same effect. Skepticism affects how claim information is received, but does not remain a stable moderator once authenticity is considered in the full model. These results add to research on claim framing in credence categories and suggest that clean beauty communication should prioritize verifiable, accountable cues that build authenticity rather than relying on vague “clean” language.