How online advertising competes with user-generated content in TripAdvisor. A neuroscientific approach

Drawing on cognitive load theory, congruence research, and dual processing models, the purpose of this study is
to determine the effectiveness of online advertising in social media. To this end, three separate studies were
conducted. First, using eye-tracking and electroencephalography, we examine the differences, based on whether
or not an ad is embedded, in subjects’ visual attention and engagement in a TripAdvisor webpage. Our findings
showed that synergies between social media content and advertising content positively affect users’ visual
attention. A second study, using an online survey, assessed the impact of congruent/incongruent ads on ad recall.
A third study, using eye-tracking, assessed the impact of congruent/incongruent ads on visual attention. Our
findings suggest that consumers exposed to online ads for very limited time periods rely on less effortful, more
heuristic, context-based processing strategies. Congruent ad-media contexts can act as peripheral cues, activating
knowledge structures and facilitating message processing.