Analysis of Advertising in Social Network Sites by Johannes Knoll and Holger Schrammset - Article Example

Name: Course: Instructor: Date: Research Evaluation exercise Introduction In the chosen research article, Johannes Knoll and Holger Schramm set out to investigate the influence of social media on user-generated content on online advertising and came up with a report entitled Advertising in social network sites –Investigating the social influence of user-generated content on online advertising effects. The background of the study thus revolved around the perceptions that the interpersonal relations between different online users tends to affect their interpretation of certain advertisement messages and hence the final consumer decisions made. For instance, besides the initial intention of the creator of online advertisement messages, users of social media sites have a tendency of analyzing such advertisements with a view of establishing the same intended message (Ajzen, 2008). However, in the analysis process, some users often come up with totally different interpretation or even misinterpretations which are bound to significantly affect the understanding and perceptions of other users. At the end of the day, advertisement messages are either effective or fail to initiate the intended effects due to the user-generated content. The study was therefore set to revolve around Facebook as the most common and extensively used social media site. Hence, this paper will thus seek to analyze the extent to which various elements of research were covered and attended to in the research study as presented in the article under consideration. Methods of data collection and sampling The researchers in the study, Johannes Knoll and Holger Schramm, opted for a qualitative method of collecting data to which they subjected the participants to different conditions in order to obtain the data for analysis. For instance, in the research study, a total of 118 students took part in the study in which they were exposed to four different Facebook profiles while they were closely monitored and their reactions recorded. The choice of a qualitative method of data collection seems the best option since it allowed Johannes Knoll and Holger Schramm to get access to first hand and practical data that would significantly improve the precision of their inferences and conclusions. For instance, a quantitative approach would have most likely given the researcher's more theoretical and often generalized data which would not necessarily represent that actual situation on the ground. Another aspect of the data collection that increased the clarity, precision, and accuracy of the data collected is that the participants were observed under their natural settings, unlike cases where subjects are placed under a controlled enviro9nmenet. Carrying out research studies of this nature in a controlled environment carries implications of some of the members of the research population acting out in a manner not inherent with them but instead to portray an extremely different character for purposes of the study. In such cases, therefore, the data collected might not be a true reflector of what would have been found in a natural setting. For instance, all the participants were allowed to view the Facebook profile alongside the various advertisement messages and later on give their notions by either liking the post or leaving a comment on the timeline. In such a situation, most of the participants gave their genuine responses since they undertook the exercise without any initially formed opinions. In fact, allowing each participant to view the profile at their own pleasure means that a large number of the participants within the research population approached the study lie any other normal Facebook browsing session. Johannes Knoll and Holger Schramm subsequently used random sampling to obtain their research population. No criteria were used to either recruit or select the participants as all the 118 students voluntarily chose to take part in the research study. Random sampling has been cited to offer a wide variety of data, especially when a qualitative method of data collection is used. Most researchers argue that any form of a systematic selection of the research population often tends to yield predetermined results. On the contrary, random sampling brings together different opinions, observations, perceptions, and notions and hence enriching the content of data collected. Hence, by opting for random selection, Johannes Knoll and Holger Schramm in this study were able to collect a wide variety of data and hence more reliable and realistic conclusions. Nature of data collected The researchers in this research study, Johannes Knoll and Holger Schramm, collected two sets of data from each of the 118 participants. They were keen to establish and record the attitude of the participant towards the Facebook user’s profile and the behavioral intentions of the participants. The attitude, in this case, was used to refer to the extent to which the participants either agreed or disagreed with the advertisement message. Hence, participants would post different responses ranging from strongly in agreement to a total rejection of the advertisement. On the other, behavioral intentions referred to the tendencies by the participants to discuss with their colleagues the perceived meaning of the advertisement. For instance, in cases where participants showed agreement with the advertisements, they could occasionally try to influence their colleagues to assume a similar attitude and hence perception. On the other side, those who showed rejection of the messages would also try to justify their stances and subsequently convince their colleagues to adopt a similar attitude. The attitude of the participants and their respective behavioral intentions, in my opinion, were the most appropriate sets of data to be used in the research study. For instance, given the fact that the participants were under observation to establish their online behaviors with respect to advertisements, the only practical and observable data becomes the different attitudes of the participants and their respective behavioral intentions. Similarly, it is the combination of attitude and behavioral intentions that yield the user-generated analysis. At first, users develop some attitude, either positive or negative, towards the advertisement. Thereafter, depending on the behavioral intentions, they try to convince and influence others to take similar sides. Hence the data collected perfectly fits the purpose and intentions of the research study. Besides attitude and behavioral intentions it would have been much better if the Johannes Knoll and Holger Schramm also collected data on the reactionary responses of the various participants. Normally, different people react differently to a common issue. In this case, the attempts by one person in the research population to influence others are likely to attract a wide range of reactions. Such reactions are what eventually decide the final interpretation or misinterpretation of the advertisement. Hence, the researcher’s would be in a position to establish the tendency of participants to fall prey to manipulated explanations or their attempts to stand with what they believe it’s true. In fact, collecting data on the reactionary responses of the participants would have significantly increased the precision of the final findings of the research study. Appropriateness of the research design The suitability and effectiveness of any research design are established from the extent to which the design helps to collect data that provides concrete responses to the research question. In the research study under discussion, the researchers chose to have two independent variables. In this case, they used an interpersonal connection to the source (existent/non-existent) as well as the second variable which included a collective connection to the source (existent/nonexistent). Combining the two, they came up with a 2 × 2 between-subject design as the leading approach to be used through the design. Having established and settled on the design, they went ahead to create four Facebook profiles whose only difference from one another was in terms of the profile owner hence the interpersonal relationship versus no interpersonal relationship to the participants and the and the profile owner’s assignment to a social group (shared vs. no shared membership with the participants). The research design as chosen and used by the Johannes Knoll and Holger Schramm had an advantage of allowing the researcher to manipulate many dependent variables as they could. For instance, going forward with two independent variables, they came up with numerous subsets of, manipulative conditions that the participants could be subjected to. In other words, the choice of the design widened the scope of the research study to an extent that Johannes Knoll and Holger Schramm had to choose the limitation of the study. Hence, the research design was apt and suitable for both the nature of the research study as well as in line with the research hypotheses and questions. Extent of data analysis and interpretation In the research study under discussion, Johannes Knoll and Holger Schramm measured personal attitudes and behavioral intentions using a Likert Scale. A Likert scale is a universally accepted standard method for assessing consumer evaluation of brands and products, which has been extensively used in previous researches of this manner. The choice of the analysis method, therefore, allowed the researchers to refer to previous research studies especially in instances where they experienced difficulties. The scale for attitude had six levels of evaluation ranging from “I strongly disagree” to “I entirely agree”. Similarly, the data interpretation was done basing on a Cronbach’s Alpha α = .78 (M = 3.91, SD = .94). In the same manner, Purchase intention towards the various listed products on Facebook was assessed by a 3-item scale. The response items were rated on a 6-point scale ranging from “I strongly disagree” to “I entirely agree” with a satisfactory reliability of α = .75 (M = 2.64, SD = 1.12). Finally, participants’ Intention to recommend the advertised product to a friend was measured using a single item. There is sufficient evidence of elaborate and exhaustive analysis of data. For instance, the use of statistical methods of data analysis such as ANOVA and the diagrammatic representation of the findings indicate that Johannes Knoll and Holger Schramm exhaustively analyzed the data collected. Similarly, data was analyzed and interpreted alongside the initial objectives and hypotheses of the research study to ensure that the research team does not deviate from the core intentions of the study. The relationship between independent and dependent variables is clearly brought out through the mathematical and statistical models, making the results of the analysis easy to understand. In fact, one can easily come up with proficient conclusions after going through the analyzed data in the document. Besides the in-depth analysis of data, the interpretation was also done in a manner that seeks to provide answers to the research questions. For instance, one of the primary research questions was to establish the effect of user-generated information on the effectiveness of online advertisements. As a result, therefore, the interpretation was done in a manner that tends to bring out the relationship between the effectiveness of online advertisements and the user-generated information regarding the same advertisements (Reed, 2002). At the end of it, the research study finds out that online users can either distort an online advertisement or build it to increase its effectiveness. Suitability of conclusions Conclusions are only effective and apt if they reflect the entire research undertaking and most importantly summarize the research findings. Hence, in the research study analyzed, the research team concluded that advertising professionals risk losing control of their messages when published online. Similarly, they also concluded that the user-generated information has a significant impact on the effectiveness of online advertisement messages. As a result, the research study concluded that advertising professionals should keep a close watch over advertisements messages published online, especially the nature and context of conversations of online users regarding such messages. In this case, the advertising professionals can either change the nature and content of the message to correct the misinterpretation or pull down the whole message and come up with a new one that addresses the initial shortfalls. The above conclusions are extremely relevant to the topic of the research study. First, the conclusions provide an answer to the research questions and go on to explain the nature of probable solutions. Upon reading the conclusion part of the research study, the reader is likely to infer that online users have an established effect on online advertising messages. Finally, Johannes Knoll and Holger Schramm complete by providing what they believe is the most effective remedy to the situation at hand. In this case, one can easily get a rough idea of the whole research study by simply going through the conclusion part. The conclusion of this research study is thus suitable and appropriate as well as simple and direct to the intended point. References Ajzen, I. 2008. Consumer attitudes and behavior. In C. P. Haugvedt, P. M. Herr & F. R. Kardes (Eds.), Handbook of consumer psychology, 525–548. New York: Psychology Press. Baym, N. K. 2011. Social networks 2.0. In M. Consalvo & C. 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