Designing AI Agents for New Product Endorsement: Do Human-Like or Cartoon-Like AI-Generated Endorsers Evoke More Positive Ad Engagement from Consumers?
Sung-Jun Park, Yiting Chu, June-ho Chung
Abstract
This research aims to offer novel insights for advertisers by comparing two AI agents as new product endorsers (human-like versus cartoon-like) across three studies (n = 1,228). Study 1 (n = 145) explores consumers’ emotional responses tied to ad engagement. Study 2 (n = 283) identifies visual thinking as a mediator and examines its influence on different pricing strategies (premium vs. freemium). Study 3 (n = 800) extends these findings to actual consumer choice behavior. Altogether, our findings offer a timely contribution by helping marketers match AI-powered endorser types with consumer expectations in new product promotions—an area that remains largely unexplored despite rapid technological advances and increasing accessibility in AI-driven avatar design.Management SlantAI advancements simplify creating AI avatar endorsers that align with consumers’ ideal preferences, enabling tailored advertising strategies.Consumer preferences vary between human-like and cartoon-like AI avatar endorsers, with distinct emotional responses impacting ad effectiveness.Visual thinking shapes consumer preferences, highlighting the need for visually engaging AI avatar endorsers.Freemium (versus premium) pricing drives actual choice behavior, emphasizing the value of integrating AI avatar endorsers into online and offline efforts.AI avatar endorsers boost acceptance of unfamiliar features, making them a valuable tool for promoting new products.