Short answer
Before disclosing AI involvement in advertising, evaluate the potential impact on perceived credibility and consumer trust; consider alternative strategies to build value and encourage purchase intent.
- Field
- Innovation & Markets
- Source
- Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing (2025)
- Method
- Quantitative experimental study
- Sample
- 358 participants
- Evidence
- Moderate effect
Disclosing the use of AI in advertising can negatively impact how consumers perceive the ad's value and their likelihood to purchase, mediated by credibility and moderated by consumer attitudes towards AI. This innovation & markets research insight is drawn from a 2025 study published in Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing. Using Quantitative experimental study with 358 participants, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Before disclosing AI involvement in advertising, evaluate the potential impact on perceived credibility and consumer trust; consider alternative strategies to build value and encourage purchase intent.
AI Ad Disclosure Reduces Perceived Value and Purchase Intent
Disclosing the use of AI in advertising can negatively impact how consumers perceive the ad's value and their likelihood to purchase, mediated by credibility and moderated by consumer attitudes towards AI.
Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing · 2025
Key Findings
- 01Disclosure of AI involvement in advertising decreases advertising value.
- 02Disclosure of AI involvement in advertising decreases purchase intentions.
- 03Advertising credibility mediates the negative relationship between AI disclosure and advertising value/purchase intentions.
- 04Consumer attitudes towards AI moderate the relationship, with more positive attitudes mitigating the negative effects of disclosure.
Application
Design takeaway
Before disclosing AI involvement in advertising, evaluate the potential impact on perceived credibility and consumer trust; consider alternative strategies to build value and encourage purchase intent.
How to apply
When developing advertising campaigns that utilize AI, conduct pre-testing to gauge consumer reactions to AI disclosure. If negative effects are observed, focus on strengthening the ad's core message, brand reputation, and overall perceived credibility.
Project actions
- 01When researching AI in design, consider how transparency affects user perception.
- 02Explore how different AI tools might yield different results in user studies.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Utilizes established theoretical frameworks (Persuasion Knowledge Model).
- +Employs robust statistical analysis methods.
Limitations
The specific AI tools used might not represent all AI capabilities. The study's participant pool might not reflect the diversity of all potential consumers.
Reliability & validity
The use of established statistical models and a controlled experimental setup likely contributes to the study's reliability and internal validity. However, external validity might be limited by the specific sample and context.
Think critically
How might the perceived 'authenticity' of a product or service be affected by the disclosure of AI involvement in its creation or marketing?
Design Principles
"Transparency in AI-driven marketing should be strategically managed, considering its potential impact on consumer trust and perceived value."
As AI becomes more prevalent in content creation, understanding its impact on consumer perception is crucial for effective marketing strategies. This research highlights a potential pitfall of transparency, suggesting that simply disclosing AI involvement may not always be beneficial and can even undermine advertising effectiveness.
What This Means for Your Design
Telling people an ad was made by AI can make them like it less and be less likely to buy something. This is because they don't trust AI ads as much, unless they already really like AI.
How to use in your project
- 1.This research can inform the justification for choosing specific communication strategies in a design project, especially when AI is involved in content creation or product development.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
This study by Bui (2025) found that disclosing the use of AI in advertising can reduce perceived advertising value and purchase intentions, largely due to decreased advertising credibility. This highlights the importance of carefully managing transparency when integrating AI into marketing communications, as consumer trust can be a significant factor in campaign success.
Source
Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing
Examining the effect of AI advertising involvement disclosure on advertising value and purchase intentions
journal · 2025
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about ai ad disclosure reduces perceived value and purchase intent?
- Before disclosing AI involvement in advertising, evaluate the potential impact on perceived credibility and consumer trust; consider alternative strategies to build value and encourage purchase intent. Evidence: Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing (2025).
- Why does "AI Ad Disclosure Reduces Perceived Value and Purchase Intent" matter for design?
- As AI becomes more prevalent in content creation, understanding its impact on consumer perception is crucial for effective marketing strategies. This research highlights a potential pitfall of transparency, suggesting that simply disclosing AI involvement may not always be beneficial and can even undermine advertising effectiveness.
- How can designers apply this research?
- Before disclosing AI involvement in advertising, evaluate the potential impact on perceived credibility and consumer trust; consider alternative strategies to build value and encourage purchase intent.
- What were the main findings?
- Disclosure of AI involvement in advertising decreases advertising value.. Disclosure of AI involvement in advertising decreases purchase intentions.. Advertising credibility mediates the negative relationship between AI disclosure and advertising value/purchase intentions.. Consumer attitudes towards AI moderate the relationship, with more positive attitudes mitigating the negative effects of disclosure.
- What research method was used?
- Quantitative experimental study with 358 participants.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Moderate effect, based on a 2025 journal from Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When developing advertising campaigns that utilize AI, conduct pre-testing to gauge consumer reactions to AI disclosure. If negative effects are observed, focus on strengthening the ad's core message, brand reputation, and overall perceived credibility.
- What are the limitations?
- The study focused on specific AI tools and may not generalize to all AI-generated content. The context of the advertisements and the specific consumer demographics could also influence the findings.