Super Bowl commercials’ effectiveness in creating a diverse and inclusive brand image: A neuromarketing approach

Abstract:

Racial diversity has attracted a lot of attention in the U.S. in recent years (Horowitz, 2019). As a result, companies have begun to incorporate racial diversity into their marketing strategy to strengthen brand perceptions. The most-watched US television show for advertising is the Super Bowl, and companies have begun to feature racial diversity in the Super Bowl commercials (King, 2012). Although Super Bowl commercials have been extensively researched (Newell & Wu, 2003; Yelkur et al., 2013; Hatzithomas et al., 2016), no previous study has examined their effectiveness in promoting racial diversity among Generation Z, which is the most racially and ethnically diverse generation in the country (Fry & Parker, 2018; Barroso, 2020). The purpose of this study is to examine how racially diverse Super Bowl commercials affect Generation Z brand perceptions and predict costly behaviors. The study uses a multidisciplinary approach that combines self-report and neurophysiological responses (Bradley and Lang, 2000; Borawska & Łatuszyńska, 2020). This study was conducted with 100 participants who completed the Brand Association Reaction Time Test (BARTT), a short version of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) (Mauri et., 2021). The BARTT was administered before and after viewing the commercials, and neurophysiological responses such as heart rate, galvanic skin response, and facial expressions were collected throughout the study. The findings of this study indicate that the IAT has a positive application for evaluating commercials with racially diverse commercials because the possible changes in reaction time between the test before and after exposure to the commercial can be compared. Second, the results of the IAT suggest that Super Bowl commercials with racially diverse content can positively influence Generation Z’s brand perceptions.