Nerd Alert: Why Animals Work in Ads

Welcome to Nerd Alert, a series of special episodes bridging the gap between marketing academia and practitioners. We’re breaking down highly involved, complex research into plain language and takeaways any marketer can use.

In this episode, Elena and Rob explore why animal images consistently create more favorable attitudes toward ads and brands than human models. They reveal how biophilia, pet love, and trust drive effectiveness. Plus learn when using animals can backfire.

Topics covered:

• [01:00] "Effectiveness of Animal Images and Advertising"
• [02:00] Biophilia drives receptiveness to animal ads
• [03:00] Pet lovers smile more at animal advertisements
• [04:00] Baby animals trigger caretaking reflexes
• [06:00] Animals project trustworthiness onto brands
• [08:00] When animals backfire as consumer stand-ins

To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.


Resources:
Keller, B., & Gierl, H. (2020).Effectiveness of animal images in advertising. Marketing ZFP–Journal of Research and Management, 42(1), 3–32. https://doi.org/10.15358/0344-1369-2020-1-3


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