Effects of prominent in-game advertising in mobile media: cognitive, affective, and behavioural outcomes and the moderating role of persuasion knowledge

This study examined the effects of ad prominence and persuasion knowledge (PK) priming on game users' responses to in-game ads, the advertised brands, and the game. The experimental results suggested that game players showed more negative attitudes toward the brand and the game in response to high prominence ads. In addition, there was a significant interaction between ad prominence and PK priming on recall and attitudes. High prominence ads resulted in better product recall, only when PK was not primed. In contrast, high prominence ads resulted in more negative attitudes toward the game and game players' lower intention to play the game in the future, only when PK was primed. These results suggest that high prominence ads might be preferred when PK is not primed, whereas low prominence ads might be preferred when PK is primed. This study contributes to research on the effects of in-game ads in mobile games and provides practical implications for advertisers and game developers.