The Effects of Anthropomorphic Agents on Advertising Effectiveness and the Mediating Role of Presence

The purposes of this research were to contribute to advertising theory and practice. The theoretical contributions are to understanding and predicting the relationships between presence and advertising effectiveness employing an anthropomorphic agent in the Web advertisement. Knowledge of these relationships can also guide advertising practice, especially to prepare messages that communicate effectively. Results of an experiment indicate that an anthropomorphic agent on the Web site can increase a sense of social presence and telepresence to influence some of the advertising effectiveness measures to be more favorable. The study concludes with specific managerial implications and limitations.