• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.13
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• pp.67-82
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• 2008

This exploratory study examined the possibility that the notion, willing suspension of disbelief, can explain the processing of animated spokes-character in advertising. Willing suspension of disbelief has originated from Coleridge's explanation of poetic faith. And the term has been theoretically studied in the response of fiction in creative works, such as cinema, dramas, and advertisements, as well as literature. So far, willing suspension of disbelief has been proposed as a mediator of empathy, cognitive responses and affective responses to fiction. On these theoretical bases, a survey was conducted to 64 people with 3 advertisements to test the validity of the discriminant function. Findings of discriminant function analysis are as follows: First, the variable of willing suspension of disbelief well discriminated between the willing group and the non-willing group. Secondly, the Intensity of willing suspension of disbelief showed statistically significant difference between the willing group and the non-willing group. Thus, according to these results, it is proposed that the effects of the willing suspension of disbelief can be examined as a mediator of the response of fiction in further substantial studios.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.15
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• pp.179-192
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• 2009

This study investigates the effects of empathy responses towards animated spokes-characters in advertising on brand likability. This study also examines the mediating role of cognitive and affective responses towards character advertising in the effect process of empathy. Statistically, several significant results are found. First, empathy has positive effects on cognitive responses and affective responses. Second, both cognitive and affective responses have positive influence on brand likability, but the effects of cognitive responses show relatively weaker than those of affective responses. Third, empathy has a positive influence on brand likability mediated by cognitive responses, but affective responses as a mediator do not show statistically significant differences. The results of this study indicate consumers can have emotional responses to advertising characters just as they do to human information sources. And the results also imply that enhancement of the empathy intensity should be considered to make effective animated characters in advertising, and that advertising appeals should be practiced to form cognitive responses positively and strongly to strengthen consumers' empathy responses.