Social Proof under Digital Ad Clutter: Experimental Evidence on Brand Consideration

The increasing density of advertising content within digital environments has made consumers’ attention an increasingly scarce resource, raising questions about how brands can effectively move from awareness to consideration. Against this backdrop, this thesis investigates the role of social proof cues in shaping consumers’ consideration of a brand, while examining the extent to which their effectiveness may vary depending on the level of digital advertising clutter. Drawing on the literature on heuristic decision making, consumer attention, and the Elaboration Likelihood Model, the study explores the relationship between social proof and brand consideration under conditions of different levels of attentional competition. To empirically investigate these relationships, a 2×2 between subjects experimental design was implemented through Qualtrics, manipulating both digital ad clutter, low versus high, and the presence of social proof cues, absent versus present, within a simulated social media environment. Brand consideration was subsequently assessed through self reported consideration and behavioral intention measures. By bringing together two relevant but largely separate streams of research, social proof and digital advertising clutter, this thesis seeks to provide a more nuanced understanding of how consumers process persuasive cues in increasingly crowded digital environments. The study further contributes to the discussion of the contextual conditions under which social proof may influence consumers’ movement from awareness towards consideration.