Journal of Creative Communications

As the world is increasingly becoming a global village, there is an urgent need to understand consumer behaviour around every market. Consequently, the understanding of culture and sub-culture has become increasingly critical and central to understanding consumer behaviour. Several studies have focused on finding the effect of cultural factors such as norms and values on consumer behaviour, but very few studies have directly investigated the role of religion, which is an important predictor of consumer behaviour. Religion is often used as an explanatory variable to explain differences in consumption habits in different parts of the world. The current study is an attempt to investigate the effect of religious commitment on consumer behaviour towards controversial advertisements using the ‘divine command meta-ethics theory’. The study specifically explores the effect of consumers’ behavioural intentions and ethical judgement towards controversial advertisements. The results obtained by the application of structural equation modelling reveal that there exist significant negative relationships between religious commitment, purchase intentions and ethical judgement towards controversial advertisements and significant positive relationship between religious commitment and consumer complaint intentions towards controversial advertisements.

Influencer marketing enhances brand visibility and shapes consumer decisions. With recent advances in technology, virtual (non-human) influencers have emerged alongside human influencers, raising questions about whether their impact on consumer behaviour differs. Using the stimulus–organism– response (SOR) framework, the study used an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. Results show that human influencers hold an advantage over virtual influencers. Both positively affect brand love, which mediates their impact on brand advocacy, brand fidelity and electronic word of mouth (eWOM). This study offers insights for fast fashion firms on when and how to utilise human and virtual influencers effectively. This research pioneers the integration of human and virtual influencers within the SOR framework, offering a tested model that advances the understanding of how brand advocacy, fidelity and eWOM are shaped in the context of Instagram marketing.

This article examines a novel form of AI-enabled creative digital communication content, termed softfake, which has emerged alongside the rapid diffusion of generative artificial intelligence across contemporary communication ecosystems. The study conceptualises softfake as a distinct communicative form and a creative artefact, co-produced through human–AI collaboration and designated to mediate presence, voice and authenticity in digital contexts. Drawing on a systematic review of media coverage, social media discourse and peer-reviewed literature, the article analyses illustrative cases of AI-generated video, audio and visual content used in strategic communication, branding and political campaigning in 2024. Building on an existing body of knowledge on deepfakes and cheapfakes, the study proposes a definition of ‘softfake’ as professionally produced, AI-generated content that intentionally conveys an authentic message from an individual or organisation created with their consent but without their direct engagement. By positioning softfakes as a new genre of creative communication, the article contributes to emerging debates on human–AI co-creation, mediated authenticity and the evolving nature of communicative authorship. The findings further identify key ethical boundaries governing the usage of softfakes, emphasising transparent labelling, organisational accountability and alignment with ethical AI principles. Beyond electoral communication, the study highlights broader societal and business implications, including applications in brand communication, organisational storytelling and influencer-led content creation. Overall, the article advances the conceptual understanding of how generative AI is reshaping creative communication practices, offering a foundation for future research on AI-enabled co-creation, communication governance and cultural meaning-making in digital environments.

Given the rapid diffusion and adoption of AI-driven tools across numerous contexts, including tourism marketing, AI-based storytelling has quickly spread in tourism-related practices and communications. However, the theoretical understanding of its strategic communication and meaning construction remains underdeveloped. The current literature has been highly instrumental, prioritising viewpoints based on efficiency, scalability and personalisation, while leaving a critical theoretical challenge and gap regarding the roles of authenticity, narrative agency, engagement and advocacy behind. Consequently, this conceptual article fills this gap by theorising that AI-mediated storytelling is actively involved in the co-construction of destination engagement and evangelism. Different theoretical backgrounds and streams, including narrative theory, engagement theory and critical tourism marketing and communication research, form the foundation of this work. It outlines how narrative transportation moderates the relationship between AI-based storytelling and authenticity. It also points out the risks concerning narrative homogenisation and epistemic obscurity. Opening lines for future research, this article develops a conceptual framework in the context of narrative coherence and destination evangelism, contributing theoretically to the tourism and marketing literature as well as providing a systematic foundation for the analysis of AI storytelling as a strategy and ethically underlying communicative actions.

This study aims to identify a strategy to reduce parental vaccine hesitancy by examining the moderating role of the perceived prevalence of COVID-19 children’s vaccination in the relationship between perceived vaccine risk and parental vaccine hesitancy. We conducted a survey in August 2022 in a southwestern US city. Participants included parents of children under age 12 living in the city (N = 113). We first visited two local childcare centres to recruit participants. To maximise the sample size, we then recruited additional participants from local Facebook parent groups. We found that perceived vaccine risk was positively associated with parental vaccine hesitancy, but the perceived prevalence of children’s vaccination was not significantly associated with vaccine hesitancy. Importantly, results indicated that the perceived prevalence of children’s vaccination moderated the relationship between perceived vaccine risk and parental vaccine hesitancy. For parents who perceived that vaccinating children against COVID-19 was prevalent, perceived vaccine risk did not significantly impact their hesitancy. This study contributes to expanding the existing knowledge about vaccine hesitancy and helps inform targeted interventions and health communication strategies to effectively address vaccine hesitancy among parents of young children. Highlighting the prevalence of children’s vaccination is especially effective in high-risk, uncertain contexts involving new technology.

This study examines government communication practices targeting marginalised communities in Jharkhand, India, through a hybrid research design that combines a structured literature review with qualitative inquiry. Using the theory, context, characteristics and methodology (TCCM) framework, the study systematically maps the existing literature, identifying conceptual and contextual gaps that guide the subsequent qualitative investigation. The findings show that while previous research has mainly focused on top-down messaging strategies, the lived experiences of marginalised groups reveal significant shortcomings in cultural resonance, linguistic accessibility and participatory feedback mechanisms. By emphasising intersectional and context-specific factors, this research advances public and strategic communication theories while reinforcing their core principles. Ultimately, the study offers a pathway for future research to engage with overlooked contexts and populations, advocating for grounded, participatory models of government communication that address the diverse needs of marginalised publics.

Previous research has shown that social media platforms afford cancer patients an opportunity to manage their treatment issues. However, limited research has examined personal experiences that cancer patients authentically share through short videos. This study analyses 114 online short videos to examine a colon cancer patient’s (A’Jian) personal experience. Drawing on the concept of the ‘disease course’, which is extended from the life course theory, the analysis reveals that a patient’s physical space and social space have been impaired brutally by the incurable disease cancer. This study unpacks the fundamental dilemmas of a cancer patient by focusing on changes in the disease course afforded by short videos, moving beyond a temporal analytical angle. In addition, this study contributes fresh insights to the intersection of social media and health communication by investigating how short videos afford cancer narratives in the TikTok (short video) era, which provides a new research path on the affordances of visible short videos for future health-related research.

Advances in technology have led to a new form of human interaction, especially with consumers. Faced with this change, companies have begun to adopt new practices and tools in a competitive environment. Thus, problem-solving in marketing is understood as a more dynamic form of interaction, with greater assertive impact, aimed at cost reduction, brand recognition and increased sales. However, significant challenges are posed by advances in emerging technologies, particularly generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). This article synthesises practitioners’ and academics’ perspectives on the use of GenAI by ‘slave’ in the context of advertising. These perspectives build a narrative about organisations’ dependence on AI for co-creation and problem-solving. This research offers a significant and timely contribution to marketing practitioners by highlighting challenges and concerns in the current context and by reinforcing that dependence on AI can have consequences, including limitations on critical thinking and on the human co-creation process.

Generative artificial intelligence has become embedded infrastructure across creative platforms, yet scholarship continues to treat AI primarily as a creative tool or co-creative agent, without interrogating the structural conditions under which creative work unfolds. This article introduces the concept of algorithmic experience governance (AEG): the upstream structuring of creative participation, visibility, sequencing, evaluation and meaning-making through AI-driven platform systems. Drawing on platform ecosystem theory, institutional theory and socio-technical systems theory, the article develops an integrated framework that identifies five governance mechanisms, that is, algorithmic curation, sequencing and path dependency, personalisation as steering, generative mediation and evaluative framing, and maps them across individual, community, platform and ecosystem levels. The framework is grounded in the communicative dynamics of contemporary platforms, including TikTok’s narrative formats, influencer storytelling practices, AI-mediated branding, meme circulation and the cultural semiotics of AI-generated content. Three governance paradoxes and three recursive feedback loops capture the tensions and dynamics inherent in algorithmic governance of creative experience. Four formal propositions reframe creativity under AEG as structurally situated rather than diminished, and a research agenda of 20 questions offers a programme for empirical investigation. The article argues that creativity in AI-driven platforms is not merely collaborative but governed collaboratively and that understanding this distinction is central to reimagining theory and practice.

Consumer protection (CP) is essential for ensuring fair trade practices, safeguarding consumer rights, and fostering trust in marketplaces. With the rise of digital transactions, financial services and e-commerce, effective CP mechanisms are crucial to addressing fraud, data privacy concerns and regulatory challenges. Despite the significant contribution of research in the CP field, only some studies have reviewed the extant literature. This study aims to fill this gap through a systematic literature review, which helps to identify key themes and sub-themes as well as dominant theories, contexts, and methodologies used in past studies. The researchers analyse 137 manuscripts published in top-ranked academic journals ranked A and above in the Australian Business Deans’ Council (ABDC) list reviewed between 1991 and 2021. The study discerns key themes including Advertising, E-commerce and Financial Services. Conceptual analyses, regression techniques, and qualitative methods emerge as the predominant approaches in CP research. The past researchers also highlight dominant theories and contexts in CP research. Researchers further recommend comprehensive legislation, consumer education, and corporate initiatives to boost consumer confidence and societal well-being.

This study examined the presence and implications of post-feminist discourses in internationally award-winning femvertisements featuring Indian women and sociocultural themes. Using Windels et al.’s (2020, Journal of Advertising, 49(1), 18–33; 2023, Feminist Media Studies, 23(1), 1–18) six-element post-feminist framework, 102 advertisements (73 global and 29 Indian) were analysed for evidence of commodity feminism, individualisation, self-surveillance and related discourses. The findings revealed a dominant presence of commodity feminism and confidence culture in Indian femvertising, while global ads exhibited higher occurrences of self-surveillance and individualisation. Statistical comparisons showed significant differences between Indian and international campaigns, particularly in the portrayal of empowerment through brand consumption, objectification under the guise of agency and the invisibilisation of caste, class and intersectional struggles. Viewers in India favoured ads saturated with post-feminist tropes, reinforcing internalised neoliberal ideals. The study concludes that Indian femvertising largely reflects faux feminism, commodifying empowerment while neglecting the political and structural roots of inequality. It calls for more inclusive, intersectional representations aligned with the fourth wave of feminism. It introduces the Self-esteemed–Empowered–Allied framework as a tool for more authentic feminist advertising practices.

Portrayals of gender roles in advertisements attract scholars across the globe. The paradigm shift in gender role portrayals, from the stereotyped to counter-stereotyped, has given opportunity to scholars to explore new perspectives in contemporary role portrayal scenarios. Previously, Indian commercials portrayed gender roles in a stereotyped manner. To be specific, a woman must indulge in household chores and a man is designated as a bread earner. The contemporary societal situation demands a change in gender role portrayals in media platforms as women are joining the workforce in large numbers. Recent Indian commercials have celebrated the change in their creation with the counter-stereotype occupational role portrayals. The present study aims to explore the perception of men and women towards the counter-stereotyped occupational role portrayals in contemporary advertisements. Also, the perception difference has been highlighted in the study. The responses of central university students have been recorded in this regard. Exploratory factor analysis has generated three major factors which contribute to perception building. The perception difference between respondents has highlighted that gender has a major contribution to forming perceptions towards contemporary gender role portrayals in recent Indian commercials. The result has indicated that audiences have a positive outlook on counter-stereotyped commercials.

By applying the media system dependency (MSD) theory, this study explores the dependency relations between WeChat use and grassroots-level community group buying (CGB) during a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown that occurred in spring 2022 in Shanghai. Due to its technological features, as well as ubiquitous use, WeChat was a reliable digital platform for organising grocery purchasing during a time of crisis when other delivery apps failed to meet residents’ needs. WeChat CGB group chats were created in which lockdown-stricken residents were able to communicate individual needs, interact with each other, and successfully obtain daily necessities. Through 32 interviews with both local and international residents, we identified three dependency relations: understanding (social and self), orientation (action and interaction) and play (social and solitary). Notably, this study uncovers that WeChat dependency in CGB context during the lockdown did not stem from problematic use, but in fact was a goal-solving behaviour during a time of crisis.

The challenges of marketing taboo-related products call for innovative communication strategies. To explore the application of storytelling in this context, this study analyses the use of the 12 storytelling archetypes and three typologies of endorsers (celebrity, expert and consumer) in the marketing of sensual products. The content of 22 Instagram posts of the five largest Brazilian brands of sensual products was analysed. The results highlight the predominant use of female endorsers, particularly acting as experts. The most used storytelling archetypes are the caregiver, the jester and the innocent. Based on practice-based knowledge, the results contribute to the formulation of theoretical conceptions of marketing in taboo-related products, guiding the design of future storytelling campaigns. Findings pave the way for research on storytelling effectiveness in sensual products.

Film studies have extensively explored the content of films to draw the cultural implications of gender representations. However, rarely have film posters been studied to decode gender representations. Since film posters are designed as a marketing tool for films, they both draw from current cultural belief systems to entice attendance and simultaneously reinforce and redefine those systems. While the artist’s intent may be to highlight or portray a specific cultural belief, as audiences change, their interpretation of the rendering may also shift. The present study uses a feminist lens and visual approach to decode gender depictions on Bollywood film posters over five decades (1970–2020). Analysing 30 interviews, the study finds that gender representation has changed over the years from ‘male chauvinism’ in the first era 1970–1990 to ‘soft patriarchy’ in the second era 1991–2000 and ‘towards gender equality’ in the third era 2001–2020. In doing so, the study establishes the significance of Bollywood film posters in conveying the changing cultural representations of gender in Indian society over the years. It also emphasises film posters as important visual narratives for research in film studies.

The present study focused on identifying and analyzing the factors that contributed to customer satisfaction and loyalty, as well as examining the linkage between them in apparel retail outlets. Employing a hypothesis-testing research design, the study surveyed 500 customers from select apparel retail outlets across major and satellite cities of the NCR, using a combination of quota and purposive sampling. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire, primarily via the in-store intercept method, and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The findings revealed a positive relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing valuable insights for apparel retailers. Understanding the factors that drove satisfaction and loyalty allowed retailers to develop and refine strategies that enhanced customer experiences, ultimately enabling stores to gain a competitive advantage by offering the right combination of factors that fostered both satisfaction and loyalty.

This research tries to explore the factors that contribute to forming attitudes towards micro-influencers on social media. We explore the antecedents through which social media influencers (SMIs) create image satisfaction and advertising trust leading to purchase intention. Taking a sample of 320 Instagram users in Gujarat state, India, the conceptual model was tested using Structural Equation Modelling on AMOS and SPSS statistical software. The study examined the hypothesis testing the attitudes of consumers (image satisfaction and advertising trust) towards SMIs. It was hypothesised that three variables, namely attractiveness, originality and expertise positively affect attitudes of consumers. Through analysis, it was found that all hypotheses were supported except two. Expertise did not impact image satisfaction significantly, and advertising trust did not impact purchase intention significantly. A complete theoretical framework is presented based on the influence of micro-influencers who are increasingly being used for advertising and marketing. This study provides a thorough understanding of the variables influencing purchasing intention, which benefits both academics and practitioners.

Doge memes are a genre of internet memes, characterised by anthropomorphised Japanese Shiba Inu dog and the deliberate use of the letter ‘m’ to misspell, mispronounce and induce humour. Doge memes are widespread in the Indian meme culture and use native anthropomorphic characters, vernacular languages and text-to-speech software for storytelling, augmenting the original Doge meme’s intentionally peculiar language. Indian Doge memes are marked by their sexual humour and offensive content related to masculinity and the representation of women. Following the works of Wilkins and Eisenbraun as the theoretical basis, the study dives into the exploration of online masculinity in the Indian meme culture through textual analysis of video Doge memes and their comment sections on Instagram. The study examines the nature of digital masculinity in the online manosphere, the depiction of the men and women characters in Doge memes, the nature of dark humour induced in the storylines and its reception by the meme culture.

The principal objective of this article was to explore the correlates of smartphone addiction and its dysfunctional effects among school-going children in Bangladesh. In this study, smartphone addiction was measured by applying the Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale through a structured questionnaire administered via a social survey method. Data were collected from a sample size of 490 school-going children, aged 12–18 and in some cases 18+ covering a total of eight secondary schools in Bangladesh, using purposive sampling. We found that the social aspects of ‘adaptive dysfunctions’ and psychological aspects of ‘withdrawal’ were closely linked in inducing smartphone addiction, which adversely affected primordial social bonds and virtuous personalities of children. Statistical findings revealed significant associations between smartphone addiction and excessive use of popular apps, virtual connectivity and online dating. Consequently, smartphone addiction accelerated ephemeral intimacy, apathy towards responsibilities, virtual harassment, loss of privacy and the breakdown of moral principles in social relationships. These findings are suggestive for policymakers, researchers, parents and school authorities, as they could contribute to the holistic development of children.

Web series and video on demand services destabilised and efficiently replaced popular entertainment in the past one year, due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The subsequent lockdown not only impacted the traditional creative industries, such as TV and films, but it has also catalysed the way narratives are produced and consumed over the internet. Narratives on the web have been posing challenges to traditional storytelling since the past decade, but the changes in the Indian market have been slow until this year. The industry has also been studied extensively from the perspective of various disciplines, film studies, marketing, psychology, and communication being a few of them. These studies have elaborated upon the evolution of the industry, its popularity, challenges and roadblocks specifically in relation to the Indian market.

The study in concern tries to trace the evolution of the industry in comparison to the predictions. It tries to verify if the predictions and scope have been met by trajectory and what quantum of growth can be credited to the COVID pandemic lockdown period. This research starts with gathering studies conducted on the industry, specifically in the Indian market, since its existence. With the help of a qualitative meta-analysis, this paper tries to analyse the trends and trajectories predicted vis-a-vis the actual growth in numbers over the years, specifically in the post-COVID era. Researchers aim to suggest a model on the production–consumption patterns and the functioning of the industry.