Is an image worth a thousand respondents? The relationship between ad images, ad performance, and sample composition in social media recruitment
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Using advertisements on social networking sites (SNS) for survey recruitment is an increasingly popular yet relatively new and under-researched approach. This study investigates the role of advertisement images in SNS recruitment, addressing three research questions: (1) the relationship between ad images and ad performance, (2) the association of specific image characteristics with ad performance, and (3) the nexus between ad images and sample composition. Results show a relationship between ad images and performance indicators like unique outbound clicks and completed surveys, while costs remain relatively consistent across images. Specific characteristics, such as strong national symbols, are associated with better performance. The importance of images’ emotional tone is similarly underscored—with images conveying a negative mood being related to better outcomes. Regarding sample composition, certain images resonate differently with subgroups based on gender and age. The study provides practical recommendations for ad design, highlighting the importance of aligning image characteristics with research topics.Using advertisements on social networking sites (SNS) for survey recruitment is an increasingly popular yet relatively new and under-researched approach. This study investigates the role of ad images in SNS recruitment, addressing three research questions: (1) the relationship between ad images and ad performance, (2) the association of specific image characteristics with ad performance, and (3) the nexus between ad images and sample composition. Results show a relationship between ad images and performance indicators like unique outbound clicks and completed surveys, while costs remain relatively consistent across images. Specific characteristics, such as strong national symbols, are associated with better performance. The importance of images’ emotional tone is similarly underscored—with images conveying a negative mood being related to better outcomes. Regarding sample composition, certain images resonate differently with subgroups based on gender and age. The study provides practical recommendations for ad design, highlighting the importance of aligning image characteristics with research topics.
