Proceedings of the Third International Conference on E-Technologies and Business on the Web, Paris, France 2015

Does Surfingtelling Change the Attitude Toward a Brand?

Xavier MENAUD, Associate Professor at PSB Paris School of Business
59, rue Nationale, 75013 Paris, xmenaud@esgms.fr
Claire GARCIA, Associate Professor at PSB Paris School of Business
59, rue Nationale, 75013 Paris, cgarcia@esgms.fr

ABSTRACT
This article proposes to study a new phenomenon
in the field of communication: Surfingtelling.
Pictured as one of the evolutions of Storytelling
on digital means of communication, this novel
approach has not yet been the topic of academic
studies. To fill this gap, this paper aims to answer
the following question: Does the Surfingtelling
change the attitude toward the brand?
To answer this question, a two-wave quantitative
study was conducted. The empirical setting used
for the study was the internet video campaign
conducted by Mennen, a deodorant brand owned
by Colgate Palmolive. The first part of the study
consisted in the measurement of the initial attitude
for the brand Mennen; the second part, replicated
the measurement three weeks later, following
respondents exposition to the videoclip.
Following the analysis of the results, it appears
that being exposed to the campaign has not
modified respondents attitude toward the brand;
further the control variables used in the study
(product category involvement, advertising
involvement and attitude toward advertising) do
not enable to extract different profiles of
respondents and do not have either a significant
effect on the attitude toward the brand studied.

KEYWORDS
Surfingtelling, Attitudes, Brand, Communication,
Interactive.

1 INTRODUCTION
Nowadays, consumers are even more targeted
by advertisers: brands are increasingly
developing innovative strategies to capture
customers attention. They tend to leave aside
traditional media since their effectiveness
remains limited nowadays.

ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 2015 SDIWC

For instance, IKEA regularly uses street

marketing strategies in France. In one
instance, the brand had set up a stand in front
of one of the major train stations of Paris. For
this specific occasion, pedestrians passing-by
could make an order of a personalised product
in the morning (for instance when commuting
to work) and getting the product delivered and
ready for them in the evening on their way
back home. Such communication campaign
aimed at demonstrating the power of the
brand in terms of logistics, showing how fast
the products could be made and delivered to
customers. The brand should not be criticized
as the intention of the brand needs to be
recontextualised. Derbaix and Gregory [1]
explain "The proliferation of commercial
solicitations makes [...] cognitive processing
of messages by prospects unlikely. Every
person living in a large city and even
moderately attending mass media receives
every day more than a thousand contacts with
advertising messages." Therefore, an obvious
research question would to look at
consumers perception of such events: are
consumers getting the message sent to them
by the brand? Or are they merely
contemplating a commercial kiosk held by a
Swedish brand?
Creativity takes on a major role when one
discusses the memorization and retention of a
message by individuals. Yet, beyond the
evidence of the creative process, MercantiGurin [2] highlights the pitfalls that the latter
faces: the difficulty to model the process (1),
the reluctance of advertisers toward
innovative ideas (2) and the questionable
impact of creativity on sales (3). Since the late
90s, managerial practices have questioned the
reallocation of advertising budgets toward

153

Proceedings of the Third International Conference on E-Technologies and Business on the Web, Paris, France 2015

digital media to follow up on the changes in

consumer behavior.
Storytelling has proven its worth in
effectively increasing the attention of the
target through a story. Its digital transposal
was carried out in the form of a
communication campaign proposed by
Mennen (deodorant brand). Innovative,
because using the tools available through the
Internet, yet adding an interactive dimension,
the Surfingtelling raises the question of the
marginal advantage for the brand. As a recent
form of Storytelling, the Surfingtelling has
not yet been the topic of any study. It is in this
perspective that this article aims at providing
a pragmatic response to its use: does the
Surfingtelling change attitude toward the
brand?
To answer this question, this paper starts with
a literature review so as to introduce the
notion of Surfingtelling and attitudes toward
the brand to define the design of the research
and its methodology. Then the results of the
study are presented and discussed in order to
suggest further avenues of research.
2
A
STATE
OF
THE
ART:
SURFINGTELLING
AND
BRAND
ATTITUDES:
2.a. From Storytelling to Surfingtelling
As one of the newest forms of
communications, the Surfingtelling needs to
be discussed at a conceptual level. In order to
capture its characteristics, it is important to
first understand the closely related concepts
of Storytelling and Digital Storytelling.
Storytelling:
Storytelling (or narrative communication) "is
a narrative technique consisting of spreading
the story or stories, true or probable, of legal
or natural persons" [3] or even "an art of
conveying events in words, images and
sounds
often
by
improvisation
or
embellishment" [4]. The art of storytelling
goes back to the dawn of time, even though
the terminology is rather new. However, in a

ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 2015 SDIWC

global context where our societies are seeking

new unifying myths (Barthes [5], mentions
this for France), the Storytelling makes sense
for researchers and managers.
Storytelling was studied from a plurality of
points of view in social sciences. In
management, a considerable number of
studies have looked at Storytelling; each
emphasizes the powerful role that Storytelling
has. Some studies emphasize that Storytelling
is an effective communication tool (1) to
erase cultural differences which may coexist
within a company [6], (2) to reduce stress and
anxiety in times of crisis [7] or (3) to facilitate
the transmission of knowledge at the
workplace [8]. Further, introducing this
communication tool to future managers could
improve their public speaker skills [9]. This
approach is reminiscent of the definition of
the concept by Sole and Grey-Wilson [10]
who viewed Storytelling as a "sharing of
knowledge and experiences through stories
and anecdotes in order to transmit lessons,
complex ideas or concepts and causal
relationships."
In marketing, the interest of Storytelling is
mainly discussed from two perspectives. The
first sees this form of communication as a
methodological tool enabling consumers to
retrieve information about brands [11]. The
second approach views it as a real strategic
tool. In an environment where the brand
communication universes tend toward some
form of homogenization, the strategic
approach makes sense: Clodong and
Chtochine [12] suggest to give more
prominence to the "stories" when Bruner [13]
indicates that individuals recall information
better when it is presented in a narrative form
rather than in a digital one.
The plurality of thoughts and research on
Storytelling have allowed researchers to focus
on different elements of its implementation:
whether it was about the narrative typology
(Durands 7 discourses, 2011), the factors for
effectiveness [9] or even the determination of
the actantial scheme [3]. The concept needs to
be thoroughly analyzed before being
implemented. Therefore, if Storytelling is
essentially understood as a lens through

154

Proceedings of the Third International Conference on E-Technologies and Business on the Web, Paris, France 2015

which one views the world [14], its narrative

structure is reminiscent of the work of the
Russian folklorist Propp [15] on fairy tales.
We find common elements: the protagonist
(1) faces an antagonist (2) as part of a quest
(3); those paths to the final goal (4) is lined
with pitfalls (5).
Digital Storytelling:
Since the increasingly important place of the
digital means of communication in
individuals lifes, the Storytelling has had to
be adapted to fit in this evolution and evolve
toward what is called Digital Storytelling.
Based on proposals made by American
professionals (Lambert, founder in the 80s of
the Center for Digital Storytelling), the
Digital Storytelling is defined as "a
multimedia format including images and
pieces of video with music and narration"
[16]. Far from being defined as a concept
related to management sciences, it is the
subject of research looking at the
improvement of teaching approaches [17].
Dogan and Robin [18] define it as "a
technological tool used during lectures."
The above section on Storytelling and Digital
Storytelling serves to introduce the central
concept of this research: Surfingtelling.
Surfingtelling:
Surfingtelling is a term that was coined by the
communication agency H for the launch of a
communication campaign for Mennen (a
health and beauty brand). Olivier Tewfik,
Channel & Strategic planner for the company,
defines Surfingtelling as "a story that
progresses from one website to another over
the "Surf. The credibility of each sequence is
reinforced since it is fully integrated to the
editorial lines of the websites visited through
the full videoclip. The Storytelling uses the
cliffhanger-process
throughout
the
advertisement as well as for the final scene.
This sequence impregnated with suspense
makes the viewer craving for more. "
Unlike Digital Storytelling, the Surfingtelling
must be used for marketing purposes. This

ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 2015 SDIWC

form of communication includes the actantiel

model of communication, which is adapted to
digital tools. In the case of Mennen, the script
relates the story of the assistant of a moviedirector.
The assistant mission is to get a Mennen
deodorant stick back as it was stolen just
minutes before the shooting of the
advertisement begins. The videoclip takes
therefore the assistant (and the viewers)
through different situations and websites (see
Appendix 1 for screenshots)
Using Durands (2011) narrative scheme, we
suggest the breakdown of the advertisement
in different steps:
Quest: the deodorant stick must be recovered
so that the shooting of the advertisement can
actually begin.
The protagonist: the assistant of the the movie
director.
Antagonist: None. The context and different
situations highlight the complexity of the task
for the assistant to retrieve the deodorant.
The crisis: the on-going difficulties faced by
the assistant, stopping him from getting the
deodorant back.
The resolution of the crisis: the assistant
finally put his hands on the deodorant and the
advertisement can finally be shooted.
The back to reality moment: at the end of
video, the viewers are invited to share their
experience.
The continuation of the story: Mennen has not
followed up this campaign.
This story starts on a Dailymotion page,
which throughout the video, gives way to
different pop-ups and takes the viewer from
one website of an invited brand to another ( of
which Pizza Hut and Facebook). Since these
brands have given their agreement, they
legitimize both the type of communication
chosen by Mennen as well as the positioning
of Mennen in the minds of its target: young
men.
Since Storytelling is a new form of
communication, it has not been yet the topic
of any paper. The communication objective
of Mennen with this project was to improve

155

Proceedings of the Third International Conference on E-Technologies and Business on the Web, Paris, France 2015

the brand image, specifically to rejuvenate it.

Therefore, this paper goal is to see whether
the use of Surfingtelling really enables to alter
attitudes toward a brand.
2.b. From Attitude to Attitude toward a
Brand
Attitude is a key concept in marketing
research, and is defined as "the mental state of
an individual, formed by the experience and
information acquired, allowing to structure
the environmental perceptions as well as
preferences, and therefore guide the way to
respond to them" [19]. Overall this is
regarded as a unidimensional concept [20].
As a variation of the attitude, the attitude
toward the brand is the central variable of this
research. The latter is defined as "a
psychological tendency that is expressed by
evaluating a particular entity with some
degree of favor or disfavor, usually expressed
in cognitive, affective and behavioral
responses" [21]. If, like in [22], this definition
emphasizes the tripartite nature of the
construct (cognitive, affective and conative
components) [23] points out that [21]
"allocate [...] a very important place in the
assessment. Having an attitude means to be
able to locate an attitudinal object (tangible
things, abstract elements, behaviors) on an
evaluative dimension". Therefore, for the
remainder of the paper, the attitude should be
understood as a unidimensional concept and
should be viewed as a tool used to determine
the positive or negative valence of a
phenomenon (which, here, is the brand).
Attitudes are characterized as highly stable.
Therefore, it may be interesting to assess
attitudes toward a brand, since it is one of the
many possible forms an attitude may take
(e.g. attitude toward advertising). Hence, for
anyone considering a modification of
attitudes, one should expect a long-term work.
In the light of the literature review of this
concept, it appears that measuring this
variable raises a triple challenge for the
present study.
First, brand attitude is viewed as an indicator
of advertising effectiveness. MacKenzie, Lutz

ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 2015 SDIWC

and Belch [24] justify this by the existence of

a direct link to purchase intent, the latter
being accepted throughout the community as
a good predictive measure. For MacInnis and
Jaworski [25], the attitude toward the brand is
the most important variable of a model
proposing to understand its formation.
Second, to reinforce the present study three
independent
variables
are
included:
involvement in the product category,
involvement in advertising and attitude
toward advertising. These variables will be
presented in more detail in the methodology
section.
Finally, the Surfingtelling is closely linked to
digital tools and support. Several studies have
highlighted the role of the Internet on
changing attitudes toward the brand. Thus,
Flors and Volle [26] point out that following
the visit of a website "50% of the visitors that
were very satisfied with their experience on
the website favorably review their attitude
toward the brand". Given the fact that attitude
is a rather stable construct, it may seems that
using a narrative communication with a
digital dimension may cause a positive
change in the attitude toward the brand.
Following this, and in view of the literature,
the central hypothesis of the research is
therefore:
H1: "The Surfingtelling favorably alters
attitudes toward the brand."
3 METHODOLOGY:
To test our main hypothesis, a quantitative
study was conducted. 161 individuals are
included in the sample. As Mennen targets
adolescents and young adults, a convenience
sample of students was deemed acceptable for
this study.
To measure the impact of Surfingtelling on
attitudes toward the brand, the study was
conducted in two phases: the first phase (from
25th January to 17th February 2013) enabled to
capture the attitude toward the brand before
exposure to advertisement; the second wave
(from 4th to 8th March 2013) was designed to
measure again the attitude after exposure to
the video clip (a much shorter period of time

156

Proceedings of the Third International Conference on E-Technologies and Business on the Web, Paris, France 2015

was considered for the this data collection

period so as to minimize the risk of
contamination across participants, which
could have led to the apparition of skews).
Specifically, each respondent was given a
unique number at the beginning of the study.
This number had to be entered to begin
surveys for both waves by the respondents
themselves. This number was also used to
cross analyse the data obtained across the two
stages. In the end, only the respondents who
had participated in the two stages of the study
could be kept in the database for comparison
purposes. The final sample thus contains 161
individuals.
Descriptive notable figures about our final
sample reveal that 44% of our respondents are
male, about a third (29%) of the sample is 18
years old. Whilst 13.7% of respondents used
Mennens products in the past, 92.5% of
respondents are not current users of the brand.
In the remainder of this article, attitudes
measured during Stage 1 will be noted SA1
(for Brand Attitude 1) and those measured in
Stage 2 will be noted SA2 (for Brand Attitude
2).
Data were collected via the Internet. Indeed,
the literature points out that this mode of data
collection is similar to other data collection
modes [27]. The data obtained, was
subsequently exported and processed with the
IBM SPSS Statistics 20 software.
3.a. Measuring the Concepts
To measure the different variables, existing
scales were taken from the literature.
Attitude toward the brand
Numerous studies about the attitude toward
the advertisement have confirmed the positive
relationship between the attitude toward the
advertisement (and more generally the
attitude toward advertising) with the attitude
toward the brand: thus, the more positive the
attitude toward the ad, the more likely is the
individual to have a positive attitude toward
the brand ([28]; [24] cited in Mars and
Menvieille [29].)

ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 2015 SDIWC

In the present study, the attitude toward the

brand is measured using the 4-items scale of
Gardner [30]. This scale is accepted widely
for its good reliability and dimensionality.
The items are good / bad, I like / I do not like
the brand, pleasant / not pleasant, of good /
bad quality and were measured using an
Osgood scale from -3 to 3.
So as to strengthen our hypothesis testing and
allow for various sources of explanation of
our results, we introduced three control
variables. These explanatory variables and the
methods used to measure them are detailed
next.
Attitude toward advertising
So as to measure the attitude toward
advertising in general, the literature review
highlights three main approaches: first, some
authors have used methods from cognitive
psychology using open-ended questions.
Other authors recommend the use of global
judgments of advertisements based on items
expressed in the form of semantic
differentials enabling individuals to describe
their reactions to advertising. Finally, a third
approach recommends the use of adjectives to
evaluate separately the different elements of
the advertisement, enabling one to get an
accurate assessment of each of the component
of the advertisement ([31]; [32]). To measure
the overall attitude toward advertising, it was
decided to use Munch and Swasys scale [33].
This scale is a semantic differential five-point
scale with three items (good / bad, I do not
like / I appreciate and unpleasant / pleasant),
it has been used previously in other studies
([34];
[35])
which
reinforced
its
unidimensionality as well as robustness.
Following this, it is possible to lay down the
second hypothesis:
H2: "An individual with a positive attitude
toward advertising will more favorably alter
his/her attitude toward the brand than an
individual with a negative attitude toward
advertising."
Involvement in the product category:

157

Proceedings of the Third International Conference on E-Technologies and Business on the Web, Paris, France 2015

Involvement is a central variable in

marketing. Many studies have highlighted the
utmost importance of involvement, when one
looks at consumer behavior.
Dussart strongly argues that involvement
ought to be systematically included in
consumer behavior research and that it should
be measured before anything else [36].
Three approaches are noted: the first looks at
involvement as a sustainable individual
characteristic [37], the second considers
involvement as a situational construct ([38]
among other authors) while the third approach
considers involvement as a continuum and
evolving variable taking different levels along
the different stages of the purchasing process,
which echoes the theory of effects [39]. In
this study, Zaichowskys IIP scale [37] was
used to measure involvement in the product
category. Although many scales exist to
measure this concept, in light of previous
work, this scale appears to be the one with the
strongest reliability. Indeed, Zaichkowsky
herself has adapted a previous scale for a
specific use in the context of advertising. The
scale consists of 20 items measured using a
semantic
differential. The
level of
involvement
of
each
individual
is
subsequently determined by summing up the
scores obtained on the 20 items. The
procedure detailed [37] defines the different
levels of involvement of individuals; it was
followed and helped the definition of three
groups: low-involved individuals (1st
quartile), individuals involved moderately (
2nd and 3rd quartile), and finally individuals
strongly involved ( 4th quartile).
Thus, this first control variable allows us to
formulate the following hypothesis:
H3: "An individual strongly involved in the
product category will more favorably alter
his/her attitude toward the brand than a less
involved individual."

Involvement in Advertising:
Involvement in advertising is defined as the
state of interest or internal excitation an
individual feels toward an advertisement

ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 2015 SDIWC

[40]. This concept is a crucial variable in the

advertising persuasion process. It is
understood as the product of individual
characteristics (whether psychological or
situational characteristics) and of the type of
the advertising message (informational,
emotional). According to [41], involvement in
advertising plays an important mediating role
in the advertising persuasion process. Taking
this point further, this suggest that in the case
of an individual strongly involved in
advertising, the persuasion levels observed
are solely the result of the message itself.
Conversely, this means also, that individuals
having lower degrees of involvement in
advertising will use other cues (e.g. the
legitimacy of the source of the message or the
attractiveness of the message) in the
persuasion
process.
Involvement
in
advertising
was
measured
using
Zaichkowskys PIIA (Personal Involvement
Inventory for Advertising) scale [37]. This
scale contains 10 items, using a 7 points
measure in semantic differential. The
unidimensionality and reliability of the scale
have been checked to confirm our choice.
Thus, this control variable allows us to
express the fourth hypothesis:
H4: "A person strongly involved in
advertising will more favorably alter his/her
attitude toward the brand than a less involved
individual."
3.b. Reliability and Validity of the Scale :
Attitude toward the brand:
Before conducting means-comparison, a
Factorial Component Analysis (FCA) was
conducted on all the items of the scale to
check for its dimensionality. Alpha
coefficients were calculated too.
The principal component analysis (PCA)
conducted
on
SPSS
confirms
the
unidimensional structure of the scale, which
explains over 63% of the variance. The
reliability analysis gives a result for the
Cronbach's alpha above 0.7 (0,849). This
confirms the psychometric properties of the
scale and allows us to use it as it is.

158

Proceedings of the Third International Conference on E-Technologies and Business on the Web, Paris, France 2015

Given all the methodological choices and

scales used have been presented, the main
results of the study are presented.
4 RESULTS:
In line with the standards of the literature, a
level of 95% was considered as the threshold
to assess the significance of the results.

To measure the impact of advertising on the

attitudes toward the brand, we conducted
paired-samples comparisons of means. Thus,
the scores obtained for the attitude before
(SA1) and after (SA2) viewing the
advertisement were compared. It appears that
the SA1 mean is below SA2 mean (Scores:
SA1 = 0.9332; SA2 = 1.0093, p> 0.05). The
test is not significant. H1 is rejected.

Table 1: Comparison of Means SA1 versus SA2

Although the score for the brand attitude has

improved, the test was not significant. This
attests that the Surfingtelling does not
favorably alter attitudes toward the brand.
However, in order to check the influence of
certain individual characteristics and to see in
the observation of the differences between the
two scores measured for the attitude toward
the brand, the following paragraphs consider
the influence of the control variables.
4.a. Impact of Attitude toward Advertising
on Changes of the Attitude toward the
Brand.
To assess whether the attitude of an individual
toward advertising may have an impact on the
attitude toward the brand, we proceeded in
two steps. First, a PCA was conducted to
check the dimensionality of the scale. Second,

a reliability test was performed. The attitude

toward the advertising confirms the
unidimensional structure of the scale, which
explains 82% of the variance. The reliability
analysis gives a result for the Cronbach's
alpha above 0.7 (0,888). This confirms both
the dimensionality and reliability of the scale
We then grouped individuals following the
same procedure as for the other control
variables used in the study. Three categories
were formed: individuals having a favorable
(scores from 4 to 12), neutral (scores from 13
to 16) or negative (scores 16 to 20) attitude
toward advertising.
People with negative attitudes to advertising
get a lower SA1 mean than their SA2 mean
(Scores: SA1 = 0.9659; SA2 = 1.0568, p>
0.05). The test is not significant.

Table 2: Comparison of Means SA1 versus SA2 (for profiles with a negative attitude toward advertising)

For individuals with a neutral attitude to

advertising, the SA1 mean is below their SA2

ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 2015 SDIWC

mean (Scores: SA1 = 0.8510; SA2 = 0.9087,

p> 0.05). The test is not significant.

159

Proceedings of the Third International Conference on E-Technologies and Business on the Web, Paris, France 2015

Table 3: Comparison of Means SA1 versus SA2 (for profiles with a neutral attitude toward advertising)

Finally, even for individuals whose attitude

toward advertising was considered as
favorable, the SA1 mean was below the SA2

mean (Scores: SA1 = 0.8372; SA2 = 1.0930,

p> 0.05). The test is not significant either.

Table 4: Comparison of Means SA1 versus SA2 (for profiles with a favorable attitude toward advertising)

This allows us to conclude that the attitude

toward advertising in general has not
impacted favorably the attitude toward the
brand. H2 is rejected.
4.b. Impact of the Involvement in the
Product Category on the Change on the
Attitude toward the Brand.
To perform a comparative analysis,
individuals were grouped according to their
level of involvement in the product category.
The procedure described by Zaichowsky [37]
was followed: the first and fourth quartiles of
the sample were determined after removing
from the sample the observations for which
the score was either 20 (the minimum
possible) or 140 (the maximum possible)

which would have meant that respondents

used only the lowest/highest scores to rate all
the items. Removing these extreme scores
should ensure, according to Zaichkowsky,
that respondents did not choose their answers
randomly. This procedure helps the definition
of three profiles: low- involved individuals
(scores ranging from 39 to 85), individuals
moderately involved (scores ranging from 86
to 103) and individuals highly involved in the
product category (scores ranging from 104 to
127). The results of each of these groups are
presented successively.
For low involved in the product category
individuals, the SA1 mean is below the SA2
mean (Scores: SA1 = 0.7442; SA2 = 0.8430,
p> 0.05). The test is not significant.

Table 5: Comparison of Means SA1 versus SA2 (low involvement in the product category.)

For individuals classified as having a medium

level of involvement in the product category,
the SA1 mean is below the SA2 mean

ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 2015 SDIWC

(Scores: SA1 = 0.9416; SA2 = 1.0227, p>

0.05). The test is not significant.

160

Proceedings of the Third International Conference on E-Technologies and Business on the Web, Paris, France 2015

Table 6: Comparison of Means SA1 and SA2 (medium involved profiles in the product category)

Finally, for individuals who were classified as

having a high level of involvement in the
product category, it also appears that the SA1

means is below SA2 means (Scores: SA1 =

1.1159; SA2 = 1.1585, p > 0.05). The test
remains
insignificant

Table 7: Comparison of Means SA1 and SA2 (for individuals highly involved in product category)

To strengthen these results, a comparison of

the scores of attitude toward the brand before
and after viewing the advertisement was
conducted using the ANOVA procedure. This
allowed comparing individuals according to
their involvement profile in the product
category studied. Certain authors recommend
having samples of minimum 200 respondents
to conduct this test. However, the literature
also points out that when sub-samples are of
similar size, 150 respondents in each group
are enough to use ANOVA.
The results show that the means obtained by
the groups for their scores for their attitudes
toward the brand are not significant neither on
the entire sample, nor when groups are
compared 2 by 2. The conclusion is that the
profile of involvement in the product category
does not change positively and significantly

attitudes toward the brand. H3 is therefore

rejected.
4.c. Impact of the Level of Involvement in
Advertising on Changes of the Attitude
toward the Brand.
Similarly, we looked at the influence of levels
of involvement in advertising on the changes
measured on the attitude toward the brand.
Three groups of individuals were isolated
based on their level of involvement in
advertising (Low / Medium / Strong). The
results are presented below:
Individuals with a low level of involvement in
advertising, have a SA1 means lower than
their SA2 means (Scores: SA1 = 0.8571; SA2
= 0.9643, p> 0.05). The test is not significant.

Table 8: Comparison of Means SA1 versus SA2 (for low involvement in advertising)

For individuals with a moderate level of

involvement in advertising, the SA1 means is
below the SA2 means (scores: SA1 = 1.0132;

ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 2015 SDIWC

SA2 = 1.1053, p> 0.05). The test is not

significant.

161

Proceedings of the Third International Conference on E-Technologies and Business on the Web, Paris, France 2015

Table 9: Comparison of Means SA1 versus SA2 profiles (medium involved profiles in advertising)

Finally, even for individuals strongly

involved in advertising, it appears that the
means SA1 is below the SA2 means (Scores:

SA1 = 0.8663; SA2 = 0.8837, p> 0.05). The

test is not significant.

Table 10: Comparison of Means SA1 versus SA2 (for individuals highly involved in advertising)

Finally, an ANOVA was also conducted so as

to compare the score for attitudes toward the
brand before and after viewing the
advertisement based on the profile of
involvement in advertising of each
respondent.
The differences observed for the means scores
of the attitude toward the brand are not
significant. Therefore, the profile of
involvement in the advertising does not
positively change attitudes toward the brand.
H4 is rejected.
5. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION:
This research is the first to look at
Surfingtelling as a new format of
communication. Considered as an evolution
of Storytelling applied to digital media,
Surfingtelling is a narrative tool that opens
many avenues of research. This research is, to
the best of our knowledge, the first to use a
real communication campaign to assess the
effect of Surfingtelling on attitudes toward
brands. As such, the purpose set at the outset
of the paper was to assess the influence of
Surfingtelling on the attitude toward the brand
using the communication campaign of
Mennen as field for the study.
First, this article proposed to compare
Surfingtelling to other existing forms of

ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 2015 SDIWC

narration pointing out its particularities and

emphasizing their differences. The existing
literatures on Storytelling and on the different
communication formats (digital, etc...) were
presented to define the theoretical framework
of the study.
The central question of this paper investigated
the impact of viewing such advertisement on
attitudes toward a brand. This underlines the
consistency with the initial strategy of the
brand (Mennen) whose initial goal was to
alter the brand image thanks to this
communication campaign.
The results of the study have shown that at
this stage of its development and at least for
this specific communication campaign, such
communication mode does not positively
change the attitudes toward the brand (on a
student sample), allowing us to reject H1.
Secondly, the influence of control variables
was assessed with the view this would help
discriminating individuals on the basis of
several individuals variables. Whether
involvement in the product category,
involvement in advertising or attitude toward
advertising, none of these variables could help
in identifying a profile for which the
evolution of the attitude toward the brand had
changed significantly. H2, H3 and H4 were
therefore rejected.

162

Proceedings of the Third International Conference on E-Technologies and Business on the Web, Paris, France 2015

With regards to managerial contributions, this

article shows that this format of
communication will not be useful for
advertisers if the objective of the brand is to
alter the attitude toward the brand. Even if a
positive trend was observed between the
initial and final scores measured for attitudes
toward the brand, the differences observed
were not considered significant.
Notwithstanding the positive findings
outlined, this study has come with some limits
we shall now review.
First, the small size of the sample (n = 161)
can be considered as a limit. Although more
individuals have responded to stage 1
compared to stage 2, the imperative for
respondents to have been involved in both
stages has considerably reduced the sample
size. This may explain partly certain weak
results for statistical tests, whether it is
paired-means comparisons or ANOVAs.
Second, the sample only contains students; to
some, this may be a limit. However, in the
context of this study, this is defensible as
these individuals are clearly fitting with the
target of the brand. Nevertheless, a replication
of the study on other samples would prove
interesting, to check if similar results could be
obtained.
Another limit to this study, is that we had to
remove certain individuals from the database.
These respondents obtained a score of 21 out
of 21 for their attitude toward advertising
(these students were reading a degree in
Communication and may have been therefore
highly
passionate/interested
about
Communication in general). After weighting
the pros and cons, it was finally decided to
exclude them of the database, following the
recommendations of Zaichowsky [37].
Surely, the scores would have been different
if they had been kept in the database.
Several avenues for future research emerge
from this study: it is possible that other
individual variables can affect brand attitude.
It would be useful to focus on purchasing
intentions after viewing the advertisement.
Indeed, several studies have noted in the past
that the attitude toward the brand was a key
antecedent of purchase intention. This

ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 2015 SDIWC

element should be further studied. Indeed, the

results may have significant managerial
implications and allow advertisers to be
innovative in terms of their communication
strategies so as to improve their brand image
and associated purchase intentions. A final
suggestion could be to look at the influence of
past and current purchasing behavior on the
changes in attitudes toward the brand before
and after viewing the advertisement. This
could help in evaluating the influence of past
purchases of the brand on future purchases (or
purchasing intentions).
Beyond these points, we should question
individuals perception of the Storytelling,
presented as innovative by their originators,
yet no one has actually investigated this. Is
Surfingtelling perceived differently than the
existing means of communication? Is it really
considered as innovative? Does the evaluation
of the campaign on these elements impact the
likeliness of individuals to share the campaign
using digital media or the Internet? Going
further, it would be interesting to explore
determinants that could predict the potential
for a campaign to become viral. Specifically,
the profile of internet users can help in
determining different behaviors and reactions
from individuals. Finally, research on
persuasion
and
memorization
of
advertisements, could benefit from evaluating
the impact of viewing such content on
subsequent behavior. If one considers the
specific attitudes toward an advertisement, it
would be interesting to see if subsequent
purchasing intentions are altered.
A strong theoretical basis was built with
regards to the use of a new format of
communication. Its influence on a key
element of consumer behavior, attitude
toward the brand, was investigated. Despite
the non-significant results, it remains
important to stress that other elements and
variables must be studied to further think
about the ways in which we can optimize the
use of such forms of communication in the
future.

163

Proceedings of the Third International Conference on E-Technologies and Business on the Web, Paris, France 2015

REFERENCES:
[1] Derbaix C. & Gregory P. (1994) Persuasion : la
thorie de lirrationalit limite restreinte, Edition
Economica, Paris.
[2] Mercanti-Gurin M. (2005) La crativit
publicitaire perue, modlisation et impact sur le
processus de persuasion publicitaire, Thse en vue du
titre de Docteur en Sciences de Gestion, Universit de
Caen.
[3] Durand S. (2011) Storytelling, Renchantez votre
communication, Dunod, Paris.
[4] Alexander B. & Levine A. (2008) Web Story 2.0
Storytelling: Emergence of a New Genre, Educause
Review, 43 (6).
[5] Barthes R. (1970) Mythologies, Points, Paris.
[6] Baker R. T. & Gower K. (2010) Strategic
Application of Storytelling in Organizations, Journal of
Business Communication, Volume 47, N3, p.295-312.
[7] Kopp D. M., Nikolovska I., Desiderio K. P. &
Guterman J. T. (2011) Relaaax, I Remember the
Recession in the Early 1980s : Organizational
Storytelling as a Crisis Management Tool, Human
Resource Development Quaterly, Volume 22, N3,
p.373-385.
[8] Swap W., Leonard D., Shields M. & Abrams L.
(2001) Using Mentoring and Storytelling to Transfer
Knowledge in the Workplace, Journal of Management
Information Systems, Volume 18, N1, p.95-114.
[9] Ready D. A. (2002) How Storytelling Builds
Next-Generation Leaders, MIT Sloan Management
Review, Volume 43, N4, p.63-69.
[10] Sole D. & Grey-Wilson D. (1999) Storytelling in
Organizations: The Power and Traps of using stories
to share knowledge in organizations, LILA, Harvard
University.
[11] Koll O., Von Wallpach S. & Kreuzer M. (2010)
Multi-Method
Research
on
Consumer-Brand
Associations :
Comparing
Free
Associations,
Storytelling, and Collages, Psychology & Marketing,
Volume 27, N6, p.584-602.
[12] Clodong O. & Chtochine G. (2009) - Le
Storytelling en action. Transformer un politique, un
cadre dentreprise ou un baril de lessive en hros de
saga !, Editions dOrganisation, Eyrolles, Paris.

[14] Godin S. (2011) Le Story-Telling en Marketing,

Tous les marketeurs racontent des histoires, Maxima,
Paris.
[15] Propp V. (1927) Morphologie du Conte, Edition
Seuil, Collection Points, Essais, Paris.
[16] Hull G. A. & Nelson M. E. (2005) Locating the
Semiotic,
Power
of
Multimodality,
Written
Communication, Volume 2, N2, p.1-38.
[17] Robin B. (2008) The effective uses of digital
storytelling as a teaching and learning tool, Handbook
of Research on Teaching Literacy through the
Communicative and Visual Arts, Lawrence Erlbaum
Associates, New York.
[18] Dogan B. & Robin B. (2009) Educational Uses
of Digital Storytelling: Creating Digital Storytelling
contests for K-12 Students and Teachers, Dogans
Research Site.
[19] Allport G. W. (1935) A Handbook of Social
Psychology, Clark University Press.
[20] Lutz, R. J. (1991) The Role of Attitude Theory
in Marketing, Perspectives In Consumer Behavior, 3me
Edition, Kassarjian, H. H., and Robertson T. S. (eds.),
Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
[21] Eagly A. & Chaiken S. (1993) The psychology
of attitudes, Fort Worth, Harcourt Brace Jovanovitch
College Publishers.
[22] Zanna M. P. & Rempel J. K. (1988) Attitudes: a
new look at an old concept, in D. Bar-Tal et A. W.
Kruglanski, The social psychology of knowledge, New
York, Cambridge University Press, p.315-334.
[23] Girandola F. (2003) Psychologie de
lengagement et de la persuasion, Presses
Universitaires de Franche Comt, Besanon.
[24] MacKenzie S. B., Lutz R. J. & Belch G. E. (1986)
The role of attitude toward the ad as a mediator of
advertising effectiveness: a test of competing
explanations, Journal of Marketing Research, Volume
23, N2, p.130-143.
[25] MacInnis D. J. & Jaworski B. J. (1989)
Information processing from advertisements: toward an
integrative framework, Journal of Marketing, Volume
53, N4, p.1-23.
[26] Flors L. & Volle P. (2005), Potentiel relationnel
et impact du site de marque sur la performance
marketing, Dcisions Marketing, Volume 40, p.39-50.

[13] Bruner J. (1996) Lducation entre dans la

culture, Collection Psychologie, Retz, Paris.

ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 2015 SDIWC

164

Proceedings of the Third International Conference on E-Technologies and Business on the Web, Paris, France 2015

[27] Birnbaum, M. H. (2004) - Human research and

data collection via the Internet, Annual Review of
Psychology, Volume 55, p.803-832.
[28] Mitchell, A. A. & Olson J.C. (1981) Are Product
Attribute Beliefs the Only Mediator of Advertising
Effects on Brand Attitude?, Journal of Marketing
Research, Volume 18, August, p. 318-332.
[29] Mars M-C. & Menvieille L. (2011) Linfluence
du contenu du message publicitaire et des
caractristiques motivationnelles sur les rponses du
consommateur
aux
publicits
vertes,
Actes
International Marketing Trends Conference.
[30] Gardner M.P. (1985) Does attitude toward the
Ad Affect Brand Attitude under a Brand Evaluation
Set?, Journal of Marketing Research, Volume 22, Mai,
p 4-12.
[31] Wells W. D., Leavitt C., & Mc Conville M. (1971)
A Reaction Profile for TV Commercials, Journal of
Advertising Research, Volume 11, N6, p. 11-17.
[32] Aaker D. A., & Bruzzone D. E.(1981) Viewer
Perceptions of Prime-Time Television Advertising",
Journal of Advertising, Volume 21, N5, p. 15-23.
[33] Munch J.M. & Swasy J.L. (1988)- Rhetorical
Question, Summarization Frequency, and Argument
Strength Effects on Recall, Journal of Consumer
Research, Volume 15, N1, p.69-76.
[34] Debbabi, S., Baile, S., & Roehrich, G. (2006) Les rponses du consommateur la tlprsence dans

ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 2015 SDIWC

une publicit en 3D sur Internet, 5me Journe

Nantaise de e-Marketing.
[35] Tabbane R.S. & Hamouda M. (2012) Impact du
Bouche Oreille Electronique sur lintention dachat:
Cas du Consommateur Tunisien, 2nd International
Symposium ISKO-MAGHREB, November 3rd -4th,
2012, Hammamet, Tunisia
[36] Dussart, C. (1983) La prise de dcision : forte ou
faible implication ? Comportement du Consommateur
et Stratgie de Marketing, MCGraw Hill, p 448-470
[37] Zaichowsky J.L. (1985) - Measuring the
Involvement Construct, Journal of Consumer
Research, Volume 12, N3, p 341-352
[38] Krugman H. (1965) The impact of television
advertising: Learning without involvement, Public
Opinion Quarterly, Volume 29, p 349-356.
[39] Park C.W. & Young S.M. (1983) Types and
levels of involvement and brand attitude formation,
Advances in consumer research, Volume 10, N1, p
320-324.
[40] Mitchell, A. A. (1979) Involvement: a
potentially important mediator of consumer behavior.
Advances in Consumer Research, Volume 6, N1, p.
191-196.
[41] Petty, R., Cacioppo, J. T. & Schumann, D. (1983)
Central and Peripheral Routes to Advertising
Effectiveness: The Moderating Role of Involvement,
Journal of Consumer Research, Volume 10, N2, p.
135-146.

165

Proceedings of the Third International Conference on E-Technologies and Business on the Web, Paris, France 2015

Appendix 1:
Screenshots on the Mennen campaign

Image 1: Initial situation, the Mennen deodorant is stolen

Image 2: The fall into the void of the wizard, 1st cliffhanger

ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 2015 SDIWC

166

Proceedings of the Third International Conference on E-Technologies and Business on the Web, Paris, France 2015

Image 3: The use of pop ups windows boost the narration

Image 4: The wizard endangered, 2nd cliffhanger

ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 2015 SDIWC

167

Proceedings of the Third International Conference on E-Technologies and Business on the Web, Paris, France 2015

Figure 5:End of the crisis, Sebastien Loeb gets the deodorant stick back

Figure 6: Passing on the experience

ISBN: 978-1-941968-08-6 2015 SDIWC

168