The Impact of the Hashtag Challenge of the Short-form Video Platform on Brand Recognition and Product Purchase

Abstract

This study is aimed to propose an effective advertisement exposure method by analyzing the advertisement attitude of consumers who are exposed to advertisements in the short-form video platform's hashtag challenge. The speed of content upgrades is gradually accelerating, and people's media consumption habits are also changing along with the change of the content usage environment like the advancement of technologies (e.g., smart devices) and the universalization of the Internet. With people moving from a text-and image-oriented media platform to a video-oriented platform, video has become a popular form of media consumption in the current mobile era. Short-form video platforms have emerged as a new advertisement marketing outlet as short videos surpass long videos in influencing the public. Recognizing a lack of research on TikTok advertisement, this study examined the attitude of consumers who viewed advertisements in the TikTok hashtag challenge by defining TikTok as a representative short-form video platform and using a survey to collect data. To this end, a survey was conducted to 252 consumers who have watched TikTok advertisements to examine their acceptance attitude. The research tool for each item in the questionnaire selected whether to watch the hashtag challenge, participate in the hashtag challenge, recognize the hashtag challenge brand, and purchase the hashtag challenge brand product. The study found a certain degree of advertising effect on product purchase, although the effect size was small. Drawing on the findings, the study suggested a guideline for advertisement exposure suitable for one-person media creators and marketing practitioners who want to use short-form video platforms for advertising.