Three Things to Know
Online platforms and advertisements are crucial tools in the adoption process. Researchers aimed to determine whether the public has a preferred format by comparing paragraph and bullet-point presentations, as well as “normal” and “cute” language styles, and to identify the most important information for adoption advertisements.
Survey participants preferred paragraph-style advertisements, particularly when written in a conversational tone. While they did not express a preference between “normal” and “cute” language, the study revealed that “cute” language can sometimes obscure behavioral issues.
Participants consistently identified behavior as the most important information to include for dog adoption advertisements, including reasons for surrender. Researchers emphasized the need for clear and straightforward language to help potential adopters set realistic expectations.
The Full Picture
While adoption is widely considered the most ethical way to acquire a dog, only 39% of surveyed U.S. dog owners reported adopting their pets. This disparity is influenced by various human factors, including socioeconomic status, complex adoption processes, and preferences for specific dog breeds, sizes, and coat colors.
Online platforms and advertisements, frequently used by adopters, significantly impact adoption rates. Effective adoption advertisements must balance informative content with appealing language to align potential adopters’ expectations with the dog’s actual characteristics, reducing the likelihood of relinquishment. However, research on optimal advertisement styles remains limited.
A study titled “Exploring Best Practices in Constructing Dog Adoption Advertisements” compared participant responses to fictional dog advertisements with varying characteristics, including language tone (“cute” vs. “plain”) and formatting (paragraphs vs. bullet points). The researchers hypothesized that participants would prefer specific language styles and would better understand and retain information from “plain” advertisements compared to “cute” ones.
Study Methods
An online survey was conducted between February and May 2020 among 561 psychology students from three universities in the southern United States. The questionnaire collected participant feedback on preferences on format and language tone, information sufficiency and recall, as well as demographics.
Study Results
Study Participants Demographics
The sample primarily consisted of young adults, with an average age of 21.2 years. The majority of participants were female (67.4%). In terms of race and ethnicity, the sample included White (56.5%), Black (24.2%), Asian (10.0%), and Hispanic (20.7%) individuals.
Participants varied in their familiarity with dog adoption advertisements, with 35.5% moderately familiar, 18.5% very familiar, and 15.3% extremely familiar. Regarding companion animal ownership, 27.6% reported having no pets, 25.3% owned one dog, and 16.9% owned multiple dogs.
Paragraph vs. Bullet Presentation
Participants were presented with side-by-side comparisons of paragraph and bullet-point formats for advertisements featuring four dogs. They were asked to indicate their preferred format on a 5-point scale.
Overall, participants displayed a preference for paragraph-style advertisements. However, this preference varied across different advertisements. While three advertisements showed a clear preference for the paragraph format, one advertisement did not elicit a strong preference for either format.
This preference for paragraph-style advertisements, even among college students who are typically accustomed to bullet-point formats, is intriguing. It also suggests that the specific context of dog adoption advertisements may influence format preferences. The less conversational tone of one advertisement might have contributed to the lack of a clear format preference, indicating that language style could play a significant role in format effectiveness.
Future experiments could explore hybrid advertisement formats that combine the clarity of bullet points with the narrative power of paragraphs. Testing these formats with individuals actively seeking to adopt animals would provide valuable insights into optimizing advertisement design to maximize engagement and adoption rates.
“Plain” vs. “Cute” Language
Participants were randomly assigned to view either “plain” or “cute” versions of advertisements for four dogs, each highlighting a common challenge associated with dog relinquishment (e.g., housetraining, high energy). “Plain” language provided direct descriptions, while “cute” language used more appealing but potentially less informative terms. Participants rated their preferences, likelihood of inquiry, and perceived challenges.
Analysis comparing “cute” and “plain” language advertisements revealed that while there was no significant difference in overall liking or inquiry intent, language style did impact the clarity of understanding behavioral challenges.
For two of the four advertisements, participants reading the “plain” versions were more accurate in identifying challenges like housetraining and aggression, while identification rates were similar for one other advertisement. These findings underscore the importance of clear and straightforward language in adoption advertisements. Misunderstandings caused by “cute” language can lead to mismatched adoptions, negatively impacting both the dog and the adopter.
In another example, “cute” language drew attention to a specific behavioral challenge. Yet, participants exposed to the “cute” advertisement were more likely to attribute blame to the dog for its surrender. This highlights the nuanced impact of language choices, which can both positively and negatively influence perceptions and potential adoption outcomes.
Information Importance and Retention
All participants reviewed a straightforward advertisement for a dog named “Max.” They evaluated the sufficiency of information, rated their likelihood of adopting Max, and provided open-ended feedback. Additionally, they ranked the importance of various advertisement aspects and completed a recall task to assess information retention.
Importance of Behavioral Information
Participants consistently identified behavior as the most crucial information to include in dog adoption advertisements. This finding was further supported by qualitative feedback, with 24.6% of participants expressing a desire for more detailed information on the dog’s behavior or personality, such as compatibility with children or other pets.
To address this need, highlighting specific behavioral traits and providing clear reasons for the dog’s presence in the shelter could be beneficial. For instance, 45 participants expressed interest in understanding why the dog was surrendered, suggesting a desire for more transparency about the dog’s history.
Information Retention from Basic Advertisement
Participants demonstrated strong recall of information from the basic advertisement, with an average of 3.3 out of 4 questions answered correctly. Over half (54.5%) answered all questions correctly, indicating that even a concise advertisement can effectively convey key details. Future research should investigate which specific elements of an advertisement are most memorable to potential adopters, allowing shelters to prioritize these features.
Conclusion
This study underscores the importance of clear and informative content in dog adoption advertisements. While participants did not express strong preferences for specific advertisement styles, such as paragraph versus bullet points or “cute” versus “plain” language, they consistently emphasized the need for clear communication of relevant information, especially regarding the dog’s behavior.
The findings suggest that clear and straightforward language is crucial for helping potential adopters make informed decisions, leading to better matches between dogs and adopters and ultimately increasing adoption success rates.
Miscellaneous
Data From Study:
–
Year of Publication:
2024
External Link:
Kelling, A., Wilson, M. L., Martin, A. L., Barker, S., & Mallavarapu, S. (2024, March 25). Exploring Best Practices in Constructing Dog Adoption Advertisements. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685306-bja10192