The impact of the combination of a model's facial expression and race in advertisements on the attractiveness of cosmetics

Abstract

Models appearing in advertisements influence the product image perceived by consumers. However, the effect of the model's facial expression is not well discussed. Therefore, the present study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial based on the hypothesis that smiling faces of Japanese models in advertisements may cause an excessive sense of familiarity and damage the attractiveness of products to Japanese consumers. The results of the study showed that smiling has a negative effect on product attractiveness in cosmetics advertisements, but that smiling does not have a negative effect in the case of Western models.