How Small Talk and Co-Viewing with AI Companions Boost Advertising Effectiveness and Persuasion: Chat, Watch, and Buy

This study examines how small talk and co-viewing television ads, with a voice-based AI companion (AIC), influence ad effectiveness and AI-driven persuasion. Study 1, a scenario-based experiment, provides initial evidence that co-viewing with an AIC evokes a sense of presence and shared experience comparable to watching alongside a human partner. Study 2, conducted in a living room-style laboratory, examines how the length of interaction moderates these effects. Emotional arousal was tracked via galvanic skin response (GSR). Results reveal that longer interactions with an AIC significantly increase perceptions of its humanness, reducing negative attitudes toward the advertisements, thereby increasing purchase intentions.