The Effects of Second Screen Use on Sponsor Brand Awareness : A Dual Coding Theory Perspective

Purpose – Advances in technology allow fans to consume live broadcasts of sports events almost anywhere via personal computers, tablets and smartphones. These devices are also frequently utilized as “second screens” to communicate with fellow fans on social media, access additional content, or otherwise multitask during televised game consumption. The purpose of this study is to investigate how simultaneous use of these devices impacts sponsors that receive brand integration during the broadcasts. Design/methodology/approach – A 3x2 between-subjects design based on the theoretical framework of dual coding theory was utilized to advance understanding of the influence of second screens on brand awareness and attitudes toward the sponsors of televised events. Findings – Results demonstrated that brand recognition and recall was reduced by second screen activity across nearly all audio or visual consumption experiences. Further, while second screen use in an audiovisual setting did not interfere with consumers’ ability to recognize brands, it inhibited their ability to recall brands from memory, providing empirical evidence that second screen use may interfere with elaborative rehearsal and reduce cognitive capacity. Practical implications – Given that marketers are investing more resources than ever to achieve brand integration during televised sports events, these findings suggest that brands face challenges in achieving a requisite return (in the form of brand awareness) on their investments. Originality/value – This study represents the first empirical investigation of the impact of consumers’ use of “second screens” in the academic literature, and has important implications for advertisers during live sports broadcasts