Contribution and implications

This research work contributes to the growing knowledge of marketing and advertisement theory that investigates the relationship between emotions, appeal drivers, celebrity endorsement, attention levels and consumption behavior. This relationship is investigated by analyzing the mediating effect of attention level as an important process ACE employs to increase consumption patterns. Based on the complete nomological web weaved into the research model showed in Fig. 2, the PLS-SEM statistical analysis provides supporting results to the research objective of this study: to illuminate the best combination to be adopted while developing EAs, the best audience for ACE mix based EAs and to reveal how to capture the attention and influence the consumption behavior of the audience through EAs. The study shows that women's response, particularly Chinese women's response, was primarily driven by their interest and attention levels induced by a specific ACE combination (comprised of showbiz celebrity endorsers showing happy emotions with music and colors) in the advertisement. The results advance the theory and conceptualization of the celebrity endorsement and their good fit in the EAs, which were previously unknown. Moreover, attention levels significantly mediate the relationship between emotions, appeal drivers, celebrity endorsements and Chinese women's consumption behavior. This research work provides empirical grounding for some of the theoretical assumptions surrounding EAs and its developments and measures the magnitude of consumer response. This research work is one of the few efforts that measures the depth and multidimensional nature of EA development, with ACE combinations, and women's consumption response in a Chinese context.

It is strategically important to determine the appropriate target audience for the advertising because consumers have different demographics. Considering age cohorts, background information, likes and dislikes, income, location, and challenges being met by the audience provide valid grounds to launch marketing and advertising campaigns. Campaigns can highlight how the advertised products and services provide the best solution to their problems. As certain groups of women differ from other women, products should be positioned uniquely for their target markets. Incorporating all advertising tactics to target all women would provide nothing for the consumer or business. Although outside the frame of the present study, an important direction for future study would be to investigate the application of ACE combinations on male consumers. The study could further be extended to examine memory and brand loyalty among the male and female consumers. ACE combinations do not need to be restricted to gender influences on consumption, but could be deployed in every kind of business: from FMCG (Fast moving consumer goods), technology-intensive industries (e.g., computers, mobile phones, etc.), pharmaceutical industries, tourism and hospitality industries to destination marketing contexts, etc. However, the use of ACE combinations in advertisements requires proper policy making and investment from marketing professionals and advertisers, to achieve conventional goals (i.e., profits and market share maximization, etc.). It may hold the attention of the audience and confirm to the concepts of Guerilla Marketing, as mentioned by Levinson, and brand loyalty. The purpose of this study is not only to highlight the areas which are not studied or understudied, but also to bridge theoretical and practical gaps through empirical research. It is an attempt to advance the theoretical and practical knowledge of the field. Further research in this area may better validate the association of ACE variables and explore new dimensions that may eventually be shown to influence consumer behavior. This study incorporated some sub-constructs of ACE variables. Future research may extend the focus with different combinations of ACE variables in order to verify the robustness of this study.

The emotional response to an advertisement in a lab environment may not be the same as in a real environment, where consumers may discuss ads or products with the people around them (both consciously and unconsciously) while coming to a buying decision. The lab environment may control and stimulate emotional responses differently from watching an advertisement in a home setting. Laboratories equip and enable researchers to manipulate the environment and control potential threats to consumers' responses. Therefore, the results and findings of the study need to be treated with skepticism while measuring real market mechanisms and consumers' emotional behaviors. Sometimes, consumers feel that they are study objects during experiments, and may feel differently than in a real market environment. They may not know how to rate and express their true feelings in a particular situation while being tested. Marketers and psychologists may use neuromarketing techniques to deal with such shortcomings and measure consumers' brain activity directly because it can measure the magnitude of commercial effectiveness in marketing. However, the validity of laboratory-based consumers' response versus the consumers' response in the real market environment continues to be questioned.