Unraveling the relationship between audience engagement and audiovisual characteristics of automotive green advertising on Chinese TikTok (Douyin)

Abstract

As video platforms such as Douyin, also known as TikTok’s Chinese version, continue to grow, there is an increasing interest in the study of green advertising videos to understand their audiovisual features and their impact on audience engagement. In this research, we specifically focus on green advertising within the automotive industry. Drawing on literature from sustainability, green advertising, and communication studies, we identified seven audiovisual aspects and three persuasive strategies pertinent to green automotive advertising videos. Utilizing a mixed-methods video analysis framework, we analyzed a dataset of 2,553 green automotive advertising videos on Douyin over three years from 15 June 2020 to 15 June 2023. These videos exhibited higher loudness, a faster pace, and longer durations compared to their non-green counterparts. We categorized three distinct types of green advertising videos on Douyin and established that specific audiovisual features and persuasive strategies are significantly correlated with audience engagement levels. This study not only delineates the audiovisual characteristics of green automotive advertising in China’s digital space but also contributes to the broader discourse on sustainable marketing practices on social networks like TikTok. The findings extend image-centric research to video content and provide marketers with data-driven insights for crafting effective content creation strategies on Douyin.