The proliferation of online disinformation has become of major societal concern. Because of online programmatic algorithms, brands may find their ads running on disinformation websites alongside disinformation. In this experimental study (N = 617), we investigate people’s brand-related and news-related responses in this context. Results show that when an advertised brand is displayed on the same webpage as a disinformation article, brand attitude and brand trust are negatively affected; this effect is even more pronounced when the brand is thematically congruent with the disinformation article. This suggests that brands (especially congruent ones) might be contaminated by disinformation. In addition, presenting an ad alongside a disinformation article increases the credibility of the article, as well as people’s level of agreement with the article’s content. This seems to suggest that advertising can lend validity to disinformation and amplify its (harmful) effects. These results have important and timely managerial and societal implications.

中文翻译：

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广告和在线虚假信息之间的上下文相互作用：品牌如何遭受欺骗性内容并放大欺骗性内容

网络虚假信息泛滥已成为社会关注的主要问题。由于在线程序化算法的存在，品牌可能会发现他们的广告与虚假信息一起投放在虚假信息网站上。在这项实验研究（N = 617）中，我们调查了人们在这种背景下对品牌相关和新闻相关的反应。结果表明，当广告品牌与虚假信息文章显示在同一网页上时，品牌态度和品牌信任会受到负面影响；当品牌与虚假信息文章的主题一致时，这种效果会更加明显。这表明品牌（尤其是一致的品牌）可能会受到虚假信息的污染。此外，在虚假信息文章旁边展示广告可以提高文章的可信度，以及人们对文章内容的认同程度。这似乎表明广告可以为虚假信息提供有效性并放大其（有害）影响。这些结果具有重要且及时的管理和社会影响。