Fabienne Bünzli
Title
Dr.
Last Name
Bünzli
First name
Fabienne
Email
fabienne.buenzli@unisg.ch
Phone
+41 71 224 2776
34 results
Now showing 1 - 10 of 34
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Item type:Publication, The Influence of Verbal and Visual Formality Cues on the Persuasiveness of Charitable AppealsInformal communication can be a powerful persuasion strategy on social media, as it fosters a sense of personal closeness and connection with the audience. However, prior research suggests that in the context of nonprofit communication and charitable appeals, this approach may not yield the intended effects. Using a multimodal approach, the present study examines the persuasiveness of verbal and visual (in-)formality cues in Facebook donation appeals from a mental health advocacy organization. Findings from an experiment with 589 participants reveal that formal (vs. informal) language is more persuasive because it is perceived as more appropriate. This judgment, in turn, enhances the trustworthiness of the message sender and reduces perceptions of manipulative intent. Contrary to expectations, visual formality cues did not influence persuasion. Younger people generally had more favorable perceptions of donation appeals. Overall, the study underscores the importance of communication style in influencing message judgments and donation behavior.Type:journal articleJournal:Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, When Visual Communication Backfires: Reactance to Three Aspects of ImageryAlthough many persuasive messages include imagery, relatively little is known about the potential for the visual components to induce reactance. This research examined the effects of three message variations—camera angle (low vs. eye-level), antithesis (vs. thesis) (i.e., the juxtaposition of contrasting images), and facial expression of emotion (anger vs. happiness)—on reactance and subsequent persuasion. Two experiments (N = 240 and N = 259) using pro-environmental appeals found that variation in each of the visual features was associated with increased perception of threat to freedom, reactance and decreased persuasion. Political conservatives felt more threatened by any message than liberals, but were not differentially sensitive to image variations. This research opens the door for a programmatic analysis of imagery and reactance.Type:journal articleJournal:Communication ResearchVolume:52Issue:5Scopus© Citations 4 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Calls to action and user engagement: The role of visual and verbal requests in nonprofit advocacy on FacebookA common strategy to boost user engagement on social media is to incorporate requests into posts. While previous research has focused on the effects of direct verbal requests (i.e., commands), the role of subtler, indirect verbal and visual requests remains underexplored. We address this gap through a quantitative content analysis of 2250 Facebook posts from the 100 largest U.S. nonprofit organizations. Using a social semiotics lens, we argue that both verbal and visual modes can convey requests, although each relies on distinct semiotic resources. The influence of requests on user engagement may thus be shaped by general semiotic principles applicable to both modes as well as modality-specific principles. In line with our assumptions, users prefer posts that clearly reveal a charity's persuasive intent through verbal and visual requests (general principle of clarity). Moreover, posts fostering clarity by exclusively featuring either direct or indirect verbal requests are associated with greater user engagement compared to those combining both types. However, users are more responsive to indirect than direct verbal requests (verbal principle of nuance) and tend to be distracted from the verbal text when posts include a direct gaze image (visual principle of captivation).Type:journal articleJournal:Computers in Human Behavior ReportsVolume:18Scopus© Citations 2 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, The persuasive effects of verbal anchoring and visual complexityType:journal articleJournal:Journal of Visual LiteracyScopus© Citations 6 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Expressing Demands or Offers: How to Promote Volunteering Using Visual and Verbal Appeals(Sage Publishing, 2022); ; ; Hofer, AlenaType:journal articleJournal:International Journal of Business CommunicationScopus© Citations 3 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Improving the effectiveness of prosocial advertising campaigns: Message strategies to increase support from less empathic individuals(2021)Type:journal articleJournal:Journal of Philanthropy and MarketingScopus© Citations 7 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Strategizing for social change in nonprofit contexts: A typology of communication approaches in public communication campaigns(2018); Public communication campaigns aim to create social change by influencing audiences’ behaviors and thus help nonprofit organizations fulfill their mission. These campaigns, however, often fail to deliver their anticipated impact. Using public relations research as a theoretical lens, this paper’s contribution is twofold: first, we develop a typology that classifies the different communication approaches used in public communication campaigns. Based on one of the most prominent public relations theories, the Four Models of Public Relations, we differentiate communication approaches along the dimensions of communication purpose and communication style. Combining these two dimensions in a typology, we identify the following communication approaches: directing, platforming, mobilizing, and involving. We provide numerous real-life examples of public campaigns for each one. Second, we formulate propositions about these communication approaches’ effectiveness relying on a key concept of public relations research: namely, audience segmentation. Using the transtheoretical model, we show that audiences can be segmented along five “stages of readiness to adopt a promoted behavior.” Conceptualizing behavior change as an iterative, dynamic process that entails stage progresses as well as backdrops, we derive how audiences’ “stage of readiness” relates to the effectiveness of the identified communication approaches.Type:journal articleJournal:Nonprofit Management and LeadershipVolume:29Scopus© Citations 6 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, News about newspaper advertisers: To what extent can corporate advertising budgets predict editorial uptake and coverage of corporate press releases?News value theory aims to predict a story’s chance of being selected for publication based on news factors and ascribed news values. News values can also predict the coverage of corporate press releases. For news decisions, a newspaper’s revenue model may force editors to consider whether the source of a press release is an advertising client, despite the ‘separation of church and state’. In addition, for business journalism, corporate press releases have become an increasingly important news source. This study combines news values and advertiser weight to predict news coverage of press releases of banks in the news of partly and fully advertising-funded newspapers in Switzerland. Results show that advertiser importance can explain press release coverage concerning article length and tone in few cases, but has no universal news value. Public relations material is also not used as editorial subsidy for news. Larger companies are more successful in terms of press release uptake. However, their articles consist of a greater share of non-public relations material. Thus, our findings confirm editorial independence instead of copy-paste or obsequious journalism.Type:journal articleJournal:Journalism : theory, practice & criticismVolume:18Issue:10Scopus© Citations 6 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Calls to action and user engagement: The role of visual and verbal requests in nonprofit advocacy on Facebook(2025); A common strategy to boost user engagement on social media is to incorporate requests into posts. While previous research has focused on the effects of direct verbal requests (i.e., commands), the role of subtler, indirect verbal and visual requests remains underexplored. We address this gap through a quantitative content analysis of 2250 Facebook posts from the 100 largest U.S. nonprofit organizations. Using a social semiotics lens, we argue that both verbal and visual modes can convey requests, although each relies on distinct semiotic resources. The influence of requests on user engagement may thus be shaped by general semiotic principles applicable to both modes as well as modality-specific principles. In line with our assumptions, users prefer posts that clearly reveal a charity’s persuasive intent through verbal and visual requests (general principle of clarity). Moreover, posts fostering clarity by exclusively featuring either direct or indirect verbal requests are associated with greater user engagement compared to those combining both types. However, users are more responsive to indirect than direct verbal requests (verbal principle of nuance) and tend to be distracted from the verbal text when posts include a direct gaze image (visual principle of captivation).Type:conference paper - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Visual Relationship Building on Facebook: Nonprofit Organizations’ Use of Photos to Cultivate Relationships and Stimulate User Engagement(2023); Facebook has become an important strategic tool for nonprofit organizations to cultivate relationships with their stakeholders. But although Facebook is a predominantly visual medium, it is largely unknown how photographs contribute to relationship building. Using politeness theory as a theoretical framework, we argue that photographs facilitate relationship building to the extent to which they include politeness cues that support people's desire for autonomy (negative face wants) and their desire for approval (positive face wants). We then offer a systematic overview of visual politeness cues employing Kress and van Leeuwen's (2006) theory of visual grammar. A content analysis of 1,370 Facebook posts of U.S. health charities was conducted to examine the effects of these visual politeness cues on relationship building success, measured by the extent to which people engage with a post by liking and sharing it as well as commenting on it. The findings provide consistent support for our hypotheses suggesting that engagement is significantly greater when photos include visual politeness cues (vertical angle: high angle and eye level angle; horizontal angle: frontal angle; contact: direct gaze; physical distance: medium and long shots).Type:conference paper