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Is Investor Attention for Sale? The Role of Advertising in Financial Markets

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  • JOSHUA MADSEN
  • MARINA NIESSNER

Abstract

Prior research documents capital market benefits of increased investor attention to accounting disclosures and media coverage; however, little is known about how investors and markets respond to attention‐grabbing events that reveal little nonpublic information. We use daily firm advertising data to test how advertisements, which are designed to attract consumers' attention, influence investors' attention and financial markets (i.e., spillover effects). Exploiting the fact that firms often advertise at weekly intervals, we use an instrumental variables approach to provide evidence that print ads, especially in business publications, trigger temporary spikes in investor attention. We further find that trading volume and quoted dollar depths increase on days with ads in a business publication. We contribute to research on how management choices influence firms' information environments, determinants and consequences of investor attention, and consequences of advertising for financial markets.

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  • Joshua Madsen & Marina Niessner, 2019. "Is Investor Attention for Sale? The Role of Advertising in Financial Markets," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(3), pages 763-795, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:joares:v:57:y:2019:i:3:p:763-795
    DOI: 10.1111/1475-679X.12257
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    Cited by:

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    4. Chen, Zhongdong & Craig, Karen Ann, 2023. "Active attention, retail investor base, and stock returns," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 39(C).
    5. Manthei, Kathrin & Sliwka, Dirk & Vogelsang, Timo, 2021. "Information Provision, Incentives, and Attention: A Field Experiment on Facilitating and Influencing Managers' Decisions," IZA Discussion Papers 14199, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Chen, Rongxin & Lepori, Gabriele M. & Tai, Chung-Ching & Sung, Ming-Chien, 2022. "Explaining cryptocurrency returns: A prospect theory perspective," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    7. Bai, Jing & Tang, Xuesong & Zheng, Yuxin, 2023. "Serving the truth: Do directors with media background improve financial reporting quality?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    8. Anh Dang & Trung Nguyen, 2021. "Valuation Effect of Emotionality in Corporate Philanthropy," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 173(1), pages 47-67, September.
    9. Yajie Chen & Qinlin Zhong & Fuxiu Jiang, 2020. "The capital market spillover effect of product market advertising: Evidence from stock price synchronicity," Frontiers of Business Research in China, Springer, vol. 14(1), pages 1-21, December.
    10. Jūra Liaukonytė & Alminas Žaldokas, 2022. "Background Noise? TV Advertising Affects Real-Time Investor Behavior," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(4), pages 2465-2484, April.
    11. Cui, Xin & Ji, Xinyuan & Meng, Wei & Song, Qi, 2023. "Product market competition and corporate advertising expenditure: Evidence from a natural experiment," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    12. Qingjie Zhou & Panpan Zhu & You Wu & Yinpeng Zhang, 2022. "Research on the Volatility of the Cotton Market under Different Term Structures: Perspective from Investor Attention," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-20, November.
    13. Curatola, Giuliano & Dergunov, Ilya, 2023. "International capital markets with interdependent preferences: Theory and empirical evidence," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 403-421.
    14. Kupfer, Alexander & Schmidt, Markus G., 2021. "In search of retail investors: The effect of retail investor attention on odd lot trades," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 315-326.
    15. Chen, Zhongdong & Schmidt, Adam & Wang, Jin’ai, 2021. "Retail investor risk-seeking, attention, and the January effect," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 30(C).
    16. Erik J. Mayer, 2021. "Advertising, investor attention, and stock prices: Evidence from a natural experiment," Financial Management, Financial Management Association International, vol. 50(1), pages 281-314, March.
    17. Kim, Hee-Eun & Jo, Hoje & Ahn, Tae-Wook & Yi, Junesuh, 2022. "Corporate misconduct, media coverage, and stock returns," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    18. Du, Kai & Song, Jinyuan, 2022. "The impact of geotargeting on household information acquisition: Evidence from a Google News redesign," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(10).
    19. Luminita Enache & Hila Fogel‐Yaari & Heather Li, 2022. "Signalling long‐term focus through textual emphasis on innovation: are firms putting their money where their mouth is?," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(3), pages 3791-3836, September.
    20. Su, Zhifang & Wang, Luhan & Liao, Jing & Cui, Xin, 2023. "Peer effects in corporate advertisement expenditure: Evidence from China," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    21. Paritosh Chandra Sinha, 2021. "Attention to the Election-Economics-Politics (EEP) Nexus in the Indian Stock Markets," The Review of Finance and Banking, Academia de Studii Economice din Bucuresti, Romania / Facultatea de Finante, Asigurari, Banci si Burse de Valori / Catedra de Finante, vol. 13(1), pages 7-32, June.
    22. deHaan, Ed & Lawrence, Alastair & Litjens, Robin, 2023. "Measurement Error in Google Ticker Search," Other publications TiSEM d256d897-0239-4e66-b2b0-f, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    23. Borah, Abhishek & Bahadir, S.Cem & Colicev, Anatoli & Tellis, Gerard J., 2022. "It pays to pay attention: How firm's and competitor's marketing levers affect investor attention and firm value," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 227-246.
    24. Zhang, Tianjiao & Shen, Zhe & Sun, Qian, 2022. "Product market advertising and stock price crash risk," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).

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