The effects of AI-generated advertisements on customer engagement and emotions based on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions: a study from the generation Z international optic

Purpose This study aims to examine the effects of AI-generated advertisements on customer engagement and the subsequent customer engagement effect on emotions based on culture. Its objectives are: (1) to explore the effects of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions on AI-generated advertisements, (2) to explore the effect of AI-generated advertisements on customer engagement based on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and (3) to explore the effect of customer engagement on emotions based on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. Design/methodology/approach We conducted a qualitative study, involving 65 semi-structured interviews with the members of Generation Z from different countries. Examples of two international brands, together with their advertisements, were employed as a basis for the questions. Further, thematic analysis by means of NVivo 12 was used to analyse the collected data. Findings The findings suggest that Hofstede’s cultural dimensions affect AI-generated advertisements, customer engagement and emotions differently. Furthermore, apart from masculinity, femininity and high and low uncertainty, other factors were found to affect both AI-generated advertisements and their cultural traits equally. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to explore the impact of cultural differences on user engagement and emotional responses to the AI-generated advertisements of global brands using Hofstede’s six cultural dimensions.