蹤獲扦夥厙

Deception in Marketing Communications

Introduction

Special Issue of the Journal of Marketing Communications; Deadline 30 Jun 2026

INTEREST CATEGORY: MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
POSTING TYPE: Calls: Journals

Posted by: Maria Petrescu

CALL FOR PAPERS

Journal of Marketing Communications

Special Issue on

Deception in Marketing Communications

Guest Editors:

Maria Petrescu, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Melanie Burleson Richards, East Tennessee State University
Georgiana Craciun, Duquesne University
Dana Harrison, East Tennessee State University
Mihai Orzan, Bucharest University of Economic Studies

Submission window: February 1st 2026-June 30th 2026

Instructions

Deception in marketing communications is a long-standing and evolving challenge. Classic research demonstrates that deceptive messages erode trust and trigger consumer defensiveness (Darke & Ritchie, 2007; Darke et al., 2010). Contemporary contexts, from covert native advertising and influencer endorsements to greenwashing and deceptive pricing, intensify these risks (Banerjee et al., 2023; Schmuck et al., 2018).

The rise of artificial intelligence has further complicated persuasion and deception. For example, studies in the Journal of Marketing Communications show that AI-driven communicators, such as virtual influencers, anthropomorphic agents, and chatbots, use source credibility, warmth, and authenticity to shape consumer trust and purchase intentions (Chaihanchanchai et al., 2024; David-Ignatieff et al., 2023; Phan & Bui, 2025; Sayed & Abutaleb, 2025). These findings illustrate how traditional persuasion processes (heuristic cues such as attractiveness or credibility) still apply in AI contexts, but they also underscore ethical concerns. Anthropomorphic AI agents may blur the line between human and machine, raising questions of transparency and potential misrepresentation. Similarly, chatbots that simulate warmth without genuine authenticity risk undermining trust if consumers perceive them as manipulative.

Research on deception in online consumer reviews also highlights the importance of suspicion, persuasion knowledge, and linguistic cues in shaping consumer responses (Petrescu et al., 2022; Petrescu et al., 2023). At the same time, privacy concerns in a deceptive communication framework can also represent significant issues with potential negative effcts regarding marketing practices and outcomes (Cooper et al., 2023; Gianclaudio, 2023; Cooper et al., 2023). Together, this body of work demonstrates that while AI and digital platforms introduce new persuasive possibilities, they also create novel forms of deception that require scholarly attention.

Possible Topics

We invite conceptual, empirical, and methodological contributions, including but not limited to:

  • Forms of deception: false claims, omissions, puffery, greenwashing, hidden fees, and deceptive packaging/labels.
  • AI and persuasion: virtual influencers, anthropomorphic chatbots, AI-generated endorsements, and ethical boundaries between personalization and misrepresentation.
  • Online reviews and eWOM: deception detection frameworks, automated vs. human recognition, and consumer suspicion.
  • B2B deception: inter-organizational misrepresentation, signaling theory, and sales ethics.
  • Theoretical advances: applying attribution theory, persuasion knowledge, signaling theory, Interpersonal Deception Theory, or Information Manipulation Theory to marketing deception.
  • Consumer coping and activism: skepticism, ad literacy, grassroots debunking, and cultural/generational differences.
  • Managerial and policy implications: disclosure design, regulatory interventions, and strategies for rebuilding trust.

Submission: Please submit your manuscripts through JMCs official submission site and consider the instructions for authors and formatting guidelines:

For additional information, please contact Dr. Maria Petrescu, petrescm@erau.edu

References

Banerjee, S., et al. (2023). The impact of consumer expectations and familiarity on deceptive pricing in advertising. International Journal of Advertising, 42(2), 254285.

Chaihanchanchai, P., Anantachart, S., & Ruangthanakorn, N. (2024). Unlocking the persuasive power of virtual influencer on brand trust and purchase intention: A parallel mediation of source credibility. Journal of Marketing Communications. 1-23.

Cooper,D. A., Yalcin,T., Nistor, C., Macrini, M., Pehlivan, E. 2023. Privacy considerations for online advertising: a stakeholders perspective to programmatic advertising.泭Journal of Consumer Marketing, 40 (2): 235247.泭

Darke, P. R., & Ritchie, R. J. B. (2007). The defensive consumer: Advertising deception, defensive processing, and distrust. Journal of Marketing Research, 44(1), 114127.

Darke, P. R., Ashworth, L., & Main, K.J. (2010). Great expectations and broken promises. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 38(2), 347-362.

David-Ignatieff, A., Buzeta, C., De Pelsmacker, P., & Ben Dahmane Mouelhi, N. (2023). This embodied conversational agent looks very human and as old as I feel! The effect of perceived agent anthropomorphism and consumeragent age difference on brand attitude. Journal of Marketing Communications, 30(8), 881909.

Gianclaudio, M. 2023. In/acceptable marketing and consumers’ privacy expectations: four tests from EU data protection law.泭Journal of Consumer Marketing, 40 (2): 209223.泭

Gistri, G., Scarpi, D. & Testi, N. 2025. Transparency in mobile apps for value co-creation: how privacy notice communications shape user perception.泭Marketing Letters.泭

Petrescu, M., Kitchen, P., Dobre, C., Ben Mrad, S., Milovan-Ciuta, A., Goldring, D., & Fiedler, A. (2022). Innocent until proven guilty: Suspicion of deception in online reviews. European Journal of Marketing, 56(4), 11841209.

Petrescu, M., Ajjan, H., & Harrison, D. L. (2023). Man vs machineDetecting deception in online reviews. Journal of Business Research, 154, 113346.

Phan, T. A., & Bui, V. D. (2025). AI with a heart: How perceived authenticity and warmth shape trust in healthcare chatbots. Journal of Marketing Communications, 121.

Sayed, D., & Abutaleb, S. (2025). Anthropomorphic chatbots as a catalyst for online customer experience (CX): The case of Egyptian consumers. Journal of Marketing Communications. 115.

Schmuck, D., Matthes, J., & Naderer, B. (2018). Misleading consumers with green advertising? Journal of Advertising, 47(2), 127145.

Wojdynski, B. W., & Evans, N. J. (2016). Going native: Effects of disclosure position and language on recognition of online native advertising. Journal of Advertising, 45(2), 157168.