Abstract
The aim of the present study is to analyze the effectiveness of persuasive advertising in social networks. The research method is applicable in terms of its purpose, quantitative in terms of implementation, and descriptive survey in terms of data collection. The statistical population of this study consisted of 15 experts from university professors, managers, and marketing specialists, selected through purposive sampling. The tools used were a demographic information questionnaire and a researcher-made questionnaire. The DEMAT questionnaire was used to collect data from the DEMAT section and the network analysis process to prioritize variables. The DENP method (a combination of DEMET and the Analytic Network Process (ANP)) was used to prioritize the influencing factors. The results showed that six main categories, including market needs, research opportunities, social and economic impacts, technology and innovation, societal trends, and social network structure, are in the first to sixth priority, respectively.
Introduction
One of the most important and biggest changes occurred in the field of human life is the emergence of virtual social networks on the Internet. Almost all thinkers and philosophers agree that social media has transformed and influenced human lifestyles and life, although there are different views on the nature, intensity, and type of these effects (Keshwarian et al., 2014). In the past decade, consumers have increasingly connected with both marketers and other consumers through dynamic networks known as virtual social media. Currently, the number of social media users worldwide exceeds four billion; a figure that represents an increase of almost 9% in 2019 alone (Areo & Oyeniran, 2021). Along with the significant increase in social media users, marketers have also chosen social media marketing year after year for various purposes, including advertising, research, customer relationship management, and after-sales service. The majority of marketing managers believe that virtual social media is used primarily for “brand building and brand awareness” activities, and evidence from academic studies also suggests that effective use of social media helps improve brand awareness and brand image, and ultimately product and service awareness, and even improve the financial performance of brands (Haque Beg et al., 2020). This has made the influence of virtual social networks in creating a mental image of brands, companies, and their products and services, as well as in customers’ purchasing decisions, a prominent trend in advertising and marketing discussions (Amirkhani Sararudi, 2025). In Iran, due to limited access to Telegram, Facebook, and Twitter; Instagram was used in this study as a popular application among Iranians, which has attracted much attention from various businesses in terms of marketing and advertising, given the global user community of this virtual social network. According to the latest statistics from the site of Statista, the number of Instagram users in Iran has reached more than 25 million (Khosravilaghab et al., 2022). In recent years, manufacturing companies in the clothing industry have specifically entered the field of Instagram advertising and have been trying to attract Iranian Instagram users to their goods and services by using various advertising tricks such as offering prizes, using celebrities, etc. The important point here is that despite the development of theoretical and empirical knowledge about advertising activities, research and theoretical knowledge in the field of measuring and effectiveness of social network advertising, especially Instagram, in Iran is still in its infancy, and advertising customers do not have a framework for measuring the effectiveness of their advertising; and initial studies also show that many advertising companies still Content producers on Instagram use old models of effectiveness measurement, such as the Aida and Dagmar models, to measure the effectiveness of their advertisements. However, the Instagram environment is very different compared to traditional media, and this difference leads to differences in measuring the effectiveness of advertisements (Hessani Khabr et al., 2025). Therefore, the main question of this research is: how is the presenting of a development model for the effectiveness of persuasive advertisements on social networks?
Theoretical framework
Social networks
Social networks are online platforms that enable the production, publication, and exchange of content and interaction between users and play an important role in shaping consumer behavior and digital marketing (Zhao & Chen, 2023).
Advertising
Advertising as an effective tool for raising awareness and introducing companies, goods, services, and even ideas and views has undergone extensive changes over time. In the contemporary world, advertising has become an indispensable element of the structure of organizations and even cultural and social arenas, such that the continued effective activity of many businesses and social institutions depends to a large extent on the level of success in information and advertising (Sinha, 2021).
Hessani Khabr et al. (2025) examined the presentation of a developmental model for the effectiveness of persuasive advertising on social networks. The results showed that in open coding, the researcher achieved 146 concepts, classified into 31 categories. Persuasive advertising on social networks can have significant effects on consumer behavior and attitudes. These effects include changes in consumer behavior, intensification of competition, formation of values ​​and beliefs, impact on decision-making, change in social behavior, impact on brand trust, change in brand attitude, and impact on social networks. However, these effects are dependent on various factors such as technological changes, social and cultural changes, economic changes, legal and political changes, changes in competition and changes in advertising content and format. As a result, to increase the effectiveness of persuasive advertising on social networks, it is recommended to pay special attention to these factors.
Saghafian et al. (2024) studied the presentation of a model of customer engagement with brands on social networks with an emphasis on cultural differences. The results show that the dimensions and components of customer engagement with brands have an impact on social networks with an emphasis on cultural differences. The results also show a strong and very appropriate fit of the model.
Research Methodology
The research method is applicable in terms of its purpose, quantitative in terms of implementation, and descriptive survey in terms of data collection. The statistical population of this research was 15 experts from university professors, managers, and marketing specialists, selected through purposive sampling. The tools used are a demographic information questionnaire and a researcher-made questionnaire. The DEMATEL questionnaire was used to collect data from the DEMATEL section and the network analysis process to prioritize variables.
Research findings
The DANP method (a combination of DEMET and Analytical Network Process (ANP)) was used to prioritize the effective factors. The results showed that 6 main categories, which include market needs, research opportunities, social and economic impacts, technology and innovation, community trends, and social network structure, are in the first to sixth priority, respectively.
Conclusion
The present study was conducted with the aim of network meta-analysis (DANP) of the effectiveness of persuasive advertising on social networks. The results of this study are consistent with the results of Hessani Khabr et al. (2025), Saghafian et al. (2024), Mohammadi et al. (2024), Mashhadizadeh et al. (2024), Torki et al. (2023), Motiei (2023), Ghiasian et al. (2021), Ahadi & Ghasemi (2020), and Gordon et al. (2019). Hessani Khabr et al. (2025) showed that in open coding, the researcher reached 146 concepts, which were classified into 31 categories. Persuasive advertising on social networks can have significant effects on consumer behavior and attitudes. These effects include changes in consumer behavior, intensification of competition, formation of values ​​and beliefs, impact on decision-making, change in social behavior, impact on brand trust, change in brand attitude, and impact on social networks. However, these effects are dependent on various factors such as technological changes, social and cultural changes, economic changes, legal and political changes, changes in competition and changes in advertising content and format. As a result, in order to increase the effectiveness of persuasive advertising on social networks, it is recommended that special attention be paid to these factors.
According to the results of this study, the following suggestions are made:
 One practical way to implement this strategy is for companies to advertise Produce products that focus on specific needs, such as “environmental sustainability” or “high quality.” For example, if a clothing company uses recycled materials, it can create advertisements that emphasize this feature to attract customers who are sensitive to environmental issues.
 Companies can create more effective advertising strategies and increase the effectiveness of their advertising by considering the needs and motivations of customers.