Abstract
This study is among the first to investigate how national origin cues influence visual attention and perception in HPV vaccine advertisements, using eye-tracking technology to provide objective insights into consumer responses. By integrating methods from public health, psychology, and advertising research, this study explores how visual attention is shaped by national affiliation cues. In a controlled experimental setting with a sample of 40 UK university students, we investigated visual attention and effectiveness of HPV vaccination advertisements by comparing ads disclosing the national origin of the vaccine and without any origin information. We assessed total fixation duration and time to first fixation to various elements of the ad, along with intention and attitude measures. Contrary to one of our hypotheses, we did not find significant differences in intention (p = .758) and attitude (p = .620) measures. However, there was significant difference in total fixation duration toward one of the ad images between conditions (p = .043). The qualitative analysis reveals the role of country-of-origin (COO) in HPV vaccination advertising, suggesting a shift in attention from that image to the COO cue. Furthermore, eight out of the 20 participants in the treatment condition did not fixate at the COO cue. Findings provide critical insights for public health communication strategies, suggesting that the use (or omission) of national origin cues in vaccine advertisements could influence vaccine perception and hesitancy. These results highlight the need for strategic messaging approaches to enhance HPV vaccine acceptance and improve public trust in domestic and international vaccines.