Dr. Z.M.C. (Zeph) van Berlo
Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences
CW : Persuasive Communication
Area of expertise: Immersive technologies, Virtual reality (VR), Augmented reality (AR), Gamified advertising, Advergames
Visiting address
- Nieuwe Achtergracht 166
- Room number: C 9.03
Postal address
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Postbus 15791
1001 NG Amsterdam
Contact details
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Profile
Zeph van Berlo is an Assistant Professor of Persuasive Communication at the Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR), University of Amsterdam. He studies the application of immersive technologies (virtual and augmented reality) for promoting behavioral change in a wide variety of contexts (e.g., commercial, sustainability, & health). Furthermore, in his research he focusses on the role of gamification in persuasive messages. He is a prominent scholar of gamified advertising (advergames and in-game advertising).
Administrative roles
- Honours programme coordinator
Board and associate memberships
- Board member (secretary) of NeFCA
- Advisory board member of the Digital Communication Methods Lab
- Associate UvA Sustainability Platform (USP)
- Editorial board member of Journal of Advertising, International Journal of Advertising, and Journal of Advertising Research
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Research
Research methods
- Experimentation
- Meta-anlaysis
- Systematic review
Current research projects
Using virtual reality as a platform to promote sustainable behavior | In this project, we examine how virtual reality can be used to promote sustainable behavior by confronting people with the consequences of their plastic consumption.
Science in and with Society: reducing emissions of TExtile Microplastics in the Netherlands [SISTEM-NL] | In this project, we investigate, in a multidisciplinary team, together with citizen scientists, the relationship between washing synthetic clothing and the emission of microplastics. Visit the project website.
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Teaching & PhD supervision
Courses
- Marketing Communication
- Pressure Cooker Communication Science
- Brand Communication
- Extending Reality: Design and Applications of Immersive Media
PhD Supervision
- Yuyao Lu
The ‘less is more’ illusion: Understanding the potential of diminished reality for driving sustainable consumption behavior
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Publications
- refereed (24)
- professional (5)
- conference contributions (26)
- recognitions (22)
- doctoral thesis (1)
- datasets (1)
2024
Azrout, R., van Berlo, Z. M. C., Dubel, R., Jonkman, J. G. F., Wolfers, L. N., & Baumgartner, S. E. (2024). Has the AI Revolution Started Yet? A Status Report on the Use of and the Attitudes Towards ChatGPT in Dutch Society. Tijdschrift voor Communicatiewetenschap, 52(3), 267-287. https://doi.org/10.5117/TCW2024.3.002.AZRO [details]- Breves, P. L., Liebers, N. T., Meijers, M. H. C., & van Berlo, Z. M. C. (2024). Beyond likes: The persuasive potential of romantic parasocial relationships with influencers. International Journal of Advertising. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2024.2407737
- Breves, P. L., Liebers, N., & van Berlo, Z. M. C. (2024). Followers’ Cognitive Elaboration of Sponsored Influencer Content: The Significance of Argument Quality. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 24(3), 203-214. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2024.2388644 [details]
- Sungur, H., van Berlo, Z. M. C., & Lüwa, L. M. (2024). Enhancing Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Training with Mixed Reality: Improving Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Performance and Enjoyment. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 27(6), 379-386. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2023.0411 [details]
- van Berlo, Z. M. C., & Chen, X. (2024). Advergames and Consumer Brand Engagement: Experiential Satisfaction as a Mediator of Gamified Advertising Effects. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 24(3), 238–246. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2024.2335398 [details]
- van Berlo, Z. M. C., Campbell, C., & Voorveld, H. A. M. (2024). The MADE framework: Best practices for creating effective experimental stimuli using generative AI. Journal of Advertising. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2024.2397777
- van Berlo, Z. M. C., Meijers, M. H. C., Eelen, J., Voorveld, H. A. M., & Eisend, M. (2024). When the Medium is the Message: A Meta-Analysis of Creative Media Advertising Effects. Journal of Advertising, 53(2), 278-295. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2023.2186986 [details]
2023
- El Ali, A., Ney, R., van Berlo, Z. M. C., & Cesar, P. (2023). Is that my heartbeat? Measuring and understanding modality-dependent cardiac interoception in virtual reality. IEEE Transactions on visualization and computer graphics, 29(11), 4805-4815. https://doi.org/10.1109/TVCG.2023.3320228 [details]
- Lan, X., & van Berlo, Z. M. C. (2023). Can non-humanlike avatars induce the proteus effect? The roles of avatar identification and embodiment in influencing social participation. Computers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans, 1(2), Article 100020. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbah.2023.100020 [details]
- Raaijmakers, E. A. L., & van Berlo, Z. M. C. (2023). Billions of blue blistering barnacles! What we can learn from comics about the visualization of complex ideas: Educational methods and innovations in engineering education. In EAEEIE 2023: Proceedings of the 2023 32nd annual conference of the European Association for Education in Electrical and Information Engineering (EAEEIE) : Eindhoven, The Netherlands, 14-16 June, 2023 (pp. 98-103). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.23919/EAEEIE55804.2023.10182035 [details]
- van Berlo, Z. M. C., & Bock, H. (2023). A Serial Mediation of Deceptive Discount Advertising Effects in Online Retailing. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 26(6), 440-446. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2022.0275 [details]
- van Berlo, Z. M. C., & Stikos, D. (2023). Augmented reality (AR) brand storytelling: The role of flow in attitude formation and associative learning. In T. Jung, M. C. tom Dieck, & S. M. Correia Loureiro (Eds.), Extended reality and metaverse: Immersive technology in times of crisis (pp. 72-84). (Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics). Springer. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-25390-4_6 [details]
- van Berlo, Z. M. C., van Reijmersdal, E. A., & Waiguny, M. (2023). Twenty years of research on gamified advertising: A systematic overview of theories and variables. International Journal of Advertising, 42(1), 171-180. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2022.2143098 [details]
- van Berlo, Z. M. C., van Reijmersdal, E. A., & van Noort, G. (2023). Experiencing branded apps: Direct and indirect effects of engagement experiences on continued branded app use. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 23(1), 73–83. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2022.2163859 [details]
2022
- Liu, Y., Stamos, A., Dewitte, S., van Berlo, Z. M. C., & van der Laan, L. N. (2022). Development and evaluation of a virtual reality puzzle game to decrease food intake. JMIR Serious Games, 10, Article e31747. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/https://preprints.jmir.org/preprint/31747/accepted, https://doi.org/10.2196/31747
2021
- Abels, E. A. M., Toet, A., Stokking, H., Klunder, T., van Berlo, Z. M. C., Smeets, B., & Niamut, O. (2021). Augmented reality-based remote family visits in nursing homes. In IMX 2021: proceedings of the 2021 ACM International Conference on Interactive Media Experiences : June 21st-23rd, 2021, New York, USA (Virtual) (pp. 258–263). Association for Computing Machinery. https://doi.org/10.1145/3452918.3465502 [details]
- van Berlo, Z. M. C., van Reijmersdal, E. A., & Eisend, M. (2021). The Gamification of Branded Content: A Meta-Analysis of Advergame Effects. Journal of Advertising, 50(2), 179-196. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2020.1858462 [details]
- van Berlo, Z. M. C., van Reijmersdal, E. A., Smit, E. G., & van der Laan, L. N. (2021). Brands in virtual reality games: Affective processes within computer-mediated consumer experiences. Journal of Business Research, 122, 458-465. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.09.006 [details]
2020
- van Berlo, Z. M. C., van Reijmersdal, E. A., & Rozendaal, E. (2020). Adolescents and handheld advertising: The roles of brand familiarity and smartphone attachment in the processing of mobile advergames. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 19(5), 438-449. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.1822 [details]
- van Berlo, Z. M. C., van Reijmersdal, E. A., Smit, E. G., & van der Laan, L. N. (2020). Inside advertising: The role of presence in the processing of branded VR content. In T. Jung, M. C. tom Dieck, & P. A. Rauschnabel (Eds.), Augmented reality and virtual reality: Changing realities in a dynamic world (pp. 11-22). (Progress in IS). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37869-1_2 [details]
- van Reijmersdal, E. A., Rozendaal, E., Hudders, L., Vanwesenbeeck, I., Cauberghe, V., & van Berlo, Z. M. C. (2020). Effects of disclosing influencer marketing in videos: An eye tracking study among children in early adolescence. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 49, 94-106. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2019.09.001 [details]
2019
- van Berlo, Z. M. C., van Reijmersdal, E. A., & van Noort, G. (2019). Branded App Engagement: Comparing Apps from Goods and Service Brands. In E. Bigne, & S. Rosengren (Eds.), Advances in Advertising Research X : Multiple Touchpoints in Brand Communication (pp. 3-13). (European Advertising Academy). Springer Gabler. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-24878-9_1 [details]
2018
- van Berlo, Z. M. C., & Ranzini, G. (2018). Big dating: A computational approach to examine gendered self-presentation on Tinder. In Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Social Media and Society (pp. 390-394). ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/3217804.3217951
2017
- van Berlo, Z., van Reijmersdal, E., & Rozendaal, E. (2017). Weet wat er speelt: De rol van merkbekendheid in effecten van mobiele advergames op tieners. Tijdschrift voor Communicatiewetenschap, 45(3), 216-236. https://www.tijdschriftvoorcommunicatiewetenschap.nl/scripts/shared/artikel_pdf.php?id=CW-45-3-6 [details]
2024
- Breves, P. L., & van Berlo, Z. M. C. (2024). Virtual influencers. SWOCC. https://www.swocc.nl/publicatie/virtual-influencers/
- van Berlo, Z. M. C., & Breves, P. L. (2024). Vijf redenen waarom jouw merk virtuele influencers zou moeten omarmen. Web publication or website, SWOCC. https://www.swocc.nl/kennisbank-item/vijf-redenen-waarom-jouw-merk-virtuele-influencers-zou-moeten-omarmen/
2023
- van Berlo, Z. (Author). (2023). Black Friday komt er weer aan ― En deze fout wil je als adverteerder niet maken. Web publication or website, SWOCC. https://www.swocc.nl/kennisbank-item/black-friday-komt-er-weer-aan-%e2%80%95-en-deze-fout-wil-je-als-adverteerder-niet-maken/ [details]
- van Berlo, Z. (Author). (2023). Ook merken willen bevriend zijn met Barbie – en dat zien we overal. Web publication or website, SWOCC. https://www.swocc.nl/kennisbank-item/ook-merken-willen-bevriend-zijn-met-barbie-en-dat-zien-we-overal/ [details]
- van Berlo, Z. (Author). (2023). Opgaan in het merkverhaal: AR als sleutel tot overtuigende brand storytelling. Web publication or website, SWOCC. https://www.swocc.nl/kennisbank-item/opgaan-in-het-merkverhaal-ar-als-sleutel-tot-overtuigende-brand-storytelling/ [details]
2024
- Li, J., van Berlo, Z. M. C., Sungur, H., Breves, P. L., Rubens, D., Barış, L., & Meijers, M. H. C. (2024). Can virtual reality decrease the psychological distance to climate change. Paper presented at ECREA European Communication Conference, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
- Wang, Y., Bušljeta Banks, I., & van Berlo, Z. M. C. (2024). In thy recommendation we trust: The role of message framing and consumption motivation in building consumers’ trust in the recommender system output . Paper presented at Annual conference of the European Marketing Academy, Bucharest, Romania.
- Wang, Y., van Berlo, Z. M. C., & Bušljeta Banks, I. (2024). In thy recommendation we trust: The role of message framing and consumption motivation in building consumer trust in the recommender system output. Abstract from Etmaal van de Communicatiewetenschap 2024, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
- van Berlo, Z. M. C., Campbell, C., & Voorveld, H. A. M. (2024). ChatGPT, can you create my stimulus material? Best practices for generating experimental stimuli with generative AI . Abstract from Etmaal van de Communicatiewetenschap 2024, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
2023
- Sungur, H., van Berlo, Z. M. C., & Hartmann, T. (2023). Out of sight, out of mind? Testing the effectiveness of VR as an intervention tool for reducing psychological distance to scientific advice. Abstract from General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology, Krakow, Poland.
- Wang, Y., van Berlo, Z. M. C., & Bušljeta Banks, I. (2023). The role of message framing and consumption motivation in building consumers'trust in the recommender system output. Poster session presented at Dutch-Belgian workshop on recommender systems, Antwerp, Belgium.
- van Berlo, Z. M. C., Breves, P. L., & Liebers, N. T. (2023). More than friends? The persuasiveness of amicable and romanic parasocial relationships in green advertising. Paper presented at International conference on research in advertising, Bordeaux, France.
- van Berlo, Z. M. C., Meijers, M. H. C., Sungur, H., Rubens, D., & Breves, P. L. (2023). Can virtual reality decrease the psychological distance to climate change?. Abstract from Etmaal Communicatiewetenschap 2023, Enschede, Netherlands.
2022
- Sungur, H., van Berlo, Z. M. C., Hegyiova, H., & Hartmann, T. (2022). Designing virtual reality experiences for promoting sustainable behaviors: The role of learning prompts and environmental self-efficacy. Paper presented at 72nd Annual International Communication Association Conference.
- van Berlo, Z. M. C., & Stikos, D. (2022). Can AR enhance brand storytelling? The role of flow in explaining the effectiveness of AR storytelling . Paper presented at International XR Conference, Lisbon, Portugal.
- van Berlo, Z. M. C., Meijers, M. H. C., Eelen, J., Voorveld, H. A. M., & Eisend, M. (2022). When the medium is the (advertising) message: A meta-analysis of creative media advertising effects. Paper presented at ICORIA 2022, Prague, Czech Republic.
- van Berlo, Z. M. C., Sungur, H., & Hartmann, T. (2022). Virtual reality — a window to the future: Using VR to reduce psychological distance toward the consequences of plastic consumption. Paper presented at Etmaal van de Communicatiewetenschap, Brussel, Belgium.
- van Berlo, Z. M. C., Sungur, H., & Hartmann, T. (2022). Virtual reality — a window to the future: Using VR to reduce psychological distance toward the consequences of plastic consumption. Paper presented at International XR Conference, Lisbon, Portugal.
2020
- van Berlo, Z. M. C., van Reijmersdal, E. A., & Eisend, M. (2020). Spelen of bespeeld worden? Een meta-analyse van advergame effecten. Paper presented at Etmaal van de Communicatiewetenschap, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
2019
- van Berlo, Z. M. C. (2019). Let’s talk about our emojis: A descriptive study of gender differences in ideographic self-presentation in an online dating context. Poster session presented at International Conference on Computational Social Science (IC2S2), Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.16892.90245
- van Berlo, Z. M. C., van Reijmersdal, E. A., Smit, E. G., & van der Laan, L. N. (2019). Immersive advergames: Persuasiveness of branded immersive virtual reality games. Abstract from Etmaal van de Communicatiewetenschap, Nijmegen.
- van Berlo, Z. M. C., van Reijmersdal, E. A., Smit, E. G., & van der Laan, L. N. (2019). Inside advertising: The role of presence in the processing and consolidation of branded VR content. Paper presented at International Augmented and Virtual Reality Conference, München, Bavaria, Germany.
- van Berlo, Z. M. C., van Reijmersdal, E. A., Smit, E. G., & van der Laan, L. N. (2019). ‘I can’t believe it’s not chocolate!’: Meaningful consumer-product interactions in branded virtual reality experiences. Paper presented at International Conference on Research in Advertising, Krems, Austria.
- van der Laan, L. N., Dewitte, S., & van Berlo, Z. M. C. (2019). Development and evaluation of a virtual reality puzzle game to decrease food intake. Abstract from Supporting Health by Technology, Groningen, Netherlands.
2018
- van Berlo, Z. M. C., van Reijmersdal, E. A., & Rozendaal, E. (2018). Persuasion knowledge in the pocket: The role of smartphone attachment in persuasion knowledge activation by mobile advergames. Paper presented at Etmaal van de Communicatiewetenschap, Ghent, Belgium.
- van Berlo, Z. M. C., van Reijmersdal, E. A., & van Noort, G. (2018). App engagement experience types: On the value of branded app engagement. Paper presented at International Conference of Research in Advertising (ICORIA), Valencia, Spain.
- van Reijmersdal, E. A., Rozendaal, E., Hudders, L., Cauberghe, V., Van Wesenbeeck, I., & van Berlo, Z. M. C. (2018). Effects on children of disclosing sponsoring in vlogs. Paper presented at International Conference on Research in Advertising (ICORIA), Valencia, Spain.
2017
- van Berlo, Z. M. C. (2017). A date with big data: An automated content analysis of Dutch Tinder profiles. Abstract from Etmaal van de Communicatiewetenschap, Tilburg, Netherlands.
- van Berlo, Z. M. C., van Reijmersdal, E. A., & Rozendaal, E. (2017). A new kid on the block: The role of brand familiarity in advergames. Paper presented at ICORIA 2017, Ghent, Belgium.
- van Reijmersdal, E. A., van Berlo, Z. M. C., & Rozendaal, E. (2017). Smartphone Attachment & Brand Familiarity in Advergames: New Kids on the Block?. Paper presented at Etmaal van de Communicatiewetenschap, Tilburg, Netherlands.
2016
- van Berlo, Z. M. C., Fransen, M. L., Boerman, S. C., & van Reijmersdal, E. A. (2016). Are they even looking? Why disclosing product placement triggers resistance (or fails to).. Abstract from Etmaal van de Communicatiewetenschap, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Prize / grant
- van Berlo, Z. & Breves, P. (2023). MSI Research Grant.
- Breves, P. & van Berlo, Z. (2023). SWOCC Research Grant.
- Jacobs, L., Praetorius, A., Brick, C. & van Berlo, Z. (2023). IMPETUS Sustaining Grant.
- Jacobs, L., Praetorius, A., Brick, C. & van Berlo, Z. (2023). Midsize Project Grant.
- van Berlo, Z. & Sungur, H. (2022). Best Conference Paper – Research.
- Sungur, H. & van Berlo, Z. (2022). Grassroots Grant.
- van Berlo, Z., van Reijmersdal, E. & Rozendaal, E. (2022). Top cited paper in Journal of Consumer Behaviour 2020-2021: ‘Adolescents and handheld advertising: The roles of brand familiarity and smartphone attachment in the processing of mobile advergames’.
- van Berlo, Z. (2019). ICORIA Grant.
- Sungur, H. & van Berlo, Z. (2019). Creative Industries KIEM Grant. https://www.nwo.nl/en/projects/ki18051
Media appearance
- van Berlo, Z. & Sungur, H. (28-07-2020). Kan VR ervoor zorgen dat we minder plastic gaan gebruiken? [Radio] Nieuws en Co. How can we use virtual reality (VR) to reduce plastic consumption? (Radio interview). https://www.nporadio1.nl/nieuws-en-co/onderwerpen/62453-2020-07-28-kan-vr-ervoor-zorgen-dat-we-minder-plastic-gaan-gebruiken
- van Berlo, Z. (14-02-2019). Aldus (Interview) [Print] Het Parool. Aldus - Woordgebruik (Interview). https://digitalekrant.parool.nl/hetparool/563/article/855430/29/3/render/?token=c7cfe195e52e81da164f43a037000bd1
Talk / presentation
- van Berlo, Z. (keynote speaker) (14-10-2024). Immersive interventions: Can virtual reality help us envision a sustainable future?, Innovation through research, Heerlen. https://osf.io/79hfx/
- van Berlo, Z. (speaker) & Meijers, M. (speaker) (19-6-2024). Workshop: Virtual reality – Possibilities and limitations of for sustainability communication, Environmental Communication Event '24, Amsterdam.
- van Dolen, W. (speaker), van Berlo, Z. (speaker) & Gillis, F. (speaker) (23-9-2023). Samen naar een duurzamere toekomst?, Universiteitsdag 2023, Amsterdam. https://www.uva.nl/nieuws-agenda/agenda/evenementen/universiteitsdag/samen-naar-een-duurzamere-toekomst-panelgesprek.html
- van Berlo, Z. (speaker), Sungur, H. (speaker), Meijers, M. (speaker) & van Harreveld, F. (speaker) (19-6-2023). Een ver-van-mijn-bedshow? Over virtual reality en het beïnvloeden van gedrag, Spui 25. https://spui25.nl/programma/een-ver-van-mijn-bedshow-over-virtual-reality-en-het-beinvloeden-van-gedrag
- van Berlo, Z. (speaker) (4-5-2023). Branding and advertising — in XR: Guest lecture in the 'Emergent communication technologies' course, Antwerp University.
- van Berlo, Z. (speaker) (7-3-2023). Duurzaamheid + Virtual reality (VR), Meet the FMG, Amsterdam.
- van Berlo, Z. (speaker) (8-12-2022). Duurzaamheid + Virtual reality (VR), Meet the FMG, Amsterdam.
- van Berlo, Z. (speaker) (10-11-2022). Speel mee! – Gamificatie in reclame, SWOCC Symposium 2022, Amsterdam.
- van Berlo, Z. (speaker) (7-3-2022). Gamification: To play or to be played, Designing persuasive texts, Nijmegen.
- van Berlo, Z. (speaker) (9-2-2022). Duurzaamheid + Virtual reality (VR), Meet the FMG, Amsterdam.
Others
- van Berlo, Z. (participant) (19-10-2023 - 20-10-2023). Computational advertising research thought leadership forum, Minneapolis. This event brings together scholars to examine the most critical methodological developments and issues in the advertising research field in (…) (participating in a conference, workshop, ...).
2023
- Azrout, R., van Berlo, Z., Dubel, R., Jonkman, J. & Wolfers, L. (2023). ASCoR 25 years panel survey. Universiteit van Amsterdam.
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Ancillary activities
No ancillary activities
Azrout, R., van Berlo, Z. M. C., Dubel, R., Jonkman, J. G. F., Wolfers, L. N., & Baumgartner, S. E. (2024). Has the AI Revolution Started Yet? A Status Report on the Use of and the Attitudes Towards ChatGPT in Dutch Society. Tijdschrift voor Communicatiewetenschap, 52(3), 267-287.