Is Persuasion in the Eye of the Beholder?

Abstract

Digital marketing is being revolutionized by technological advancements in many fields, such as artificial intelligence and persuasive technologies. Persuasive technology still generates disagreements, both on the marketer side, by setting up a persuasive system, and on the consumer side, who is responsible for accepting and instilling. This chapter presents a case study, which focuses on a Portuguese sports betting app – Placard. The aim is to examine Placard gamblers' behaviors, attitudes, and preferences, and how their user experience is influenced by the persuasive technologies embedded in this app. The main results allow a conclude that, no matter how much persuasive technology is programmed, and designed to change a certain behavior, it will always depend on the user, as well as on the different factors that influence their decision. The persuasive sports betting platform itself also needs to provide a better user experience to trigger less resistance. These results are discussed for the benefit of future digital marketing strategies and tactics withing online gambling.