Value Added

This headline worked, didn’t it?

Since the dawn of newspapers in the 17th century, journalists and storytellers have relied on the same primary mechanism to capture a reader’s attention: the headline and lede.

Today, those two elements of journalism remain as important as ever, especially since the rise of the internet and the advent of search engine optimization. However, a new study from Temple University’s Fox School of Business finds that while headlines grab attention, it is storytelling design that ultimately determines whether an audience stays with a story.”

“At a time when we are bombarded with more messages than ever before, this study is key as it provides a blueprint for how to both grab and retain an audience member’s attention,” said Susan Mudambi, professor emeritus of marketing, who co-authored the study with Joydeep Srivastava, the Robert L. Johnson Professor of Marketing and Supply Chain Management; Subodha Kumar, the Paul R. Anderson Distinguished Chair Professor of Statistics, Operations and Data Science; and Debashish Ghose, FOX ’23.

For this large-scale observational study, the researchers examined how narrative form, emotional sequencing and reading complexity affect reader engagement when it comes to traditional and satirical news stories and looked at how these stories were posted by the same publisher on social media. Using advanced AI systems known as large language models, they then manipulated the narrative format, emotional sequence and reading level within the stories and created new versions.

The study shows that reader engagement depends on how each of the storytelling features interact. In traditional news, simple language broadly helps with reader engagement, but that does not mean complex language cannot work. When it is paired with a high level of narrativity and the story flows from bad to good, it can be successful.

three Fox School of Business faculty members sitting on a bench reading newspapers.

A new study from Fox School of Business faculty members Joydeep Srivastava (far left), Susan Mudambi and Subodha Kumar outlines how storytelling design is key for retaining reader engagement.

For satirical publications, the researchers found that engagement rises when narrativity, emotional sequence and reading level match the audience’s initial motivation for diving into the story.

For journalists and news organizations, the study provides a framework to consider when crafting both traditional and satirical news stories. It also offers guidance on what journalists should consider when working on longer-form, magazine-style pieces.

Stephen Orbanek

From reward to requirement: The new tipping culture

In recent years, tipping has expanded far beyond sit-down restaurants. What was once a way to reward good service has become an expected step in many transactions, sparking frustration, confusion and even guilt. A new study by Lu Lu, associate professor in the Fox School of Business and the School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management, is helping unpack this cultural shift, revealing how consumers are emotionally reacting to pre-service tipping in an evolving service economy.

The premise

According to findings from the Pew Research Center in 2023, about 72% of American adults felt they were expected to tip more and tip in more situations compared with five years prior, even in cases in which service isn’t directly provided.

The question

How are consumers responding to pre-service tipping?

The experiments

The research team conducted two online experiments with more than 730 participants.

In the first study, participants were shown one of four coffee shop scenarios and asked about their emotional response, whether the scenario felt realistic, how much the employee deserved a tip and how satisfied they were with their decision. In the second study, researchers added two more factors: the timing of the tip prompt (before or after service) and the visibility of employee effort.

Two conclusions

One: Pre-service tipping often triggers negative emotions—such as discomfort and uncertainty—especially when customers can’t see the service being performed, when the request feels premature or when they sense they are being watched.

Two: But when participants can see employees making drinks, the process feels more open, and tipping prompts feel fairer.