doi: 10.18178/ijimt.2025.16.2.972
Acceptance of Enrollment Advertisement of Virtual Agent by Real Viewers
2. Franbo Line Corp., Taiwan
Email: politeweng@yahoo.com.tw (T.-S.W.); hp2027@gmail.com (I.-C.C.); suei561211@gmail.com (J.-S.Z.)
*Corresponding author
Manuscript received September 6, 2024; accepted December 23, 2024; published April 15, 2025
Abstract—Many educational institutions have been
challenged by sub-replacement fertility in recent years. As such,
it is becoming increasingly challenging to enroll new students in
their programs. In this context, using Artificial Intelligence (AI)
to create avatars to attract student enrollment is an emerging
trend and possible solution. However, virtual agents have not
yet been widely used to attract enrollment in university
departments. Based on the “matching hypothesis,”
anthropomorphism affects human perception and behavior by
increasing trust and connectedness or stimulating social
response behaviors. This study explored viewers’ perceptions of
the virtual spokes-character’s smooth performance, expertise,
facilities, internship opportunities, and future employment
opportunities and prospects in the Department of M at C
University. We invited potential students to watch an
enrollment advertisement film regarding the Department of M,
in which a virtual spokes-character introduced the department.
A total of 122 valid questionnaires were retrieved. The findings
indicate that the virtual agent positively influenced the viewers.
Most viewers found the virtual agent’s performance smooth,
professional, and effective in conveying the department’s
characteristics. Moreover, most viewers expressed trust in the
virtual agent’s endorsement.
Keywords—enrollment, sub-replacement fertility, Artificial
Intelligence (AI), matching hypothesis, virtual agent, virtual
campus, trust
Cite: Ting-Sheng Weng, I-Ching Chao, and Jin-Suei Zheng, "Acceptance of Enrollment Advertisement of Virtual Agent by Real Viewers," International Journal of Innovation, Management and Technology vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 19-24, 2025.
Copyright © 2025 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).