The influence of social comparison and advertising appeal on consumers'purchase intention
The widespread use of social media has increased both the opportunity and frequency of social comparison among individuals.On social media,individuals can easily access others'information,including videos,pictures,and locations,thereby enabling them to engage in social comparison anytime and anywhere.Compared to social comparison in direct communication,that on social media may have a deeper impact due to its characteristics of wider scope,selectivity,and suddenness.Previous research on the effects of social comparison on social media on individuals'emotions has mostly focused on psychology.This study proposes that social comparison can alter consumers'self-awareness and thinking patterns,leading to behavioral changes.However,there is a lack of research on social comparison in the marketing field,particularly on whether and how social comparison on social media influences consumer behavior.Therefore,this study investigates the interactive effects of social comparison and advertising appeals on consumers'purchase intention as well as their potential mechanisms based on the"social comparison theory","impression management theory",and"agentic-communal model"from a marketing perspective.Social comparison on social media includes upward and downward social comparisons.Upward comparison refers to when individuals compare their status to those of others who are more advantaged,leading to a decrease in self-perception and increase in self-enhancement motivation.Conversely,downward comparison refers to a scenario whereby individuals compare their status to those of the less fortunate,which may lead to a sense of superiority and increase in attention to interpersonal relationships.Previous research has found that individuals'social cognition and evaluation of themselves and others typically involve the dimensions of warmth and competence.Therefore,this study explores the interactive effects of social comparison(upward vs.downward)and advertising appeals(competence vs.warmth)on consumers'purchase intention,as well as the mediating role of information processing fluency.Two experiments are conducted on the Credamo platform to test the research hypotheses and model.Experiment 1 employs a 2(social comparison:upward vs.downward)x 2(advertising appeal:competence vs.warmth)between subjects design to investigate the interactive effects of social comparison and advertising appeal on consumers'purchase intention.Results of the two-factor analysis of variance indicate a significant interaction effect between social comparison and advertising appeals on consumer purchase intention.Specifically,individuals who experience upward social comparison perceive a gap between themselves and others,which activates their personal agentic orientation and increases their attention toward achieving personal goals and accomplishments,thus leading to a willingness for self-enhancement.Ability appeal in advertising emphasizes not only the brand and product's ability and efficiency but also the functional value it brings to consumers.Therefore,consumers are more inclined to prefer ability-oriented advertising appeals.Matching upward social comparison with ability-oriented advertising appeals increases consumer purchase intention.However,individuals who experience downward social comparison develop a sense of superiority,which activates their communal orientation and preference for social relationships,thereby increasing their attention to relational needs.The warmth appeal in advertising reflects the brand and product's warmth and friendliness,emphasizing the emotional experience it brings to consumers.Matching downward social comparison with warmth-oriented advertising appeals increases consumers'purchase intention.In Experiment 2,the same 2(social comparison:upward vs.downward)× 2(advertising appeal:competence vs.warmth)between-subjects design is adopted to investigate the mediating effect of information processing fluency.Mediation analysis is conducted using Model 8 in SPSS.Results show that information processing fluency plays a mediating role in the interaction effect of social comparison and advertising appeals on consumers'purchase intention.Specifically,upward social comparison can stimulate consumersagentic orientation,activating their attention to certain concepts like ability,intelligence,efficiency,and self-enhancement,thereby making them more fluent vis-à-vis processing product functional information in ability-oriented advertising.By contrast,downward social comparison can activate consumers'communal orientation,triggering their attention to concepts like trust,patience,friendliness,and sincerity.This makes them more fluent in processing product emotional information in warmth-oriented advertising.Information processing fluency can positively influence consumers'attitudes and behavioral decisions,and higher information processing fluency can lead to higher purchase intention.This study investigates the influence of social comparison on consumer purchase intention from a marketing perspective,combining social comparison with advertising appeals,and revealing the internal mechanisms of their effects,thereby expanding the social comparison research field.Findings of the present study can provide theoretical inspiration and practical guidance for companies with regard to social media marketing.Companies should pay attention to the matching effect of social comparison situations and advertising appeals in social media marketing,or use big data to describe consumer portraits and provide precise personalized recommendations for different consumers to achieve better advertising effectiveness.
Social comparisonAdvertising appealPurchase intentionInformation processing fluency
万方数据
维普
