Promoting Mask-Wearing in COVID-19 Brand Communications: Effects of Gain-Loss Frames, Self- or Other-Interest Appeals, and Perceived Risks

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses displayed signs to promote preventive behaviors, such as wearing masks in public, but the effectiveness of this practice largely remains unknown. This research investigates the interaction effect between gain-loss framing and self-other-interest appeals on individual issue judgment of mask-wearing in public. Additionally, it examines the moderating role of perceived situational risks on such interaction effects. Three experiments show that in low-risk public environments, loss-framed (vs. gain-framed) messages are more persuasive when appealing to the interests of socially distant entities (i.e., family and friends in study 1 and 2, community in study 3), and gain-framed (vs. loss-framed) messages are more persuasive when appealing to the interests of socially proximal entities (i.e., self in study 2). However, in high-risk public environments, gain-framed messages are always more persuasive than loss-framed messages, especially when appealing to the interests of socially distant entities (i.e., community in study 3). Theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.