Advertising Functional Foods: The Effects of Physical Body Size and Appeal Type on Ad Credibility and Purchase Intentions

Abstract

When advertising functional foods, whether these are in solid or liquid form, marketers can choose different appeal types in combination with different endorser characteristics. In this research study, the authors examine how the credibility of such an ad and purchase intentions for the advertised product are influenced by the physical body size of the endorser and the appeal type used. Based on a 2 × 2 full factorial design, they find that in an ad for an energy drink, endorser body size has an effect on both of these dependent variables, while no differences are found between a functional and an emotional appeal.

KEYWORDS:

• consumer behavior
• endorser characteristics
• advertising

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to thank Marie Egeland and Jorunn Opsal for their invaluable help with the data.

CONTRIBUTORS

Elisabeth Lind Melbye (PhD) is a post-doctoral researcher at the UiS Business School, University of Stavanger, Norway.

Håvard Hansen (PhD) is a professor at the UiS Business School, University of Stavanger, Norway.

Yuko Onozaka (PhD) is an associate professor at the UiS Business School, University of Stavanger, Norway.

Notes

The number, and variety, of products developed as energy refills, meal replacements, energy restitution, etc., is enormous, and these products also belong to different nutritional categories dependent on their content and purpose. However, for the sake of simplicity, we call the product used in the ad a sports drink in the remainder of the report, although we are well aware that some may have other opinions about the categorization of this particular meal replacement drink.