Exploring the Differential Effects of Religious and Spiritual Cues in Online Advertising: A Study of U.S. Christians and the Nonreligious during COVID-19

Abstract

During times of distress, people tend to seek religious or spiritual guidance as a coping mechanism. COVID-19 brought much uncertainty into the lives of people across the world, providing a unique window into the various constructs and individual preferences related to religion and spirituality. While previous findings focus on the importance of religious cues and religiosity in advertising, scholars have not paid much attention to spirituality. A growing number of Americans do not identify with any religion, and studies about the nonreligious, especially atheists and agnostics, are relatively scant. Therefore, the aim of the current study, grounded in congruity theory and cue utilization theory, was to align ad orientation (religious versus spiritual) with individual life orientation (religious versus nonreligious) to explore the impact of these relationships on advertising effectiveness. Findings show that Christians had strong and favorable attitudes toward both the religious and spiritual ads but stronger intention to learn more about the brand only after exposure to the religious ad. In contrast, nonreligious participants had significantly more favorable attitudes and higher intention after exposure to the spiritual ad (versus religious ad). These findings contribute to an initial theoretical understanding of these two groups, with important implications for advertisers.

Additional information

Funding

We are grateful to have received funding from the following sources to help undertake this research: Ariel University Grants Program for COVID-19 Research (Israel), the Meadows School of the Arts, the Temerlin Advertising Institute, and the Marriott Family Endowed Professor Award at Southern Methodist University.

Notes on contributors

Carrie La Ferle

Carrie La Ferle (PhD, University of Texas at Austin) is the Marriott Endowed Professor of Ethics and Culture, Temerlin Advertising Institute, Southern Methodist University.

Sidharth Muralidharan

Sidharth Muralidharan (PhD, University of Southern Mississippi) is an associate professor, Temerlin Advertising Institute, Southern Methodist University.

Osnat Roth-Cohen

Osnat Roth-Cohen (PhD, Bar-Ilan University) is a senior lecturer, School of Communication, Ariel University.