Subjective variability of the “just-right feeling”: Effectiveness of social media advertising design

• Published in: Electronic commerce research and applications 2024-11, Vol.68, p.101466, Article 101466
• Main Authors: Wang, Ya, Wu, Shuilong, Zhao, Jiajun, Yuan, Yongna
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Advertising appeals; Advertising attitude; Construal level theory; Self-construal; Shot scale; Social media advertising
• ISSN: 1567-4223
• DOI: 10.1016/j.elerap.2024.101466

•This study advances research in personalized social media marketing by examining consumer preferences for advertising design elements from a self-construal perspective.•This is one of the first studies to integrate personality traits (self-construal), visual cues (shot scale), and textual cues (advertising appeals), offering a comprehensive perspective on social media advertising design.•This study empirically validates the “feeling right” as a mediating mechanism through Construal Level Theory (CLT), enhancing the understanding of how design elements interact with personality traits.•The findings provide actionable insights for marketers, allowing them to tailor visual effects and slogans to consumer self-construal, boosting attractiveness and effectiveness. Even when personality traits are not identifiable, aligning shot scale with advertising appeals can improve brand communication. With the rapid advancement of AI and algorithmic technologies, social media platforms have gained the ability to identify consumer personality traits. However, developing compelling advertising strategies for individuals with different self-construals remains challenging. Based on construal level theory, this research investigates the interactions between shot scale, advertising appeals, and self-construal on social media. The results of the four empirical studies indicated that independent individuals prefer advertisements with long-shot images and desirability appeals. In contrast, interdependent individuals favor advertisements with close-up images and feasibility appeals. Furthermore, the findings reveal that long-shot images match with desirability appeals or close-up images paired with feasibility appeals significantly increase the click-through rate and foster more positive advertising attitudes. The above findings are central to the feeling right during information processing, which plays a crucial role in advertising acceptance. Therefore, this research constructs a new framework for personalized advertisement design in social media and offers a practical guide for businesses seeking to optimize their advertising strategies.