Gradually or immediately? The effects of ad type and fresh start mindset on health persuasion

As a necessary means of encouraging individuals to adopt healthy behaviors, improving the persuasiveness of ads related to health has been a major topic of common concern in both academic and practical circles. However, scant attention has been given to how consumers’ fresh start mindset (FSM) may influence the effect of ad types on health persuasion. Based on the construal level theory (CLT), the current research investigates the interplay of ad type (progression ad vs. before/after ad) and FSM (weak vs. strong) on the persuasiveness of health ads and the mechanisms underlying it. Across three studies, we demonstrated that progression ads are more effective when consumers have a weak FSM, whereas a before/after ad will be more persuasive when consumers hold a strong FSM. More importantly, consumers’ perceived feasibility and desirability drive the interactive effect of ad type and FSM, such that perceived feasibility mediates the positive effect of progression ads on persuasion among consumers with a weaker FSM, while perceived desirability mediates the positive effect of before/after ads on persuasion among consumers with a stronger FSM. Our findings extend the existing literature streams on the fresh start effect, message persuasion, and construal level theory and provide practical insights for health product manufacturers and policymakers concerned about public health.