Differences in Regulatory Fit Effects on Cognitions and Behavior When Marketing Messages Pertain to Personally Relevant Issues: The Role Of Personal Relevance

Abstract

Drawing on Regulatory Focus Theory (Higgins 1987), this study explored the effects of regulatory fit on persuasion when marketing messages pertain either to personally relevant issues (e.g., physical activity) or to less personally relevant issues (e.g., affordable seniors' housing). Consistent with the work of Wang and Lee (2006), it was argued that regulatory fit would enhance the persuasiveness of marketing messages only when the message content was not personally relevant to the message recipient (i.e., a low-involvement condition). When message content was less personally relevant, regulatory fit was expected to act as a heuristic, signaling to the message recipient to pay attention to the material, thus enhancing persuasion. Conversely, it was expected that regulatory fit would not contribute to the persuasiveness of personally relevant messages. That is, personally relevant messages would be systematically processed, regardless of regulatory fit.