Healthy menu promotions: A match between dining value and temporal distance

Abstract

This study intended to identify a persuasive communication strategy in the context of healthy menu promotions in restaurants by adopting construal level theory (CLT) and considering temporal distance. The study proposed that customers’ psychological states, in terms of hedonic versus utilitarian dining values, can qualitatively evoke different types of thinking (abstract versus concrete) with respect to the level of construal. The study demonstrated that a focus on hedonic value tends to lead people to think at a more abstract level of construal and have greater positive attitudes and purchasing intentions toward a healthy menu when the advertising message is framed in terms of the long-term benefits of a healthy diet. Conversely, a focus on utilitarian value tends to lead people to think at a more concrete level of construal and have greater positive attitudes and purchasing intentions toward a healthy menu when the advertising message is framed in terms of the immediate benefits of a healthy diet. Finally, the study also determined that gender plays a moderating role in the relationship between dining values and temporal frames. The results enhance the existing literature by identifying an antecedent influencing CLT and provide practical implications for effective marketing communication in the context of healthy menu item promotion in restaurants.