The dis-matching effect: How argumentation type and message design influence persuasion for emerging technology products

Abstract

Emerging technology products, like AI-driven goods or electric vehicles, have the potential to disrupt markets. However, little is still known about how to advance their adoption through advertising. Therefore, we conducted three experiments to explore the persuasive effects of argumentation used in an ad (argumentation type: abstract/concrete) and the design of an ad (message design: narrative/non-narrative) for emerging technology products. Previous studies have proposed a matching principle in advertising, suggesting that abstract argumentation is more persuasive when consumers feel psychologically distant from the message subject, while concrete argumentation is more persuasive when they feel psychologically close to it. However, our research reveals that the matching principle applies to established technology products (Study 1), while the dis-matching principle (aligning abstract argumentation with low psychological distance and concrete argumentation with high psychological distance) is more effective for emerging technology products, particularly when ads are designed in a narrative format (Studies 2–3).