Message Design Research Articles

Political practitioners poorly predict which messages persuade the public

Do political practitioners have good intuitions about how to persuade the public? Longstanding theories that political elites' messages have large effects on public opinion and the large sums spent to secure some practitioners' messaging advice suggest they should. However, findings regarding the surprising limits of expert forecasts in other domains suggest they may not. In this paper, we evaluate how well political practitioners can predict which messages are most persuasive. We measured the effects of [Formula: see text] messages about 21 political issues using a large-sample survey experiment ([Formula: see text] respondent-message observations). We then asked both political practitioners ([Formula: see text] practitioners, [Formula: see text] predictions) and laypeople ([Formula: see text] respondents, [Formula: see text] predictions) to predict the efficacy of these messages. The practitioners we surveyed ranged widely in their experience and expertise with persuasive message design. We find that: (a) political practitioners and laypeople both performed barely better than chance at predicting persuasive effects; (b) once accounting for laypeople's inflated expectations about the average size of effects, practitioners did not predict meaningfully better than laypeople; (c) these results held even for self-identified issue experts and highly experienced practitioners; and (d) practitioners' experience, expertise, information environment, and demographics did not meaningfully explain variation in their accuracy. Our findings have theoretical implications for understanding the conditions likely to produce meaningful elite influence on public opinion as well as practical implications for practitioners.

Communication, Climate Mitigation, and Behavior Change Interventions: Understanding Message Design and Digital Media Technologies

Using the socio-ecological model of social and behavior change communication, our review highlights current trends in understanding message design factors and media technologies promoting proenvironment and climate mitigative behaviors. We explain that much of this research has focused on the individual level, and relatively few studies have been conducted at the interpersonal and community levels. With respect to changing communication ecology, we note the potential for research on the use of social media platforms to influence positive behavior changes and, conversely, the challenges of misinformation and its impact on behavior shifts. This area requires further investigation as these communication platforms transform and become increasingly relevant. Additionally, we need to explicate the long-term shifts and impacts of behavior change interventions as well as track behaviors over time. Overall, our review underscores the continued need for research across different geographical, sociopolitical, and technological contexts.

The Role of Choice and Descriptive Norms in Attenuating Reactance to BPA Risk Messages: A Conceptual Replication

ABSTRACT The current study examined behavioral recommendations to reduce Bisphenol A (BPA) exposure through the lens of psychological reactance theory. This study conceptually replicated previous work by [Reynolds-Tylus, T., Martinez Gonzalez, A., & Quick, B. L. (2019). The role of choice clustering and descriptive norms in attenuating psychological reactance to water and energy conservation messages. Environmental Communication, 13(7), 847–863. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2018.1461672)] by examining two antecedents to psychological reactance: choice and descriptive norms. Participants (N = 607) were randomly assigned to one of five message conditions in a 2 (choice: choice, no choice) X 2 (descriptive norm: high vs. low) factorial design with a no message control. Results indicated that messages providing choice (vs. no choice) within a cluster of environmental health behaviors decreased freedom threat perceptions. As expected, reactance was negatively associated with intention to reduce BPA exposure. Descriptive norm (high vs. low) was unrelated to freedom threat but indirectly influenced behavioral intention to reduce BPA exposure as mediated through perceived descriptive norm. Our results speak to the importance of replication in communication research and provide evidence-based message design advice for environmental health campaigns. Findings are discussed in terms of the theoretical and practical contributions of the current study.

Content Feature of Medical Crowdfunding Information in Social Media—A Content and Effectiveness Analysis of Medical Crowdfunding Posts on Sina Weibo in China

Attracting donations is challenging but imperative for fundraisers to secure donations. Solicitation narratives serve as a key strategy for attracting both acquaintances and strangers, thereby influencing donation behavior. To optimize medical crowdfunding messaging on social media, this study explores prevalent content features of medical crowdfunding messages on Sina Weibo and determines whether these features impact message effectiveness. A retrospective content analysis was conducted on medical crowdfunding posts on Sina Weibo in China throughout 2023. The posts were systematically coded for the author’s gender, author type, target audience, key themes, human imagery, message sentiments, and message strategies, with their effectiveness analyzed using SPSS. Out of the 394 posts analyzed, private authors emerged as the dominant voices, directing their appeals predominantly toward the general public and often expressing neutral to negative sentiments. The overarching theme across these posts centered on the dire need for medical assistance. Including human imagery and informative message strategies was pivotal in determining post-effectiveness, eliciting heightened audience engagement in terms of likes and shares. Negative sentiment posts influenced comment effectiveness. These findings underscore the potential of social media campaigns in promoting altruistic health behaviors while emphasizing the critical role of strategic message design through the use of human imagery, informative message strategies, and negative sentiment to improve audience engagement.

Designing a Culturally Relevant Digital Skin Cancer Prevention Intervention for Hispanic Individuals: Qualitative Exploration.

In the past 2 decades, melanoma incidence among Hispanic individuals has risen by 20%. The mortality rate of Hispanic individuals is higher than that for non-Hispanic White individuals. Skin cancer can largely be prevented with regular sun protection, and skin cancer outcomes can be improved through early detection, for example, by skin self-examination. Alarmingly, Hispanic individuals are less aware of the symptoms and harms of skin cancers, tend to have misperceptions regarding the risks and benefits of skin cancer prevention behaviors, and engage in less sun protection behaviors than non-Hispanic White individuals. This study aimed to use a community-engaged approach and conduct both group and individual interviews among Hispanic individuals and relevant key stakeholders to explore the potential design of a mobile-based skin cancer prevention intervention for Hispanic individuals. This study used a qualitative design (focus groups and individual interviews). Participants were recruited from local community organizations' social media, local events, and contact lists (eg, email). Zoom interviews were conducted to examine whether Hispanic individuals would be interested in a mobile-based skin cancer intervention and to explore their preferences and suggestions to inform skin cancer prevention intervention design. Five focus groups (2 in Spanish and 3 in English) among self-identified Hispanic individuals (n=34) and 15 semistructured, in-depth individual interviews among key stakeholders (health care providers and community leaders; eg, dermatologist, nurse practitioner, licensed social worker, and church leader) were conducted. The main themes and subthemes emerging from the group discussions and individual interviews were organized into the following categories: intervention platform, delivery frequency and format, message design, engagement plan, and activities. WhatsApp and Facebook were identified as suitable platforms for the intervention. Messages including short videos, visuals (eg, images and photographs), and simple texts messages were preferred. Recommendations for message design included personalized messages, personal stories and narratives, culturally relevant design (eg, incorporating family values), and community-trusted sources. Potential engagement and retention recommendations were also discussed. Additional details and exemplar quotes of each theme and subtheme are described. This study provides important insights and directions for the design of a mobile, digital skin cancer intervention to modify Hispanic individuals' sun protection and skin self-examination behaviors to help improve skin cancer outcomes. Insights gathered from community leaders and health care providers provided valuable additions to the community-derived data. Leveraging popular digital platforms among Hispanic individuals such as WhatsApp or Facebook could be a promising approach to skin cancer prevention. Recommendations from the community included the use of concise videos, illustrative images, clear text messages, tailored communications, narratives featuring personal experiences, designs that reflect cultural significance, and information from sources that are trusted by the community, which provided useful strategies for future intervention design among Hispanic individuals.

Cannabis Users' and Non-Users' Differential Responses to Two Anti-Cannabis Campaigns.

Even though multiple states have approved legal recreational use of cannabis, the expansion of recreational cannabis legalization has led to public health concerns in the United States. Young adults (18-25 years old) have the highest percentage of cannabis use disorder compared to all other age groups. The purpose of this study is to compare cognitive and emotional responses of young adults who use cannabis and non-users to two anti-cannabis media campaigns that employed different message strategies. In total, 50 people (25 people who use cannabis and 25 non-users) participated in the study-a 2 (cannabis use status: people who currently use cannabis/non-users) × 2 (Public Service Advertising [PSA] campaign: Don't be a Lab Rat-Informational/Stoner Sloth-Narrative) × 3 (message replication) experiment. Participants viewed six messages based on the combinations of each of the three message replications within two campaigns. Participants' facial emotional responses were recorded during message exposure. Self-report questions were asked after viewing each message. Self-report indices showed no differences between the two campaigns for participants who use cannabis and non-users. However, after controlling for individual differences, participants who use cannabis displayed more negative emotional responses to the Don't be a Lab Rat messages than to the Stoner Sloth messages. Conversely, cannabis users experienced more positive emotional responses to the Stoner Sloth messages than to the Don't be a Lab Rat messages. The study provides insights for message design in public health campaigns addressing cannabis use, suggesting that psychophysiological measures can be helpful in providing insights into responses not detected by traditional self-report measures.

Using Short-Form Videos to Get Clinical Trial Newcomers to Sign Up: Message-Testing Experiment.

Recruiting participants for clinical trials poses challenges. Major barriers to participation include psychological factors (eg, fear and mistrust) and logistical constraints (eg, transportation, cost, and scheduling). The strategic design of clinical trial messaging can help overcome these barriers. While strategic communication can be done through various channels (eg, recruitment advertisements), health care providers on the internet have been found to be key sources for communicating clinical trial information to US adults in the social media era. This study aims to examine how communication source (ie, medical doctors and peers) and message framing of TikTok videos (ie, psychological and logistical framing) influence clinical trial-related attitudes, perceptions, and sign-up behaviors under the guidance of the integrated behavioral model. This study used a 2 (source: doctor vs peer) × 2 (framing: psychological vs logistical) between-participant factorial design web-based experiment targeting adults in the United States who had never participated in clinical trials (ie, newcomers). A Qualtrics panel was used to recruit and compensate the study respondents (n=561). Participants viewed short-form videos with doctors or peers, using psychological or logistical framing. The main outcome measures included perceived source credibility, self-efficacy, attitude toward clinical trial participation, behavioral intention, and sign-up behavior. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the direct and indirect effects of message factors on the outcome variables. Source (doctor=1; peer=0) and framing (psychological=1; logistical=0) were dummy-coded. Doctor-featured messages led to greater perceived source credibility (β=.31, P<.001), leading to greater self-efficacy (95% CI 0.13-0.30), which in turn enhanced behavioral intention (95% CI 0.12-0.29) and clinical trial sign-up behavior (95% CI 0.02-0.04). Logistical barrier-framed messages led to greater self-efficacy (β=-.09, P=.02), resulting in higher intention to participate in clinical trials (95% CI -0.38 to -0.03) and improved sign-up behavior (95% CI -0.06 to -0.004). Logistical barrier-framed messages were also directly associated with an increased likelihood of signing up for a clinical trial (β=-.08, P=.03). The model accounted for 21% of the variance in clinical trial sign-up behavior. Attitude did not significantly affect behavioral intention in this study (β=.08, P=.14), and psychological and logistical barrier-framed messages did not significantly differ in attitudes toward clinical trial participation (β=-.04, P=.09). These findings advance our understanding of how people process popular message characteristics in short-form videos and lend practical guidance for communicators. We encourage medical professionals to consider short-form video sites (eg, TikTok and Instagram Reels) as effective tools for discussing clinical trials and participation opportunities. Specifically, featuring doctors discussing efforts to reduce logistical barriers is recommended. Our measuring of actual behavior as an outcome is a rare and noteworthy contribution to this research.

Children’s perceptions of race and ethnicity in media: a 25-year update to children now

ABSTRACT In 1998, Children Now surveyed 1,200 U.S. 10- to 17-year-olds about TV racial depictions, finding white children reported the most visibility. As a 25-year update, we surveyed 834 U.S. 10- to 17-year-olds: Asian/Asian American (n = 177), Black (n = 206), Hispanic (n = 150), Indigenous/Native American (n = 86), and white (n = 215). More youth now say it’s important to see their race in media, but fewer report seeing their group, with Hispanic and Asian youth reporting the lowest frequencies. Overall, youth perceived disparities: 93% said there were ‘enough’ white characters; fewer said there were enough Black (54%), Hispanic (43%), Asian (32%), and Indigenous (19%) characters. Perceptions of qualities varied, with Indigenous characters scoring lowest in positive qualities and Black and Hispanic characters highest in negative qualities. Indigenous, Hispanic, and Asian/Asian American youth perceived fewer positive ingroup representations than white and Black youth. Implications for media message design and the theory of invisibility are discussed.

Youth Participatory Action Communication Research: A Model for Developing Youth-Driven Health Campaigns

ABSTRACT Youth offer valuable insight on health communication needs and solutions in their communities. We propose youth participatory action communication research (YPACR) as a model for health campaign development that engages youth perspectives in applying systematic theory-informed communication research to addressing youth-identified health priorities. YPACR informed a series of paid high school internship programs in West Philadelphia, in which youth interns identified mental health help-seeking communication as a need among peers. In Phase 1, guided by the reasoned action approach and Hornik & Woolf method, youth interns conducted a survey measuring behavioral beliefs, normative beliefs, and control beliefs associated with mental health help-seeking, as well as trusted sources of mental health information, among local high school students. Survey results suggested control (self-efficacy) was an important message target and peers were trusted mental health information sources. In Phase 2, youth interns developed TikTok-style messages focused on strengthening control beliefs and promoting a youth-selected mental health support resource. Youth interns distributed an online survey experiment to test whether youth-created messages shown alongside resource information increased help-seeking self-efficacy compared to an information-only control. The YPACR framework contributed to youth-relevant campaign goals, study measurements, recruitment approaches, data interpretation, and message design. We discuss the benefits and challenges of this youth-driven health campaign development model and recommendations for future research.

Improving the understandability of flood warning messages – Explorative study on design preferences

Early warning systems (EWS) are effective if they prevent loss of lives, injuries and structural damage. Optimization of EWS is often focused on technical aspects such as the dissemination of warnings. Since the audience's response is key for the effectiveness of an EWS, non-technical aspects that improve perception and understandability of warning messages deserve attention, too. German warning messages have been criticized, particularly after fatal and destructive floods in July 2021, as being insufficient and not understandable. Data from an exploratory online survey in Germany (n = 131) reveal insights on preferences in flood warning message (FWM) design. The survey focused on structural appearance of recommendations on action and on graphic support like maps, symbols and photos. Respondents showed clear preferences of including graphics into FWMs (96 %) and structuring recommendations on action in a bullet point format (85 %). Maps were the most favored among the offered graphic options, as they offer visual information on e.g., intensity and extent of inundation. Display of real time flood maps is often not feasible yet, but flood hazard maps are available in Germany and could be integrated into future FWM as an intermediate solution.

KADVI HAWA TO JAWAAN: HOW INDIAN CINEMA PORTRAYED THE FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE

With its visual storyline, dramatic message design, and plenty of cognitive aspects, cinema is a powerful tool that can sway and inspire viewers. One of the key elements of development communication, such as programmes addressing gender issues, environmental challenges, or public health and hygiene awareness, is persuasive communication. In this regard, the present research has tried to evaluate the role of films as persuasive medium of communication for spreading awareness on climate change. Two films, namely, Kadvi Hawa and Jawan have been selected for this study to identify the portrayal of draught affected farmers and the aftermath of climate change. With the help of narrative analysis, analysing the dialogues and framing analysis the results of the research have been derived. This research has been based on an interpretivism philosophy and a deductive research approach.

Leveraging social media to enhance celebrity stories for anti-stigma efforts

Anti-stigma campaigns increasingly leverage personal narratives of celebrities or public figures through social media, yet little is known about what makes social media an effective storytelling tool. This study empirically tests their mental health stories in different media formats using a multiple message design. Through a pilot study, four celebrities were selected: Kristen Bell, Mariah Carey, Dwayne Johnson, and Kevin Love, who have disclosed their mental health struggles. An online between-subjects experiment was conducted with 389 participants who were randomly assigned to one of three conditions (social media vs. online article vs. no-message control). Results showed that participants who read the stories in a social media format felt a greater social presence, as if they were engaging in a real conversation with the celebrity, compared to those who read the same stories in an online article format. This, in turn, facilitated a stronger sense of transportation into the story, ultimately leading to persuasive outcomes such as positive attitudes toward help-seeking and increased intentions to seek both professional and informal help. Further analyses revealed that the effects of social presence and transportation on attitudes toward help-seeking were more pronounced among those with greater parasocial intimacy with the celebrity. The findings provide empirical support for the effectiveness of using social media as a storytelling channel for anti-stigma campaigns.

A Theoretical Analysis of Consumer Behaviour for Voters in Ghana

This paper identifies evidence of political marketing and, more specifically, consumer-oriented political marketing to analyse the theories of consumer behaviour and identify evidence of consumer behaviour in marketing in the behaviour of Ghanaian voters. The examination used quantitative research to analyse the relationship between three elements: (1) psychology, (2) personal and (3) social to understand the theory of the relationships between campaign messages and voters’ behaviour. Data were collected through a cross-sectional survey with semi-structured questionnaires administered to 7203 randomly selected respondents from participating political parties and voters in Accra, Ghana. Data received were analysed using descriptive statistics and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Findings revealed a statistically significant relationship between the behaviour of voters in Ghana and the campaign messages of political parties. This paper concludes that there are opportunities for political marketing and change in voter behaviour. Still, sufficient attention should be given to the understanding of consumer behaviour theory that recognizes the behavioural dynamic of voters in the design of effective campaign messages that are responsive to voters’ needs.

Evaluating the effectiveness of brief anti-speeding messages disseminated within warning notices to driving offenders

Road safety messaging represents a long-standing strategy in efforts to reduce speeding, a behaviour which accounts for an estimated 30 % of all road crashes on Australian roads. This study aimed to further examine the effectiveness of such a strategy via the use of a novel message medium that included anti-speeding messaging disseminated to speeding offenders via warning notices issued by a Start Government Transport agency. Informed by the Step approach to Message Design and Testing (SatMDT), survey content was devised to compare the effectiveness of the messages across various outcome measures including intentions to stay within the posted speed limit. A total of 219 speeding offenders completed the online survey. Overall, the results found some positive responses regarding Intervention condition participants’ responses to the anti-speeding messaging featured within the warning notices. Among some of the key findings were that the Intervention condition participants reported relatively low levels of message rejection. Additionally, females responded more favourably to both messages than males. Collectively, the findings suggest that there is no harm in including such messages within warning notices providing such messages are concept-tested prior to use. Overall, the findings suggest this approach may represent a low-cost option for targeted message delivery.

Eksplorasi Penggunaan Aplikasi Canva dalam Meningkatkan Desain Pesan Pembelajaran

One of the increasingly popular applications used for learning is Canva, this application is an online design application that is easy to use, and can help teachers create learning materials that are visually attractive and interactive, thereby increasing student motivation and learning outcomes. The aim of this research is to find out whether there is a relationship between the level of teacher familiarity with the Canva application and the teacher's skills in designing interesting learning messages; and identifying teachers' perceptions of the effectiveness of using the Canva application in improving the quality of learning message design. This research uses a quantitative descriptive method with a survey research type. The research sample was 30 teachers at SMP Negeri 1 Mempawah Hilir. The data that has been collected is processed and analyzed using IBM SPSS. The research results showed that the average value for the familiarity aspect with the Canva application was 91.3% in the high category. The average value of usage level and frequency is 95.2% in the high category. The average score for the creativity aspect and impact of the Canva application in classical learning is 99.5% in the high category. The average value of the challenge and support aspect is 81.8% in the high category. The conclusion obtained is that there is a relationship between the teacher's level of familiarity with the Canva application and the teacher's response to the Canva application is very good.

Vested Interest Theory as a Framework for Understanding Anthropogenic Climate Change Risk Perceptions

ABSTRACT Climate change due to anthropogenic activities is contributing to the systematic warming of Earth. A warming planet represents an existential threat to humanity, contributing to the increased frequency and magnitude of multiple natural hazards. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) notes that time is running out to create meaningful change to avert climate-related consequences. This research posits Vested Interest Theory (VIT) as a potentially useful framework for assessing attitudes and risk perceptions associated with anthropogenic climate change (ACC). Vested Interest Theory mediates the attitude-behavior relationship where highly vested individuals are more likely to behave in attitudinally-consistent ways. Vestedness is conceptualized as five distinct and observable variables: salience, certainty, immediacy, self-efficacy, and response-efficacy. To test VIT’s efficacy in this context, a survey was conducted with participants crowdsourced from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk platform (N = 1053). Participants responded to items designed to measure their individual vestedness in ACC consequences, risk perceptions, and behavioral intentions. This initial investigation shows that VIT’s constituent variables predict consequential amounts of observed variance in critical variables including risk perception, perceived event severity, and behavioral intentions related to ACC hazard mitigation. The results support the use of VIT as a framework for understanding attitude-behavior relationships associated with ACC mitigation. Based on these findings, we argue that VIT can also serve as a valuable message design framework to motivate ACC-related mitigation actions.

Using Price Promotions to Drive Children's Healthy Choices in a Developing Economy

This research examines how price discounts—a classic marketing incentive—drive children's healthy choices in the understudied context of a developing economy. The authors partnered with UNICEF to launch three field experiments in Panamá among 2,418 children to examine four pillars of price discount promotions for children: what to discount (product selection), how to discount (message design), whom to target (children's age), and whether to discount again (repetition). They uncovered four previously undocumented insights. First, price discounts alone effectively increase demand among children 6–11 years of age, reconciling conflicting findings in prior literature. Second, product selection based on relative price—a particularly crucial factor in developing regions—drives opposing postpromotion effects: ironically, marketers should not discount expensive healthy options but rather moderately priced ones. Third, different from prior literature's practice of directly communicating final prices, discount messages that require older children to derive final prices are more effective. Fourth, repetition can amplify or undermine discounts’ efficacy depending on message complexity and children's age. This research offers concrete guidelines for researchers and practitioners, uncovering both positive and negative effects of price promotions on children, and shedding light on price promotion interventions that most powerfully nudge children of different ages to act.

WhatsApp-based intervention in urban Colombia to support the prevention of arboviral diseases: a feasibility study

ABSTRACT Arboviral diseases remain a significant health concern worldwide, with over half the world’s population at risk for dengue alone. Without a vaccine or targeted treatment, the most effective strategy of prevention is vector management with community involvement. mHealth interventions, like WhatsApp, offer promising results for engaging communities and promoting healthier behaviors. This study explores the feasibility of integrating WhatsApp in vector control activities to improve arbovirus prevention in Colombia. A mixed-methods approach was employed to assess the WhatsApp-based intervention. WhatsApp messages were sent to 45 community women for 5 weeks to increase their knowledge and practices about dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. Pre-and-post surveys and focus group discussions were conducted in community settings to measure the feasibility and acceptability of this intervention. Chat reviews were done to assess the usability of users. A total of 1566 messages were exchanged in 45 WhatsApp chats. High acceptance and good usability (82% of users used the app for replying) were reported in this study. WhatsApp messages were perceived as short, clear, and enjoyable. Users liked the frequency, and design of messages. Pre- and post-surveys demonstrated improvements in the knowledge and practices of arboviral diseases. The intention to apply this knowledge in practice was reflected in a significant improvement, particularly in cleaning the laundry tank once a week (pre 62.1% to post 89.6%, p < 0.008). This study suggests that using WhatsApp as an additional tool could be a feasible, acceptable, and affordable strategy for improving the adoption of better practices in the prevention of arboviral diseases.

“Infographing” Dementia Prevention: A Co-Design Approach

ABSTRACT Designing effective public health messages is challenging, particularly when communicating complex and relatively new health messages such as dementia risk prevention which are still largely unfamiliar to the public. The accessibility of these messages, especially for individuals who speak English as an additional language, remains uncertain in large scale educational interventions. A key strategy to enhance the communication of evidence-based information is to co-design infographics that optimize the accessibility and impact of visual health messages. This paper reports on the co-design process of infographing dementia prevention messages. Qualitative data were analyzed using reflective thematic analysis to generate three themes reflecting the message design preferences of participants: “all hands on deck,” “charting the course,” and “get on board.” This work supports the crucial need to engage the target audience via co-design when creating visual messages as meaningful and accessible educational tools that will resonate with the intended audience. Doing so may help health communicators navigate the creation of visual messages across diverse health domains and populations.

Green with Arrogance: Dominant Brands Benefit from Arrogant Appeals

Consumers increasingly expect brands to contribute positively to the environment. This trend has created a race for brands to establish their “green” credentials. Asserting their superiority—a strategy we refer to as an arrogant appeal—may allow some brands to connect with this consumer preference if perceived as credible; however, when this brand communication lacks credibility, consumers lose trust and suspect brands of greenwashing. Applying expectancy violation theory and signaling theory to green advertising, we find a specific message source (level of brand dominance) influences the effectiveness of an arrogant appeal. Specifically, via the use of two experiments, we demonstrate that consumers use market dominance as a cue to establish the credibility of an arrogant appeal. This research (a) builds on comparative advertising literature to introduce the concept of arrogant appeal to the literature, (b) identifies a new credibility signal—brand dominance—for the effectiveness of green advertising appeals, (c) extends marketing research on arrogance to message design and source characteristics, and (d) discusses the ethical ramifications of consumers inferring credibility based on market dominance. A critical finding is that more dominant brands have earned the right to deploy an arrogant appeal based on a consumer heuristic.