Indirect, so it is persuasive. But not for me: the role of metaphoricthinking tendency

Abstract

We examine the persuasiveness of advertising messages based on individuals' tendency towards metaphoric thinking measured by metaphor usage measure (MUM) and construal level. Two on-line studies show that individuals' metaphoric thinking tendency moderates the perceived persuasiveness of advertising messages (metaphor vs. non-metaphor) and that construal level mediates this effect. Study 1 shows that MUM moderates the effect of message type demonstrating that individuals with high MUM evaluate a metaphoric message more persuasive. Study 2 demonstrates that this interaction is mediated by construal level. Analysis using PROCESS macro revealed that construal level decreases after being exposed to a metaphoric message which is opposite to what was expected. Additional analysis was performed to probe a possible cause for this unexpected finding. Although it is premature to conclude, it appears that shift-in-emotion in high-level construal may need further investigation. In addition, findings suggest that metaphor may be effective only to those who are in a high tendency towards metaphoric thinking.