This research was supported in part by grant number T32 MH19728 from the Dutch Science Foundation (Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek), awarded to the second and third author; a “Pionier” Grant from the Dutch Science Foundation awarded to the second author; and a research grant of the Heymans Institute of the University of Groningen awarded to the second author. Study 1 was conducted as part of the fourth author's master's thesis under the supervision of the second author. Parts of the research reported here were presented at the 2004 and 2006 meetings of the Dutch Social Psychology Association. The authors are very grateful to Rik Pieters and an anonymous reviewer for their helpful suggestions on an earlier draft.
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Research Article
Beauty as a tool: The effect of model attractiveness, product relevance, and elaboration likelihood on advertising effectiveness†
Article first published online: 4 NOV 2010
DOI: 10.1002/mar.20375
© 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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How to Cite
Trampe, D., Stapel, D. A., Siero, F. W. and Mulder, H. (2010), Beauty as a tool: The effect of model attractiveness, product relevance, and elaboration likelihood on advertising effectiveness. Psychology and Marketing, 27: 1101–1121. doi: 10.1002/mar.20375
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Publication History
- Issue published online: 4 NOV 2010
- Article first published online: 4 NOV 2010
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Abstract
Although it seems intuitively appealing that physically attractive models constitute useful advertising tools, the existing literature on the topic has yielded inconsistent findings with regard to the conditions under which physically attractive models affect product attitudes favorably. The current research aimed to examine the role of elaboration likelihood and product relevance in predicting the advertising effectiveness of physically attractive models. Two experiments are reported that suggest that when elaboration likelihood is high, product relevance is consequential: An attractive model that advertises a product that is relevant for physical attractiveness affects product attitudes more favorably than does an attractive model that advertises a product that is less relevant for attractiveness. In contrast, when elaboration likelihood is low, relevance of the model for the product was observed to be inconsequential for product attitudes. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.