Physical proximity increases persuasive effectiveness through visual imagery

Abstract Six experiments converged on the conclusion that consumers' physical distance from the verbal description of an event or a product can influence their beliefs in its implications. For example, participants' proximity to information about the likelihood of surviving an airline crash can influence their expectations that there would be survivors of a real‐life airplane accident, and being close to the description of a commercial product can influence beliefs that the product would be effective. These and other effects are mediated by the vividness of the mental image that participants form on the basis of the information. Consequently, the effects were attenuated when participants are under high cognitive load or when the verbal description lacks the detail necessary for forming a clear mental image. Alternative interpretations in terms of task involvement, perceptual fluency and construal levels are evaluated.