Advertising message design and healthy food purchase intention: the interactive effect of temporal distance and message framing

Purpose In an era of information overload, advertising is an effective mean of influencing consumers’ food preferences. This study focuses on advertising message design and explores how temporal distance and message framing can be effectively combined to promote healthy food consumption. Design/methodology/approach Grounded in construal level theory, this study developed a conceptual model to examine the interactive effect of temporal distance (present vs. future) and message framing (positive vs. negative) on healthy food purchase intentions through three studies. Findings Study 1 found that when the message was negatively framed, the present temporal distance significantly increased purchase intentions for healthy food. In contrast, no significant effect of temporal distance was observed in positive framing. Study 2 discovered that conceptual fluency mediates this interaction effect. Study 3 demonstrated the moderating effect of general health interest (GHI). Specifically, a significant interaction effect between temporal distance and message framing on healthy food purchase intentions was observed only among consumers with low GHI, while those with high GHI were unaffected by message design. Research limitations/implications This study reveals that multidimensional message designs (temporal distance and message framing) in advertising influence consumers’ healthy food purchases through information processing mechanism (conceptual fluency), thereby enriching research related to message design and information processing in persuasive communication and providing valuable theoretical insights into healthy food advertising. Based on the findings of this study, the stakeholders, including managers, marketers and government agencies in the health food and wellness industry, can create more effective advertisements to promote healthy consumption, which enhances both business outcome and overall social benefits. Practical implications Based on the findings of this study, the stakeholders, including managers, marketers and government agencies in the health food and wellness industry, can create more effective advertisements to promote healthy consumption, which enhance both business outcome and overall social benefits. Originality/value In the healthy consumption context, this study elucidates the critical role of message framing in influencing how temporal distance affects consumers’ purchase intention from a persuasive advertising design perspective. Furthermore, it identifies the underlying information processing mechanism underpinning this interactive effect, which enriches the theoretical understanding of the mechanisms driving healthy food advertising effectiveness.