Taking Pride in Vegan Consumption: A Construal Level Theory Account of Ad Message Appeal and Future Self Connectedness
研究发现，相比未来结果诉求（如环境效益），即时影响诉求（如动物福利）更能提升消费者对素食产品的偏好，且预期消费自豪感（而非内疚感）起中介作用；未来自我联结程度调节了信息诉求与偏好的关系。
ABSTRACT Despite growing interest in vegan products, research examining the motivations, underlying psychological processes, and boundary conditions that drive consumer preference for vegan products remains limited. Drawing on theories of temporal self and appraisal theory, we find that an immediate message appeal (e.g., animal welfare), as compared to a future outcome message appeal (e.g., environmental benefits), leads to higher preference for vegan products. Anticipated consumption pride, but not guilt, mediates this relationship, highlighting the role of positive emotions in shaping ethical behavior. Furthermore, we examine how aligning the temporal orientation of advertising message appeals with individuals' construal mindsets, as primed by their connectedness to their future selves, enhances preference for vegan products. Grounded in construal level theory, we find that consumers with weaker connections to their future selves are more responsive to immediate impact message appeals, whereas future outcome message appeals are more effective for consumers with high levels of future self‐connectedness. Empathy, anthropomorphism, and egoistic and social consequences are ruled out as alternative process explanations. Our work contributes to research on vegan consumption, ad message framing, consumer emotions, and construal level theory.