Images of successful and attractive endorsers and Advertising effectiveness

Social comparison in advertising is an understudied topic that is usually looked at through the lens of women reacting to idealized images of women in ads. The present study we aim to examine and compare the simultaneous effect of success appeals and attractiveness for male spokespersons, as well as explain why and when this effect happens based on the viewer’s gender. Results of an experimental study indicated that male participants show lower purchase intention and ad attitude in light of the success appeal; however, this effect was not influenced by attractiveness. For males, negative affect mediated the relationship between ad effectiveness and exposure to a successful spokesperson; female participants did not experience negative affect in this way