“People” Can Be Better Than “You”: The Moderating Role of Regulatory Focus On Self-Referencing Messages in Physical Activity Promotion Campaigns Among College Students

Abstract

Self-referencing effects explain why many advertisements try to relate people with the ads; when an individual relates an ad to the self, the person will be more likely to recall the ad. However, this study revealed that the regulatory focus of messages is a boundary condition for self-referencing strategy. Self-referencing did not yield a positive persuasion effect in prevention-focused messages. The underlying message process analyses further revealed people avoid elaborating prevention-focused messages when used with self-referencing, rather than viewing them in a biased manner. The findings provide guidance for health communication practitioners’ use of self-referencing statements.