When Visual Cues Activate Moral Foundations: Unintended Effects of Visual Portrayals of Vaping within Electronic Cigarette Video Advertisements

Abstract

Within multimodal persuasive messages, the roles of visual cues in producing unintended effects have been understudied. In an experiment on a sample of former and current smokers (N = 991), we manipulated the presence of visual vaping cues within electronic cigarette video advertisements (N = 25) to evaluate opinions towards vape-free policies. Such cues diminished the effects of pro-vaping arguments to increase support for vape-free policies, inadvertently benefiting public health. Consistent with the moral foundations theory (MFT), endorsement of the care/harm moral foundation strengthened message effects. Furthermore, cognitions and emotions related to moral intuitions mediated the effects of visual vaping cues. These findings suggest that MFT can help explain unintended effects of visual cues when outcomes are related to morality.

Attitudinal and normative responses to advertising stimuli and vaping intentions

“…Although vaping is not completely safe, former smokers are better off if they develop positive intention to vape rather than consider smoking. However, if they start and continue vaping over a long period, then they might relapse though some evidence suggest that this might not happen Consistent with prior research (Yang et al 2018), results from waves one and two surveys also revealed that awareness of e-cigarette advertising in retail outlets significantly predicted never smokers' cognitive attitudes, which in turn affected intention to vape. The results are worrying because never smokers who develop stronger cognitive attitudes towards vaping perhaps because of greater exposure to e-cigarette advertising might decide to start vaping and consider experimenting cigarette smoking and become long-term daily cigarette smokers.…”

“…Once cognitive responses of potential users (e.g., former smokers) are triggered, this may reflect favourable or unfavourable evaluations of the attitude object, i.e. the stimulus (Fishbein & Ajzen 1975;Yang et al 2018). In this regard, marketing messages that promote the health benefits of e-cigarettes may create favourable cognitive responses among consumers (Rüther et al 2015).…”

“…The literature on marketing communication has shown how attitudinal responses can mediate the effect of advertising input on behavioral responses (Lavidge & Steiner, 1961; Yang et al, 2018). Advertising itself has been considered as an attitudinal object, and attitudes toward the adverts can determine consumers’ responses to the advertising stimuli.…”

“…Exposure to advertising stimulus may lead to a cognitive response, which involves elements of memory, knowledge structure, beliefs, and thoughts (Bettman & Park, 1980; Popova et al, 2018; Yang et al, 2018) as well as sensory elements of imagery and its associations (Holbrook & Hirschman, 1982). During exposure to the ad message, cognitive concepts can be activated that are congruent with the triggered affective reactions.…”

“…Likewise, affect can be used as a basis for judgment as consumers infer their cognitive attitude toward the advertised brand from the feelings they experience based on heuristic experience (Forgas, 1995). Once cognitive responses of potential users (e.g., former smokers) are triggered, this may reflect favorable or unfavorable evaluations of the attitude object, that is, the stimulus (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975; Yang et al, 2018). In this regard, marketing messages that promote the health benefits of e-cigarettes may create favorable cognitive responses among consumers (Rüther et al, 2015).…”