The interplay of information order and locus of attention on the truth effect in healthy food advertisements

Abstract

Copyright © 2023 The Authors. The perceived truthfulness of advertised claims plays a vital role in healthy food marketing, shaping positive consumer responses. This study investigates how the presentation order of healthy ingredients and food products commonly featured in advertisements influences the perceived truthfulness of these claims, also known as the truth effect, using the congruency effect as a theoretical framework. Two studies were conducted to explore the impact of the compatibility between a contextual factor (presentation order) and cultural/individual difference (locus of attention) on the subjective experience of processing fluency, and how it subsequently enhances the truth effect, wherein consumers believe the advertised claims about the product. Studies 1 and 2 revealed that individuals, depending on their locus of attention, are more likely to exhibit a heightened truth effect when the food product is presented first, followed by the healthy ingredient as an attribute, or when the information is presented in the opposite order. Additionally, the observed effect was found to be completely mediated by processing fluency. These findings make theoretical and practical contributions by highlighting the role of the congruency effect as a novel determinant of the truth effect.