Determining Effective Approaches to Promoting Consumption of Slow Fashion Apparel: The Impact of Message Framing and Message Content on Consumer Responses to Advertisements

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine which type of message framing and content in an advertising campaign can most effectively influence consumers\u27 knowledge, attitudes, and purchase intentions toward fast fashion apparel, while supporting the purchase of slow fashion apparel. This research was developed based on two variables: message framing and the elaboration likelihood model (ELM). Seventy-one students participated in a 2 (message frame: negative vs. positive) x 2 (peripheral processing/image vs. central processing/text) between-subjects experimental design. Findings suggested that message framing and message content affected participants\u27 future purchase intentions. The positively framed message, looking at the benefits of slow fashion increased future purchase intentions more so than the negatively framed message looking at the harmful effects of fast fashion. Additionally, the peripheral (image based) advertisement increased purchase intentions more so than the central (text based) advertisement. However, message framing and content did not influence participant\u27s knowledge and attitudes