Ad eroticism from a psychological distance perspective

Building on construal level theory and psychological distance (PD), this paper considers the impact of erotic ads; the factors of sex and moral attentiveness are also examined. Two experiments delve into different PD types, evoking variant construal levels (CLs) while promoting a different product across different levels of erotic intensity in the ad. Findings show that as the PD or CL decreases, reactions become more unfavorable, regardless of the ad’s level of erotic intensity. Also, reactions vary depending on sex and moral attentiveness; women and individuals with high moral attentiveness levels express stronger objections.