The role of interpersonal attachment styles in shaping consumer preferences for products shown in relational advertisements

- The effectiveness of relational ads is associated with consumers' attachment styles.
- Attachment styles are associated with responses to products shown in relational ads.
- Securely attached people feel that products in relational ads fit well with oneself.
- Anxiously attached people feel that products in relational ads are not a fit for them.
- Perceived fit mediates the relationship between attachment and purchase likelihood.

The present research adopts an attachment theory perspective to advance new insights into the effectiveness of advertising strategies that depict interpersonal relationships. Although pictures, and specifically pictures of relationships (e.g., friends), make up an increasingly large portion of advertisements, scant research has examined how depictions of relationships impact consumer evaluations of advertised products. The present research demonstrates that the effectiveness of ads which depict interpersonal relationships, including romantic partnerships and friendships, is associated with consumers' interpersonal attachment styles. Specifically, individuals with highly anxious attachment styles are unlikely to purchase products shown in relational ads; whereas, individuals with less anxious and more secure attachment styles are more likely to purchase these products. Importantly, perceptions of fit (i.e., the extent to which an advertised product is perceived as a good fit with oneself) mediate the relationship between interpersonal attachment style and consumers' likelihood of purchasing products shown in advertisements that portray relationships.