The Impact of Advertising Image Types on Consumer Purchasing Behavior of Fresh Agricultural Products

Advertising images constitute an important factor influencing consumer purchase intentions in commercial settings. Drawing on the perspective of self-conscious emotions, this study examines the impact of advertising image types for fresh agricultural products on consumer purchase intentions and explores the underlying mechanisms. Advertising images are classified into three categories: meat-typical, animal-typical, and composite. Evidence from two randomized experiments reveals the following findings: (a) The effectiveness of the three advertising image types in promoting purchase intentions follows the order of meat-typical > animal-typical > composite; (b) guilt mediates the relationship between advertising image types and purchase intentions, such that composite images evoke greater guilt than meat-typical and animal-typical images, thereby reducing consumer willingness to purchase; and (c) self-construal partially moderates the mediating effect of guilt, in that interdependent self-construal consumers exposed to composite advertising images are more likely to experience heightened guilt and consequently exhibit lower purchase intentions. This study extends the application of animal-related classifications in advertising and marketing research and provides new empirical evidence and practical insights for the design of advertising strategies for fresh agricultural products.