Should Ads Be Assertive? A Meta-Analytic Review of the Effects of Assertive Language on Perceived Freedom Threat, State Reactance, and Persuasion Outcomes

Advertising messages often use assertive language to capture consumer attention and drive behavioral compliance, yet empirical evidence for its effectiveness remains inconclusive and contradictory across studies and contexts. This meta-analytic review synthesized 142 samples examining the effects of assertive language in advertising messages on perceived freedom threat, state reactance, and persuasion outcomes. Drawing on psychological reactance theory, we used meta-analytic structural equation modeling (MASEM) to conduct the first test in the reactance literature of a serial mediation model in which assertive language first increases perceived freedom threat, which subsequently heightens state reactance, ultimately reducing persuasive effectiveness. Overall, assertive language significantly increased perceived freedom threat (d = 0.72) and state reactance (d = 0.39), while demonstrating a small but significant negative effect on persuasion outcomes (d = −0.08). Importantly, MASEM provided evidence that the effect of assertive language on persuasion outcomes was serially mediated through perceived threat to freedom and state reactance. Moderation analyses revealed that advertising domain significantly moderated the effect on state reactance, with nonprofit contexts eliciting stronger reactance responses than for-profit contexts. These findings clarify the mechanism of psychological reactance in advertising and provide clear guidance for advertisers on when and why to avoid assertive language.