The effectiveness of regulatory (in)congruent ads

In a 2 (ad tone: emotional versus rational) × 2 (ad’s regulatory focus: prevention versus promotion)× 2 (viewer’s self-regulatory focus: prevention versus promotion) between-subjects experimental design, the effectiveness of fair trade campaigns is tested. The results show that, in the case of a rational ad, regulatory congruence (versus incongruence) effects were found (though only for prevention focused people), whereas in the case of an emotional ad, regulatory incongruence (versus congruence) effects were found (though only for promotion focused people).