Does Your Boss Prefer Iced Tea Advertisements? The Effect of Feeling Powerful on Consumers’ Preference for Cold Advertisements

Advertisements that incorporate temperature-related cues are common in the marketplace. However, when and for whom marketers should use these temperature-based appeals in their ads is still unclear. To fill this research gap, we examine the effect of consumers’ feelings of power on preferences for cold versus warm advertisements. Through the lens of embodied cognition, we find that consumers who feel powerful have a stronger preference for ads that incorporate cold imagery. We argue that the positive relationship between feelings of power and preference for cold ads is mediated by a consumer’s motivation to maintain social distance and processing fluency. Further, this effect is attenuated for those with low independent self-construal. Our findings introduce a new perspective to help managers understand how the use of cold ads can be attractive to target consumers.