Influence of socio-cultural pressure on internalization of the thin body ideal and the effect of fitness advertising endorsers (thin versus overweight/realistic)

This paper discusses the influence of socio-cultural pressure on internalization of the thin body ideal and the effect of endorser’s appearance (thin versus overweight) mediated by self-congruency. The intersection of body image and fitness advertising processing is a gap that remains unexplored by marketing researchers. An online questionnaire framed a within-subjects study design, with two scenarios simulating a fitness print advertisement, which assessed the following constructs: Body Mass Index; Socio-cultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Scale-4 (SATAQ-4), Body Appreciation Scale (BAS-2), perceived efficacy of physical exercise, self-congruency between the respondent and the endorsers, purchase intention, and the willingness to pay for a monthly gym membership fee. A GLM repeated measures analysis and a Structural Equation Model for each scenario supported the hypotheses claiming the influence of BAS-2 and SATAQ-4 on the outcomes of the advertising processing (perceived efficacy of the physical exercise, purchase intention, and willingness to pay for gym classes). The mediating role of consumers’ self-congruency (similarity) with the endorsers was also confirmed. The paper provides several recommendations for fitness advertisers, stressing the social responsibility role in enhancing positive body appreciation and preventing the stigmatization bias against obese people.