Out of the Closet: When Moral Identity and Protestant Work Ethic Improve Attitudes toward Advertising Featuring Same-Sex Couples. Issue 2 (15th March 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: El Hazzouri, Mohammed; Main, Kelley J.; Sinclair, Lisa
• Is Part Of: Journal of advertising. Volume 48:Issue 2(2019)
• Page Start: 181
• Page End: 196
• Publication Date: 2019-03-15
• Subjects: Advertising -- Periodicals; Advertising -- Research -- Periodicals; 659.105
• DOI: 10.1080/00913367.2018.1518736
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0091-3367

Abstract

Abstract : This research examines how heterosexual consumers react to advertising featuring same-sex couples. Across three studies, we find that heterosexual consumers report higher levels of disgust in response to advertising featuring same-sex couples in comparison to mixed-sex couples, which results in more negative attitudes toward the advertisement and the advertised brand. We also find that moral-identity priming reduces disgust elicited by advertising featuring same-sex couples and improves attitudes toward the advertisement and the brand. However, we find that moral-identity priming is ineffective for consumers with high social dominance orientation. For these consumers, portraying same-sex couples as possessing Protestant work ethic traits decreases disgust and improves attitudes toward the advertisement and the brand.