Diagnostic Advertising Content and Individual Differences: Testing a Resource-Matching Perspective with a Taiwanese Sample

Using a resource-matching perspective, this paper tests the effects of including diagnostic product information (DPI) in advertising using a Taiwanese sample. It is proposed that the effectiveness of DPI is contingent on message combinations and individual differences. This study showed that one piece of DPI (consensus) enhanced ad message involvement and improved ad and brand evaluations, whereas two pieces of DPI (consensus and comparative) did not further enhance involvement or improve evaluations. In addition, individual differences in need for cognition (NFC) moderated the effectiveness of DPI. DPI led to greater ad message involvement and more favorable ad and brand evaluations only for participants high in NFC.