Self‐referencing as a mediator of the effectiveness of sex‐role portrayals in advertising

Abstract This research examines the extent to which individuals self‐reference advertising portrayals and the consequences of doing so. A composite self‐referencing measure is developed relative to how self‐referencing has been defined and induced in past research. Individuals who exhibited high levels of self‐referencing of stimulus advertisements elicited more positive attitudes and cognitive responses than those who exhibited low levels of self‐referencing. Self‐referencing was also found to mediate the effect of various sex‐role portrayals on respondents' attitudes.