Purpose This research examines how animal-based haptic imagery, the mental simulation of tactile contact with animals used in product production, functions as an interactive marketing tool in digital environments. Drawing on construal level theory, we investigate how such imagery shapes consumer choice between genuine and faux leather alternatives. Design/methodology/approach Two experimental studies using interactive social media stimuli tested the proposed framework. Study 1 examined the main effect of animal-based haptic imagery on consumer choice and its mediation through reduced desire for faux-leather alternatives. Study 2 tested boundary conditions, focusing on animals associated with low haptic comfort and whether the baby schema restored the influence of haptic imagery under this condition. Findings Animal-based haptic imagery increased the likelihood of choosing genuine leather products by reducing desire for faux alternatives, shifting evaluative attention from distal, abstract, non-sensory considerations to proximal sensory experience. The effect was attenuated when the imagery involved animals perceived as low in haptic comfort, but it re-emerged when baby schema was present. Practical implications Animal-based haptic imagery is a double-edged tool in digital marketing: it can enhance engagement and increase the likelihood of choice for genuine leather brands by foregrounding the sensory experience, but it may undermine positioning built around abstract, non-sensory benefits such as ethical concerns, animal welfare, or sustainability, for cruelty-free brands. Managers should deploy such imagery strategically, considering brand values, product materials, and the potential consequences for how consumers weight sensory versus non-sensory product attributes in interactive digital environments. Originality/value This research introduces animal-based haptic imagery as a novel source-based form of tactile simulation, extends construal level theory to interactive digital contexts, and identifies boundary conditions that shape sensory persuasion in digital consumption settings.
Pai et al. (Wed,) studied this question.