Consumers’ responses to metaverse ads: The roles of hedonic versus utilitarian appeal and the moderating role of need for touch

This research investigated whether vicarious touch in metaverse advertising could produce desired outcomes. We examined the influence of consumers’ need for touch (NFT) and specific message appeal types (hedonic vs. utilitarian) on the effectiveness of metaverse advertising. The results of Study 1 indicate that hedonic message appeals are more effective than utilitarian ones in an advertising campaign developed in a metaverse platform, and that consumer innovativeness increases effectiveness. In Study 2, we found that this effect was moderated by individuals’ NFT. Specifically, the hedonic message was more effective than the utilitarian message for individuals high in autotelic NFT, whereas the utilitarian message was more effective for individuals high in instrumental NFT. The theoretical and practical implications of this study for metaverse advertising are discussed.