Leveraging Explicit Conclusions to Manage Cognitive Load in Social Media Advertising

ABSTRACT

How can advertisers break through the competition for consumers' limited mental bandwidth? Drawing on Prospect Theory and Elaboration Likelihood Model, this research examines how cognitive load shapes consumer responses to sustainability messaging on social media, focusing on ads with explicit versus implicit conclusions. Across three experiments using laundry detergent (Study 1, N  = 180), phone cases (Study 2, N  = 275), and water bottles (Study 3, N  = 293) as stimuli, we test whether—and why—explicit conclusions function as heuristics under conditions of high cognitive load. The results show that, when cognitive load is high, consumers exhibit a stronger preference for ads with explicit (vs. implicit) conclusions. This effect is mediated by perceived message credibility, which in turn enhances brand attitudes. These findings extend theory on heuristic processing in sustainability advertising and offer practical guidance for designing effective social media messages in cognitively demanding environments.