Which one sells better? a study of thin/plus-size perceptions of models and their relationships with purchase intention of healthier/unhealthier branded food products

For three decades, marketers have commonly relied on thin models to promote products and services; however, over the past decade, the use of thin models has been widely criticised, resulting in a noticeable shift towards the use of plus-size models. The current thesis uses a correlational approach to investigate the relationships between thin/plus-size perceptions of models and purchase intention of healthier/unhealthier branded food products. Furthermore, this study sets out to determine whether these relationships can be explained through mood, body dissatisfaction and time perspective and whether body image discrepancy moderates the relationships related to thinness perception. This thesis builds on a combination of social comparison theory (Festinger, 1954) and compensatory consumption behaviour (Mandel et al., 2017) as a theoretical framework. An online survey-questionnaire provided data from 447 non-student participants in the UK. Using the PLS-SEM approach, data analyses revealed that thinness perception is associated with the purchase intention of healthier branded food products through mood. In addition, this relationship remains significant for those who desire to be thinner and those who wish to be heavier. Moreover, based on the findings, plus-size perception is not associated with the purchase intention of unhealthier branded food products. This thesis makes several contributions to theory and knowledge. Specifically, it contributes to our understanding of compensatory consumption behaviour (Mandel et al., 2017) by providing conceptual evidence for a direct resolution strategy. Finally, this thesis makes suggestions for policymakers by emphasising the negative consequence of using thin/plus-size models on an ad viewer’s mood.