Getting more likes: the impact of narrative person and brand image on customer-brand interactions

Although in-feed social ads on social media are rapidly growing worldwide, scarce attention is paid to the content strategy of brands presenting in a human way. The present research examines if and how choosing narrative person (first-person vs. third-person) in the ads to match brand image (warmth vs. competence) can gain more user likes in the context of WeChat Moment Ads. Through five studies, we find that first-person narration alongside warm images gain more likes because it boosts the user's motivation of social belonging, while third-person narration accompanied by competent images earns more likes by stimulating the motivation of self-enhancement. We also confirm predictions that a relevant individual variable (self-monitoring) moderates the effects of different matches on liking intention. This study offers theoretical contributions to research on advertising content strategy and advertising language on social media, and it holds practical implications for marketers launching in-feed social ads on social media.