The Effect of Sleep Deprivation on Imagery Appeals

Sleep Deprivation (SD) is a widespread phenomenon. This research investigates the effect of SD on imagery appeals. Imagery appeals urge consumers to imagine additional information to support the target advertisement message and are an influential part of persuasion. Study 1 found that low SD individuals express higher brand attitudes after exposure to an imagery appeal relative to a non-imagery appeal. However, the opposite result was found for high SD individuals. High SD individuals showed increased brand evaluations after exposure to a non-imagery appeal relative to an imagery appeal. Potential underlying mechanisms are discussed.