Bridging the Ideological Divide: Advertising Strategies for Promoting Stigmatized Products

Many socially relevant sexual and reproductive health products remain stigmatized by some consumers due to enduring socio-cultural taboos, despite broader acceptance by others. Such stigma limits product adoption and poses public health risks. Political ideology offers a critical lens for understanding these divergent consumer responses, as conservatives and liberals differ in moral values and sensitivity to stigma. This study examines how political ideology shapes responses to stigmatized products and how advertising can bridge ideological divides. A secondary data study shows that conservatives respond more negatively than liberals to stigmatized products (Study 1), while a survey reveals that this effect is mediated by conservatives’ lower endorsement of the individualizing moral foundation (fairness and care) and reduced perceptions of social acceptability (Study 2). Two experiments further examine how practically relevant persuasion strategies affect individuals across the ideological spectrum. The negative effect of conservative ideology is weakened when advertising features artificial intelligence rather than human or neutral agents (Study 3) and strengthened when it discloses government rather than corporate or collaborative sponsorship (Study 4). The findings advance research on stigma and political ideology and offer guidance for marketers and policymakers on leveraging advertising cues to promote stigmatized products across ideological groups.