Abstract
This research proposes that matching message framing (gains vs losses) and social distance (proximal vs distal) leverage intention to adopt two pro-social health behaviors (blood donation and organs donation). Experiment 1 revealed that a gain-framed message (benefits of blood donation), associated with the testimonial of a distal person (someone older than the respondent), and a loss-framed message (lack of benefits from not giving blood), associated with the testimonial of a proximal person (someone of similar age as the respondent), are the most effective combinations for promoting blood donation. Experiment 2 replicated these results for organ donation and indicated that consumers’ comparative optimism, a self-positivity bias, moderates this match-based effect between message framing and social distance.