Advertising Appeals in Health Communication: A Netnographic Exploration within a Facebook Community of Vitiligo Patients.

Abstract

Individuals with stigmatized health conditions like vitiligo often turn to online communities for support, where they encounter numerous health advertisements. This study examines how vitiligo patients perceive the emotional and rational appeals within these ads. We employed a netnographic methodology within a large, public Facebook support group for vitiligo (N ≈ 28,000), combining in-depth interviews and participant observation to analyze patient interactions. Our analysis is guided by an integrated framework of social cognitive theory (SCT) and stigma management communication (SMC) theory, allowing us to interpret engagement as both a cognitive process and a form of identity work. Our findings demonstrate that health ads function dually as sources of treatment information and as symbolic resources for managing stigma. We show that while rational appeals are essential for building credibility, emotional appeals are critical for fostering motivation. The study concludes that a complementary use of these appeals is most effective and offers a nuanced model for developing more empathetic health communication strategies for stigmatized populations.