Title: How comprehension and imagery fluency influence Gen Z customers' attitudes toward advertisements and purchase intentions: the mediating role of narrative transportation

Authors: Thi Le Trinh Dinh; Nguyen Phuong Uyen Le

Addresses: International University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam ' International University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Abstract: Narrative transportation plays a crucial role in storytelling on social media platforms. Grounded in narrative transportation theory and within the context of a Vietnamese luxury jewellery retailer's video-sharing campaigns on social media, this study investigates how narrative transportation mediates the effects of comprehension fluency and imagery fluency on Gen Z consumers' attitudes toward advertisements and their purchase intentions. Initially, we reconsider the direct effects of comprehension and imagery fluency on these consumer outcomes. An online survey of 404 Vietnamese Gen Z respondents was conducted, and the hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling (SEM). The findings reveal that narrative transportation mediates the effects of imagery fluency on Gen Z consumers' attitudes toward advertisements and purchase intentions. In contrast, comprehension fluency exerts a direct effect only on attitudes toward advertisements, which in turn influence purchase intentions. Discussions, along with theoretical and practical implications, as well as limitations, are also presented.

Keywords: narrative transportation; comprehension fluency; imagery fluency; purchase intentions; Gen Z customers.

DOI: 10.1504/JIBED.2025.152853

Journal for International Business and Entrepreneurship Development, 2025 Vol.17 No.4, pp.563 - 582

Received: 01 Apr 2025
Accepted: 22 Jul 2025
Published online: 13 Apr 2026 *

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