Lend a “Hand!” Enhancing Charity Advertising Persuasiveness via Donor/Donee Hand Position, Hand Gesture, and Advertising Appeal

In charity advertising, depictions of donor and donee hands are pervasive, yet their relative positions and gestures vary widely. Drawing on the stereotype content model (SCM) and processing fluency theory, this research examines how hand position (donor’s hand higher vs. lower), hand gesture (grasping vs. holding), and advertising appeal (competence vs. warmth) jointly influence charitable giving. Across four experiments, we find that when no gesture is shown, a donor’s-hand-higher image increases willingness to donate and actual donation amounts (vs. a donor’s-hand-lower image). This effect occurs because higher donor hands evoke perceived competence, a key dimension of the SCM. Furthermore, a grasping (vs. holding) gesture enhances advertising persuasiveness when paired with a donor’s-hand-higher (vs. lower) image because congruent cues improve processing fluency. The same fluency-based congruence effect emerges when advertising appeal matches the dominant dimension—competence (warmth) appeal with donor’s-hand-higher (lower) imagery. Theoretically, this research extends the SCM to visual design by showing how simple hand depictions communicate competence and warmth. Practically, it offers actionable guidance for nonprofits and marketers to combine hand position, gesture, and advertising appeal to create visually and emotionally persuasive charity campaigns.