How Virtual Reality Can Increase Effectiveness of Prosocial Advertising Put Yourself in the Donee's Shoes: The Effect of Virtual Reality on Charitable Donations

This study investigates the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) advertising in promoting charitable donations. The results indicated that, when compared with the traditional twodimensional format, VR advertising can increase the number of people who decide to donate, as well as the amount donated. This favorable effect was achieved through a serial mediating effect of vicarious experience and existential guilt. Additionally, the findings also identified the need for stimulation as a boundary condition, suggesting that individuals with a low (versus high) need for stimulation were not influenced by the mediating process of VR prosocial advertising on charitable donations.