Abstract
This study examined how emotionally charged public service announcements (PSAs) and viral videos created by nonprofit organizations may empower Generation Z consumers to engage in climate change activism. A holistic framework of emotional persuasion integrating prior knowledge, counterarguing, as well as the perceptual factors of problem recognition and involvement recognition was tested to understand how ad-induced emotions may motivate consumers to engage in climate change advocacy and activism. Through an online survey of 238 participants, the study findings supported the conceptual framework and highlighted the power of emotional persuasion. Strategic guidelines for designing emotion-laden climate change PSAs and viral campaigns are also provided.