Abstract
Given the rapid growth of the Chinese cosmetic short-video market, it is crucial for marketers to design tailored marketing content that aligns with the sales environment, which enables better adaptation to platform personalization algorithms and enhance profitability. Using Taylor’s six-segment message strategy wheel as a classification framework, this study examines the impact of various message strategies and their combinations on consumer purchase intention in Chinese short-video advertisements. It also explores the factors influencing consumers’ perceived risk and the moderating role of perceived risk in the relationship between message strategies, personalization, and purchasing intention. The findings indicate that individual message strategies do not significantly affect purchase intention; however, certain combinations do — “Sensory + Ration” enhances consumer interest, while “Routine + Ration” diminishes it. Notably, perceived risk does not significantly moderate the relationship between any message strategy (or combination) and consumer purchase intention, but it does significantly moderate the relationship between personalization and purchasing intention. While this study contributes to the understanding of message strategies, perceived risk, and personalization, it also acknowledges limitations related to evolving market dynamics and recommends future research to refine message typologies and moderation analyses through systematic testing.