Although Web-based advertising differs from traditional mass media advertising in terms of interactivity and search costs, function matching is likely to be important across media. Promotion-focused ads should be more persuasive when consumers are motivated to reach desirable end state (e.g., certain knowledge, high social status, security, pleasure), and prevention-focused ads should be more persuasive when consumers are motivated to avoid undesirable end states (e.g., uncertain knowledge, low social status, insecurity, pain).