A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR ME AND MAYBE FOR YOU TOO:
PROMOTIONS THAT RELIEVE GUILT
Sooyeon Nikki Lee-Wingate
Rutgers University
Kim P. Corfman
New York University
Priya Raghubir
University of Berkeley
Working Paper No: RBS-MKT-2004-21
This work cannot be cited without the authors' permission
Abstract:
Feelings of guilt about spending money can discourage consumers from
making certain purchases. The presence and intensity of this effect
depend on the nature of the purchase and the intended user. Hedonic
products and services intended for use by the purchaser evoke
particularly strong feelings of guilt. We hypothesize that carefully
designed promotions can alleviate some of the guilt associated with
hedonic purchases for oneself. Specifically, we predict that free gifts
offered with the purchase of a hedonic product reduce feelings of guilt,
especially when they will be used as gifts for others and are also hedonic.