Giving against the Odds: When Tempting Alternatives Increase Willingness to Donate. (February 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Savary, Jennifer; Goldsmith, Kelly; Dhar, Ravi
• Is Part Of: JMR, Journal of marketing research. Volume 52:Number 1(2015)
• Page Start: 27
• Page End: 38
• Publication Date: 2015-02
• Subjects: self-signaling -- charitable donation -- context effects -- prosocial behavior -- choice; Marketing research -- Periodicals; 658.8305
• DOI: 10.1509/jmr.13.0244
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-2437

Abstract

The authors examine how a reference to an unrelated product in the choice context affects consumers' likelihood of donating to charity. Building on research on self-signaling, the authors predict that consumers are more likely to give when the donation appeal references a hedonic product than when a utilitarian product is referenced or when no comparison is provided. They posit that this phenomenon occurs because referencing a hedonic product during a charitable appeal changes the self-attributions, or self-signaling utility, associated with the choice to donate. A series of hypothetical and actual choice experiments demonstrate the predicted effect and show that the increase in donation rates occurs because the self-attributions signaled by a choice not to donate are more negative in the context of a hedonic reference product. Finally, consistent with these experimental findings, a field experiment shows that referencing a hedonic product during a charitable appeal increases real donation rates in a nonlaboratory setting. The authors discuss the theoretical implications for both consumer decision making and the self-signaling motives behind prosocial choice.