Diet Case

Because guilt has been identified as a key dimension of consumption emotion, guilt appeals are used frequently in advertising (Coulter & Pinto 1995; O'Keefe 2002; Cotte et al. 2005). Dissonance theory provides a theoretical structure for understanding guilt-induced behaviour (Ghingold 1981). The basic tenet of dissonance theory is the need for an individual to maintain cognitive consistency. For example, when a society honours the social norm of helping the unfortunate, and a person internalises this norm (Krebs 1970), failing to do so can induce feelings of guilt. Social responsibility guilt has been identified as one of the major forms of consumer guilt (Burnett & Lunsford 1994). Such guilt may be viewed as an awareness of the difference in well-being between oneself and others (Ruth & Faber 1988). Guilt feelings can be used as a method of gaining compliance (Cunningham et al. 1980; Lindsey et al. 2007).

Coulter, R.H. & Pinto, M.B. (1995) Guilt appeals in advertising: what are their effects? Journal of Applied Psychology, 80(6), pp. 697–705.

References

Aaker, D.A., Stayman, D.M. & Hagerty, M. (1986) Warmth in advertising: measurement, impact and sequence effects. Journal of Consumer Research, 12(1), pp. 365–377.

Adkins, S. (2010) Cause-related Marketing: Who Cares Wins. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Ahtola, O.T. (1985) Hedonic and utilitarian aspects of behavior: an attitudinal perspective, in Hirschman, E.C. & Holbrook, M.B. (eds) Advances in Consumer Research (Vol. 12). Provo, UT: Association of Consumer Research, pp. 7–10.

Alden, D.L. & Crowley, A.E. (1995) Sex guilt and receptivity to condom advertising. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 25(16), pp. 1446–1463.

Babin, B.J., Darden, W. & Griffin, M. (1994)