AAA Annual Conference 2019

Sujin Kim, University of Texas
Kacy Kim, Bryant University
Sukki Yoon, Bryant University

This study addresses the interplay of the restriction (limited-time vs. limited-recipient) and the engagement (pre-engagement vs. post-engagement) on consumers’ responses. Based on the concept of psychological distance in Construal Level Theory (Trope and Libermann 2010), two hypotheses were derived and tested. The results demonstrate that the effect of scarcity appeals can be optimized according to the before and after the engagement. If an advertisement is available after consumers’ media engagement, a time-limited ad message is more effective than a recipient-limited ad message. Also, if an advertisement is shown independently, a recipient-limited ad message leads to more favorable brand attitude than a time-limited ad message. The implications and limitations were discussed.