Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/96541 
Year of Publication: 
2009
Series/Report no.: 
ESMT Working Paper No. 09-007
Publisher: 
European School of Management and Technology (ESMT), Berlin
Abstract: 
This paper is concerned with the tension between consumer persuasion and freedom of choice. We study how assertive language (as in the slogan Just do it!) affects consumer compliance in hedonic vs. utilitarian contexts. Previous literature consistently claimed that forceful language would cause reactance and decreased compliance. However, we find in four studies that assertive persuasion is effective in contexts involving hedonic goods and hedonically framed utilitarian goods. Our hypotheses emerge from sociolinguistic research and confirm the relevance of linguistic research in consumer behavior.
Subjects: 
assertive message
consumer compliance
hedonic consumption
utilitarian consumption
forceful language
persuasion
freedom of choice
reactance
JEL: 
D18
M37
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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