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The call for business practices that create benefits for companies, customers, and society is getting louder. This article analyzes a new implementation of such a win–win–win approach: the carrotmob. Activists and managers jointly organize a shopping flashmob in which consumers collectively purchase the products of a target company to reward its intent to act more socially responsible. Given that carrotmobs are only efficient if they are supported by a critical mass of consumers, a survey study of 337 young consumers explores the critical drivers of carrotmob participation. Accordingly, object-oriented, personal, and social motives jointly determine carrotmob participation with social motives having the strongest impact.

Recent meta-analytical findings in advertising research contradict the assumption of gender-specific humor evaluations. This article suggests an interaction effect of gender and humor type to resolve the contradiction. An online experiment with 266 respondents examines how gender moderates the influence of different humor types in print ads on advertising effectiveness. The study reveals gender-free as well as gender-specific effects. Both men and women favor comic wit over sentimental comedy and satire. However, male respondents evaluate satire humor more positively than female respondents, whereas women prefer sentimental comedy more than men do. Based on the results, implications for practitioners and researchers are derived.

Ambient advertising is a creative, innovative form of outdoor advertising that explicitly intends to surprise consumers by placing unexpected advertisements at unusual locations. The rising relevance of ambient advertising is not mirrored in the marketing literature yet. No study has empirically considered the key elements of location and execution of ambient advertising. This paper uses a mixed-method approach to (1) identify the locational and executional elements used in ambient advertising practice and to (2) analyze the effectiveness of ambient advertising. Study 1 (n = 340) applying a content analysis reveals that ambient advertising mainly uses unconventional 2D elements often combined with unexpected visual elements such as optical illusion. Study 2 (n = 234) using ANOVAs examines that unconventional advertisements have a stronger impact on consumer perception (e.g., attention, attitude toward the ad) than on conventional outdoor advertising. The paper provides contributions for marketing managers...

Ambient media evoke surprise with the aim of gaining the attention of consumers who are overexposed to traditional types of advertising. No study has yet considered the effects of unanticipated ambient media. To bridge this gap, the present article reports a field experiment entailing the manipulation of three types of ambient media that create different levels of surprise. The analysis combines observation data for 2,464 passersby, survey data from 305 respondents, and sales figures for 730 days. The results show that surprising ambient media draw attention, promote positive attitudes toward the ad, and stimulate word of mouth. Most importantly, ambient media increase purchase intention and sales revenue. Robustness checks ensure that the model is stable across several conditions, such as time of day or weather conditions. Follow-up studies further reveal that surprise elicits positive effects via two processes; the amplification of accompanying evaluations and the interplay of attention and incongruence resolution. The paper provides guidance for retailers wishing to design surprising ambient media that improve consumer attitudes and profitability.

The carrotmob—often defined as an inverse boycott—is a new, fast-diffusing form of pro-environmental consumption focusing on societal issues. Organized by activists, consumers swarm a predefined store and collectively buy its products. In return, the company engages in pro-environmental actions. This is the first study that empirically analyzes consumer attitudes toward carrotmob and participation intention. The article compares the drivers of carrotmob and anti-consumption (e.g., ecological consumer boycotts). Both forms of consumer activism are triggered by ecological concern. However, carrotmobbing differs because participants do not have to sacrifice their preferred consumption patterns. Study 1 ( n = 437) demonstrates that willingness to make sacrifices moderates the impact of ecological concern on attitudes toward the carrotmob. Study 2 ( n = 153) establishes external validity by modifying the carrotmob target. As expected, the carrotmob is an alternative consumption option attractive for consumers unwilling to make sacrifices in expressing their environmental concerns.

A new form of ethical consumption has recently evolved: The carrotmob. As in a flashmob, consumers collectively swarm a specific store and purchase its goods in order to reward corporate socially responsible behaviour. The present paper introduces a conceptionalization of carrotmobs that takes into account the perspective of the three relevant parties: activists, companies, and consumers. First, the paper considers activists’ objectives in initiating such a social movement. It describes how they use guerrilla tactics to foster the participation of companies and consumers. Second, the paper considers the perspective of the target company, stressing the role of corporate social responsibility and describing how companies compete in an auction to become the carrotmob target. Third, the paper highlights the consumer perspective, discussing different views on consumer power and the motivation to participate in a carrotmob. The paper also points out directions for further empirical research for each of these three perspectives.

Guerilla-Marketing gilt fur Werbepraktiker als innovative Kommunikationsstrategie, die immer haufiger genutzt wird. Derzeit liegen jedoch keine fundierten Aufarbeitungen vor, weshalb sowohl Praktiker als auch Werbeforscher ein diffuses Verstandnis davon haben, was Guerilla-Marketing ausmacht. Vor diesem Hintergrund systematisiert dieser Beitrag verschiedene Auffassungen des Guerilla-Konzeptes und beschreibt den Bedeutungswandel von der David-gegen-Goliath-Methode kleiner Unternehmen zur integrativen strategischen Marketingkonzeption fur Unternehmen jeder Grose. Es werden einzelne Instrumente des Guerilla-Marketing (Moskito-, Ambush-, Viral-, Buzz-, Ambient- und Sensation-Marketing) anhand ihrer zentralen Methode (Trittbrettfahrer-, Empfehlungs- und Lebensumfeld-Marketing) beschrieben sowie der Nutzen von Guerilla-PR als flankierende Masnahme aufgezeigt. Ferner wird deutlich, welche Masnahmen als Guerilla-Marketing angesehen werden konnen, welche Anwendungsfelder bestehen und welche Erfolgsfaktoren bei der Umsetzung beachtet werden sollten. Der Beitrag schlagt eine Berechnungsvorschrift vor, anhand derer der Guerilla-Effekt vor der Implementierung eingeschatzt oder im Nachhinein bewertet werden kann. Auf Basis dieser Formel wird im Rahmen einer Expertenbefragung der Effekt beispielhafter Guerilla-Masnahmen abgeschatzt. Eine Sensitivitatsanalyse stellt zudem die Spannbreite moglicher Guerilla-Effekte fur verschiedene Instrumente vergleichend dar. Der Beitrag bietet sowohl eine Planungshilfe fur Praktiker als auch einen Strukturierungsansatz fur die kunftige Werbewirkungsforschung.