Time Will Tell: The Distant Appeal of Promotion and Imminent Appeal of Prevention

12 Pages Posted: 18 Jul 2007 Last revised: 5 Apr 2012

See all articles by Cassie Mogilner

Cassie Mogilner

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - Anderson School of Management

Jennifer Aaker

Stanford University - Graduate School of Business

Ginger L. Pennington

University of Chicago - Booth School of Business

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: 2008

Abstract

What types of products are preferred when the purchase is immediate versus off in the distant future? Three experiments address this question by examining the influence of temporal perspective on evaluations of regulatory-framed products. The results reveal that when a purchase is about to be made, consumers prefer prevention- (vs. promotion-) framed products - an effect that is driven by the pain anticipated from potentially failing one's looming purchasing goal. When a purchase is temporally distant, however, promotion- (vs. prevention-) framed products become more appealing - an effect that is driven by the anticipated pleasure from achieving one's distant purchasing goal. Implications for the psychology of self-regulation, anticipated affect, and will-power are discussed.

Keywords: Time, goals, decision making

JEL Classification: M30

Suggested Citation

Mogilner, Cassie and Aaker, Jennifer Lynn and Pennington, Ginger L., Time Will Tell: The Distant Appeal of Promotion and Imminent Appeal of Prevention (2008). Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 34, 2008, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1001127

Cassie Mogilner (Contact Author)

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - Anderson School of Management ( email )

110 Westwood Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1481
United States

Jennifer Lynn Aaker

Stanford University - Graduate School of Business ( email )

655 Knight Way
Stanford, CA 94305-5015
United States

Ginger L. Pennington

University of Chicago - Booth School of Business ( email )

5807 S. Woodlawn Avenue
Chicago, IL 60637
United States

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