Two Birds, One Stone? Positive Mood Makes Products Seem Less Useful for Multiple-Goal Pursuit

25 Pages Posted: 16 Jul 2014 Last revised: 1 Nov 2014

See all articles by Anastasiya Pocheptsova

Anastasiya Pocheptsova

Robert H. Smith School of Business; Yale School of Management

Francine Espinoza Petersen

ESMT European School of Management and Technology

Jordan Etkin

Duke University - Fuqua School of Business

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Date Written: July 14, 2014

Abstract

Negotiating the pursuit of multiple goals often requires making difficult trade-offs between goals. In these situations, consumers can benefit from using products that help them pursue several goals at the same time. But do consumers always prefer these multipurpose products? We propose that consumers’ incidental mood state alters perceptions of products in a multiple-goals context. Four studies demonstrate that being in a positive mood amplifies perceptions of differences between multiple conflicting goals. As a consequence, consumers are less likely to evaluate multipurpose products as being able to serve multiple distinct goals simultaneously. We conclude by discussing implications of these findings for marketers of multipurpose products.

Keywords: motivation, mood, goal pursuit

Suggested Citation

Pocheptsova, Anastasiya and Espinoza Petersen, Francine and Etkin, Jordan, Two Birds, One Stone? Positive Mood Makes Products Seem Less Useful for Multiple-Goal Pursuit (July 14, 2014). Robert H. Smith School Research Paper No. RHS 2466142, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2466142 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2466142

Anastasiya Pocheptsova (Contact Author)

Robert H. Smith School of Business ( email )

College Park, MD 20742-1815
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/directory/anastasiya-pocheptsova

Yale School of Management ( email )

135 Prospect Street
P.O. Box 208200
New Haven, CT 06520-8200
United States

Francine Espinoza Petersen

ESMT European School of Management and Technology ( email )

Schlossplatz 1
Berlin
Germany

Jordan Etkin

Duke University - Fuqua School of Business ( email )

Box 90120
Durham, NC 27708-0120
United States

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