Researchers from Yale University and University of Southern California published a new Journal of Marketing study that synthesizes and evaluates over 50 studies conducted over four decades to determine when mental simulation prompts heighten consumers’ purchases.
The study, forthcoming in the Journal of Marketing, is titled “ From Mentally Doing to Actually Doing: A Meta-Analysis of Induced Positive Consumption Simulations ” and is authored by Gizem Ceylan, Kristin Diehl, and Wendy Wood.
Enticing people to buy a juicy burger or the new Apple Vision Pro spatial headset computer can involve the same marketing approach: prompting consumers to mentally simulate future purchases or consumption.
Marketers often prompt mental simulations via visuals or via verbal calls to action. For example, restaurants try to entice patrons with mouthwatering photos on their Instagram accounts or menus. The Apple Vision Pro launch video shows people using the new headset computer in a hope that consumers will simulate how they would use the device. A commercial for EasyJet, a leading European airline, asks people to “Imagine Where We Can Take You” along with visuals of flying over clouds and of different holiday locations from beaches to cities.
The question is: How effective are these mental simulations? Mental simulation has been shown to improve action readiness and is thus used in advertisements and other communications to facilitate purchase and consumption. “However,” note the researchers, “although some studies have noted positive influences on behavioral intentions and behavior, others have found minimal or even negative effects. It is difficult to interpret these findings given how the modality of simulation, frequency of induction, type of consumption experience, and target populations vary widely in research and practice.”
This new Journal of Marketing study synthesizes and evaluates over 50 studies conducted over four decades (from 1980 to 2020) to analyze when mental simulation prompts heighten consumers’ purchases. It produces several important findings for the industry:
“While mental simulation inductions are a common approach found across many industries and product categories, our systematic, large-scale analysis suggests that marketers should carefully consider the right approach, context, and frequency of prompting mental simulations,” the researchers say.
This study offers the following lessons for Chief Marketing Officers:
Full article and author contact information available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/00222429231181071
About the Journal of Marketing
The Journal of Marketing develops and disseminates knowledge about real-world marketing questions useful to scholars, educators, managers, policy makers, consumers, and other societal stakeholders around the world. Published by the American Marketing Association since its founding in 1936, JM has played a significant role in shaping the content and boundaries of the marketing discipline. Shrihari (Hari) Sridhar (Joe Foster ’56 Chair in Business Leadership, Professor of Marketing at Mays Business School, Texas A&M University) serves as the current Editor in Chief.
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Journal of Marketing
From Mentally Doing to Actually Doing: A Meta-Analysis of Induced Positive Consumption Simulations
25-May-2023