The Effect of Consumer Persuasion Knowledge on Scarcity Appeal Persuasiveness

Past research identifies demand-related scarcity appeals and supply-related scarcity appeals as effective persuasive influences on consumer behavior. The present research uses a persuasion knowledge approach to examine the persuasiveness of demand- versus supply-related scarcity appeals in advertising messages. Study 1 shows that supply-related scarcity appeal ad messages are less likely to activate persuasion knowledge than demand-related scarcity appeal messages. Study 2 demonstrates that message specificity moderates this effect. In line with an elaboration likelihood model perspective, results show that stating the appeal in specific (versus vague) terms decreases the persuasiveness of supply-related scarcity appeal ad messages. Acknowledgments The author would like to acknowledge the assistance of Drs. Axel Stock, Kimberly Taylor, Detra Y. Montoya, and Adriana Boveda-Lambie with earlier versions of this article. Alexandra Aguirre-Rodriguez (PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign) is an assistant marketing professor in the College of Business, Florida International University.