The effect of assertive advertising on souvenir purchases

Given the dual significance of souvenirs for both tourists and destinations, tourism managers strive to identify effective strategies to boost souvenir purchases. Among these strategies, assertive advertising is commonly employed in souvenir marketing communications; however, little is known about whether and how it influences tourists’ souvenir purchase behaviour. Based on regret theory, we propose that assertive advertising, which conveys urgency and importance, shapes tourists’ perceptions and responses to promoted souvenirs. Specifically, we find that assertive advertising promotes tourists’ souvenir purchases, as demonstrated in a field study (Study 1) and two online experiments (Studies W1 and W2). This effect is driven by heightened anticipated inaction regret (Study 2) and is attenuated under dual purchasing channels (Study 3). This study enriches theories on message assertiveness and souvenirs, offering insights for tourism marketers to implement assertive advertising efficiently.