Done Right, Vulnerability Appeals Do Drive Purchase Intent

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Summary

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the vulnerability appeal became prevalent among for-profit companies in distress and seeking ways to sustain their business. Facing the threat of shutting down, they shifted their messaging to asking customers to help them stay afloat by buying their products. New research explains the success behind these novel types of appeals.

Author bios:

Lucia Barros (lucia.barros@fgv.br) is an assistant professor of marketing at FGV EAESP—Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo, Brazil. Her research is focused on prosocial behavior and how marketing can improve consumers’ lives and the greater good.

Farah Diba Abrantes-Braga (farahdmaab@insper.edu.br) is an assistant professor of marketing and consumer behavior at Insper–Institute of Education and Research. Her research projects are financed by international agencies such as ACR. It encompasses topics such as the financial well-being of vulnerable consumers, the effects of social media on consumers’ well-being, and prosocial advertising.

Cristiane Benedetti Chammas (cristianebchammas@fei.edu.br) holds a PhD in business from Centro Universitário FEI. Her research is focused on innovation, consumer psychology and decision process.

Murilo Costa Filho (murilocarrazedo@hotmail.com) is a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. His research interests include consumer behavior, with focus on e-word of mouth, decision biases and goal-setting theory.