The impact of advertising appeals on impulse buying

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the varying impact of advertising appeals on customers’ impulse buying (IB) for vice and virtue products. Design/methodology/approach This research used two experiments varying humor/scarcity (high/low) and product category (vice versus virtue). Findings Humor (scarcity) enhances IB of vice (virtue) products through anticipation of enjoyment (perception of uniqueness). Research limitations/implications This research identifies a new antecedent of IB, advertising and additionally, a new moderator, product type (vice/virtue) in the ad appeal–IB relationship. Practical implications Practitioners managing vice (virtue) brands may use humor (scarcity) appeals to promote impulse buying. Originality/value This paper demonstrates that humor (scarcity) appeals enhance impulse buying of vice (virtue) products and shows the underlying mechanisms behind these effects.