The Effects of Construal Levels to Charity Retailing Communication

Purpose: Traditional charity retail needs to change its communication in the online environment. This article examines the effectiveness of communication by online charity organizations in terms of the type of messages being delivered. Research design, data and methodology: Study 1 based on a sample of 120 Korean adults, we investigated whether charity asking messages for domestic people, compared to those for foreign people, prompt more favorable evaluations when framed with low (vs. high) construal levels. In Study 2, with 120 Korean adults sample, we tested whether emotional message appeals prompt a more favorable response than rational messages when framed in a socially close. Results: According to the result of Study 1, for the domestic recipients, donation messages situated in the near, compared to the distant, future induced more favorable reactions from potential donors. Moreover, in Study 2, emotional (vs. rational) message appeals generated more positive donation intentions when they were framed in the socially close situation. Conclusions: This research contributes that differing consumer construal have important implications for how marketing communication might best gain charitable support. This suggests that marketers who design a donation message should consider message's appeal and type to activate the potential donors' willingness to participate in the campaign.