Looking Beyond First-Person Effects (FPE) in the Influence of Scarcity Appeals in Advertising: A Replication and Extension of Eisend (2008)

Abstract

In this paper, we replicate and extend Eisend’s (2008) pioneering work on first-person (FPE) effects in the context of scarcity appeals in advertising, using ‘influence of presumed influence’, a broader and less restrictive theoretical perspective compared to FPE to develop a revised conceptual model. Specifically, we hypothesize that it is the perceived influence on self and others, rather than the difference between them as hypothesized by Eisend (2008) that mediates the impact of value perception on purchase intention. Using a student sample similar to Eisend (2008) albeit with a different product category and advertising stimulus, we found that value perception has a direct positive effect on the perceived influence on others that affects the perceived influence on self, which in turn influences purchase intention. Besides offering an alternate model for future researchers to explore the role of scarcity appeals in advertising, our findings may also help advertisers focus on the perceived influence on others and use it to influence consumers’ own value perceptions and purchase intentions.