Partitioning online experiential consumption increases subjective well-being during the times of uncertainty

Abstract

The current study suggests an effective compensatory control strategy using partitioning experiential consumption that can be implemented into consumers’ daily activities. Across four experiments, we examined the effects of partitioned (vs. aggregated) message formats and financial anxiety on sense of control, subjective well-being, and ad attitudes. Specifically, our findings indicated that consumers with higher (vs. lower) levels of financial anxiety respond more favorably toward partitioned (vs. aggregated) experiential messages. Our results provide timely contributions for researchers and practitioners who are interested in understanding and implementing advertising and marketing strategies in the digital landscape with improving consumers’ well-being in mind.

Keywords:

• Partitioning
• subjective well-being
• COVID-19
• online experiential consumption

Data availability

The datasets are available on request from the corresponding author.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

Jinhee Kim and So Yean Kwack acknowledges this work was supported by the Hongik University new faculty research support fund.

Notes on contributors

Yoon-Na Cho

Yoon-Na Cho (Ph.D., University of Arkansas) is an associate professor of marketing at Hongik University, Seoul, South Korea. Her works focus on judgment and decision making in the realms of consumer and societal wellbeing. She has published in the Journal of Advertising, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Consumer Affairs, among others.

Jinhee Kim

Jinhee Kim (Ph.D., Purdue University) is an assistant professor of finance at Hongik University, South Korea. Her research interests lie in the field of behavioral finance, international corporate finance, and corporate governance. She has published in different journals such as Asia-pacific Journal of Financial Studies and Sustainability.

So Yean Kwack

So Yean Kwack is an assistant professor of accounting at Hongik University, South Korea. She received her PhD degree from Fox School of Business, Temple University. Broadly, her research focuses on corporate governance, and specifically, how connections within the top management team and board of directors affect accounting quality and firm policies. Recently she is interested in investigating the behavior of the top management team of firms that are facing financial threats. Her research has been published in different journals such as Journal of Corporate Finance and Journal of Business, Finance, and Accounting.

Nara Youn

Nara Youn (Ph.D., Northwestern University) is a professor of marketing at Hongik University Business School, Seoul, South Korea. Her research interests are in the areas of sensory perception, aesthetics, and creativity. She has published in various outlets, including Marketing Science, Information Systems Research, Journal of Environmental Psychology, Journal of Advertising, Journal of Business Research, and Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts.