Comparing disgust and sadness: examining the interaction of emotion and information in charity appeals

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to compare the use of disgust and sadness – two negative emotions associated with different appraisals and information processing styles – in charity social marketing appeals. Design/methodology/approach An experiment (n = 247) examined effects when disgust or sad imagery was used alone versus when images were accompanied by information about the cause. Findings OLS regression results show including information reduced empathy when participants were exposed to sad images, replicating prior research on sadness in charity marketing. No similar effect was observed for disgust-evoking images. Although disgust images alone reduced empathy compared to sad images alone, disgust images paired with information were just as effective as sad images alone and sad images accompanied by information. Empathy mediated the relationship between exposure to each type of appeal and donations – this relationship was negative for sad images but not for disgust images accompanied by information. Research limitations/implications These findings suggest the use of disgust may help to mitigate the loss of empathy that occurs when individuals engage in deliberative tasks, such as reading information about a cause. They also illustrate how the distinct properties of discrete emotions can be used strategically to influence social marketing outcomes. Originality/value Existing research has compared disgust-evoking images to appeals using neutral, mildly disgusting or positive emotional imagery. This study compares disgust to sadness, a negative emotion commonly used in charity marketing, and considers interaction effects with informational elements of the appeal.