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  • Simon P. Anderson
  • André de Palma

Abstract

Unsolicited advertising messages vie for scarce attention. Junk mail, spam e-mail, and telemarketing calls need both parties to exert effort to generate transactions. Message receivers supply attention according to average message benefit, while the marginal sender determines congestion. Costlier transmission may improve average message benefit so more messages are examined. Too many (too few) messages may be sent, or the wrong ones. A Do-Not-Call policy beats a ban, but too many individuals opt out. A monopoly gatekeeper performs better than personal access pricing if nuisance costs to receivers are moderate. The welfare results still hold when messages are presorted (triage). Copyright (c) 2009, RAND.

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Bibliographic Info

Article provided by RAND Corporation in its journal The RAND Journal of Economics.

Volume (Year): 40 (2009)
Issue (Month): 4 ()
Pages: 688-709

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Handle: RePEc:bla:randje:v:40:y:2009:i:4:p:688-709

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References

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  1. Simon P. Anderson & Regis Renault, 1999. "Pricing, product diversity, and search costs: a Bertrand-Chamberlin-Diamond model," Virginia Economics Online Papers 335, University of Virginia, Department of Economics.
  2. Il-Horn Hann & Kai-Lung Hui & Sang-Yong Tom Lee & Ivan Png, 2005. "Consumer Privacy and Marketing Avoidance," Industrial Organization 0503009, EconWPA.
  3. Kyle Bagwell, 2005. "The Economic Analysis of Advertising," Discussion Papers 0506-01, Columbia University, Department of Economics.
  4. Hui, Kai-Lung & Png, Ivan P. L., 2005. "The Economics of Privacy," Working paper 272, Regulation2point0.
  5. Grossman, Gene M & Shapiro, Carl, 1984. "Informative Advertising with Differentiated Products," Review of Economic Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(1), pages 63-81, January.
  6. Spence, Michael, 1976. "Product Selection, Fixed Costs, and Monopolistic Competition," Review of Economic Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(2), pages 217-35, June.
  7. Simon P. Anderson & Stephen Coate, 2003. "Market Provision of Broadcasting: A Welfare Analysis," Virginia Economics Online Papers 358, University of Virginia, Department of Economics.
  8. Mark Armstrong, 2006. "Competition in two‐sided markets," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 37(3), pages 668-691, 09.
  9. Engers, Maxim & Gans, Joshua S, 1998. "Why Referees Are Not Paid (Enough)," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 88(5), pages 1341-49, December.
  10. Michael R. Baye & John Morgan, 2009. "Brand and Price Advertising in Online Markets," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 55(7), pages 1139-1151, July.
  11. Diamond, Peter A., 1971. "A model of price adjustment," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 3(2), pages 156-168, June.
  12. Willmore, C., 1999. "A Penny for your Thoughts: E-Mail and the Under-Valuation of Expert Time," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 551, University of Warwick, Department of Economics.
  13. Simon P. Anderson & André De Palma, 2012. "Shouting to be Heard in Advertising," Working Papers hal-00742240, HAL.
  14. Robert, Jacques & Stahl, Dale O, II, 1993. "Informative Price Advertising in a Sequential Search Model," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 61(3), pages 657-86, May.
  15. repec:bla:restud:v:72:y:2005:i:4:p:947-972 is not listed on IDEAS
  16. Stahl, Dale O, II, 1989. "Oligopolistic Pricing with Sequential Consumer Search," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 79(4), pages 700-712, September.
  17. Butters, Gerard R, 1977. "Equilibrium Distributions of Sales and Advertising Prices," Review of Economic Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(3), pages 465-91, October.
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Citations

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Cited by:
  1. Hartmut Egger & Josef Falkinger, 2013. "Limited Consumer Attention in International Trade," CESifo Working Paper Series 4166, CESifo Group Munich.
  2. Anderson, Simon P. & de Palma, André, 2009. "Competition for attention in the information (overload) age," CEPR Discussion Papers 7286, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
  3. Marco A. Haan & José L. Moraga‐González, 2011. "Advertising for Attention in a Consumer Search Model," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 121(552), pages 552-579, 05.
  4. S. Anderson & André De Palma, 2010. "Competition for attention in the information (overload) age," Working Papers hal-00517721, HAL.
  5. Anderson, Simon P. & Foros, Øystein & Kind, Hans Jarle & Peitz, Martin, 2011. "Media market concentration, advertising levels, and ad prices," Discussion Paper Series in Economics 24/2011, Department of Economics, Norwegian School of Economics.
  6. Goos, Maarten & Van Cayseele, Patrick & Willekens, Bert, 2011. "Platform pricing in matching markets," Open Access publications from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven urn:hdl:123456789/328974, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.
  7. Khim Yong, Goh & Kai-Lung, Hui & I.P.L., Png, 2008. "Social Interaction, Observational Learning, and Privacy: the "Do Not Call" Registry," MPRA Paper 8225, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  8. Marco A. Haan & Jose Luis Moraga-Gonzalez, 2009. "Advertising for Attention in a Consumer Search Model," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 09-031/1, Tinbergen Institute.
  9. Caspar G. Chorus & Benedict G. C. Dellaert, 2012. "Travel Choice Inertia: The Joint Role of Risk Aversion and Learning," Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, London School of Economics and University of Bath, vol. 46(1), pages 139-155, January.
  10. André De Palma & Robin Lindsey & Nathalie Picard, 2008. "Risk aversion, the value of information and traffic equilibrium," Working Papers hal-00349492, HAL.
  11. Sergejs Gubins & Erik T. Verhoef & Thomas de Graaff, 2010. "Welfare Effects of Road Pricing and Traffic Information under Alternative Ownership Regimes," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 10-091/3, Tinbergen Institute.
  12. repec:hal:cesptp:hal-00517721 is not listed on IDEAS

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