IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jbrese/v189y2025ics0148296325000050.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Marketplace power and choice framing: How and when CSR surcharges generate consumer anger

Author

Listed:
  • Milfeld, Tyler
  • Packer, Olivia

Abstract

Companies have launched various consumer-facing corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, many focused on external beneficiaries (e.g., charitable organizations). Recently, some companies have initiated programs benefiting internal stakeholders (employees). One such program is an employee benefit surcharge – an added fee to cover employee benefits. The current research examines how and when choice framing interacts with marketplace power to influence consumer response toward the surcharge. Five experimental studies reveal that an opt-out (default) choice frame paired with a dominant source enhances consumer anger, leading to lower message support. Furthermore, a critical moderating factor emerges—as issue importance increases, anger increases. This research contributes to marketing scholarship by (a) deepening our understanding of the emotions experienced with choice framing, (b) identifying a critical interaction between choice framing and marketplace power, and (c) uncovering a consistent individual-level factor contributing to anger. These findings show how consumer anger arises with a popular CSR initiative.

Suggested Citation

  • Milfeld, Tyler & Packer, Olivia, 2025. "Marketplace power and choice framing: How and when CSR surcharges generate consumer anger," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:189:y:2025:i:c:s0148296325000050
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115182
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296325000050
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115182?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Glen L. Urban & Theresa Carter & Steven Gaskin & Zofia Mucha, 1986. "Market Share Rewards to Pioneering Brands: An Empirical Analysis and Strategic Implications," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 32(6), pages 645-659, June.
    2. Petty, Richard E & Cacioppo, John T & Schumann, David, 1983. "Central and Peripheral Routes to Advertising Effectiveness: The Moderating Role of Involvement," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 10(2), pages 135-146, September.
    3. Aristeidis Theotokis & Emmanouela Manganari, 2015. "The Impact of Choice Architecture on Sustainable Consumer Behavior: The Role of Guilt," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 131(2), pages 423-437, October.
    4. Martin Hanselmann & Carmen Tanner, 2008. "Taboos and conflicts in decision making: Sacred values, decision difficulty, and emotions," Judgment and Decision Making, Society for Judgment and Decision Making, vol. 3, pages 51-63, January.
    5. Folkes, Valerie S & Koletsky, Susan & Graham, John L, 1987. "A Field Study of Causal Inferences and Consumer Reaction: The View from the Airport," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 13(4), pages 534-539, March.
    6. Jachimowicz, Jon M. & Duncan, Shannon & Weber, Elke U. & Johnson, Eric J., 2019. "When and why defaults influence decisions: a meta-analysis of default effects," Behavioural Public Policy, Cambridge University Press, vol. 3(2), pages 159-186, November.
    7. Hepworth, Adam & Young Lee, Na & Zablah, Alex R., 2021. "Feeling anxious: The dark side of checkout charity solicitations," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 330-342.
    8. Carolyn Bonifield & Catherine Cole, 2007. "Affective responses to service failure: Anger, regret, and retaliatory versus conciliatory responses," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 85-99, June.
    9. Min, Hyounae (Kelly) & Joireman, Jeff & Kim, Hyun Jeong, 2019. "Understanding why anger predicts intention to complain among high but not low power customers: A test of competing models," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 93-102.
    10. repec:cup:judgdm:v:3:y:2008:i::p:51-63 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Septianto, Felix & Northey, Gavin & Dolan, Rebecca, 2019. "The effects of political ideology and message framing on counterfeiting: The mediating role of emotions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 206-214.
    12. Marcus, George E. & MacKuen, Michael B., 1993. "Anxiety, Enthusiasm, and the Vote: The Emotional Underpinnings of Learning and Involvement During Presidential Campaigns," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 87(3), pages 672-685, September.
    13. Eric Johnson & Suzanne Shu & Benedict Dellaert & Craig Fox & Daniel Goldstein & Gerald Häubl & Richard Larrick & John Payne & Ellen Peters & David Schkade & Brian Wansink & Elke Weber, 2012. "Beyond nudges: Tools of a choice architecture," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 23(2), pages 487-504, June.
    14. Hanselmann, Martin & Tanner, Carmen, 2008. "Taboos and conflicts in decision making: Sacred values, decision difficulty, and emotions," Judgment and Decision Making, Cambridge University Press, vol. 3(1), pages 51-63, January.
    15. Kim, Junghyun & Park, Taehoon, 2020. "How corporate social responsibility (CSR) saves a company: The role of gratitude in buffering vindictive consumer behavior from product failures," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 461-472.
    16. Batra, Rajeev & Ray, Michael L, 1986. "Situational Effects of Advertising Repetition: The Moderating Influence of Motivation, Ability, and Opportunity to Respond," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 12(4), pages 432-445, March.
    17. Bang, H. Min & Shu, Suzanne B. & Weber, Elke U., 2020. "The role of perceived effectiveness on the acceptability of choice architecture," Behavioural Public Policy, Cambridge University Press, vol. 4(1), pages 50-70, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rosbergen, Edward & Wedel, Michel & Pieters, Rik, 1997. "Analyzing visual attention tot repeated print advertising using scanpath theory," Research Report 97B32, University of Groningen, Research Institute SOM (Systems, Organisations and Management).
    2. Katharina Momsen & Sebastian O. Schneider, 2022. "Motivated Reasoning, Information Avoidance, and Default Bias," Discussion Paper Series of the Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods 2022_03, Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods.
    3. Chen, Ke & Chen, Jianxun & Zhan, Wu & Sharma, Piyush, 2020. "When in Rome! Complaint contagion effect in multi-actor service ecosystems," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 628-641.
    4. Kim, Juran & Kang, Seungmook & Lee, Ki Hoon, 2021. "Evolution of digital marketing communication: Bibliometric analysis and network visualization from key articles," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 552-563.
    5. Shalom Levy & Israel Nebenzahl, 2008. "The influence of product involvement on consumers’ interactive processes in interactive television," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 65-77, March.
    6. Sullivan, Nikki & Breslav, Alexander & Doré, Samyukta & Bachman, Matthew & Huettel, Scott A., 2025. "The golden halo of defaults in simple choices," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 126086, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    7. Gaia Rubera & Andrea Ordanini & David Mazursky, 2010. "Toward a contingency view of new product creativity: Assessing the interactive effects of consumers," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 191-206, June.
    8. repec:plo:pone00:0234149 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Hansen, Nele & Kupfer, Ann-Kristin & Hennig-Thurau, Thorsten, 2018. "Brand crises in the digital age: The short- and long-term effects of social media firestorms on consumers and brands," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 557-574.
    10. Mitsukuni Nishida, 2018. "A Structural Analysis of Entry Order, Performance, and Geography: The Case of the Convenience-Store Industry in Japan," KIER Working Papers 993, Kyoto University, Institute of Economic Research.
    11. Rotem Dvir, 2024. "Nudging citizens co-production: Assessing multiple behavioral strategies," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 57(4), pages 719-743, December.
    12. Marvin M. Müller & Kim Leonardo Böhm & Erich Renz, 2023. "Pay or nudge employees into change? A theoretical and experimental investigation of the effect of nudging for organizational change," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 44(6), pages 3666-3695, September.
    13. Mitsukuni Nishida, 2025. "Entry Order, Performance, And Geography: The Case Of The Convenience‐Store Industry In Japan," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 66(2), pages 787-822, May.
    14. Andor, Mark Andreas & Götte, Lorenz & Price, Michael Keith & Schulze Tilling, Anna & Tomberg, Lukas, 2023. "Differences in how and why social comparisons and real-time feedback impact resource use: Evidence from a field experiment," Ruhr Economic Papers 1059, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    15. Maria del García-de los Salmones & Angel Herrero & Patricia Martínez, 2021. "Determinants of Electronic Word-of-Mouth on Social Networking Sites About Negative News on CSR," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 171(3), pages 583-597, July.
    16. David Schneider & Johannes Klumpe & Martin Adam & Alexander Benlian, 2020. "Nudging users into digital service solutions," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 30(4), pages 863-881, December.
    17. Tuzovic, Sven & Simpson, Merlin C. & Kuppelwieser, Volker G. & Finsterwalder, Jörg, 2014. "From ‘free’ to fee: Acceptability of airline ancillary fees and the effects on customer behavior," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 21(2), pages 98-107.
    18. Gulay Taltekin Guzel, 2023. "A practice theoretic perspective on influence," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 13(3), pages 250-261, December.
    19. Demoulin, Nathalie & Willems, Kim, 2019. "Servicescape irritants and customer satisfaction: The moderating role of shopping motives and involvement," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 295-306.
    20. Mitsukuni Nishida, 2017. "First-Mover Advantage Through Distribution: A Decomposition Approach," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 36(4), pages 590-609, July.
    21. Mills, Stuart, 2022. "Finding the ‘nudge’ in hypernudge," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:189:y:2025:i:c:s0148296325000050. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jbusres .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.