The downside of
surprise products
The effect of uncertainty labels on consumption
experience
Lena Wegener, S3812855
Faculty of Economics and Business
M.Sc. Marketing: Marketing Management
Master Thesis Defense
The downside of
surprise products
The effect of uncertainty labels on consumption
experience
Surprise Labels
Theoretical Framework
Uncertainty Label
Perceived Uncertainty
Greater investment of
cognitive resources
Attention attracted by
details in environment
Lower engagement with the
consumption experience
Uncertainty Label
Subsequent Consumption
Experience
Conceptual Model
H1a. An uncertainty label reduces,
through a process in which the focus
shifts towards details, enjoyment of a
consumption experience, compared to a
neutral
label
when
a
manipulated
analytical processing enhances the focus
on details.
Research Design
vs.
2 (Label: surprise vs. control) x
2 (processing type: narrative vs
Measurements Overview
Surprise Label [0] vs Control Label [1]
=> independent variable
Enjoyment
=> dependent variable
Detail Cues and Peripheral Cues
= > mediator variable
Narrative Processing Type [0]
=> independent variable (moderator)
vs Analytical Processing [1]
Results
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 En jo ymentRESULTS FOR ENJOYMENT
Note: * path significant p = .02.
Note: Enjoyment was measured on a scalefrom “0” = not at all to “100” = very much; Error bars denote standard errors
Analytical
processing
Narrative
processing
Conclusion
• Rejected hypothesis
• Finding: Gender effect
• Limitations
•
Study Design
•
Data
•
Scales
• Practical implications
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 En jo ymentRESULTS FOR ENJOYMENT
male
female
References
•Bruns, Andreas and Heuwold, Gunnar (2012), "Mercedes-Benz --The Journey (90"),” (accessed June 16, 2019), [available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V2vHSuUJog].
•Deutsche Lufthansa AG (2019),”Lufthansa Surprise,” (accessed on June 16, 2019), [available at https://www.lufthansa-surprise.com/#opq_retrieve].
•Ferrero (2019), “Kinder Surprise Webpage,” (accessed on June 16, 2019), [available at https://www.kinder.com/uk/en/kinder-surprise].
•KIA Motors Corp. (2019), ”Facebook post: KIA the power to surprise,” (accessed on June 16, 2019), [available at