The hidden power of shame: how feeling ashamed enhances advertisement recall and positive attitude

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of shame on subsequent advertisement processing. Consumers often experience shame in various advertising contexts, such as digital media contexts, TV advertisements, or even daily lives. However, it remains unclear how feeling shame affects consumers’ processing of subsequent advertisements that are unrelated to the shame-inducing situations. In three experiments, we find that consumers who feel shame show increased cognitive processing (e.g. greater recall of advertisements) compared with those who do not feel shame or those who feel guilt. We further show that this increased cognitive processing leads to a more positive response toward the product. Furthermore, we find that the effect of shame on subsequent advertisement processing is stronger for high self-monitors than for low self-monitors.