The SRN, in collaboration with the American Marketing Association Sustainable Marketing SIG, will feature Rebecca Walker Reczek (Professor of Marketing and Berry Chair of New Technologies in Marketing at The Ohio State University).

Title: Get Your Science Out of Here: When Does Invoking Science in Marketing Consumer Products Backfire?

Abstract: In this research, we propose that although consumers view the scientific process as competent (a positive stereotype), they also perceive it as cold (a negative stereotype). Across ten experimental studies, including incentive compatible study designs, we demonstrate that these lay beliefs impact consumers’ reactions to promotional appeals touting the use of science in product development. Specifically, since hedonic attributes are associated with warmth, the coldness associated with the scientific process is conceptually disfluent with the anticipated warmth of hedonic products and attributes, reducing purchase interest. In contrast, when products are positioned as utilitarian, invoking science in marketing appeals has a positive effect, as the perceived competence of the scientific process is compatible with the competence associated with utilitarian products. We further demonstrate that when the necessity of science to create a hedonic product is made salient and thus more fluent, this backfire effect is attenuated. Finally, we identify three theoretically-relevant individual differences (i.e., endorsement of the lay theory, trust in scientists, and whether the consumer works in a STEM field themselves) that moderate the backfire effect of pairing science with hedonically positioned products.