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A new form of ethical consumption has recently evolved: The carrotmob. As in a flashmob, consumers collectively swarm a specific store and purchase its goods in order to reward corporate socially responsible behaviour. The present paper introduces a conceptionalization of carrotmobs that takes into account the perspective of the three relevant parties: activists, companies, and consumers. First, the paper considers activists' objectives in initiating such a social movement. It describes how they use guerrilla tactics to foster the participation of companies and consumers. Second, the paper considers the perspective of the target company, stressing the role of corporate social responsibility and describing how companies compete in an auction to become the carrotmob target. Third, the paper highlights the consumer perspective, discussing different views on consumer power and the motivation to participate in a carrotmob. The paper also points out directions for further empirical research for each of these three perspectives.

Ambient advertising is a creative, innovative form of outdoor advertising that explicitly intends to surprise consumers by placing unexpected advertisements at unusual locations. The rising relevance of ambient advertising is not mirrored in the marketing literature yet. No study has empirically considered the key elements of location and execution of ambient advertising. This paper uses a mixed-method approach to (1) identify the locational and executional elements used in ambient advertising practice and to (2) analyze the effectiveness of ambient advertising. Study 1 (n ¼ 340) applying a content analysis reveals that ambient advertising mainly uses unconventional 2D elements often combined with unexpected visual elements such as optical illusion. Study 2 (n ¼ 234) using ANOVAs examines that unconventional advertisements have a stronger impact on consumer perception (e.g., attention, attitude toward the ad) than on conventional outdoor advertising. The paper provides contributions for marketing managers and further research.

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