The Varying Impact of Self and Other-Oriented Message Appeals on Volunteering

Abstract

Volunteerism is a means of contributing either to the society, the organization, or the individual. Either for satisfying individual's self-interest or for altruistically helping others, volunteering creates value. The study aims to examine the impact of self-versus other-oriented messages on intentions and attitudes of existing and potential volunteers. Two studies were designed using fictitious foundations, to find out the potential effects of attitude towards recruitment ads and intention to volunteer for the organization. According to Study 1, which consisted of mainly volunteering adults, the other-oriented message is found to be more activating than the self-oriented message. However, in the Study 2, which comprised of a mainly non-volunteer student sample, the two appeal's intentional effects were in opposite direction. Participants were found out to have higher intention to volunteer for the organizations when self-oriented messages were used. Follow-up analysis of the combined data revealed that non-volunteers' intention to volunteer was higher with self-oriented appeal than with an other-oriented appeal. These findings are discussed in terms of the implications on volunteerism and linked to recent findings regarding the role of self-and other-oriented motives on determining how to approach both volunteers and non-volunteers in an effective manner.

Addressing global overconsumption: positioning the anti-consumption through communication appeals

“…Besides promoting electric vehicles and renewable energy usage, social marketing should use self-oriented appeals to promote biking and walking (Afedzie et al ., 2022) and their benefits, not only for the society and environment but also for human health. Regarding self-oriented appeals proven to be effective in inducing volunteering among young while other-oriented appeals have proven to be effective among adults (Aydin et al ., 2021), social marketing should adjust their efforts considering young and adult consumers. On the other hand, both commercial and social marketing should use other-oriented appeals in the context of sustainable transportation (Zhao et al ., 2020) for inducing consumers' awareness in the context of ride-sharing by which they can reduce their consumption and preserve the environment and society (Barlow et al ., 2021).…”

“…Self-other framing considers perceiving benefits for the self and for the others (Trope and Liberman, 2010). The self-oriented and other-oriented appeals were previously investigated in the context of volunteering (Aydin et al ., 2021). Finally, abstract-concrete framing refers to concrete or precise and explicit messages, and, on the other hand, abstract or general and indeterminate messages (Liberman and Trope, 1998; Trope and Liberman, 2010).…”