Marketplace Solutions to Motivational Threats: Helping Consumers With Four Distinct Types of Vulnerability*

Abstract

How can we better help consumers deal with threats to satisfying their basic motivational needs? When people fail to meet their fundamental needs for value, truth, and control effectiveness, they feel threatened. Are there products and services that can help consumers with these vulnerabilities? Based on a new 2 (prevention value vs. promotion value) × 2 (truth vs. control) motivated activity framework, we argue that different types of motivational threats produce distinct experiences of vulnerability, each of which can be resolved by engaging in unique compensatory activities. This proposal is especially relevant to marketers because brands can use this knowledge to create and promote product and service offerings that directly address these distinct kinds of vulnerability. In this review, we discuss four specific types of consumer threats and examples of branded solutions. We also suggest implications for marketers and open questions that warrant future research.

Citation

Nakkawita, E. and Higgins, E.T. (2024), "Marketplace Solutions to Motivational Threats: Helping Consumers With Four Distinct Types of Vulnerability* ", Lee, A.Y. (Ed.) The Vulnerable Consumer (Review of Marketing Research, Vol. 21), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 97-112. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1548-643520240000021007