A Cross-Cultural Analysis of #FOMO Appeals Promoting Sustainable Consumptions

The fear of missing out (or FOMO) is a familiar concept in popular culture. As a result, marketers started using FOMO appeals in marketing promotions and advertising. This research investigates consumers’ reactions to FOMO appeals in the context of sustainable consumption across cultures. Academic research to date only demonstrates an association between FOMO (as an individual trait) and self-construal (as independent vs. interdependent). However, culture can be studied via multiple types of comparisons: between countries, between regions or ethnic groups within a society, between individuals within a community by measuring cultural orientations or values, or between situations that activate distinct cultural concepts. This research aims to fill the research gap in two ways: (1) Examine when and how FOMO marketing appeals help promote sustainable consumption. (2) Explore the role of alternate dimensions of culture (such as power distance belief, local-global identity, tight versus loose cultures, and indulgence versus restrained cultures) as boundary conditions of the proposed effect of FOMO appeals on sustainable consumption and provide culturally relevant managerial insights.