@article {Chen81, author = {Steven Chen and Sunil Thomas and Chiranjeev Kohli}, title = {What Really Makes a Promotional Campaign Succeed on a Crowdfunding Platform?}, volume = {56}, number = {1}, pages = {81--94}, year = {2016}, doi = {10.2501/JAR-2016-002}, publisher = {Journal of Advertising Research}, abstract = {Online crowdfunding is a popular platform for entrepreneurs to engage consumers by raising funds for creative projects. The purpose of this research was to conceptualize a theoretical framework for crowdfunding appeals and investigate the relationship effect of appeal modes, product, and message characteristics as well as presentation characteristics on donation levels. A stratified random sample of 200 campaigns on Kickstarter.com was analyzed in a regression-based study. Guilt appeals, utilitarian product types, an emotional message frame, and reward tiers were significantly{\textemdash}and positively{\textemdash}related to funding level, measured as a percentage of the funding goals. Entrepreneurs further can use this framework to develop crowdfunding campaigns that can serve as effective marketing tools.}, issn = {0021-8499}, URL = {https://www.journalofadvertisingresearch.com/content/56/1/81}, eprint = {https://www.journalofadvertisingresearch.com/content/56/1/81.full.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Advertising Research} }