TY - JOUR T1 - What Really Makes a Promotional Campaign Succeed on a Crowdfunding Platform? JF - Journal of Advertising Research JO - J Advert Res SP - 81 LP - 94 DO - 10.2501/JAR-2016-002 VL - 56 IS - 1 AU - Steven Chen AU - Sunil Thomas AU - Chiranjeev Kohli Y1 - 2016/03/01 UR - http://www.journalofadvertisingresearch.com/content/56/1/81.abstract N2 - 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—and positively—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. ER -