Examples of Guilt Appeals from Kickstarter Data
| Kickstarter Campaign | Product Description | Guilt Appeal |
|---|---|---|
| RIDEBRO | Eco-friendly shoes | 3.4 million people die each year from a water-related disease; that is almost the entire city of Los Angeles. Half of the world's hospital beds are filled with people suffering from water-related illnesses. By 2025, two-thirds of the world population could face water scarcity stress conditions. Water impacts everything… When we can secure access to clean water and to adequate sanitation facilities for all people, irrespective of the difference in their living conditions, and ensure recommended hygiene practices are applied, a huge battle against all kinds of diseases will be won. |
| Things of Intrinsic Worth | Film/documentary | For 40 years the citizens of southeast Montana have been repeatedly asked to absorb the impacts of natural resource extraction… There are fewer and fewer people like Clint and Wally McRae, who live a life inextricably tied to the health of the land and water and therefore must protect them. The McRaes are not only embodiments of an important culture that is disappearing but are also powerful voices that convey what is true and beautiful about the American West. |
| Act Out | Afterschool theatre | Your contribution will have a unique and positive impact, allowing inner-city teens the chance to explore their creative potential! In addition to their arts training, these young people will gain valuable new skills in on-stage production, grow in their confidence, build healthy socialization and collaboration skills, and develop passionate dreams of what their futures might look like!… At-risk and disadvantaged kids in inner city areas of Long Beach don't have access to enough arts-centered programs that help them develop and explore their creative potential… |
| The Domestic Menagerie | Handmade, letter-pressed cards | Sitting in a studio and making drawings doesn't cost me much more than time, but pulling out all the stops, making a physical product, and essentially pretending that I'm a stationery business, even in a limited fashion, is a significant investment… If you are still reading this, please buy something to prevent me from starving to death somewhere in Queens, on a frigidly cold night this coming fall. |
| Whatever This Is. | Web-based video series | Sam and Ari are scraping by working on low or unpaid video production gigs thrown their way by Oscar, an existentially grumpy middleman at a small production company. Making rent is hard enough; they barely have time to sneak toward their personal goals and personal lives in their off-hours. |
| Love the Flugg | Marshmallow boutique cafe | It is our plan to offer employees a living wage in exchange for their services. It is extremely challenging, if not impossible, for employees earning minimum wage to support themselves, much less a child or family. By paying a LIVING WAGE, we will be supporting our employees' desire to live an autonomous lifestyle without having to depend on others to meet their basic needs. |