Don't get embarrassed, get creative! How creative thinking helps mitigate consumer embarrassment

Consumer embarrassment occurs frequently and can negatively impact both consumers and marketers. The current work demonstrates that encouraging consumers to engage in creative thinking—whether generating new ideas (e.g., crowdsourcing) or through exposure to creativity-related words—is one way for marketers to address the challenges posed by consumer embarrassment. Three studies demonstrate that prompting creative thinking makes consumers feel less embarrassed in subsequent consumer contexts. Specifically, the findings suggest that when consumers are prompted to think creatively, they assess behaviors that violate social norms as more socially acceptable, lowering feelings of embarrassment across a variety of consumption contexts. This research contributes to our understanding of the many benefits of engaging consumers in creative thinking and the growing stream of work exploring tactics companies can employ to help mitigate consumer embarrassment. This research also offers practical implications for both marketers and consumers.