Driving continued participation after rejection How Message Framing and Future-Oriented Feedback Influence Perceived Fairness and Re-participation in Ideation Contests
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2025-07-01
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en
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Abstract
In ideation contests, where rejection is common, and selection rates are low, the way feedback is framed plays an important role in maintaining long-term participant engagement. This study explores how rejection message framing and future-focused feedback influence perceived fairness and intention to participate in future ideation contests. A 2x2 between-subjects experiment (constructive vs. dismissive message framing X high vs low future-focus) was conducted with 160 participants.
The findings suggest that constructive message framing significantly increases both
perceived fairness and participation intention. Perceived fairness fully mediates the
relationship between message framing and future participation, emphasising its central role in how participants process rejection. While future-focused feedback had a small effect on
perceived fairness, its expected moderating role was not supported. This was likely caused by
conceptual overlap in the manipulations.
By treating rejection feedback as a distinct construct rather than a component of general
contest communication, this study contributes to ideation contest literature and offers practical insights for organisers. It highlights how tone and temporal orientation in feedback can shape fairness perceptions and supports the design of rejection feedback that encourages continued participation.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen