Technological complementarities, demand, and market power

Recent technological changes in many industries have generated numerous complementary technologies. A key implication of complementary technologies is that the demand for related services has tended to change both qualitatively and quantitatively. While the economics literature has examined various aspects, the effects of technological complementarity have not been fully flushed out. Using a simple model, this paper examines the implications of technological complementarity. How have firms’ pricing abilities changed with complementary technologies? What implications do complementary technologies have for regulation? Results show that technological complementarity has the potential to increase the market power of firms, possibly increasing prices to unprecedented levels. This holds whether demand elasticity is constant or variable. Policy implications are discussed.     

Mitigating consumer ethnocentrism via advertising and media consumption in a transitional market

Consumer ethnocentrism is considered an important barrier to consumption in the global marketplace. Although the concept of consumer ethnocentrism has been investigated over many years in developed markets, there is little research addressing the mitigation of consumer ethnocentrism in transitional economies, which are becoming increasingly important in the global marketplace. One such market, Russia, represents a major potential investment opportunity for global marketers. In this study, we undertake an exploratory study investigating consumer ethnocentrism’s negative influence on Russians’ attitudes towards foreign products and their frequency of purchase of foreign products. We also demonstrate that the influence of consumer ethnocentrism on the frequency of purchase of foreign products is moderated by consumers’ exposure to mass communication (i.e. exposure to television, exposure to foreign movies) and by marketing communication efforts (i.e. exposure to foreign product advertising, involvement with foreign product advertising). In addition to extending theoretical research to a transitional, non-Western context, the empirical results also provide implications for international advertising practitioners.     

ACI,广告消费指数——广告效果测定的新标准

2008年1月8目，IMI（创研）市场信息研究所在京召开新闻发布会，发布受众媒体接触新指标——广告消费指数（ACI）。 IMI（创研）市场信息研究所（Institute for Marketing Information）是中国传媒大学广告学院的下属机构，从1992年成立以来积极参与和组织大型的市场研究和媒介受众研究活动，     

Mail advertising and consumer behavior

This paper examines some trends in mail advertising and presents some findings from a longitudinal study on mail sent to and from U.S. households. Data from 1987 and 1991 interviews and diaries of a national probability sample of U.S. households were compared. As the third largest advertising medium, mail has grown in market share in the past decade as traditional advertising media declined or stayed the same. The paper examines how consumers feel, perceive and respond to the advertising mail they receive. It also explores how characteristics of the senders and recipients, factors outside the mail piece and the type of mail piece, influence consumer attitudes, perceptions, and treatment of the mail received. The paper concludes with recommendations to advertisers, marketers, and fundraisers for future research and for increasing the effectiveness of mail in their marketing mix. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Competing for consumer memory in television advertising

The purpose of this study is to examine how brand recall and recognition are affected by non-editorial clutter in mega-event broadcasting. Using longitudinal data collected during four years of Super Bowl broadcasts, this study investigates the effects of three different types of television clutter (other ads, on-air promos and TV billboards) and their composite effects on brand memory. The results show that increases in numbers and lengths of other ads and on-air promos negatively affect brand recall and recognition. However, such effect was not found with TV billboards. Theoretical and marketing implications are discussed.     

Electricity awareness and consumer demand for information

With the envisioned growth in the residential electricity demand and increased share of intermittent renewables in the supply mix, consumers will need to be better informed about their electricity consumption and to play an active role in managing their electricity use. However, consumer inattention and lack of information are ubiquitous, especially in household energy‐related settings. Thus, using a novel survey and actual monthly electricity consumption data, this study set out to measure the level of awareness about electricity bills, prices and costs among some Finnish households—as captured by the answers to six questions—and to investigate whether higher levels of “electricity awareness” are associated with electricity savings. In addition, this study analyses the willingness to receive extra information about energy consumption and savings and how it differs between “electricity aware” and “electricity unaware” respondents. The results indicate low levels of “electricity awareness” among the respondents of the survey. Compared to the respondents with little knowledge about electricity bills, prices and costs, the respondents with higher levels of “electricity awareness” tend to consume less electricity. Higher levels of awareness about electricity use and consumption might “materialize” inconspicuous consumption patterns, as opposed to more general facts about the largely invisible environmental consequences of everyday practices. More than two‐thirds of the total number of respondents would like to receive additional information about energy consumption and how to save energy. However, there exists a significant portion of “electricity unaware” respondents who are not only unwilling to receive such information, but are also unaware of their own knowledge deficits. To maximize the impact of any information strategy, decision makers should attempt to engage with this type of consumer; by becoming more aware of their knowledge deficits, people might become more receptive to information that can benefit them.     

中国广告业赶搭数字电视班车

中国已经制定数字电视转换时间表,数字电视也被列为"十一五"规划重点项目。从2002年到2015年,国内数字电视市场规模将由400亿元扩张到5000亿元,而整个数字电视产业的规模预计将达到1.5万亿元,其中蕴藏的市场机会超过万亿元,市场潜力不可估量。对广告行业来说,电视媒体会有怎样的变化呢?中国广告业能赶上数字电视这班车吗?     

How consumer heterogeneity muddles the international advertising debate

Standardisation versus localisation is an enduring topic in international advertising. The generalisability of research on the topic is another issue. We address the second issue and in the process shed light on the first. Multifacet analysis on an international advertising data set indicated that individuals within countries accounted for much more variance than countries could account for. This portends that researchers should generalise with caution. It further suggests that some form of standardisation may be appropriate more often than is currently considered. Both between and within-country heterogeneity should influence international advertising strategies.     

A meta-analysis of consumer choice and subliminal advertising

A meta-analysis is used to demonstrate the ineffectiveness of subliminal advertising to influence the consumer's decision between alternatives. A review of narrative reviews is provided to illustrate that sample size and effect size is seldom used as the basis for evaluating whether subliminal marketing stimuli are an effective means for influencing consumer choice behavior. The results of the meta-analysis indicate that there is very little effect. The resulting coefficient had a value r=0.0585, which places the effectiveness of subliminal advertising on choice between the impact of aspirin on heart attacks and the relationship between alcohol abuse and a tour of duty in Vietnam (Rosenthal, 1990). © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The influence of advertising on the demand for chocolate confectionery

This paper addresses the impact of advertising on the size of five European chocolate confectionery markets: Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. It is prompted by suggestions that advertising may be responsible for excessive consumption of confectionery by children. The literature on whether advertising affects the total market size is not one-sided but the balance of previous research indicates market effects to be less likely. Chocolate confectionery in Western Europe is a mature market in slow decline. We found no significant association between the weight of advertising and market growth with either contemporaneous or lagged effects. There was, however, negative correlation between market size and price, as was to be expected. The results were consistent across the five countries.     

Television advertising and childrens' attitudes toward proprietary medicine

The effect of exposure to television drug advertising on children's attitudes toward proprietary medicines and medicine use was investigated in two experiments. The first experiment presented the commercials in a realistic program context fashion. The second experiment presented the commercials in a more direct and controlled manner. Using drug questionnaires, the subjects were assessed for their attitudes regarding the use of proprietary drugs. The results of both studies indicated that exposure to drug advertising had little influence on children's attitudes. Furthermore, children preferred not to watch drug commercials in comparison to a TV program or other types of commercials.     

基于消费者需求与信息搜寻的消费者教育模型研究

本文结合消费者需求特点和信息搜寻两个维度,指出产品市场可分为易识实用产品市场、难识实用产品市场、易识享乐产品市场、难识享乐产品市场和未被考虑产品市场.企业应根据各类市场特征,制定有针对性的消费者教育策略.     

适应消费需求变化的农业发展战略

近年来，我国农业综合生产能力不断提高，农产品供给状况初步实现了供求总量基本平衡，丰年有余，并普遍出现卖难现象，农业的发展从资源约束转变为越来越受到市场消费需求的约束，农产品消费需求的变化，对我国农业发展战略提出了新的要求。]     

客观看待消费研究对广告营销趋势的影响

大型广告公司都会进行常规的消费研究，以此作为为广告主制订传播推广策略的重要参考。2009年4A广告公司在消费报告发布上的高调，多少是受金融危机影响的表现，是减轻和化解危机影响的一种方式。如果关注一下整体消费市场及媒体投放等多种因素，对消费研究的形势判断就会更加全面。     

The interplay between consumer self-view,cognitive style,and creative visual metaphors in print advertising

This paper examines the use of an advertising rhetoric technique – visual metaphor, and its persuasion effects in light of consumers’ cultural and individual dispositional characteristics when processing visually relational information. Of particular interest are the culturally driven self-views and individuals’ cognitive thinking styles. An experimental study involving visual metaphor manipulations in the context of print advertising was conducted. Results showed that, visual metaphor techniques significantly enhanced the persuasion outcomes through consumers’ evaluation of the advertising message and the brand. Both consumers’ self-construal orientation and their analytic-holistic processing style, moderate the effects of visual metaphors in print ads for low-involvement products, but not for high-involvement products. Implications for academics and practitioners, as well as future research directions suggested through the current experiment, are discussed.     

四川的休闲消费文化及其影响的广告业

从地域文化的角度来看，以成都为代表的四川地域文化具有十分鲜明的休闲文化特色。这一特色不仅影响与制约着四川的消费市场特色，而且，在很大程童上也影响与制约着四川的经济发展和广告业发展状况。     

The use of electronic media for advertising and selling: A consumer policy outline

The purpose of the article is to summarize the use of the electronic media for advertising and selling, to identify the present or potential problems of this use for consumers, and to outline national and international consumer policies on the use of the electronic media for advertising and selling.The main suggestions for consumer policy are that consumer organizations and authorities should: (a) set aside resources for the preparation of a code of standards for the use of data media for advertising and selling, (b) follow closely what we have identified as the most urgent consumer problem, namely the use of the visual media for new ways of advertising and selling, (c) carry out detailed studies of the necessity of adjusting legislation in light of the expected developments in the field of visual media, and (d) in view of the international range of both data media and visual media investigate the possibility of international co-operation concerning the detailed consumer policy elements proposed in this article.

---

Elektronische Medien in Werbung und Verkauf: ein verbraucherpolitischer Überblick

Zusammenfassung Der Beitrag schildert zunächst den Einsatz elektronischer Medien in der Werbung und im Verkauf, wie er sich in den USA und den westeuropäischen Ländern beobachten läßt. Er untersheidet dabei Daten-Medien und visuelle Medien. Anschließend versucht er, bestehende und potentiell auftretende Probleme dieses Medien-Einsatzes zu benennen, und geht dabei im Bereich der Werbung vor allem auf Fragen der Identifizierbarkeit, des Informationsgehaltes und der Strukturierung, im Bereich des Verkaufs auf Fragen der Information über Verkaufskonditionen, des Rücktrittsrechts und des Datenschutzes ein.Schließlich entwirft der Beitrag einen Vorschlag für nationale und internationale verbraucherpolitische Maßnahmen. Nach diesem Vorschlag sollten die Verbraucherorganisationen (a) Mittel für die Erarbeitung von Richtlinien für den Einsatz elektronischer Daten-Medien in Werbung und Verkauf bereitstellen, (b) dem wichtigen Problem des Einsatzes visueller Medien für neue Formen von Werbung und Verkauf auf der Spur bleiben, (c) genau prüfen, inwieweit die Gesetzgebung der zu erwartenden Entwicklung im Bereich der visuellen Medien angepaßt werden muß, und (d) angesichts der übernationalen Reichweite der behandelten Medien die Möglichkeit internationaler verbraucherpolitischer Zusammenarbeit fördern.

---

---

Folke Ölander is Professor and Preben Sepstrup Associate Professor at the Aarhus School of Business Administration and Economics, Ryhavevej 8, DK-8210 Aarhus V, Denmark.The project has been conducted with financial support from the Nordic Council of Ministers.     

How brand attribute typicality and consumer commitment moderate the influence of comparative advertising

This study examines how product attribute typicality and brand commitment influence the effects of comparative versus non-comparative ads on brand attitudes. Employing perspectives from the literatures on typicality and commitment, the study examines the effects of commitment to the comparison brand on the effectiveness of comparative versus non-comparative advertising. A between-informants experiment uses data from 466 student informants. It is hypothesized that (a) when the attribute under consideration is typical (atypical), among comparison brand committed informants, a non-comparative ad is more (no more) persuasive than a comparative ad, (b) when the attribute under consideration is typical, among comparison brand non-committed informants, a comparative ad is more persuasive than a non-comparative ad, and (c) when the attribute under consideration is atypical, among comparison brand non-committed informants, a comparative ad is likely to be more persuasive than a non-comparative ad, but the effect will be weaker than in the case of a typical attribute. Hypothesis (a) is supported while (b) has directional support. The results support a three-way interaction between consumer commitment, attribute typicality, and type of advertisement. The findings are relevant to a variety of contexts, such as markets characterized by high levels of market share and commitment for the market leader as well as fragmented markets where market share and commitment levels are low.     

Emerging lifestyles in China and consequences for perception of advertising,buying behaviour and consumption preferences

This study successfully segments consumers in China into five groups based on six empirically tested lifestyles: traditionalists, status quo, modern, transitioners and generation Xers. Marked by old age, poor education and poverty, traditionalists lead an old- fashioned life and resist change. Demographically similar to traditionalists, the status quo segment, however, has not reached a stage where life revolves around established routines. Poorly educated with low incomes, transitioners are much younger and open to change. The modern segment is the most affluent and well educated, pursuing a fashionable and materialistic life. Generation Xers, born after the Cultural Revolution, are best educated; they show disrespect for routines and tradition and worry little about money. As consumers, traditionalists and status quo consumers disapprove of advertising, strive to save and prefer all things Chinese. The modern and generation X segments view advertising positively, spend freely and favour a Western lifestyle. Transitioners differ from others, reflecting a lifestyle in transition.     

消费广东，寻找文化的根：广东消费文化形态素描

1979年，广东的深圳、珠海、汕头成为经济特区，此后30年，东南沿海的这一方天地缔造了一个又一个消费的神话。