The Typicality and Accessibility of Consumer Attitudes Toward Television Advertising: Implications for the Measurement of Attitudes Toward Advertising in General

Despite the wide array of contemporary advertising formats and media, television advertising remains the most dominant form to which typical consumers are exposed. Research on attitudes toward advertising in general (Att-AiG) implicitly assumes that the Att-AiG measure represents advertising as a whole. A major finding of the current research is that consumers tend to have a mental representation, or exemplar, of the most typical type of advertising—television advertising—when they report their Att-AiG. Therefore, in reality, Att-AiG primarily reflects attitudes toward television advertising. In addition, the results of our experiments indicate that television ad exemplars generate temporal changes in consumers’ reported Att-AiG and attitudes toward television advertising. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

消费主义时代和消费社会中广告功能的延伸及伦理困境

在西方消费社会,广告的功能开始延伸,不再仅是向消费者提供有关产品和企业的信息,更为重要的作用似乎是创造出消费欲望和消费者,而由此产生了有关广告操控消费者的伦理质疑。改革开放后,消费主义思潮开始进入中国,导致同样问题的出现。文章认为消费主义时代和消费社会中广告功能的延伸是社会文化因素交互作用的结果,单凭广告宣传是不可能制造无节制的消费欲望,并改变人们的价值观和生活方式的。因此,需从社会文化的角度系统地看待广告和消费主义之间的联系以及广告功能延伸和所引发的伦理问题,这样才能使社会成员以消费者的角色形成合力,共同抵制消费主义泛滥对社会生活的进一步侵蚀。     

Effects of Consumer Weight Level and Advertising Appeals on Consumer Attitude Toward Food and Advertisements

This study examines the link between consumer weight level, food type, and consumer attitude toward both food and food advertisements. Further, this research explores how food advertisements containing emotional or informational claims influence the attitudes of overweight and normal-weight consumers. Two experiments were conducted to study the interaction between weight levels, food types (meat vs. vegetables), and advertising appeals (emotional vs. informational). The results showed mixed support for the six hypotheses. The findings indicate that consumer weight level interacts with food types, and emotional/information appeals affecting food evaluation and attitudes toward food advertisements. Managerial implications for food manufacturers and advertisers are discussed.     

The Relationship Between Consumer Ethnocentrism and Human Values

Abstract

The study explores the relationship between human values and consumer ethnocentrism. Schwartz's (1992) framework of human values is used as the basis of the study. Hypotheses linking values and consumer ethnocentrism are developed and tested in samples of consumers drawn from Turkey and the Czech Republic respectively. Findings indicated that the values relationship to consumer ethno-centrism varies across the two countries surveyed. The study also confirmed that “conservation” types of values are positively related to consumer ethnocentrism. However, some of the hypotheses put forward are not empirically supported but they provide new avenues for future re-search.     

The Development and Testing of a Measure of Skepticism Toward Environmental Claims in Marketers' Communications

Marketers' claims about the environmental effects of products and their packaging are becoming more pervasive. Consumer organizations, government, and marketers have long realized that consumers receive such claims with some degree of skepticism. An investigation of how consumer skepticism affects the response to “green” marketing claims would be facilitated by a reliable and valid measure of skepticism. This paper describes a two-stage research project and the resulting four-item measure of skepticism toward environmental claims made in advertising and on packages. The scale has acceptable levels of reliability and validity.     

Advertising and the Consumer

Abstract

This article is a re-evaluation of advertising as a method of mass communication of ideas and information to attempt to influence opinions and attitudes. Advertising used for these purposes has certain advantages compared with other means of mass communications. There are. however, disadvantages and limitations which should be recognized if the effectiveness of this use of advertising is to be improved.     

Changes In Consumer Attitudes Toward Marketing,Consumerism and Government Regulation: 1971–1975

Trends in consumer attitudes toward business philosophy, product quality, advertising, consumer responsibilities, government regulation and price controls are examined. The findings of three national surveys indicate that the level of consumer discontent did not change substantially between 1971 and 1975. Despite expanding efforts to advance the interests of consumers, the basic criticisms and frustrations expressed by respondents in 1971 were echoed again in 1973 and 1975. However there were some notable trends in the kinds and magnitudes of consumer concerns over this period. The need to treat consumer dissatisfaction as a relative concept is emphasized, and it is suggested that comparisons of present levels of consumer unrest to a zero base would probably lead to exaggerated interpretations of current conditions.     

On the Origin and Distinctness of Skepticism toward Advertising

Two studies were conducted to investigate the origin and distinctness of consumer skepticism toward advertising, defined as a tendency to disbelieve advertising claims by Obermiller and Spangenberg (1998). The first study examined the role of socialization in the family by comparing levels of ad skepticism across generations. Significant associations were strongest for female children with their fathers; less strong but apparent for male children with their mothers. Further, the associations diminished with age, which was considered a surrogate for time away from home. The second study explored the relationship between skepticism toward advertising and skepticism toward other sources of product information. The results indicated some overlap between skeptical beliefs about advertising and salespeople, but, otherwise, ad skepticism appeared to be a separate construct from skepticism toward other sources of product information. Moreover, advertising was viewed as the least believable of the five sources of product information that were considered.     

Toward Effective Codes: Testing the Relationship with Unethical Behavior

A business code of ethics is widely regarded as an important instrument to curb unethical behavior in the workplace. However, little is empirically known about the factors that determine the impact of a code on unethical behavior. Besides the existence of a code, this article studies five determining factors: the content of the code, the frequency of communication activities surrounding the code, the quality of the communication activities, and the embedment of the code in the organization by senior management as well as local management. The full model explains 32% of observed unethical behavior while the explanatory value of a code alone is very modest. The study shows when codes are effective, and even when they become counter effective.     

Gray Shades of Green: Causes and Consequences of Green Skepticism

Consumer skepticism of corporate environmental activities is on the rise. Yet research on this timely, intriguing, and important topic is scarce for both academics and practitioners. Building on attribution theory, we develop and test a theoretically anchored model that explains the sources and consequences of green skepticism. The study findings reveal that consumers’ perceptions of industry norms, corporate social responsibility, and corporate history are important factors that explain why consumers assign different motives to corporate environmental actions. In addition, the results show that while intrinsic motives exert a strong negative effect on green skepticism, extrinsic motives have no discernible effect. Furthermore, the findings indicate that green skepticism prompts consumers to seek more information about the products, sparks negative word of mouth to friends and acquaintances, and forestalls purchase intentions. The study offers several implications for corporate and public policy makers and presents fruitful research directions.     

广告与市场营销关系的系统分析

广告虽是市场营销的一个组成要素，在市场营销系统中却是一个不可替代的重要要素。运用系统理论进一步阐明广告与营销系统的关系，以及阐明市场营销系统内部构成要素的逻辑关系是广告自身新质变化的必要依据，从而减少对广告功效的完全肯定或完全否定的误区。     

From Decision to Run: The Moderating Role of Green Skepticism

This paper examines the impact of corporate ability, environmental attitude, and environmental knowledge on consumers’ purchase intentions, information seeking, and actual green purchase behavior; additionally, green skepticism is examined as a moderator of these relationships. A sample of Gokarn’s organic products consumers, in Tehran, is used. The structural model is examined by the partial least squares approach by using Smart PLS 2.0 software. The findings suggest that environment attitude and corporate ability are the main factors in building green purchase intentions and information seeking, while environmental knowledge is not a significant predictor. The results show that green skepticism has a significant moderation impact on the relationship between corporate ability and environmental knowledge, and information seeking.     

The Swedish Consumer Ombudsman System and Advertising Self-Regulation

The Swedish consumer-protection system is often perceived as resting on a strong body of laws and regulations that severely constrains business behavior from the outside. In fact, its development and implementation have involved significant business participation and influence; and it largely relies on government-issued guidelines based on business self-regulatory experience and resulting from intensive negotiations with business rather than on detailed mandatory rules. In this context, the conflict between advertising regulation and self-regulation is more apparent than real.     

移动视频广告与消费者态度分析

随着移动技术的迭代更新,移动网络环境不断优化,中国已然进入了移动信息化时代。近年来,越来越多的消费者通过移动端获取产品信息,移动端视频播放量也呈现出爆炸式的增长,这一趋势为广告营销带来了新的机遇。广告主正逐渐加大对移动视频广告的资金投入,移动视频广告在市场中也表现出了积极地发展态势。通过对移动视频广告的解析,进一步分析消费者对移动视频广告的态度,并对移动视频广告的未来市场化发展进行了有益探索。移动广告公司应以消费者为主导去设计视频广告,增加用户粘合度,让视频广告效果实现最大化。     

Legal Determinants of External Finance Revisited: The Inverse Relationship Between Investor Protection and Societal Well-Being

This article investigates relationships between countries?? legal traditions and their quality of life as measured by a number of widely reported social indicators; in so doing it also offers a critique of a highly influential body of work which is widely cited in the literatures of corporate governance, economics and finance. That body of work has shown, inter alia, statistically significant relationships between legal traditions and various proxies for investor protection. We show statistically significant relationships between legal traditions and various proxies for societal health. Our comparative evidence suggests that the interests of investors are not congruent with the interests of wider society, and that the criteria for judging the effectiveness of approaches to corporate governance should be broadened.     

The Impact of Advertising on Consumer Demand for Beef:

Thi study used two related data sets to obtain new estimates of food shopper responses to prices and advertising. Supermarket scan data comprised the source of information of sales and prices. Chain level newspaper and broadcast media advertising in the area measured the marketing program. Unique features of the study include the use of item movement and the accomodation of possible cross media effects. Consequently, the paper presents a way of monitoring promotions and relating them to sales. Three fresh beef aggregates (ground, roasts, and steaks) are used to estimate the impacts of broadcast media and newspaper adevertising by a supermarket chain. New estimates of direct and cross advertising impacts are also reported.     

Attitude Toward the Viral Ad: Expanding Traditional Advertising Models to Interactive Advertising

As a form of advertising, viral video (VV) advertising is distinct in that its communication medium is the social connections between individuals instead of formal media. After viewing VV advertising, people are engaged in two independent but interrelated processes, i.e., video sharing and embedded brand information processing. Previous research has not examined the interaction between the two processes. This study expands on the mediation of attitude toward the advertisement model proposed by MacKenzie, Lutz, and Belch (1986). Experimental results from three viral video advertisements show that attitude toward the VV advertisement is the major factor affecting video sharing, but attitude toward the brand also has a significant impact on sharing activity. Affect transfer hypothesis (ATH) and its extended models are optimal in explaining viral video advertising, which is different from prior research on non-viral advertising that suggests dual mediation hypothesis as the optimal explanatory theory.     

Greenwash and Green Trust: The Mediation Effects of Green Consumer Confusion and Green Perceived Risk

The paper explores the influence of greenwash on green trust and discusses the mediation roles of green consumer confusion and green perceived risk. The research object of this study focuses on Taiwanese consumers who have the purchase experience of information and electronics products in Taiwan. This research employs an empirical study by means of the structural equation modeling. The results show that greenwash is negatively related to green trust. Therefore, this study suggests that companies must reduce their greenwash behaviors to enhance their consumers’ green trust. In addition, this study finds out that green consumer confusion and green perceived risk mediate the negative relationship between greenwash and green trust. The results also demonstrate that greenwash is positively associated with green consumer confusion and green perceived risk which would negatively affect green trust. It means that greenwash does not only negatively affect green trust directly but also negatively influence it via green consumer confusion and green perceived risk indirectly. Hence, if companies would like to reduce the negative relationship between greenwash and green trust, they need to decrease their consumers’ green consumer confusion and green perceived risk.