The Effectiveness of Two Online Persuasion Claims: Limited Product Availability and Product Popularity

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of two online persuasion claims: limited product availability (e.g., only 3 items left) and product popularity (e.g., 94% of consumers bought this product after viewing this site). The popularity claim appeared to enhance quality perception, particularly among highly risk-averse consumers, and purchase intention. We attribute these findings to the quality signaling effect and the bandwagon effect of the claim. On the other hand, the limited availability claim exerted no influence: low message credibility and the lack of psychological reactance are deemed to be possible reasons for the insignificant effect of the claim.     

The Use of Vivid Stimuli to Enhance Comprehension of the Content of Product Warning Messages

Thousands of consumers are injured annually using consumer products. It is intuitively plausible that vivid product warnings may improve communication of the hazards associated with product use, yet vividness effects have been difficult to demonstrate empirically. Vivid product warnings are shown to increase accurate memory of the hazards associated with product use by enhancing cognitive elaboration on the content of a product warning message. Moreover, vivid product warnings may not, in and of themselves, generate negative elaborations regarding the safety of the product in question.     

The Effect of Attribute Variation on Consumer Choice Consistency

We study the effect of shifts in attribute level differences on consumer choice consistency. Choice consistency is measured as the variance of the random error component in the consumer utility function: the smaller this variance, the higher choice consistency. We hypothesize that due to increased choice difficulty, choice consistency decreases if attribute level differences increase while average utility level differences between alternatives remain the same. In our empirical illustration we focus on the impact of price level shifts on choice consistency in conjoint choice experiments. Our results show that choice consistency decreases as price level differences increase and absolute price levels increase.     

Permissive Marketing The Effect of The AIDS Crisis on Marketing Practices and Messages

In 1981, in a Harvard Business Review feature, we described a marketing condition which we called "unmentionability" and, through a series of case studies, showed how it could frustrate the marketing of a wide range of products and services, despite the fact that many of them need to be actively marketed. AIDS and the massive anti-AIDS promotional campaigns that it spawned have dramaticaly accelerated the pace of change and created a new environment in which products, services, concepts and ideas that were previously regarded as unmentionable can now be marketed openly and explicitly. The marketing climate has changed profoundly and, although not always for the better, the added freedom and punch that the AIDS campaigns have engendered in the marketing world, have been eagerly accepted by those who feel it can enhance their marketing programmes.     

The Effect of Implicit versus Explicit Comparisons on Temporal Pricing Claims

Existing research has investigated the "pennies-a-day" strategy of reframing an "aggregate" expense as a "per day" expense (Nagle & Holden, 1995; Price 1995; Gourville 1998). This paper extends this research by considering the incremental impact on compliance of explicitly comparing the cost of a transaction to a specific petty cash expense (e.g., a cup of coffee). We show that in the presence of a per day framing of price (e.g., $1 per day), an explicit comparison provides little added value. However, we also show that in the presence of an aggregate framing of price (e.g., $350), an explicit comparison to a petty cash expense is sufficient to generate a "pennies-a-day" perspective. We conclude that it is not the per day framing, per se, which drives "pennies-a-day" effectiveness, but the petty cash comparisons that such a framing either implicitly or explicitly generates.     

网络口碑方向及类型对其可信度的影响研究——产品性质的调节作用

文章探讨了口碑方向与类型对其可信度的影响,以及产品性质的调节作用,得出以下结论。首先,网络口碑方向对其可信度的影响受到产品性质的调节,具体来说,对于享乐性产品,正面口碑对其可信度的影响更大;而对于实用性产品,负面口碑的影响更大。其次,网络口碑类型会影响其可信度,具体来说,相比单纯推荐型口碑,属性评价型口碑对其可信度的影响更大。此外,网络口碑类型对其可信度的影响还受到产品性质的调节,具体来说,对于实用性产品,相比单纯推荐型口碑,属性评价型口碑对其可信度的影响更大;而对于享乐性产品,两种口碑类型对其可信度的影响并无显著差异。最后,文章为企业进行网络口碑管理提出了几点建议。     

The Effect of Product Sampling on Product Trial,Purchase and Conversion

Although several claims have been made about the effectiveness of product sampling as a sales promotion technique, there is relatively little published research in support of these claims. A study of 433 New Zealand household grocery shoppers examined the sampling of three newly-launched brands of toothpaste, shampoo, and dishwashing liquid. The rates of sample trial measured were considerably higher than those commonly reported in the literature, but purchase and conversion rates were somewhat lower. There was little evidence that product sampling had any influence on conversion to the sampled brands, except when recipients actually used the samples or subsequently purchased the sampled brands as a result of trial. Overall, the samples were not accurately distributed to the brands' most likely prospects, although selective distribution was found to be a worthwhile objective because members of each target market tended to respond well to sampling.     

The Effect of Probabilistic Selling on the Optimal Product Mix

Determination of the merchandize assortment is an important decision for retailers since the composition and depth of the product mix greatly impact both unit sales and costs. This paper considers how Probabilistic Selling (PS), an emerging marketing strategy, impacts the type and number of products a retailer should carry. We find that adopting PS can alter the optimal number of products (i.e., encourage the retailer to offer more or fewer products), depending on demand- and supply-side factors. Furthermore, introducing probabilistic goods sometimes increases the optimal degree of product differentiation and sometimes reduces it. Specifically, less differentiated products are warranted if there are either few or many consumers with extreme tastes, but more differentiation is needed otherwise. Our analysis reveals that PS can serve either as a substitute to new product introduction (because it enables a retailer to serve a diverse market at a lower cost) or as a complement to new product introduction (since, under PS, a new product enables a retailer to offer additional probabilistic goods that utilize this new product as one of its components). In sum, our results indicate that a retailer must adjust its merchandize assortment appropriately in order to fully benefit from probabilistic selling.     

Reverse Transfer Effect of Celebrity-Product Congruence on the Celebrity's Perceived Credibility

In contrast with traditional celebrity endorsement research, this study examines the effect of celebrity advertisement on the celebrity himself/herself, that is, a reverse transfer effect, in terms of the celebrity's perceived attractiveness, trustworthiness, and expertise. Online questionnaires were conducted for sport and film celebrities using an identical 2 (Korean vs. non-Korean) X 3 (very congruent, moderately incongruent, very incongruent) design. The results show that a celebrity's perceived expertise, trustworthiness, and attractiveness were significantly decreased when the celebrity-product congruence was low, whereas no significant effects were found when the congruence level was high. Theoretical and managerial implications as well as directions for future research are discussed.     

The Influence of Repetitive Health Messages and Sensitivity to Fluency on the Truth Effect in Advertising

Although merely repeating a product claim does not influence the objective validity of the claim, it often increases the subjective validity of the claim (the truth effect). Research notes that the truth effect plays an important role in health advertising. The present research investigates the moderating role of sensitivity to feelings of fluency (or processing ease) on the truth effect. The truth effect was more pronounced when the need for affect was high rather than low (Study 1) and when consumers were primed to trust their feelings (Study 2). Finally, Study 3 and Study 4 replicate these findings using advertising appeals. Advertisements that encourage consumers to focus on their feelings increase susceptibility to the truth effect.     

产品伤害危机属性对横向溢出效应的影响研究——产品相似性和企业声誉的调节作用

产品伤害危机不仅会降低危机产品的销售,还可能负面影响非危机产品,形成横向溢出效应。文章归纳提出产品伤害危机危害性、责任性、无德性、违约性和频发性等五个主要属性,探索这五个属性对产品伤害危机横向溢出的影响,并识别出企业声誉和产品相似性两个重要的调节变量。研究发现,危害性、无德性和责任性较高的产品伤害危机更容易产生横向溢出,企业声誉和产品相似性仅能调节部分产品伤害危机属性对横向溢出的影响,并且它们具有双重调节作用。     

The Influence of Regulatory Focus on the Effect of Product Cues

The purpose of this study is to explore the extent to which informational cues interact with individuals’ motivational states during their evaluation of a product. This article confirms the interaction effects between informational cues and motivational states by examining product attributes and advertising appeals as informational cues, and regulatory focus as a motivational state. The results from three studies indicate that consumers with promotion focus find extrinsic cues as more important and have more favorable evaluation toward a product with superior extrinsic cues. Prevention‐focused consumers, however, perceive intrinsic cues of a product as more important, and thus have more favorable evaluation toward a product with superior intrinsic cues.     

中国水产品出口增长因素的恒定市场模型分析

本文采用恒定市场份额模型(CMS)对中国水产品的出口增长因素进行分析。结果发现,中国水产品的出口增长是进口市场的结构效应、本身的竞争力效应以及结构与竞争力的交互影响的次级效应共同作用的结果。其中,竞争力效应起到了最为关键的促进作用,表明中国水产品是一个具有竞争力的出口行业。     

The Moderating Effect of Product Category Knowledge and Attribute Importance on the Attraction Effect

This paper explores the moderating effect of product category knowledge and attribute importance on the attraction effect. The results of our study point to several boundary conditions of the effect. For consumers who have a moderate level of product category knowledge, and for consumers who assign more importance to one product attribute over the other, the attraction effect was strongest. In contrast, the attraction effect was diminished, in some cases to insignificant levels, for consumers with a high or low level of product category knowledge, and for consumers who consider both product attributes about equally important.     

顾客参与新产品开发的绩效影响:产品创新类型的调节效应

顾客参与企业新产品开发对新产品开发绩效有着重要影响,在处于转型经济背景下的中国进行相关研究更有着极为重要的战略意义。文章以B-B市场中的制造企业为研究对象,构建了以产品创新类型为调节变量的顾客参与对新产品开发绩效差异化影响的调节效应模型。研究表明,顾客参与对新产品开发时间绩效与创新绩效的积极影响会受到产品创新类型的调节作用;但产品创新类型对顾客参与和财务绩效关系的调节影响不显著。     

The Persuasive Effect of Circadian Arousal,Endorser Expertise,and Argument Strength in Advertising

Abstract

This research investigates the influence of circadian arousal, endorser expertise, and argument strength of a message on attitudes toward the brand and purchase intention. The quasi-experimental design is a 2 (high versus low endorser expertise) × 2 (strong versus weak arguments) × 2 (morning-type versus evening-type persons) × 3 (advertisement viewing time: 10 a.m., 3 p.m., or 8 p.m.) between-subjects factorial design with 602 Thai female adults. The results are not in complete accordance with predictions from the Elaboration Likelihood Model. For both types of persons, higher argument strength leads to better attitudes toward the brand and higher purchase intention, regardless of endorser expertise and advertisement viewing time. When morning-type persons view the advertisements in the morning and evening, the high- and the low-expertise endorsers have no different effect on attitudes toward the brand, regardless of argument strength. When they view the advertisements in the afternoon, the high expertise endorser creates better attitudes toward the brand than does the low expertise endorser, regardless of argument strength. For evening-type persons, endorser expertise does not affect either of the dependent variables. Theoretical and managerial implications of the study are discussed.     

Advertisers' Responses to Requests for Substantiation of Product Claims: Differences by Product Category,Type of Claim and Advertising Medium

A sample of major advertisers of durable and nondurable consumer products were asked to provide substantiation of scientific and puffery product claims made in television and magazine advertising. The companies were asked to respond directly to an interested consumer and the responses were evaluated on an “average man” basis. The results indicated that many advertisers cannot or will not successfully substantiate their product claims despite the efforts of the Federal Trade Commission's advertising substantiation program. One proposed remedy is to require advertisers to substantiate claims directly to consumers, on request.     

The Effect of New Product Announcements and Preannouncements on Stock Price

Previous event studies which deal with new products do notdistinguish between preannouncements (made in advance of a new productintroduction into the marketplace) and new product announcements (made closeto the time when the new product is introduced). Methodologically, eventstudies implicitly assume that information is homogeneous; that is, they donot consider the amount of information contained in the news release or thetype (e.g., whether detailed or not). This paper argues that new productevent studies should distinguish between announcements and preannouncementsbecause both types of information release events (IRE) are strategicallydistinct and convey different information signals to the marketplace.Methodologically, event studies should allow for informationalheterogeneity. We analyze a large sample of IREs from the 1980–1989period for firms whose stock is publicly traded, distinguishing betweenpreannouncements and announcements. We use content analysis to classify IREsaccording to the type and amount of information provided. The results showthat it is incorrect to jointly analyze announcements and preannouncements.On average, only preannouncements have a significant positive effect onstock prices. However, the signaling effect of preannouncements on stockprice is industry-specific. In particular, the results support Klein andLefflers theory (1981) that preannouncements in the manufacturing industryare effective strategic tools. We also investigate the impact of IREs onthe market risk (i.e., the risk that stockholders cannot diversify away) ofthe announcing and preannouncing firms. The results show that firm-specificand informational variables do not have any effect on market risk,regardless of the type of IRE (i.e., announcement or preannouncement).