Fear appeals and coping appeals for health product promotion: Impulsive purchasing or psychological distancing?

The prevalence of online health communities (OHCs) motivates health product companies to manipulate persuasion-based marketing strategies, including fear appeals and coping appeals, to promote health products. However, whether such a practice is effective remains unclear. Respondents may either impulsively purchase the recommended health products or simply distance themselves psychologically from the information. Building on protection motivation theory (PMT), this study uncovers the mechanisms behind these two coping responses to persuasive messages, namely, the impulsive purchasing and psychological distancing of OHC users. Correspondingly, we evaluated 366 valid questionnaires, and the results reveal that (1) when encountering fear appeals, perceived health threat can evoke cyberchondria, leading to psychological distancing; and (2) when encountering coping appeals, perceived response efficacy leads to product affection, fostering impulsive purchasing. This study provides new insights into the effects of persuasive messages for health product promotion in social commerce. Marketers should design appropriate persuasive messages to foster impulsive purchasing by generating individuals’ product affection and avoiding cyberchondria.     

Testing the Selectivity Hypothesis in cause-related marketing among Generation Y: [When] Does gender matter for short- and long-term persuasion?

Cause-related marketing (CRM) can enhance corporate image and increase sales, but effects may vary depending on the audience. Findings from a national survey, Study 1, reveal that Generation Y women are more likely than Generation Y men to support CRM. Our research further demonstrates unique findings with respect to message processing and response to a CRM campaign. In an experimental setting, Study 2 shows different gendered responses to a CRM campaign over time. Results show that men's purchase intentions decrease after message exposure, but increase after a two-week delay; the opposite was true for women. In line with the Selectivity Hypothesis theory, only women integrated multiple cues into the formation of purchase intentions. Theoretical and managerial aspects of gender for CRM are discussed.     

Revisiting the Satisfaction–Loyalty Relationship: Empirical Generalizations and Directions for Future Research

This extensive literature review highlights the state of the art regarding the relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty, both attitudinal and behavioral. In particular, it brings to light several issues that should be carefully considered in analyzing the efficacy of customer satisfaction in explaining and predicting customer loyalty. In fact, for many years companies all around the world have heavily invested in customer satisfaction in the hope of increasing loyalty, and hence, consequently, profitability. But after having gone through a detailed analysis, it is clear that this link it is not as strong as it is believed to be and customer satisfaction is not enough to explain loyalty. In fact, the major findings of this review are captured in the form of a few empirical generalizations. We generalize that, while there is a positive relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty, the variance explained by just satisfaction is rather small. Models that encompass other relevant variables as moderators, mediators, antecedent variables, or all three are better predictors of loyalty than just customer satisfaction. Further, the satisfaction–loyalty relationship has the potential to change over time. Similar weaker findings are uncovered and the study offers specific guidelines on who, when, and how much to satisfy. Finally, suggestions for future research to explore this domain are offered.     

Therapy,Enhancement, and Medicine: Challenges for the Doctor–Patient Relationship and Patient Safety

There are ethical guidelines that form the foundation of the traditional doctor–patient relationship in medicine. Health care providers are under special obligations to their patients. These include obligations to disclose information, to propose alternative treatments that allow patients to make decisions based on their own values, and to have special concern for patients’ best interests. Furthermore, patients know that these obligations exist and so come to their physicians with a significant level of trust. In this sense, therapeutic medicine significantly differs from straightforward business practices such as the buying and selling of houses, cars, cell phones, etc. However, we argue that this relationship differs when medicine is used for enhancement rather than therapy. When patients seek enhancements they are not as vulnerable as when they are ill. And in an enhancement setting, physicians have little role outside of medical risks to discuss motivation and alternatives. Therefore, we conclude that a more reasonable alternative may be for doctors and patients to use ethical norms associated more with straightforward business practices, specifically sales. We believe that full disclosure of this different set of norms will benefit both physicians and patients.     

“Let's make a deal:” Price outcomes and the interaction of customer persuasion knowledge and salesperson negotiation strategies

In response to increased consumer empowerment and frugality, many business-to-consumer (B2C) firms now negotiate “deals” with customers. Understanding how buyer and seller inputs affect negotiation outcomes is important because successful completion, or a closed sale, results in perceived value (based on the negotiated price) for both the customer and the seller. We suggest negotiation is influenced by the persuasion knowledge of the customer and the negotiation strategies used by the salesperson to manage conflicts that arise during the process. Using unique dyadic data from the automotive industry that combines multisource (salesperson and customer) survey data with objective purchase price information, we find that price outcomes and customer satisfaction depend on the different interactions of customer persuasion knowledge and salesperson negotiation strategies. The results suggest that perceived value may be generated for both the selling firm and the customer based on these unique inputs.     

Right messages for the right site: on‐line creative strategies by Japanese multinational corporations

The aim of this research was to compare the on‐line creative strategies of Japanese multinational corporations that are used at home and in foreign markets in the light of the standardization versus localization debate. Product‐based websites created by the same Japanese firms were examined in Japan, Spain and the USA using a cross‐cultural content analysis research framework. The findings show that Japanese multinational corporations are likely to localize their web communications through tailoring on‐line creative strategies according to the target market. Domestically, soft sell approaches are used more than hard sell approaches in Japan, whilst the relation reverses in the USA. Spain equally weighs both approaches. Cross‐culturally, while Japan tends to employ soft sell approaches more than the other countries, there is no significant difference across the three countries. On the other hand, the USA significantly differs from the others in terms of the usage of hard sell approaches. The dimension of creative executions in Spain seems more limited.     

Appealing to men and women using sexual appeals in advertising: In the battle of the sexes,is a truce possible?

Sexual appeals remain a very popular advertising technique yet questions regarding their use remain, including how they can be used to appeal to men and women simultaneously. Literature examining what men and women find sexually appealing and the body language used to signal relationship status guided development of two appeal types: ‘Intimate’ portrayed a couple in an intimate stable relationship, whereas ‘Objectified’ showed them as sexual objects. These were combined with different levels of nudity and product relevance and studied experimentally. As expected, both genders preferred intimate appeals though they only rated low nudity intimate adverts for relevant products positively.     

What is the Right Supply Chain for Your Shopper? Exploring the Shopper Service Ecosystem

The emergence of shopper marketing represents a major strategic force in consumer goods branding and retailing, and poses significant challenges to pre existing supply chain thought that most scholars have yet to address. In order to address the marketing and supply chain challenges presented by shopper marketing initiatives, scholars from both disciplines can find common ground by focusing on the shopper instead of consumers or products. The issue is no longer one of matching a supply chain to a product. Instead, marketers and supply chain managers need to ask, “What's the right supply chain for our shopper?” The shopper service ecosystem framework developed in this paper brings together the service dominant logic of marketing with the service ecosystem perspective in supply chain management. Future research frontiers suggest research directions that bridge the marketing and supply chain disciplines to create a multidisciplinary foundation for future research in the shopper marketing realm.     

Taxpayers' Perceptions of Practitioners: Finding One Who is Effective and Does the Right Thing?

This paper examines Australian taxpayers' perceptions of their idealized tax practitioner as well as their perceptions of their current tax preparer. The analysis was based on survey responses from 2,040 randomly selected Australian taxpayers who completed the "Community Hopes, Fears and Actions Survey" (author, 2000). Three dimensions were identified as underlying taxpayer judgements of their idealized practitioner. A minority of the sample indicated that their ideal was a creative, aggressive tax planning type, a person who was well networked and familiar with tax office intelligence and enforcement priorities. A second type of idealized practitioner engaged in the cautious minimisation of tax. Unlike creative accountants, practitioners of this type avoided conflict, while being sophisticated about identifying opportunities to minimise tax. The most popular idealized type was the low risk, no fuss practitioner who was honest and risk averse. The data revealed that taxpayers are likely to find tax practitioners who have the attributes that they value most highly, but that when taxpayers' perceptions of their tax practitioner are combined with their ideals, only two substantive dimensions emerge, tax avoidance and doing the right thing. Our inability to distinguish tax practitioners who are seen to provide cautious and aggressive advice in practice has important implications for the growth of aggressive tax planning markets in the community.     

Challenges confronting the ‘One Belt One Road’ initiative: Social networks and cross-cultural adjustment in CPEC projects

The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is the flagship program of China’s ‘One Belt One Road’ initiative, created to boost economic cooperation between China and Pakistan. The aims of economic efficiency and enhancement of national interests are widely acknowledged in the literature. Yet, critical issues of developing the capabilities of cross-cultural management in general, and cross-cultural adjustment through cross-cultural understanding and network building in particular, have been largely overlooked. The current research investigates the challenges confronting cross-cultural adjustment among the Chinese and Pakistani employees participating in the CPEC projects. Through a rigorous analysis, we highlight the importance of acculturation experience, cross-cultural networking (i.e. heterophilic), networking behaviour (i.e. guanxi vs. hawala), and factors influencing cross-cultural adjustment, which would enhance the overall performance of the CPEC projects. Our aim is to contribute to the understanding of contextual and condition-driven networking behaviour for cross-cultural adjustment, particularly the need for cross-cultural networking. We contend that organisations in cross-cultural/cross-border projects should encourage cross-cultural mentoring and facilitate cross-national networks to increase the efficacy of such collaborative projects.     

‘Thinking and feeling’ products and ‘utilitarian and value-expressive’ appeals in contemporary TV advertising: A content analytic test of functional matching and the FCB model

Brand equity is now receiving significant attention, both as a result of changes to international accounting standards relating to intangible assets and as a result of the renewed focus on the impact of marketing communications on brand performance. This paper reports on an investigation of the perceptions of senior marketing and advertising agency personnel regarding (1) the importance of brand equity as a valuation and performance measurement tool and (2) whether financially based brand equity measures and marketing-oriented measures can be translated into a single composite measure of brand equity/value. The findings reported herein indicate that, although financially based brand equity valuations have been a low priority in the past, there is increasing interest in this area and in the evaluation of the long-term impact of promotional activity as part of a wider drive for marketing accountability.     

Is sexy better than funny? Disentangling the persuasive effects of pleasure and arousal across sex and humour appeals

Although it is well known that sex and humour can help sell products, hardly any research has examined whether there is something particular about sexual advertisements that makes them more persuasive than other appeals. The present research proposed an empirically robust way to test the persuasiveness of different emotional appeals (sex, humour, control) by matching them on pleasure and arousal levels. Two experiments (N = 162; N = 301) examined the combined persuasive effects of different levels of pleasure (moderate, high) and arousal (moderate, high) for sexual and nonsexual appeals. Study 1 used a 3 (appeal: sexual, humorous, control) × 2 (pleasure level: moderate, high) between-subjects design. Study 2 employed a 2 (appeal: sexual, control) × 2 (arousal level: moderate, high) × 2 (pleasure level: moderate, high) design. The main dependent measures were attitudes towards the ad, attitudes towards the brand, and purchase intentions. The results showed that highly pleasant ads increased persuasion regardless of arousal and content, and that sexual appeals outperformed nonsexual appeals only under conditions of moderate pleasure and high arousal.     

Manufacturing for overseas private labels: A win–win strategy for retailers and producers

Abstract

The study discusses the use of private labels, both for retailers and manufacturers, within the context of international markets. It is proposed that agreements between manufacturers and retailers from different markets may solve or mitigate some abiding frictions and serve the interest of both parties. Using data collected through 101 in-depth interviews among marketing managers, qualitative and quantitative procedures were used to explore producers' attitudes and behaviour in regard to agreements to manufacturing for overseas retailers' private labels. The study revealed that lower transaction costs, quicker penetration into new markets and retailers' reputations among customers are the dominant motivators while short-term strategy, appropriate mainly for grocery items, increases dependency on retailers and deters manufactures from contracting with overseas retailers' private labels. The study also found that gaps exist between manufacturers' perceptions and actual behaviour, mediated particularly by firm size and product categories. The findings, which reflect observed practice, are interpreted through theoretical propositions related to earlier studies. Managerial implications are provided.     

Temporary brand–retailer alliance model: the routes to purchase intentions for selective brands and mass retailers

We investigate a common but under-studied practice, the temporary alliance between a selective brand and a mass retailer, online or offline. Using a before-and-after methodology, we show how the attitude towards the new offer of a selective brand at a mass retailer plays a central mediating role. It is influenced by brand–retailer fit and product-category fit. It influences purchase intention towards the new offer, attitude changes towards the selective brand and mass retailer, and therefore purchase intention towards the brand and retailer. We also reveal a counterintuitive direct negative route from product-category fit to changes in purchase intention towards the retailer. To offer important managerial implications, we break out results for two selective brands and two types of mass retailers.     

What Is the Right Delivery Option for You? Consumer Preferences for Delivery Attributes in Online Retailing

Nowadays, online retailers are offering a variety of delivery options consisting of varying combinations of delivery attributes. This study investigates how consumers value these delivery attributes (e.g., delivery speed, time slot, daytime/evening delivery, delivery date, and delivery fee) when selecting a delivery option for their online purchases. Mental accounting theory is used to frame the research and to suggest how mental accounts for money, time, and convenience influence consumer preferences for online delivery options. Specifically, the results of a conjoint analysis show that the most important attribute in shaping consumer preferences is the delivery fee, followed by nonprice delivery attributes. For individual attributes, significant differences are found in consumer preferences between gender and income groups. Cluster analysis reveals three consumer segments that show distinct preference structures: We identify a “price‐oriented,” a “time‐ and convenience‐oriented,” and a “value‐for‐money‐oriented” consumer segment. This study has practical implications for online retailers when implementing suitable delivery strategies and designing effective delivery options to maximize consumer satisfaction.     

Innovation and re‐innovation: A role for the user

Various models of the innovation process, from the “traditional” to the more recent, are examined in this paper which focuses on the implications for the role of the user in the innovation process. The author points out the need for greater recognition of the importance of users as active participants in the innovation process. In many industrial sectors user‐need specification and product development involve more than simply a passive role for the user and innovatory success is associated with active user involvement in product specification, design and development.     

Cryptopricing: Whence comes the value for cryptocurrencies and NFTs?

This article provides a critical review of pricing issues related to cryptocurrency and NFTs from a marketing perspective and tries to answer the question of whence comes the value for cryptocurrencies and NFTs. It shows that the value for a cryptocurrency like Bitcoin hinges on the collective belief in the marketplace in its long-term survival as a store of value and a unit of exchange. As such, the belief can give rise to a plethora of pricing equilibria for Bitcoin, and it can also be swayed by many demand factors. Consequently, Bitcoin prices will beset with uncertainties and speculations for the foreseeable future and can swing widely and wildly at times. However, the plethora of pricing equilibria also suggests that it is unlikely that Bitcoin may suddenly disappear after its long, successful run so far. In contrast, NFT prices find their value bases not so much in the collective belief in NFTs as a viable product category, although there are many reasons for optimism in that regard, but in the willingness to pay by individuals that depends on many familiar and well-studied factors. This article proposes many pricing-related research questions.     

Your Call: eBay and Demand for the iPhone 4☆

The iPhone 4 was introduced into the UK market on 24^th June 2010 to significant consumer interest. Demand revealed itself exceeding supply through conventional channels, since there was very extensive activity in terms of bidding on eBay auctions for the product. We monitored all UK eBay transactions on the iPhone 4 for six weeks from introduction, with total transactions amounting to around £1.5m. We analyse determinants of winning bids in terms of characteristics of the phone, the seller, and the buyer. Our most notable and novel finding relative to previous studies is a very significant premium over list price being paid in almost all cases, with positive uplift factors including whether the phone was unlocked and whether it could be sold overseas. Demand fell over time, as evidenced by lower achieved prices, but the fall in price was relatively modest. A significant premium of 32GB over 16GB versions is revealed.     

Real and Nominal Effective Exchange Rates for LDCs: 1971–2004

International Monetary Fund constructs and publishes real and nominal effective exchange rates mostly for industrial countries. Recently it has begun publishing such data for some newly industrialized developing countries as well. There remains some developing countries that still have not received any attention by the IMF. This paper bridges that gap by constructing quarterly real and nominal effective exchange rates for 11 developing countries over the 1971–2004 period. As an application we try to assess whether nominal depreciation in these countries has led to real depreciation.     

Cadbury and the rise of the supermarket: innovation in marketing 1953–1975

This article uses company archival data, supported by evidence from the trade press, to examine the development of the manufacturer–retailer relationship in the case of Cadbury and the supermarket retailers distributing its products in the period 1953–1975. It reveals the influence upon Cadbury’s marketing strategies and practices of the increasing importance of supermarket retailing in relation to the confectionery as well as the grocery goods trades. It also provides new insight into the significance of these changes for Cadbury’s relationships with other manufacturers, and with small-scale retailers typified by confectioners, tobacconists and newsagents.