Can Visual Storytelling Transform the Aesthetic Experience? A Case for Novel Designs

In the age of visual social media. visual advertising content has become more important than ever before. Visual storytelling can transform the aesthetic experience related to novel product designs. This benefit is critical for novel product designs. Even though consumers desire novelty, many are initially hesitant to purchase innovatively designed products. This study intends to provide a holistic understanding of how visual storytelling (conceptual product cue) can aid in the overall aesthetic experience related to the novelty of product designs (perceptual product cue). Hypotheses were tested through a mixed factorial experimental design, using a nationwide sample of 397 female consumers. Findings of this study indicate that visual storytelling linked to product design is a critical tool for design communication as it transforms information into product meaning, connects with consumers on an emotional level, and has the potential to transform the aesthetic experience

Incorporating multimodal projects for enhancing Millennial learning

Millennial students are different from past generations in that they have had unlimited access to digital technology for a majority of their existence (Considine, Horton, & Moorman, 2009). The use of technology represents a cultural shift; therefore Millennial students bring a diverse and unique set of literacy skills never witnessed before. Support has been found for including multimodal practices in learning and teaching; however, limited literature has examined theoretical support for incorporating multimodal projects in curriculum. This paper outlines theoretical support for incorporating a multimodal project in retailing, consumer behavior and marketing courses

Socially responsible Millennial consumers: Debunking the myth of the It generation

Social responsibility has rapidly gained popularity among consumers specifically among Millennials born 1980 to 2000. Millennials are characterized by their willingness to get involved with social and political initiatives and a high affinity for technology. Literature has examined psychological antecedents and demographic characteristics of socially responsible (SR) consumers. To date, no research has explored the commitment to an identity as an underlying factor in understanding Millennials decision to engage in routes of SR consumption behavior. The purpose of this study is to explore the socio-cognitive process Millennials engage in when making SR consumption decisions. Using Identity theory and Symbolic Self-Completion theory as a conceptual framework, this research aims to contribute to the body of literature pertaining to Millennials and social responsibility. Structural equation modeling revealed a positive relationship between SR identity commitment and SR private and public consumption behavior, which was completely mediated by SR personal identity salience

Apparel design for zero waste: Exploring aesthetic preferences and purchase intentions as a function of zero waste design typicality and zero waste concept

This study investigated the individual and interaction effects of typicality and the ZW design concept on the aesthetic preference and purchase intentions for ZW designed apparel, providing critical insights for ZW designers to better understand consumer preferences. The study employed a 2 x 2 x 2 mixed factorial experimental design. A total of 152 participants completed the online survey. Participants preferred typical ZW dresses (long and short) aesthetically over atypical dresses. Further, the ZW design concept did not make a difference to this typicality-based preference or purchase intention for ZW dresses. Purchase intentions for typical ZW long dresses were greater than atypical. The main take-away for designers of ZW apparel is the critical role that typicality plays in consumer\u27s aesthetic preferences and purchase intentions for ZW apparel

When do Sweatshop Allegations Negatively Impact Brands? An Entitativitybased Account for Moderators

The study purpose was to understand how consumers react to different brand-types (luxury and non-luxury) and product categories (symbolic and functional) in the presence of sweatshop allegations. We operationalize sweatshop allegations at two levels: brand-specific (when the stimulus brand itself is accused) and industry-specific (the spillover effect to the stimulus brand from the other brands of the same industry) to illustrate the differential role that entitativity plays in consumer reactions to the different brand-types and product categories. Entitativity refers to a group that possesses unity and coherence. Our findings confirm that for brand-specific allegations, consumer attitudes towards a luxury brand is significantly more favorable than a non-luxury brand, however, for industry-specific allegations, consumer attitudes towards a luxury brand and a symbolic product is significantly less favorable than a non-luxury brand and a functional product. Our findings support the effects of entitativity in luxury branding and symbolic consumption contexts, and offer nuanced implications to brand managers in understanding consumers’ reactions to different levels of sweatshop allegations

The Central Role of Product Beauty in Consumers’ Neuropsychological Response to the Design of Hedonic and Utilitarian Products

Aesthetic experience and preference is not a unitary phenomenon, and is the result of affective and cognitive elements (Di Dio & Gallese, 2009). Affective response refers to the feelings and emotions experienced when interacting with or observing an object (Yeung & Wyer, 2004). Cognitive response includes the mental categorization of the product as well as productrelated beliefs such as quality, durability, and ease of use (Bloch, 1995). While studies have examined how different properties of the object contribute to perceptions of product beauty, the influence of these perception in subsequent affective and cognitive responses of consumer has been left unexamined

Apparel Design Typicality and Aesthetic Response: Moderating Role of Apparel Categories

Study examining how consumers preferences for design typicality differs between the apparel categories of a) tops and jackets (upper body apparel), b) skirts and pants (lower body apparel), and c) dresses (whole body apparel) by utilizing a 2 (typicality: typical vs. atypical) x 3 (apparel category: lower body apparel, upper body apparel, and dresses) mixed-factorial experimental design with typicality as the between-subjects factor and apparel category as the within-subjects factor

How Much Can Brands Deviate from their Brand Aesthetic? The Moderating Role of Brand’s Luxury Statu

Brand aesthetics is fundamental to maintaining a competitive advantage, especially within the luxury sector. Brand design consistency (BDC) plays a pivotal role in building a successful luxury brand through the formation of strong brand associations. However, creating new and distinct product designs that deviate from a brand\u27s aesthetic may have the potential to increase the brand\u27s interest. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of BDC on aesthetic judgment and purchase intention and to investigate the moderating effect of brand\u27s luxury status in the above relationship. The concepts of halo effect and biased assimilation relating to luxury brands form the conceptual basis of our study. Findings of this study exhibit that high BDC (vs. low BDC) evoked the most positive consumer response for luxury and non-luxury brands. The overall BDC effect however, was more salient for non-luxury brands which indicates that they have less latitude to deviate from their brand aesthetic than luxury fashion brands

Virtual Agent Locus of Control: Cognitive Assistance for Older Consumers’ Online Shopping

Virtual agents have been shown to alleviate older consumers’ social barriers to e-commerce participation through increasing their perceptions of social support and trust (Chattaraman et al., 2012) and enjoyment (Kwon et al., 2010). Besides the social assistance, virtual agents also have the potential to provide cognitive assistance to older consumers who tend to experience declines in cognitive abilities such as perceptual speed, working memory, and attention (Czaja et al., 2001)