Luxury implications of showcasing a product with its “cast” shadow

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the role of showcasing a product with its cast shadow (formed in the ad’s background by the advertised product) on consumer product perceptions. Design/methodology/approach: Three experimentally designed studies, incorporating two product categories, demonstrate the impact of visual presentation of a product with its shadow on consumer evaluations. A total of 203 participants (MTurkers, and student respondents at a southern university) provided data for these studies through questionnaires (online as well as paper-pencil formats). Findings: Findings reveal that the presence of a product’s cast shadow in the ad frame increases its visual acuity, which in turn enhances its luxury perceptions. Downstream, a product shadow’s presence positively impacts its overall evaluations, through enhanced product luxury perceptions. Also, consumers with high Centrality of Visual Product Aesthetics (CVPA) demonstrate a stronger liking for such product presentations. Research limitations/implications: The current findings not only demonstrate the positive impact of product shadows on consumer perceptions, but also enrich the luxury and aesthetics literature streams. Practical implications: Advertisers often subjectively use product shadows as stylistic tools in marketing communications. This research offers some practical guidelines to use shadows in fostering product luxury perceptions and better target aesthetically-sensitive consumers. Originality/value: Advertising research suggests that visual styling and presentation of products significantly impacts consumer perceptions. However, the role of product shadows has not yet been empirically examined. This paper makes an attempt to test whether and how product shadows impact consumer perceptions

Decoding the effects of a product’s cast shadow in brand advertising

Purpose: This research aims to investigate the impact of incorporating product shadows in brand advertising on consumer brand evaluations. Design/methodology/approach: Three studies were designed using experimental approach to demonstrate how the presence of a product’s cast shadow in a brand’s promotional frame implicitly influences brand evaluations differently for experiential vs functional brands. Findings: The presence of a product’s cast shadow in a visual frame implicitly complements abstract processing of an experiential brand but hurts a functional brand’s concrete gestalt by acting as visual noise, thereby improving an experiential brand’s overall evaluation in comparison to a functional brand. Research limitations/implications: Current findings highlight the importance of using appropriate visual elements (especially subtle elements such as product shadows) to ensure communication consistency between the firm-formulated brand concept and the consumer-perceived brand image. Practical implications: Experiential (vs functional) brand images are harder to build and maintain. Current findings show that a mere presence of the product’s shadow in an experiential (vs functional) brand’s ad frame reinforces the experiential brand image by acting as a consistent element in the experiential brand’s ad frame that enhances the overall ease of product evaluation. Hence, product shadows should be used as strategic tools by brand managers, rather than a random ad-execution choice. Originality/value: This research makes an initial attempt to explore the relationship between product shadows and consumer brand perceptions. It provides a deeper understanding of the underlying process (based on associative networks memory model, construal level theory and processing fluency model) that influence specific brand perceptions (experiential vs functional) when a product is showcased with its shadow in a promotional frame

Active White Space (AWS) in Logo Designs: Effects on Logo Evaluations and Brand Communication

In this article, we explore Active White Space (AWS)—the space between individual logo design elements—as a stylistic modification that revamps a logo design yet preserves its extant associations. Across three studies, we find AWS to be an effective stylistic logo tool. In Study 1, we find that adding AWS to pictorial logos improves their visual evaluation. In Study 2, we find this positive evaluation to spillover to verbal brand aspects such that logo designs with AWS are perceived to communicate brand descriptions more clearly. In Study 3, we find that logo designs with AWS benefit sophisticated brand personalities the most, followed by sincere, exciting, and competent brand personalities, with no effect on rugged brand personalities

Picture Perfect or Symbolic Backfire? Assessing the Detrimental Effects of Brand Emoji Use on Consumers’ Brand Attitudes

As consumers spend more time within digital environments, social media continues to be a critical tool for marketers. One of the most unique forms of communication specific to digital environments is the emoji. The marketing literature has identified numerous positive outcomes associated with marketers’ use of emojis, including strengthening persuasive appeals for social media influencers, increasing consumers’ feelings of positive affect, and bolstering engagement with branded communications. While brands use of emojis can offer benefits, it is critical to question if emoji usage always leads to favorable outcomes for marketers. Therefore, the goal of this research is to investigate when brand’s use of emojis might harm consumers’ perceptions of brands. We argue that in certain situations, brands use of emojis deviate from consumers anticipated interactions with marketers in social media environments. This violation of expectations then negatively impacts consumers’ attitudes toward brands

Effectiveness of a module to promote competency in adverse drug reaction reporting in undergraduate medical students

Background: Adverse drug reaction (ADR) under-reporting is a hindrance to the implementation of Pharmacovigilance Program of India. This is essentially due to lack of ADR reporting culture among healthcare professionals. Thus, study was conducted to assess and enhance awareness about ADRs and strengthen reporting among medical undergraduates.Methods: This is an interventional crossover study. A total of 140 students of 2nd professional, MBBS were included and divided into two groups of 70 each. In phase 1, group A was given a didactic lecture (DL) on ADR and pharmacovigilance. Group B was also given DL with an addition of a case narrative exercise and they were asked to fill an ADR form. Both groups were assessed based on an MCQ questionnaire for knowledge and skill. After 15 days of washout period, groups were crossed and reassessed. Feedback from students was taken on a 5 point Likert’s scale.Results: The mean scores of batch A without case was 17.5±3 out of a total score of 25 marks, which showed improvement with case narrative and mean increased to 19.6± 2.4 (p 0.05). Similarly, Batch B showed improvement as well and the mean 17.7±3.1 score without case narrative increased to 19.2±2.7 (p <0.05). Student’s perception of the effectiveness of module-based teaching was positive.Conclusions: Case narrative in addition to didactic lecture enhanced awareness and may strengthen ADR reporting culture among the medical students

Quality of prescriptions in hospitalized children suffering from acute and persistent diarrhoea

Background: Diarrhoea is a major public health problem in children worldwide. It continues to be a major health challenge, especially in developing countries, despite the availability of regularly updated standard treatment guidelines. Non-compliance to such guidelines by the physicians has been a long standing story. The treatment is often marred with incapacitating prescription of drugs besides neglecting even the basic tenets of good prescribing. As a result, the quality of such prescriptions for diarrhoeal disorders in children remains poor. To gauge the magnitude of this problem in this setup towards possible corrective measures, the study was aimed to audit prescription practices in the management of acute and persistent diarrhoea in hospitalised children up to five years of age.Methods: An observational study was conducted in 100 patients of either gender in the age group up to 5 years admitted with acute and persistent diarrhoea. A detailed medical history from the parents/guardians and the details of prescription from the time of admission till the discharge of the patient were obtained. Quality of prescriptions was analysed using prescription quality index (PQI) tool, a validated comprehensive tool described by Hassan et al in 2010. Based on this tool, prescription with the total PQI score of ≤ 31 were interpreted as poor quality, scores with 32 to 33 as medium quality and scores 34 to 43 as high quality with a possible maximum score of ‘43’.Results: Based on the PQI tool for 100 children, 60 prescriptions were found to be of poor quality. Only 2 prescriptions were of medium quality, whereas 38 prescriptions were in high quality range. Average mean±SD score of prescriptions with poor quality was 25.2±1.48, ranging from 21 to 31. The mean±SD of prescriptions with medium quality was observed to be 32±0 and for prescriptions of high quality was 38.07±2.28. The total average mean score of all prescriptions was 30.23±6.50. Poor quality prescriptions were particularly observed for the patients with the diarrhoea with No dehydration.Conclusions: Prescription appropriateness in spite of available guidelines continues to be a big challenge in the adequate management of patients with diarrhoeal disorders under the age group of five years in a tertiary care centre in India

Luxury implications of showcasing a product with its “<i>cast</i>” shadow

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the role of showcasing a product with its cast shadow (formed in the ad’s background by the advertised product) on consumer product perceptions. Design/methodology/approach Three experimentally designed studies, incorporating two product categories, demonstrate the impact of visual presentation of a product with its shadow on consumer evaluations. A total of 203 participants (MTurkers, and student respondents at a southern university) provided data for these studies through questionnaires (online as well as paper-pencil formats). Findings Findings reveal that the presence of a product’s cast shadow in the ad frame increases its visual acuity, which in turn enhances its luxury perceptions. Downstream, a product shadow’s presence positively impacts its overall evaluations, through enhanced product luxury perceptions. Also, consumers with high Centrality of Visual Product Aesthetics (CVPA) demonstrate a stronger liking for such product presentations. Research limitations/implications The current findings not only demonstrate the positive impact of product shadows on consumer perceptions, but also enrich the luxury and aesthetics literature streams. Practical implications Advertisers often subjectively use product shadows as stylistic tools in marketing communications. This research offers some practical guidelines to use shadows in fostering product luxury perceptions and better target aesthetically-sensitive consumers. Originality/value Advertising research suggests that visual styling and presentation of products significantly impacts consumer perceptions. However, the role of product shadows has not yet been empirically examined. This paper makes an attempt to test whether and how product shadows impact consumer perceptions. </jats:sec

The effects of matching empty ad space color to featured product’s color on consumer buying impulse

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how matching an ad’s empty space color specifically to that of the advertised product’s color (instead of leaving it white) impacts consumers’ product buying impulse. It tests two competing hypotheses, where the salience explanation proposes a positive effect of empty space–product color matching on product buying impulse, while the contrast account predicts an opposite effect. Design/methodology/approach Data was gathered from US-based MTurk panelists under three experimentally designed studies. The proposed effects were tested across multiple product categories, colors and online advertising formats. Qualitative responses from experienced marketing executives were also assessed for managerial insights. Findings Across all studies, findings reveal that using a product-colored (vs white) empty space in an ad increases consumers’ product buying impulse, favoring the salience rather the contrast explanation. Increased ad salience owing to an enhanced exposure to product color (an important sensory aspect), in turn improving the product’s hedonic appeal work as serial processes explaining this effect. Originality/value This research is not only the first to investigate the effects of using colored empty space (where limited prior research has only focused on white empty space), but also the first to study its impact on impulse buying intentions. Counter to prior advertising research which suggests using greater contrast by using white empty space to achieve positive effects, this research empirically tests and finds that using a product-colored empty ad space instead has a positive impact on product buying impulse. </jats:sec

Product Shadows and Ad Evaluations

Prior research shows that stylistic ad manipulations (i.e., the style or manner in which product visuals are presented in an ad) impact consumer perceptions (Yang, Zhang and Peracchio 2010). This dissertation explores the impact of presence (versus absence) of a product’s shadow in the ad frame, as a visual stylistic manipulation influencing consumer ad perceptions. While many stylistic manipulations have been explored in the past, product shadows in how they impact ad perceptions have not been explored. Drawing on a holistic understanding on object shadows from the visual art, cognition and psychophysics literature streams, this dissertation investigates how product shadows impact ad perceptions. It applies theoretical tenants of Gestalt psychology, Construal Level Theory (CLT), and information paradigms including Signal Detection Theory (SDT) in deriving seven specific hypotheses. It also tests for moderating factors (such as individual consumer aesthetics, gestalt versus component visual processing modes, and product luxury positioning) that may alter consumer ad evaluations and ad effectiveness perceptions based on this stylistic manipulation of product shadow. Findings from this dissertation reveal that the presence (vs. absence) of a product’s shadow in an ad frame enhances the product’s visual form. This visual appraisal of the product in the ad frame further improves the ad’s overall evaluations. The effects of a product shadow on ad attitudes is positively moderated by an individual’s aesthetic tendencies (specifically their response tendencies towards visual aesthetics), a gestalt-focused (vs. component-focused) visual processing mode, as well as a luxury based ad’s positioning. There is also some support for negative effects of product shadows in component-focused ad scenarios, where they act as visual impairments rather than enhancers of the product form and aesthetics. Theoretically, this dissertation extends prior research on stylistic manipulations of product images in visual ad frames, while building upon established ad communication paradigms, including AIDA and Hierarchical Processing Model, HPM (Peracchio and Meyers-Levy 2005; Yang, Zhang and Peracchio 2010). Managerially, findings from this dissertation have implications for print, online, in-store and thus, any form of visual advertising portraying a product form. It outlines specific contexts under which managers can systematically employ (or evade) product shadows to not only enhance ad evaluations, but also to optimize their ad message efficacies. Stylistic image manipulations comprise production elements (e.g., camera angles), and only affect the way in which the product is displayed, i.e., not the core product image itself (Peracchio and Meyers-Levy 2005; Yang, Zhang and Peracchio 2010). Hence, these can be employed as strategic tools towards ad effectiveness (Barry and Howard 1990). Marketers can not only specifically target and position promotions incorporating product shadows towards aesthetically-attuned consumers, but also save advertising costs by omitting them if their presence hinders the communication of the intended message in certain scenarios