Daddy Dearest: The Influence of Paternal Investment on Attitude Toward the Advertisement

Three studies were conducted using nonstudent samples to empirically test the impact of paternal engagement and paternal sentiment (PS) on customer evaluations of advertising content. Paternal investment theory (PIT), an extension of attachment theory, states that the quality of fathering that a daughter receives provides important information about others and society. Paternal sentiment, the global perception of one’s father, is defined and introduced to the advertising literature in this project. Both constructs are examined for males and females within a marketing context for the first time. An experiment is conducted in Study 1 to establish that low paternal investment (PI) and negative paternal sentiment lead to high customer evaluations for ads with maternal referents. Results from a second experiment suggest that customers with low paternal investment are more responsive to ads with maternal referents, particularly when combined with self-focus messaging. In Study 3, subjects participate in a field study. The findings suggest that when negative paternal sentiment and low paternal investment are primed, females are more prone to emotionally regulate than males. These research outcomes should inspire advertisers to consider the father–child relationship within the family structure as a possible basis for brand positioning

Targeting Miss Daisy: Using Age and Gender to Target Unethical Sales Tactics

Marketers often advocate the use of targeted promotional strategies because they are presumed more effective. However, common targeting variables (gender and age) can also serve to stereotype some consumers (female or older) as more vulnerable to sales pressure. The current research shows that this can cause sales agents to target these stigmatized groups with inferior products. In contrast, encouraging sales agents to empathize with target customers was effective in reducing the targeting of these groups with substandard items. Implications are discussed

Pleasantly Plump: Offsetting Negative Obesity Stereotypes for Frontline Service Employees

Obesity is described as the fastest growing public health challenge facing developed nations (Prentice, 2006). This research introduces the topic of obesity to the retailing literature by examining the interplay between obesity in frontline employees and customer evaluations of service transactions. Baseline effects are established that show customers evaluate employees and firms more negatively if the frontline worker is obese compared to average weight. Two follow-up studies identify means by which firms may offset the negative obesity effects. Specifically, signaling theory is drawn upon in Study 1 to justify the introduction of observable quality cues as a means to offset negative stereotypes. Results indicate that the presence of unambiguous quality cues attenuate unfavorable judgments of the obese employee and the affiliated retail store. In Study 2, a countervailing, jovial stereotype is primed as a means to offset the more prominent negative ones. Retail managers can use this research as a means to understand an important caveat to frontline service evaluations and as the basis for managing a prominent negative stereotype

Empirical Evidence of the Effect of Colorism on Customer Evaluations

Skin tone is a known influencer of earnings and social status. Its role in marketing has been primarily studied within the context of advertising while focusing on differences between Whites and Blacks. Three experiments were conducted to determine the effect of skin tone on customer evaluations of Black, Hispanic, and White males and females across two industries. In Studies 1 and 2, the Hispanic male was deemed less competent, professional, and worthy of repatronage compared to other service providers. In Study 3, the Hispanic male received higher evaluations when portrayed with a darker skin tone than lighter skin tone. Skin tone identity, ethnic identity, and colorism are found to influence the observed relationship. The research demonstrates that ethnicity matters, gender matters, and skin tone matters when evaluating service providers

The Influence of Consumer Decision-making Styles on Online Apparel Consumption by College Students

Apparel purchases now constitute one of the fastest-growing segments of e-commerce. Thus, there are strong theoretical and managerial reasons to better understand consumer characteristics associated with buying apparel online. This paper investigates motivations for online apparel consumption using the Consumer Styles Inventory. Data from a sample of 357 US college students showed that quality consciousness, brand consciousness, fashion consciousness, hedonistic shopping, impulsiveness and brand loyalty were positively correlated with online apparel shopping. Price sensitivity was negatively correlated with online spending

An Examination of Regifting

This study develops an operational definition of the phenomenon of regifting. Gifting refers to the act of giving something to someone else without an expectation of compensation. Regifting is similar to gifting in that there is no expectation of compensation, but the gift itself differs in that it is one previously given to the giver. This study uses previous literature on established gift-giving themes to explore regifting\u27s meaning, importance, and implications to consumer research. In-depth interviews and focus groups aid in the discovery of themes within regifting and regifting motivations, as well as those within relationships between the regifter and recipient. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Religious Affiliation: Buffering Negative Reactions to Service Failures

Purpose – This research aims to examine the buffering effect of a firm’s religious association on customer reactions to a service failure. Design/methodology/approach – Two scenario-driven studies containing religious and non-religious reasons for a store closing were conducted. Findings – The results from Study 1 suggest that a religious affiliation safeguards against negative reactions to failures related to store policies (see Hoffman et al., 2003). Customers are more likely to forgive transgressing firms when service failures are associated with religion, regardless of attitudes toward the religious group. A follow up study supports the first, even when no specific religion was identified in the scenario, the service failure involved a firm that closed weekly, and a non-student sample was used. Research limitations/implications – While the results provide support for the buffering effects of a religious affiliation against a particular type of service failure – temporary service interruptions due to the observance of religious holidays and celebrations, future research should test the robustness of this effect on technology failures and rude treatment by employees. Originality/value – This paper is the first, to the authors’ knowledge, to test the effect of a firm’s religious affiliation on customer perceptions of frontline service encounters in general and service failures in particular