Comparative Advertising in the Global Marketplace: The Effects of Cultural Orientation on Communication

This research examined the efficacy of one type of communication strategy, comparative advertising, in communicating product superiority to consumers across different cultures. In individualist cultures such as the United States, comparative advertising that highlights the superiority of the target brand is seen as more effective. However, in collectivist cultures such as Thailand, comparative advertising that highlights the similarity between brands is more likely to be effective. In addition, comparative advertising was more believable for unfamiliar brands in individualist cultures whereas comparison for familiar brands was more believable in collectivist cultures.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/39712/3/wp328.pd

Comparative Advertising in the Global Marketplace: The Effects of Cultural Orientation on Communication

This research examined the efficacy of one type of communication strategy, comparative advertising, in communicating product superiority to consumers across different cultures. In individualist cultures such as the United States, comparative advertising that highlights the superiority of the target brand is seen as more effective. However, in collectivist cultures such as Thailand, comparative advertising that highlights the similarity between brands is more likely to be effective. In addition, comparative advertising was more believable for unfamiliar brands in individualist cultures whereas comparison for familiar brands was more believable in collectivist cultures.

Whether one looks for means to overcome regulatory restrictions or show source negativity depends on the type of regulatory restrictions

Consumers all around the world live with regulations that are imposed on them. This article examines the effects of regulations that restrict consumer freedom to use media (e.g., social media, visual media, written media). We define two ways (i.e., direct and indirect regulatory restrictions) that these consumers might face regulations that restrict their freedom to use media and subsequently discuss the different behavioral responses that they might have as a result of the two types of regulations. In a set of three studies, this article demonstrates that when consumers are exposed to direct regulatory restrictions (i.e., regulatory restrictions that are imposed directly on the consumers), they find means to overcome those restrictions. However, when consumers are exposed to indirect regulatory restrictions (i.e., regulatory restrictions that are not directly imposed on consumers but have some consequences for consumers), they demonstrate source negativity

Multiple shades of culture: insights from experimental consumer research

In the past couple of decades, research investigating the role of culture on consumer preferences and choices has gained an increased attention. Our goal in this chapter is to provide a timeline for the cross-cultural consumer research. We specifically suggest that cross-cultural consumer research has gone through three stages: (1) introduction stage during late 1990s, (2) growth stage in early 2000s, and (3) maturity stage in early 2010s. Furthermore, we discuss what lies ahead in cross-cultural consumer research

Are 1-endings the new 9-endings? An alternative for generating price discount perceptions

Although extant literature confirms the efficacy of 9-endings, how consumers perceive multi-digit prices with repeating identical ending digits such as $1999 is less clear. Research indicates that consumers tend to truncate 9-ending prices and associate them with discounts. Five experiments demonstrate, however, that consumers are likely to perceive multi-digit prices with 1-endings (e.g.,$2111) as being more on a discount than prices with 9-endings (e.g., $1999). Moreover, a year-long field study shows that 1-ending (vs. 9-ending) prices receive more click-through rates when presented in online ads. These novel findings inform retailers on how they can generate higher discount perceptions by using 1-endings rather than 9-endings in multi-digit prices

The effect of self-concept clarity on discretionary spending tendency

Discretionary spending is an important indicator of economic well-being. However, prior research is limited in empirically testing who is more likely to make discretionary purchases. To address this research gap, this article suggests that those who have less clearly and confidently defined, internally consistent, and temporally stable self-knowledge (i.e., those who have low self-concept clarity [SCC]) have higher discretionary spending tendencies than high-SCC individuals. The results indicate that low-SCC individuals have higher discretionary spending tendencies because they are more likely to adopt avoidant coping strategies than are high-SCC individuals. This research further tests the effectiveness of elaboration on potential outcomes in reducing the discretionary spending tendencies of individuals with high- or low-SCC and demonstrates that it is effective only for high-SCC individuals. This article concludes with a discussion of the theoretical and managerial implications of the results

Managing brands and customer engagement in online brand communities

JOURNAL OF SERVICE MANAGEMENT243223-24

Managing brands and customer engagement in online brand communities

10.1108/09564231311326978Journal of Service Management243223-24