"The consumption of television programming: development and validation of the connectedness scale"

Andrew T. Norman is a professor of marketing in the College of Business and Public Administration at Drake University. He can be contacted at [email protected] consumption of television programming is of particular interest to consumer researchers because of the potential influence of television characters as referent others. Connectedness characterizes the intensity of the relationship(s) that viewers develop with television programs and their characters. We describe a threephased research program that develops and presents preliminary validation of a measure of connectedness. We differentiate connectedness from the related but distinct constructs of attitude and involvement. The potential of the connectedness scale to further our understanding of the consumption of television programming and its psychological and sociological effects on viewers are articulated and tested in a series of studies

FY 17 Preliminary Education & General Budget Continuing the Discussion Presentation Slides

Slides from presentations regarding the University of Maine\u27s education and general budget for the 2017 fiscal year and fiscal planning. The first set of slides are regarding the preliminary budget, the second are of the final budget discussion, the third are of a multi-year financial analysis FY 2017-2021, and the fourth set are of unified budget with proposed recommendations

Is there a divide between local medicinal knowledge and Western medicine? a case study among native Amazonians in Bolivia

Background: Interest in ethnomedicine has grown in the last decades, with much research focusing on how local medicinal knowledge can contribute to Western medicine. Researchers have emphasized the divide between practices used by local medical practitioners and Western doctors. However, researchers have also suggested that merging concepts and practices from local medicinal knowledge and Western science have the potential to improve public health and support medical independence of local people. In this article we study the relations between local and Western medicinal knowledge within a native Amazonian population, the Tsimane'. Methods: We used the following methods: 1) participant observation and semi-structured interviews to gather background information, 2) free-listing and pile-sorting to assess whether Tsimane' integrate local medicinal knowledge and Western medicine at the conceptual level, 3) surveys to assess to what extent Tsimane' combine local medicinal knowledge with Western medicine in actual treatments, and 4) a participatory workshop to assess the willingness of Tsimane' and Western medical specialists to cooperate with each other. Results: We found that when asked about medical treatments, Tsimane' do not include Western treatments in their lists, however on their daily practices, Tsimane' do use Western treatments in combination with ethnomedical treatments. We also found that Tsimane' healers and Western doctors express willingness to cooperate with each other and to promote synergy between local and Western medical systems. Conclusion: Our findings contrast with previous research emphasizing the divide between local medical practitioners and Western doctors and suggests that cooperation between both health systems might be possible

Advertising Recall

The authors report the results of a laboratory experiment examining the effects of the meaningfulness of brand names on recall of advertising. The findings indicate that a brand name explicitly conveying a product benefit {e.g., PicturePerfect televisions) leads to higher recall of an advertised benefit claim consistent in meaning with the brand name compared with a nonsuggestive brand name (e.g., Emporium televisions), Conversely, a suggestive brand name leads to lower recall of a subsequently advertised benefit claim unrelated In product meaning (e.g.. superior sound) compared with a nonsuggestive brand name. The authors discuss implications of these findings for marketers with respect to advertising strategies and the optimal use of meaningful brand names in building and managing brand equity. Brand names come in many different forms—they can be based on real peopie, places, animals, birds, things, and objects or just be made up. The choice of a brand name has been suggested as one important means lo build brand equity for a new product (Aaker 1991. 1996; Keller 1993, 1998). Choosing the proper brand name—often the centerpiece of introductory marketing programs—can enhance brand awareness and/or help create a favorable brand image for a newly introduced product. Recognizing the important and complex role of brand names as part of marketing strategy, several different possible criteria have been proposed for choosing brand names to build brand equity (Robertson 1987). One oflen-noted branding objective is to choose "inherently meaningful " brand names, so that the name itself conveys relevant product information. Brand names can be made meaningful in a variety of different ways. For example, brand names can be ehosen to reinforce semantically th

The Message is in the Metaphor: Assessing the Comprehension of Metaphors in Advertisements

Although metaphors are used by advertising creators to convey brand meaning and enhance brand information processing, little is understood with regard to consumers' comprehension of intended meaning. This research contributes to this body of knowledge by examining the effect of metaphor type (abstract / concrete) and hemispheric processing on respondents' comprehension of metaphors in ads. Overall, the findings suggest that concrete metaphors are more easily understood than abstract metaphors. This effect is moderated by hemispheric processing such that individuals high in right or integrative processing are more likely to provide valid interpretations of both types of metaphors. These findings are discussed and implications for advertising practitioners are offered