Ethnic influence of endorsers and receivers on advertising effectiveness : a case of Asian endorsers and receivers

As the American society has been facing more and more culturally diverse, ethnic minorities have indeed received more and more attention by many marketers and advertisers, particularly Asian-Americans. Because of their affluence and high educational attainment, the Asian-American market has become one of the most attractive and valuable markets since 1990. While Asian-Americans in the US has emerged as an important market, little has been investigated the impact of ethnicity on advertising effectiveness as measured of awareness, attitude toward the ad, attitude toward the brand, and purchase intention with the focus on Asisin-Americans. This study also further investigated whether this impact will be mediated by Asian-Americans\u27 level of acculturation which was identified as either low- or high-acculturated individual in this study. In addition, Asian-Americans are composed of many different nationality group, the differences in the ethnicity among Asian Heritages are explored in this study as well.The three ethnic Asian-American groups chosen in this study wereChinese-, Japanese-, and Korean-Americans. An experimental study using selfadrniiiistrativequestioimaire, including attitude and purchase intention,acculturation, and demographic measures, was conducted in Knoxville and Maryville, Tennessee among three ethnic Asian-American subgroups (N=197),directed equally across ethnic subgroups.The results of interaction effect of individuals\u27 acculturation level and the ethnicity of endorsers indicated that low-acculturated Asian-Americans were more likely to recognized the advertised brand when the advertisement was endorsed by their own ethnic (Asian) models.When furthered investigated the impact of the ethnicity of endorsers and receivers, and their interaction effect in each ethnic Asian-American group,results indicated distinct findings across the three ethnic Asian-Americangroups. The findings also suggested some implications for the areas of marketing and advertising to better understand these three ethnic Asian-American markets and the directions for future research are provided

Assessing the Impact of Brand Extensions on Brand Concept and Brand Equity

The overall purpose of the study is to enrich our understanding of the impact of brand extensions on the parent core brand concept and brand equity in the context of apparel. This study also further examines whether brand extensions have an effect on consumers\u27 post extension evaluations of parent core brand concept and brand equity. Using an experimental study, the results indicate that, regardless of the types of brand extension, consumers are less likely to evaluate parent core brand concept and brand equity favorably after the extension as compared to their initial evaluation of parent core brand concept and brand equity. When further examining whether a vertical extension strategy would create greater dilution effect on the parent core brand concept as compared to a horizontal extension strategy, our results showed that a vertical brand extension tends to produce a negative impact on the parent core brand concept and brand equity

An Investigation of Socially Responsible Consumers’ Behavior in Thrift Stores

The annual revenue of U.S. thrift stores is estimated to be $12 billion (First Research, 2014). Apparel products represent the majority of the products sold in these stores (Shim, 2010). While sales of apparel at thrift stores increased steadily during the economic downturn that began in 2008 (Tully, 2012), sales are expected to decrease as the economy improves (IBISWorld, 2012). To remain viable, thrift store managers need to have a solid understanding of their core apparel consumers in order to satisfy their needs (Carrigan & De Pelsmacker, 2009)

A Comparative Study between Athletic and Non-Athletic Consumers:Consumer Decision-Making Styles, Shopping Channel Choices, and Purchase Intentions

In 2012, athletic apparel drove sales of more than US $66 billion with a five-year growth rate of over 32% from 2007 to 2012 (Euromonitor, 2013). While there is limited research in this area, Smith (2008) contends that athleticism has become commercialized, influencing consumption of fitness related goods. However, there is not a clear understanding of how consumption differs between athletic and non-athletic consumers. To this end, the purpose of this study is to compare athletic and non-athletic consumers in terms of consumer decision-making styles, shopping channel choices, and purchase intentions of athletic apparel. Furthermore, this study also investigates the interrelationships among consumer decision-making styles, shopping channel choices, and purchase intentions related to athletic apparel

THE EFFECTS OF TYPICALITY AND NOVELTY ON AESTHETIC PREFERENCE: AN INVESTIGATION OF THE MAYA PRINCIPLE

There are numerous design principles that can guide strategic decisions and determine good product design. Despite the interest in the two-factor theories, such as the Most Advanced Yet Acceptable (MAYA) principle, limited studies have examined both typicality and novelty in apparel products. The main objective of this study was to explore via experiments the MAYA principle specific to apparel products. By drawing from the preference-for-prototypes theory and the MAYA principle, in this study the effects of specific aesthetic properties of apparel products on consumer responses are examined

Sustainable clothing: perspectives from US and Chinese young Millennials

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand US and Chinese young Millennials’ perceptions of and consumption behaviour towards sustainable apparel products. Design/methodology/approach: Quantitative research was conducted, and empirical data were collected from 590 US college students and 379 Chinese college students. Findings: For both US and Chinese young Millennials, this study provides consistent empirical results of the positive and significant effects of young Millennials’ apparel sustainability knowledge and personal values on consumer attitude towards sustainable clothing, which in turn positively and strongly impacts purchase intention. In addition, a cross-cultural comparative analysis reveals similarities and differences regarding apparel sustainability knowledge and values between young Millennial consumers in the US and China. Originality/value: The scale of environmental and social impacts from global apparel production and consumption makes sustainability increasingly important in the contemporary business environment. Young Millennials in the US and China represent large and influential consumer segments for sustainable consumption. This study contributes to the literature by surveying young Millennials in the US (developed market) and China (emerging market) in a cross-cultural context. The study offers insights into the global apparel industry in developing strategies for expanding sustainable apparel markets in the US and China

Investigating Expectancy Values in Online Apparel Rental during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic: Moderating Effects of Fashion Leadership

Online apparel renting has become a popular type of consumption. However, the COVID-19pandemic has disrupted the sharing economy, including online renting. This cross-sectional studyexamined the effects of expectancy values on intention towards online apparel rental during andafter the COVID-19 pandemic and investigated the moderating role of personal traits of fashionleadership. A total of 431 valid samples from college students in the US were collected. Structuralequation modeling (SEM) was conducted to test the hypothesized relationships, and moderationanalysis was performed to test the moderating effects of fashion leadership. The results indicatedthat expectancy values affecting consumer intention toward online apparel renting varied duringand post-pandemic. The results also indicated that fashion leadership moderated the links betweenrelative advantage and intention to rent apparel online during the pandemic, while it moderated therelationships between compatibility and psychological ownership and intention toward onlineapparel rental after the pandemic. This study sheds light on the expectancy values that shapeconsumers’ intentions to rent apparel online, considering moderating effects of fashion leadershipfrom which strategic marketing and communication plans could be developed to enhanceconsumer experience and engagement and expand the online apparel rental market