Citations and herding: why one article makes it and another doesn't

The purpose of this paper is to draw a link between citations and the choice overload paradigm and show that herding plays a role in citing behavior. In addition, parallel with an increase in the number of published papers, we observe an increase in the strength of herding in citation

How visuals affect food choice

In this Special Issue, we bring together nine original research articles that demonstrate how visual cues affect consumer reactions that drive food decisions [...

Assessing the what is beautiful is good stereotype and the influence of moderately attractive and less attractive advertising models on self-perception, ad attitudes, and purchase intentions of 8–13-year-old children

This paper investigates (1) whether the physical attractiveness stereotype applies to children, (2) whether children’s self-perception is influenced by the attractiveness of an advertising model, (3) whether children’s attitudes towards an ad and buying intentions for a non-beauty-related product are influenced by the attractiveness of an advertising model, and (4) whether age affects (1), (2), and (3). Results of two experimental studies with respectively 8–9-year-old (N = 75) and 12–13 year old (N = 57) girls and boys confirm the presence of the physical attractiveness stereotype in children. The presence of a moderately attractive (vs. less attractive) model has a negative influence on general self-worth for 8–9-year-old boys, but not for girls, nor for 12–13-year-old children. Exposure to a moderately attractive (vs. less attractive) model also has a positive influence on perceived physical appearance of 8–9-year-old girls, but this effect does not occur for boys, nor for 12–13-year-olds. The studies also show that moderately attractive (vs. less attractive) models increase attitudes and buying intentions for 8–9-year-olds, but not for 12–13-year-old boys and girls

A question of taste? The difference in perceived helpfulness of online reviews for utilitarian versus hedonic products

While online reviews have become an indispensable marketing tool, their impact may depend on several factors. This paper demonstrates that online reviews are perceived as more helpful for utilitarian products than for hedonic products (study 1 & 2). Applying theory about opinions and taste, we show that the quality of hedonic products is depending on personal taste, while the quality of utilitarian products is seen as a matter of general opinion (study 3). We provide evidence that this opinion versus taste attribution mediates the effect of product type on perceived helpfulness of online reviews (study 4)

Intention superiority as a mechanism of the question-behavior effect

This paper investigates the mere measurement effect from an intention superiority perspective. Relying on the dynamic processes that characterize intention-related information in memory, the first study shows that a brand tied to an intention remains in a heightened state of activation until choice, after which it becomes inhibited. Competitive brands that are distracting from intention completion are inhibited prior to the completion of the intention. These changes in brand activation drive the mere measurement effect. Two additional studies show that intention superiority can explain findings that cannot be accounted for by traditional theoretical explanations, such as increased choice of the preferred brand after activation of a negatively evaluated brand and decreased choice of the preferred brand when consumers make two subsequent choices

Advertising repetition and complexity of digital signage advertisements: simplicity rules!

Digital signage is probably the most skyrocketing advertising medium of the moment, since the LCD-screens are almost impossible to avoid in everyday life for consumers, while few academic research is present to explore the potential of this medium. An experiment (3x2x4) was conducted to test the role of the intensity of complexity (simple/moderate/complex), the dimension of complexity (visual/lexical) and the level of repetition (one/four/seven/ten exposures) on the attitude toward digital signage advertisements (Aad). The results indicate a significant influence of advertising complexity on Aad, where simple ads with a dominant visual component clearly work best

Service recovery's impact on customers next-in-line

Purpose - Previous research considers service recovery as a one-on-one interaction between a service provider and a complaining customer. However, customers frequently complain at the place where they receive the service, making an investigation of the impact of a service recovery on observing customers necessary. Using observational learning theory and attribution theory as theoretical anchors, this paper examines whether observing a service recovery influences the observing customers' satisfaction and repurchase intentions. In addition, this paper tests whether service quality perceptions mediate, and customers' locus of control attributions moderate these relationships. Design/methodology/approach - Study 1 tests the main hypothesis using a scenario-based experiment in two settings (restaurant, retail). Study 2 further elaborates on these findings using a scenario-based experiment in a hotel setting. Findings - The findings show that the negative consequences of a failed recovery extend beyond the complaining customers to observing customers, whereas the positive consequences of observing a satisfactory recovery do not influence the observing customer when compared to observing a failure-free service delivery. These relationships are driven by the service quality information customers extract from observing a service recovery. In addition, the results indicate that the negative spill-over effects are attenuated if the observing customer gets information about who caused the failure. Originality/value - From a theoretical point of view, this study contributes by outlining service recovery's different impacts on complaining and observing customers: whereas service recovery forms a critical for complaining customers, it only acts as a dissatisfier for observing customers. In addition, it is the first to test a potential explanation for why observing a service recovery leads to lower customer outcomes, and provides insights about how service providers might attenuate the negative spill-over effects of a failed recovery