Reader Categorization of a Controversial Communication: Advertisement Versus Editorial

Using a disguised, structured technique, the authors collected consumer judgments regarding an editorial advertisement entitled Of cigarettes and science sponsored by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. Respondents were shown an actual newspaper section that contained different types of editorials and advertisements, including the Of cigarettes and science item. After the respondents indirectly classified each item as either an editorial or advertisement, they were asked to list at least two characteristics about the appearance or wording of the Of cigarettes and science item that caused them to classify it as they did. The majority of respondents thought the item was an advertisement because it looked different from editorial items, was sponsored by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, and seemed to have a persuasive or promotional content. Over one-fourth of the respondents, however, identified the communication as an editorial because of its lack of direct sales information and its extensive wording. The authors contend that legal and regulatory bodies should consider the effects of both source and intent of the message when arguing consumer impact

A Longitudinal Study of the Use of Children in Magazine Advertising

A content analysis of advertisements over a 36 year period (1953-1988) was used to examine the changes in portrayal of children in advertising. Of 30,000 advertisements in selected issues, 2,000 contained children and were classified further for analysis. Relative use of children has declined somewhat during the study period. The use of preschool age children, compared to school age or infants increased at the end of the period. Early in the study period, female children were more frequently used, supplanted by males later. The use of minority children has increased, commencing in the early 1960’s. Advertising planners are encouraged to reflect population trends in advertising design

\u27Thinking Global, Acting Local\u27: An Attribute Approach to Product Strategy.

For many companies a fundamental marketing challenge is to create a global strategy which will allow for maximum use of existing product offerings and marketing activities through standardization while simultaneously “acting local” in order to effectively adjust to unique aspects of any given market. The purpose of this study is to investigate global product strategy and the issue of identifying relevant areas where standardization may be possible, and where the need to “act local” may be necessary, in the context of product offering attributes. The results show that in developing a global product strategy it is important to begin product positioning, differentiation, and promotional activities with the fundamental product attributes of quality, price, appearance, and availability

A Hybrid-Multichannel Approach to Internet Marketing: Think Global, Act Locally

In the year 2005, 75% of the world\u27s online market is expected to be from outside the USA. However, it is very misleading to think that a \u27one size fits all\u27 e-Marketing mentality will be successful on a global basis. Each country and even different regions within a country manifest cultural differences on how to use the internet in making and executing purchase decisions. It is important to remember that these cultural differences are both material (purchase behaviour) and non-material (customs, attitudes and laws). Therefore, successful e-businesses will need to take the time and effort to identify, understand and integrate local cultural nuances into their plans. One way of doing this is to develop hybrid multichannel approaches that use the internet to enhance preferred local purchase decision-making and behaviour patterns. To minimise costs, while maximising the understanding of local cultures, cross-border alliances are recommended. This will allow e-businesses to grow globally while focusing on local markets in an increasingly multichannel world. Finally, it is suggested that academic researchers and applied practitioners focus their attention on the profitable role that multichannel, click and mortar approaches can play into the global marketplace

The Effects of Time Compressed Advertising on Brand Attitude Judgments

Three models of time compression effects on brand attitudes are presented and contrasted. A previous study which competitively evaluated the three theories is replicated and potential shortcomings in the design are corrected. The results of the present study support the earlier conclusion that time compression affects advertising by interfering with message processing. However, the increased attention to non-message cues reported in the prior investigation was not replicated

Cognitive Dissonance after Purchase: A Multidimensional Scale.

The concept of cognitive dissonance has been discussed widely in the consumer behavior literature, yet paradoxically, there is no well established scale to measure it. This article describes the development of a 22-item scale for assessing cognitive dissonance immediately after purchase. First, the article discusses the conceptualization of the construct, recognizing that dissonance is not only cognitive in nature, but also has an emotional component, consistent with Festinger\u27s early description of dissonance as a psychologically uncomfortable state. The procedures used to develop and refine the scale are subsequently described. This included a qualitative study to generate the items and two samples for each stage of the quantitative stages of scale refinement. Evidence of the scale\u27s sound psychometric properties, including its reliability, validity and factor structure is given.© 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc

The Effect of Simplifying the Complaint Process: A Field Experiment with the Better Business Bureau

Studies the impact of complaint handling process on complainant satisfaction. Demographic profile of respondents; Influence of third party complaint handling process on consumer perceptions of satisfaction; Factors correlated with the perceived fairness of the complaint handling process