The health halo of morality- and purity-signifying brand names

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Clinton Amos ◽  
Jesse King ◽  
Skyler King
Keyword(s):  
Mediation Analysis ◽  
Food Product ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Moderated Mediation ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Brand Names ◽  
Health Claims ◽  
Brand Name ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumer Inferences

Purpose Past research has demonstrated a health halo for food product labels (e.g. organic), resulting in inflated perceptions of a product’s healthfulness (e.g. low fat). While past studies have focused on labeling and related health claims, the health halo of brand names has scarcely been investigated. This study aims to address this gap by investigating the health halo of brand names featuring morality- and purity-signifiers. Design/methodology/approach The current research uses two experiments to examine the health halo of morality- and purity-signifying brand names on perceptions of nutritional and contaminant attributes. Mediation analysis is performed to investigate perceived naturalness as the mechanism for the brand name effects while moderated mediation analysis examines this mechanism across product types (healthy vs unhealthy). Findings The findings reveal that both the morality- and purity-signifying brand names produce a health halo on nutritional and contaminant attributes, regardless of product healthiness. Further, mediation and moderated mediation analysis provide evidence for perceived naturalness as the underlying mechanism driving these effects. Social implications This research highlights unwarranted consumer inferences made based upon food brand names and, thus has implications for consumers, public policy and marketing managers. Originality/value While much health halo research has focused on labeling, this research examines the health halo of two brand name types which symbolically convey either morality or purity. This research provides additional contributions by investigating perceived naturalness as the underlying mechanism for the effects and is one of the few studies to investigate the health halo for both healthy and unhealthy products.

Do you remember me? Women sexual objectification in advertising among young consumers

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-90
Author(s):  
Lizardo Vargas-Bianchi ◽  
Marta Mensa
Keyword(s):  
Latin American ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Brand Names ◽  
Western World ◽  
Sexual Objectification ◽  
Brand Name ◽  
Relevant Variable ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Probabilistic Sample

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect on brand name recall in advertisements with varying levels of female sexual objectification content among young millennials and the effect of distraction on this recall effort. The question arises whether this group evokes those brands that appear in advertisements using different levels of objectification content. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a correlational design that includes two studies with different groups of subjects: an assessment of perceived female sexual objectification levels in a set of ads and a quasi-experimental study that used the assessed perceived levels of female objectification and brand name short-term recall scores of those ads, with and without the intervention of an attention distractor. Findings Results suggest that female sexual objectification content exerts a limited influence on brand name recall between participants. In addition, it is not men who remember brand names from ads using sexual objectified images, but young women. Research limitations/implications The study had an exploratory scope and used a small non-probabilistic sample. Subjects belong to a cultural context of Western world developing economy, and thus perceived female objectification may vary between different cultural settings. Results refer to graphic advertisements, though this cohort is exposed to other audiovisual content platforms. Originality/value Several studies have addressed female objectification in advertising and media, but few focused on young Latin American audiences and its impact on the recollection of advertised brands. Brand name retention and awareness is still a relevant variable that the advertising industry takes in account as one of several predictors toward buying decisions. Even less research has been made on Latin American social and cultural contexts.

Pseudohomophones as brand names

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 1909-1930
Author(s):  
Jasmina Ilicic ◽  
Stacey Baxter ◽  
Alicia Kulczynski
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Brand Names ◽  
Brand Name ◽  
Superiority Effect ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Real ◽  
Brand Meaning ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this study is to introduce the homophone emotional interest superiority effect in phonological, or sound-based, priming, whereby pseudohomophone brand names (i.e. non-words that are pronounced identically to English words, for example, Bie) prime brand meaning associated with the member of the homophone pair that is emotionally interesting (i.e. Bie will be prime brand avoidance (purchase) when consumers are emotionally interested in the homophone bye [buy]). Design/methodology/approach Studies 1 and 2 examine the effect of homophone emotional interest on brand judgements and behaviours. Study 3 investigates the role of boredom with the brand name in attenuating the homophone emotional interest superiority effect. Findings Findings indicate that pseudohomophone brand names prime brand judgements and behaviours associated with the word from the homophone pair that evokes emotional interest. Study 2 provides further evidence of homophone emotional interest as the process influencing brand judgements and behaviours. Study 3 establishes that the effect of pseudohomophone brand names on brand judgements weaken when boredom with the brand name is induced. Research limitations/implications This study is limited, as it focuses only on fictitious brands and methodologically creates boredom in a way in which may not be typical of what would be experienced in the real world. Practical implications This study has important implications for brand managers in the development of new brand names and in prioritising the intended homophone pair from a pseudohomophone brand name to influence consumer judgements and behaviours. Originality/value This study introduces and provides evidence of a homophone emotional interest superiority effect. This study also identifies a condition under which the homophone emotional interest superiority effect is attenuated.

Coping with workplace ostracism: the roles of emotional exhaustion and resilience in deviant behavior

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongyan Jiang ◽  
Xianjin Jiang ◽  
Peizhen Sun ◽  
Xiuping Li
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Exhaustion ◽  
Mediation Analysis ◽  
Deviant Behavior ◽  
Moderated Mediation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Manufacturing Enterprises ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Workplace Ostracism ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explicate the relationship between workplace ostracism and deviant behavior, and further test the mediating role of emotional exhaustion and the moderating role of resilience.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 409 first-line production workers from four manufacturing enterprises in China was collected. A moderated mediation analysis was employed to test the hypotheses and examine the relationships proposed in the research framework.FindingsThe findings indicate that emotional exhaustion could mediate the relationship between workplace ostracism and deviant behavior. Moreover, the results from the moderated mediation analysis suggest that the mediation of emotional exhaustion is moderated by resilience such that with a higher level of resilience, the mediation effect of emotional exhaustion becomes weaker.Research limitations/implicationsThe participants of this study are limited to manufacturing enterprises, and thus our findings may not be equally valid for other types of industries. Meanwhile, this study is a cross-sectional research that could not explain the causal relationship between workplace ostracism and deviant behavior.Practical implicationsThe present research can offer some managerial implications about how to avoid the occurrence of workplace ostracism and deviant behavior for organizations.Originality/valueThis study constructs a moderated mediation model by introducing the potential mediating role of emotional exhaustion and the moderating effect of resilience in order to reveal the mechanism through which workplace ostracism relates to deviant behavior. Our research not only integrates and enriches the ideas of the Stress-Non-Equilibrium-Compensation Approach and the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping Theory but could also inform future management practices for mitigating the negative consequences of workplace ostracism.

Loneliness, regulatory focus, inter-personal competence, and online game addiction

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 381-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ji-yeon Lee ◽  
Dong Woo Ko ◽  
Hyemin Lee
Keyword(s):  
Regulatory Focus ◽  
Moderated Mediation ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Online Game ◽  
Mediation Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Personal Competence ◽  
Mediation Analyses ◽  
Moderated Mediation Model ◽  
Game Addiction

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the predictors of game addiction based on loneliness, motivation and inter-personal competence using the samples of college students recruited from South Korea (n=251). Design/methodology/approach The authors examined the underlying mechanism of game addiction by testing a moderated mediation model, in which inter-personal competence moderated the mediation model of loneliness, regulatory focus and online game addiction. First, the authors clarified the relationship among loneliness, motivation and inter-personal competence, to understand the influences of loneliness on other variables in this study (mediation test). Second, the authors examined the underlying mechanism of game addiction by testing a moderated mediation model, in which inter-personal competence moderated the mediation model of loneliness, regulatory focus and online game addiction (moderated mediation). Findings Regulatory focus mediated the effect of loneliness on online game addiction. Moderated mediation analyses using PROCESS confirmed that inter-personal competence significantly buffered the indirect effect of loneliness (through regulatory focus) on online game addiction. The findings indicated that inter-personal competence accounted for significant differences in the mediation models. Originality/value This study bridges the gap in the online game addiction literature by explaining how loneliness is associated with online game addiction.

Effects of pronoun brand name perspective and positioning on brand attitude

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke Kachersky ◽  
Marina Carnevale
Keyword(s):  
Relative Effectiveness ◽  
Consumer Preference ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Brand Names ◽  
Social Benefits ◽  
Brand Name ◽  
Second Person ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumer Responses ◽  
Person Pronoun

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relative effectiveness of the second-person pronoun perspective within a brand name (as in “You”Tube) and the first-person pronoun perspective (as in “i”Phone). Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on prior research on self-concept, general pronoun usage and the fit between branding tactics and positioning, it is predicted that “you” will garner more favorable consumer responses when the brand is positioned on social benefits, while “I” will garner more favorable responses when the brand is positioned on personal benefits. These predictions are tested in two experiments with US consumers. Findings – When the brand in the experiment was positioned for its social benefits, “you” elicited more favorable brand attitudes than “I”, while the opposite was true when the brand was positioned for its personal benefits. This effect tends to be stronger among those with higher self-esteem. Practical implications – Managers can make more informed pronoun brand name selections based on their brand’s intended positioning – if it is social, “you” should be used; if it is personal, “I” should be used. Originality/value – The influence of pronouns in brand names is still largely unexplored. This research is the first to examine “you” brand names and also sheds light on how another marketing variable – positioning – impacts consumer preference for pronoun brand names. Finally, this work shows that such effects are more pronounced for those with higher self-esteem.

Nutritional information labels and health claims to promote healthy consumption

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Asuncion Hernandez-Fernandez ◽  
Ines Kuster-Boluda ◽  
Natalia Vila-Lopez
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Food Product ◽  
Health Claims ◽  
Psychological Characteristics ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Nutritional Information ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Nutritional Label ◽  
Product Attitudes

Purpose Rates of diseases caused by poor diet have seen no reduction in recent years. In this scenario, nutritional information labels and health claims could play a decisive role in modifying product attitudes and purchase intention (consequently, eating habits). In this frame, the first objective is to analyze the role of three antecedents on attitudes toward nutritional labels and credibility from health claims. These three starting antecedents are as follows: psychological characteristics of the consumer associated with eating disorders, body image attitudes and affective reactions (pleasure and arousal). Second, this paper aims to analyze if both elements (attitudes toward nutritional labels and credibility from health claims) improve (or not) food product attitudes and then, its purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach The sample comprised 300 young people between 18 and 25 years old. They provided their opinion about a healthy product by completing a structured and personal questionnaire after inspecting the packaging. Path analysis with partial least squares (PLS) was carried out to test the hypotheses stated. Findings First, psychological characteristics associated with eating disorders (self-concept and self-esteem) have a positive significant influence on body image attitudes. Second, attitudes toward their body image have a great effect on the perception that these consumers have about the information provided by healthy food packaging. Insofar as those whose attitudes toward their body image is “damaged” seek in the nutritional label indications that make them feel calm understanding that the food they are going to buy is not harmful to their health. Moreover, credibility from health claims improves positive attitudes toward the nutritional label. On the contrary, those consumers with higher punctuations in body image assigned lower values to those items concerning nutritional information and health claims in the packaging. Third, if attitudes to nutritional information improve, then product attitudes improve too. Fourth, if product attitudes improve, then purchase intention improves too. So, food product managers should be aware of the need to improve product attitudes by working on the packaging (label and claim) to improve purchase intention. Originality/value First, although previous literature has investigated individual psychological characteristics related to food disorders in the health area, the study of these specific individual psychological characteristics (ineffectiveness, perfectionism, interpersonal distrust, interceptive awareness, maturity fears), is under-researched in the marketing discipline. Second, to date, different authors have investigated how important the use of credibility from health claims in packaging can be in terms of increasing product attitudes and purchase intention, as well as the development of positive attitudes toward nutritional information on the label. However, the joint study of both information sources in the packaging (credibility from health claims and attitudes toward nutritional labels) remains under-investigated.

The link between HRD professionals’ social capital and career adaptability: a moderated mediation analysis of social network

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jihye Oh ◽  
Shinhee Jeong ◽  
Seung Won Yoon ◽  
Daeyeon Cho
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Mediation Analysis ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Moderated Mediation ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Career Adaptability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Theoretical Contribution ◽  
Hrd Professionals ◽  
Survey Responses

Purpose From a social capital perspective, this study aims to shed light on the link between social capital and career adaptability by focusing on how social connections and interactions shape and nurture career adaptability. Drawing on socioemotional selectivity theory, the authors further examined the critical moderating role of age on the above relationship. Design/methodology/approach Survey responses from 208 HRD professionals were analyzed via a moderated mediation analysis. Findings The results showed that there is a positive relationship between social capital (network size and intimate network) and career adaptability; frequent interaction increases intimacy, in turn enhancing career adaptability; and the indirect effect of social capital on career adaptability (via intimate network) is stronger when the employee is younger. Originality/value The most novel theoretical contribution of this study is that the authors lend empirical support to the connection between social capital and career adaptability moderated by age. The study also contributes to understanding how core aspects of social capital are inter-related each other and have directional relationships.

Examining the brand name – mark relationship in emerging markets

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (4/5) ◽  
pp. 262-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard R Klink ◽  
Gerard A. Athaide
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Markets ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Brand Names ◽  
Sound Symbolism ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Brand Name ◽  
Intended Meaning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Marks ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to investigate whether the brand name–mark sound symbolism relationship extends beyond US marketplaces to emerging markets. Sound symbolism research indicates that consistent brand name meaning can be conveyed across international marketplaces. Yet, prior work has not investigated whether visual branding elements provide consistent meaning across such contexts. Design/methodology/approach – To contrast effects across international contexts, we replicate both studies of Klink (2003) with bilingual subjects in Mumbai, India. Study 1 examined whether the sound symbolic relationship between brand name and brand mark holds in this emerging market. Study 2 investigated whether both the brand name and brand mark together can enhance brand meaning in this context. Findings – Study 1 finds support for the relationship between higher-frequency brand names and brand marks that are angular and smaller in size, with limited support regarding color. Study 2 finds a significant effect for brand marks and a marginally significant effect for brand names on conveying intended meaning. Originality/value – The authors confirm the relationship between the brand mark and brand name; however, color meaning may be less universal than prior theory and research indicates. In addition, the effect of the brand name on conveying sound symbolism meaning may be less important than visual branding elements in emerging markets. Hence, future research may wish to include additional branding elements in experimental stimuli when testing sound symbolism theory.

scholarly journals You see Froot, you think fruit: examining the effectiveness of pseudohomophone priming

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 885-902 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stacey Baxter ◽  
Jasmina Ilicic ◽  
Alicia Kulczynski
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Semantic Representation ◽  
Brand Names ◽  
Cognitive Capacity ◽  
Brand Name ◽  
Priming Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Knowledge ◽  
Priming Process ◽  
Product Judgments

Purpose This paper aims to introduce pseudohomophone phonological priming effects (non-words that sound like real words with a single semantic representation, such as Whyte primes white) on consumers’ product attribute and benefit-based judgments. Design/methodology/approach Four studies were conducted. Study 1 examines whether pseudohomophone brand names (e.g. Whyte) prime associative meaning (i.e. the perception of light bread; target: white). Study 2 investigates the pseudohomophone priming process. In Study 3, the authors examine the influence of brand knowledge of pseudohomophone priming effects. Findings The findings indicate that pseudohomophone brand names prime associative meaning, due to retrieval of phonology (sound) of the word during processing. Pseudohomophone priming effects for a semantically (meaningful) incongruent brand name manifest only when consumers do not have knowledge of the brand, with cognitive capacity constraints rendering consumers with strong brand knowledge unable to mitigate the pseudohomophone priming effect. Research limitations/implications This research has implications for brand managers considering the creation of a name for a new brand that connotes product attributes and benefits. However, this research is limited, as it only examines pseudohomophone brand names with a single semantic representation. Originality/value This research shows that sounds activated by pseudohomophones in brand names can influence product judgments. This research also identifies limitations of the applicability of pseudohomophone brand names by identifying a condition under which priming effects are attenuated.

Intrinsic and extrinsic attributes that drive Muslim consumer purchase behavior

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed Faheem Hasan Bukhari ◽  
Frances M. Woodside ◽  
Rumman Hassan ◽  
Omar Massoud Salim Hassan Ali ◽  
Saima Hussain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Product ◽  
Food Products ◽  
Total Sample ◽  
Brand Names ◽  
Purchase Behavior ◽  
Western World ◽  
Purchase Decisions ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Product Packaging ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the key attributes that drive Muslim consumer purchase behavior in the context of imported Western food in Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach In-depth, semi-structured interviews were used as a data collection tool. In this research, the in-depth interview data were analysed by using the manual content analysis (MCA) technique. Moreover, Leximancer software was used to reanalyse the data to enhance the trustworthiness of the MCA results. A total sample of 43 Muslim consumers from three metropolitan cities in Pakistan participated in the research. The sample comprises professionals, housewives and both college and university students. Findings Muslim consumers in Pakistan look at both the intrinsic and extrinsic attributes when purchasing imported Western food. The ruling factors explored were product taste, ingredients, freshness, hygiene, brand name and overall product quality. However, product packaging and labeling also play a significant role. Participants were of the view that imported Western food provides a better, unique consumption experience and an opportunity to choose from a wide variety of food options. Interestingly, interview findings reveal that Western food product attributes surpass the Islamic concept of moderate spending, thus convincing Muslim consumers to engage in the consumption of imported Western food. Social implications The presence of imported Western food may improve quality of life by having more opportunities and healthier options for the nation. If the Western food products are stamped Halal or made with Halal ingredients the product has a fair chance of adoption and penetration in the society. Further, it may result in overall health improvements within the society, which is already a major concern in the Pakistani consumer market. Also, food products coming from the Western world induces mindfulness; people are more aware about innovative and useful ingredients that can satisfy their taste buds. Originality/value This paper found that Pakistani Muslim consumers are not really concerned about the Islamic concept of moderate spending, and thus, established that Pakistani Muslim consumers are more concerned about product value rather than their Islamic teaching of moderate spending. From a population, with 97 per cent Muslim majority, product packaging and labeling were found to be a dominant and deciding factor, which, in itself, is an interesting finding. Further, established Western brand names help Muslim consumers to recognize products and plays a vital role in their purchase decisions. However, within product labeling, the element of halal ingredients was found to be a deciding factor, but not a leading factor, in purchase decisions.

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