Does outward appearance appeal to the inward mind? The impact of packaging finishes on brand impressions and the subsequent behavior of consumer

Purpose The purpose of this study is to identify conditions under which consumers prefer matte packages and those under which they prefer glossy packages and to extend the findings to the context of consumer evaluations. Design/methodology/approach A series of four experiments-conducted across a diverse range of settings and consumers (through lab experiments and field studies) and using different types of products (mobile phones, invitation cards, wrappers and coffee packs)- examined the effects of matte and glossy packaging finishes on consumer evaluations (i.e. preferences, attitudes and purchase intentions). This paper further developed moderated mediation models to illustrate the mechanisms underlying the examined effects. Findings People with warmth and competence focus favored matte and glossy packaging, respectively. In addition, the warmth (competence) focus enhanced the positive influence of matte (glossy) packaging on brand sincerity (competence), leading to more favorable consumer evaluations (i.e. brand attitudes, product attitudes and purchase intentions). Practical implications This study provides managers with insights into conferring desired impressions of sincerity (competence) upon a brand and methods of attracting certain warmth focused (competence focused) consumers by using matte (glossy) packaging finishes. Originality/value This is the study to systematically investigate the effect of packaging finishes on brand impressions and consumer evaluations.

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What’s done in the dark will be brought to the light: effects of influencer transparency on product efficacy and purchase intentions

Journal of Product & Brand Management ◽

10.1108/jpbm-05-2019-2362 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (5) ◽

pp. 675-688

Author(s):

Parker J. Woodroof ◽

Katharine M. Howie ◽

Holly A. Syrdal ◽

Rebecca VanMeter

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Purchase Intentions ◽

Persuasion Knowledge ◽

Performance Expectations ◽

Consumer Evaluations ◽

Content Type ◽

Light Effects ◽

Marketing Tool ◽

Financial Relationship ◽

The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the type of disclosure used by social media influencers on consumer evaluations of influencer transparency, product performance expectations and how those factors ultimately influence purchase intentions. Design/methodology/approach An experiment was conducted with 321 participants recruited from MTurk to test a moderated serial-mediation model. Findings The results indicate that when consumers become cognizant that an influencer’s branded promotional post may have been motivated by an underlying financial relationship, they evaluate the influencer as significantly less transparent if a more ambiguous disclosure is used relative to a clearer disclosure. Transparency perceptions of the influencer impact consumers’ perceptions of product efficacy as well as purchase intentions. Originality/value Social media influencers are rapidly emerging as a popular marketing tool for brand managers, but consumer response to this form of promotion is not well understood. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to investigate how the type of endorsement disclosure used by a social media influencer impacts consumer perception of influencer transparency, product efficacy and purchase intentions. Further, this research demonstrates the applicability of the persuasion knowledge model in the domain of influencer marketing.

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Assessing sustainability marketing from macromarketing perspective: a multistakeholder approach

World Journal of Entrepreneurship Management and Sustainable Development ◽

10.1108/wjemsd-02-2019-0017 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. 287-305 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Soha Abutaleb ◽

Noha El-Bassiouny

Keyword(s):

Theory Of Planned Behavior ◽

Planned Behavior ◽

Purchase Intentions ◽

Marketing Strategies ◽

Content Type ◽

Quantitative Research Methods ◽

Sustainable Products ◽

Government Role ◽

The Government ◽

The Impact

PurposeThe paper examines three main stakeholders in the market and their roles toward achieving sustainability marketing. Those stakeholders are consumers, companies and policymakers. The current study is examining consumers’ attitudes toward sustainability marketing and their purchase intentions of sustainable products through the use of theory of planned behavior. The paper is also examining the role of companies and policymakers in encouraging consumers to consider sustainability in their purchasing decisions.Design/methodology/approachConcurrent research study is applied, where qualitative and quantitative research methods are conducted at the same time for different purposes with equal weights. Qualitative interviews were applied with fast-moving consumer goods companies and policymakers, while quantitative surveys were applied with Egyptian consumers.FindingsThe results showed that companies are taking serious and effective steps in transforming their marketing strategies into sustainable marketing ones. The government role is still limited as there are no strict laws and regulations that force companies and factories in Egypt to develop sustainability marketing strategies. Consumers’ attitudes were highly affected by firms' sustainable practices as well as subjective norms that led to influencing their intentions toward purchasing sustainable products.Originality/valueAlthough the topic of sustainability marketing is considered by a plenty of researchers in the academic discipline, there are no studies that have combined the main three stakeholders' roles in achieving sustainability marketing in one study. The study highlights the impact of government role and firms' role on consumers' attitudes and purchase intentions toward sustainable products, especially convenient products. This was done through the adoption of the theory of planned behavior.

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Effects of absence positioning of unknown product ingredients on consumer evaluations

European Journal of Marketing ◽

10.1108/ejm-06-2017-0389 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 52 (9/10) ◽

pp. 2128-2150

Author(s):

Timucin Ozcan ◽

Ahmet M. Hattat ◽

Michael Hair

Keyword(s):

Regulatory Focus ◽

Initial Study ◽

Positive Influence ◽

Mediation Effect ◽

Amazon Mechanical Turk ◽

Initial Attempt ◽

Experimental Conditions ◽

Consumer Evaluations ◽

Content Type ◽

Study Results

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the effectiveness of positioning unknown ingredients either with the presence or absence of framing; both are common in marketplace (e.g. Secret® deodorant visibly claims “aluminum chlorohydrate” while Crystal® promotes “no aluminum chlorohydrate”). Design/methodology/approach The authors used three scenario-based experiments. The participants were recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk online panel and randomly assigned to a variety of experimental conditions. Findings Initial study results show that consumers have more positive evaluations and purchase intentions for absence positioning than presence positioning, because absence positioning induces greater perceptions of protection. In the second study, these results are extended using multiple ingredients, along with competitor products; they show that absence positioning leads to better evaluations than presence positioning and replicate the mediation effect that was found earlier. In the final study, through manipulating participants’ regulatory focus, the authors show that absence-positioned ingredients have a higher choice share when consumers are in the prevention mindset. Conversely, when customers are in promotion mindset and looking for better performance, presence positioning of ingredients seems to have higher choice shares. Research limitations/implications The research has implications for product development, promotions, labeling and packaging, showing the positive influence of absence positioning of unknown ingredients. Practical implications Marketers may emphasize the absence of unknown ingredients in their products instead of following a strategy that highlights the inclusion of them. Originality/value To the authors’ extant knowledge, this research is an initial attempt to understand how consumers react to promotion of product ingredients. In addition, it contributes to the literature in unknown attributes by showing that absence positioning of certain types of ingredients is perceived better than presence framing of them.

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The influence of multiple combinations of celebrity endorsers on consumers' intentions to purchase a sports-related product

Sport Business and Management An International Journal ◽

10.1108/sbm-03-2021-0030 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Aaron von Felbert ◽

Christoph Breuer

Keyword(s):

Positive Influence ◽

Purchase Intentions ◽

Moderating Effects ◽

Product Involvement ◽

Marketing Practice ◽

Content Type ◽

Research Perspective ◽

Mediation Analyses ◽

Understanding the role of visual attention on wines’ purchase intention: an eye-tracking study

International Journal of Wine Business Research ◽

10.1108/ijwbr-03-2019-0017 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 32 (2) ◽

pp. 161-179

Author(s):

Patrícia Monteiro ◽

João Guerreiro ◽

Sandra Maria Correia Loureiro

Keyword(s):

Visual Attention ◽

Eye Tracking ◽

Purchase Intention ◽

Purchase Intentions ◽

Monitoring Method ◽

Content Type ◽

Quality Perceptions ◽

Consumption Situation ◽

The Impact

Purpose Wine bottles compete for consumers’ attention in the shelf during the decisive moment of choice. This study aims to explore the role that visual attention to wine labels has on the purchase decision and the mediating role of quality perceptions and desire on such purchase behaviours. Wine awards and consumption situation are used as moderators.. Design/methodology/approach The study was conducted in Portugal and 36 individuals participated in a 2 × 2 within subjects design (awarded/not awarded × self-consumption/social-consumption). For each scenario, individuals’ attention, perceptions of quality, desire and purchase intentions were recorded. Findings Data from eye-tracking shows that, during the purchase process, the amount of attention given to a bottle is determinant of individuals’ purchase intentions, a relationship that increases in significance for bottles with awards and for when consumers are buying wine for a consumption situation involving a social environment. In addition, both quality perceptions and desire are confirmed to positively influence wines’ purchase intentions. Originality/value By using an eye monitoring method, this paper brings new insights into the wine industry by highlighting the impact that wines’ labels and different consumption situations have on individuals’ attention and purchase intention. Wine producers and retailers may benefit from the insights provided by the current study to refine their communication strategies by either highlighting product characteristics and pictorial elements, as it is the case of the awards, or communicating about their products for different consumption situations.

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Does advertising really work?

International Journal of Accounting and Information Management ◽

10.1108/ijaim-10-2019-0119 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 28 (3) ◽

pp. 497-515

Author(s):

Keke Wu ◽

Yan Yu ◽

Dayong Dong

Keyword(s):

Design Methodology ◽

Information Dissemination ◽

Home Bias ◽

Positive Influence ◽

Investor Behavior ◽

Investor Attention ◽

Content Type ◽

Market Effect ◽

The Impact ◽

Trading Response

Purpose This paper aims to examine the direct and indirect effects of advertising on investor behavior. Design/methodology/approach The authors use a novel and direct measure of investor attention: the number of investors whose watch lists has the stock. Findings The authors find that beyond its direct effect through information dissemination, advertising has an indirect effect with regard to grabbing investor attention and the trading response. The authors further find that an increase in attention induces a positive influence on the impact of advertising on investor behavior. Originality/value First, it complements studies of home bias, in which investors are more likely to buy familiar stocks. Second, it also complements the literature on advertising and investor attention and on attention and capital markets. Third, with a new and unambiguous measure of investor attention. Fourth, combining the direct and indirect aspects, this study presents a detailed description of the financial market effect of advertising.

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Investigating country image influences after a product-harm crisis

European Journal of Marketing ◽

10.1108/ejm-10-2018-0689 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Roberta Carolyn Crouch ◽

Vinh Nhat Lu ◽

Naser Pourazad ◽

Chen Ke

Keyword(s):

Crisis Response ◽

Purchase Intentions ◽

Response Strategy ◽

Country Image ◽

Content Type ◽

Response Options ◽

Two Samples ◽

Quasi Experimental ◽

Attribution Of Blame ◽

The Impact

Purpose Although international product-harm crises have become more common, the influence of the country image (CI) associated with foreign goods in such crises remains under researched. This study aims to investigate the extent to which the CI of a foreign made product influences consumers’ attribution of blame and trust and, ultimately, their future purchase intentions after the product is involved in a crisis. Design/methodology/approach A 2 (country) × 3 (crisis type) quasi experimental design was used, with data collected from Australia (n = 375) and China (n = 401). Findings CI can influence attribution of blame, subsequent levels of trust and likely purchase intentions. Australian and Chinese consumers have different views when it comes to trusting a company or placing blame, depending on the country of origin or the type of crisis. The direct and positive effect of CI on consumer purchase intentions following a product-harm crisis is sequentially mediated by attribution of blame and trust. Trust is the most powerful influence on future purchase intentions in both samples. Research limitations/implications In this research, only one type of crisis response strategy (no comment) was used. Thus, the results of this study must be viewed with caution when considering outcomes relating to other response options. Additionally, the testing was limited to only two samples, focussing on three countries (England, China, Vietnam), and one product context using a hypothetical brand. Further, despite our reasonable sample size (N = 776), the number of respondents represented in each cell would still be considered a limitation overall. Practical implications When developing crisis response strategies, managers should take into account the influence of a positive/negative source CI in driving attribution and trust. To minimize the impact of crisis on future purchasing decisions, organizations can leverage positive biases and mitigate negative ones, aiming to maintain or restore trust as a priority. Originality/value The study provides cross-country understanding about the significant role of CI during a product-harm crisis in relation to subsequent consumers’ blame attribution, their trust in the focal organization and ultimately their future purchase intentions.

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The impact of personality and cognitive style of managers on their work types

Journal of Management Development ◽

10.1108/jmd-04-2017-0103 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 38 (1) ◽

pp. 58-71 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Surajit Saha ◽

R.R.K. Sharma

Keyword(s):

Negative Impact ◽

Cognitive Styles ◽

Identity Work ◽

Personality Factors ◽

Organizational Studies ◽

Institutional Work ◽

Diverse Range ◽

Content Type ◽

Different Types ◽

The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the relationships between the personality and cognitive styles of managers and different types of work.Design/methodology/approachThe personality types and cognitive styles of managers were measured, respectively, with the help of the Big Five personality factors and Jung’s cognitive types. Different types of works in an organization were categorized in three ways: identity, institutional and integrative work. A survey questionnaire method was used to collect data from a sample of 107 managers from a diverse range of industries, and these data were used to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe study found that intuitive feeling and intuitive thinking types of cognitive styles are suitable for identity and integrative kinds of work, respectively. Openness to experience and conscientiousness positively correlate with identity work. For institutional work, conscientious personality trait is most important for managers; agreeableness has a negative impact on identity work and institutional work.Practical implicationsThis study will assist recruitment and staffing professionals, when recruiting managers for an organization, and the paper should be interesting for readers in industry (professionals in HR, managerial career development and managerial competence audit and counseling) and academia (research scholars).Originality/valueAnalysis of theses relationship types is unavailable in the literature of leadership and organizational studies. It can help organizations utilize their human resources efficiently.

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Enthusiastically consuming organic food

Internet Research ◽

10.1108/intr-03-2013-0050 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 24 (5) ◽

pp. 587-607 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Austin Rong-Da Liang

Keyword(s):

Organic Food ◽

Positive Influence ◽

Demographic Variables ◽

Purchase Intentions ◽

Marketing Strategies ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Content Type ◽

Online Consumer Behavior ◽

Tpb Model ◽

Food Distributors

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to integrate food-related lifestyle (FRL) approaches and perspectives from the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to investigate the profiles of consumers who purchase organic food online and to analyze differences in the related behaviors of consumers with different FRLs. Design/methodology/approach – A link to a web site explaining the content and presenting an online questionnaire was provided through the e-newsletters of five well-known Taiwanese organic food distributors. Respondents were given NT$50 e-gift coupons after they had completed the questionnaire. A total of 950 questionnaires were distributed, and 753 valid samples were obtained. Findings – Attitudes toward purchasing organic food online had the greatest positive influence on purchase intentions, followed by cognitive control and, finally, subjective norms. Populations with different FRLs were divided into traditional food, uninvolved food, and enthusiastic food shoppers, and these all showed significant differences with respect to the TPB model, their online organic food purchasing profiles, and demographic variables. Originality/value – Organic food businesses draw on various features of the internet to solve issues such as the difficulty of storing and transporting perishable food items. However, few studies have combined theories of online consumer behavior with food characteristics and psychographic approaches to analyze the overall consumer profiles of purchasers of organic food. The author believes that the conclusions of this study may be used by the food industry to analyze consumer demand, draw inferences about organic food-related habits in consumers’ everyday lives, and design more appropriate internet marketing strategies.

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The influence of aesthetic investments on employees

EuroMed Journal of Business ◽

10.1108/emjb-09-2014-0029 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 214-233 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Rune Bjerke ◽

Nicholas Ind

Keyword(s):

Customer Service ◽

Physical Environment ◽

Positive Influence ◽

Work Place ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Content Type ◽

Mobile Operator ◽

Art Design ◽

Corporate Art ◽

The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore new constructs related to organizations, art and physical environment. Further, an intention was to explain and discuss whether investments in the physical environment in the form of art, design and architecture do have an effect on employees. Design/methodology/approach – To conclude whether aesthetics had an impact on employees in terms of job satisfaction, motivation and their self-perception of their own ability to provide customer service, the authors undertook a quantitative study of 222 employees in seven companies. The authors subsequently commenced five in-depth, semi-structured interviews with four accessible corporate art buyers and one curator to identify the main motivations for purchasing art and placing it in the work place. Findings – With regard to perceptions of art, design and architecture, the physical environment is perceived as a whole and seems to play a significant role in organizational life for employees in companies that have invested in art. The research implies, however, that the companies that invested in art, design and architecture, despite the positive influence on employees’ self-perceived service ability, did not accumulate benefits on service ability relative to employees in companies without art. Practical implications – Managers should cautiously reflect on their motivations for investing in art, design and architecture. Useful motivations might include projecting a desired external image or decoration or expressing connection to a community. Investing in art, design and architecture independent of what the organization is trying to do strategically will create cosmetic solutions that lack any wider purpose. Originality/value – Despite increased corporate interest in aesthetics, little research has been done to determine the effect on employees. The research shortage may be due to the challenge of understanding the meaning of the visible expressions. This paper is a contribution to strengthen the knowledge of the impact of workspace aesthetics on employees (the authors subsequently undertook five in-depth, semi-structured interviews with four accessible corporate art buyers at Storebrand (insurance and banking corporation), Telenor (mobile operator), Hydro (aluminium company), Nordic Choice Hotels and one curator).

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