An Integrative Model of Place Image, Product Image and Consumer Receptivity

Place image as an intangible cue has the power to influence the behavior of the buyer. Place in marketing discipline has been analyzed from country level to regional/territorial level. Focusing on a territorial context, the purpose of this study is to examine the place image effects on both the perception of local product and place as destination to visit. A local hand made batik industry from Yogyakarta is chosen to test the model. By analyzing 110 valid sample using SEM-PLS method, some findings from this study are: 1) Place image influences local product beliefs. 2) Product beliefs influence product choice intention. 3) Place image influences place beliefs. 4) Place beliefs influence place visit intention. This study contributes to the place image and product image integration model where majority of previous study were empirically examined as a separate model. By combining place image and its local product image, the local government may design distinct local product marketing strategy align with its local place image.

Marketing Influences on Perceptions of Reduced Nicotine Content Cigarettes

Introduction The Food and Drug Administration announced intent to reduce the nicotine content in cigarettes. There is limited evidence on how reduced nicotine content cigarette (RNC) marketing affects product beliefs and use, and research on this is needed to inform regulations. Methods In an online experiment, 426 young adult cigarette smokers (aged 18–30 years) were randomized in a 2 (implicit: red package vs. blue package) × 2 (explicit: corrective message vs. no corrective message) design to view an advertisement for previously commercially available RNCs. Outcomes were advertisement content recall, product beliefs, and use intentions. Participants’ responses to open-ended assessment of their beliefs about the stimuli were coded to identify prevailing themes. Results Red packaging and corrective messaging were independently associated with greater advertisement content recall (p = .01 and p = .04, respectively). There were no significant main or interaction effects on product beliefs or use intentions. Controlling for condition, advertisement content recall was significantly associated with less favorable product beliefs (p < .001) and favorable product beliefs were associated with intent to use the product (p < .001). Open-ended responses converged on the finding that respondents were interested in RNCs, but expressed skepticism about effectiveness and value. Conclusions Brief exposure to an RNC advertisement with red packaging and corrective messaging were each independently associated with greater advertisement content recall. The results indicate: (1) interest and confusion among young adult smokers regarding RNCs, (2) beliefs about RNCs are influenced by marketing, and (3) beliefs are associated with intention to use RNCs. Implications Findings from this study demonstrate the importance of advertising effects on beliefs about RNC products and support the need to regulate advertising and labeling alongside product regulation. More detailed study of advertisement features that affect consumers’ beliefs about RNCs and how they impact their processing of explicit messaging about product risks will be important to guide regulatory decision-making.

Reverse Country-of-Origin Effects of Product Perceptions on Destination Image

Via two experiments, the authors meld research in travel destination image (TDI) and country-of-origin image (COI) to investigate whether consumers’ perceptions of a country’s products influence their perceptions of the country as a travel destination. In the first experiment, the authors show that reverse COI effects may occur, where participants use product beliefs to imbue destination beliefs. More positive product beliefs lead to more favorable perceptions of and greater intentions to tour the destination. The second experiment follows on to show that destination familiarity may moderate the product beliefs–destination beliefs relationship established in the first study. As familiarity increases, participants rely less on product beliefs to evaluate the destination. A key implication for exporters, tourism policy makers, and tourism businesses is that foreign products not only are competing with each other for domestic customers but also are competing through their products for a share of the outbound tourism market.