Alain d'Astous

Compulsive buying: Concept and measurement

This article investigates the probable causes of compulsive buying, proposes a conceptual framework to explain the phenomenon, and develops an appropriate measuring scale. The results of the analysis testify to the reliability and validity of the scale which was administered to 76 consumers.ZusammenfassungDer Beitrag behandelt zwanghaftes Kaufverhalten als einen besonderen Verhaltenstyp, der aus dem Zusammenwirken dreier Kräfte erklärt wird, nämlich erstens einer starken emotionalen Aktivierung, zweitens einer hohen kognitiven Kontrolle und drittens einer hohen Reaktivität. Der wichtigste Unterschied zwischen zwanghaftem und impulsivem Kaufverhalten wird in den kognitiven Vorgängen gesehen, die eine Person dazu führen, die Wiedererlangung des affektiven Gleichgewichtes mit einem Kaufakt zu assoziieren. Genauere Unterschiede zwischen verschiedenen Kaufverhaltenstypen bietet Figur 1. Die Zusammenhänge, die zur Entstehung von zwanghaftem Kaufverhalten führen, werden in Figur 2 gezeigt. Aus diesen Zusammenhängen ergeben sich drei Hypothesen, die empirisch geprüft werden:1. Der zwanghafte Käufer ist im allgemeinen in höherem Maße ängstlich als ein durchschnittlicher Käufer. 2. Der zwanghafte Käufer hat tendenziell ein schwächeres Selbstbewußtsein. 3. Der zwanghafte Verbraucher hat häufiger ein Elternteil mit mißbräuchlichem Verbraucherverhalten.Zur Prüfung dieser Hypothesen wird eine Skala entwickelt, die in Tabelle I beschrieben ist und deren Reliabilität und Validität sich als befriedigend erweist. Außerdem dürfte sie eindimensional sein. Die Daten, die von 38 zwanghaften Käufern und einer gleichgroßen Zahl von durchschnittlichen Käufern stammen, stützen die erste und die dritte Hypothese, die zweite Hypothese konnte nicht bestätigt werden.

An experimental investigation of factors affecting consumers' perceptions of sales promotions

This paper reports the results of an experimental study where four characteristics of premium‐based sales promotions were manipulated in the context of a computer purchase: the attractiveness of the premium, the extent to which it fits the product category, the reception delay of the premium, and the mention of its value. The results show that these factors had interactive effects on consumer reactions. Thus, although the attractiveness of the premium generally had a positive impact on consumer appreciation of the promotional offer, a promotion including an unattractive premium was nevertheless positively evaluated if the premium was a good fit to the product category. Sales promotions, including a premium that fits well the product category, were less likely to be perceived as manipulative. However, if the product‐premium fit was poor and the premium was not attractive, mentioning the value of the premium helped to reduce the perceptions of manipulation intent. It is concluded that more research is needed on this managerially relevant topic in light of the complex dynamics that appear to underlie the relationships between the characteristics of premium‐based promotions and consumer reactions.

For Better, for Worse?: What to Do When Celebrity Endorsements Go Bad

ABSTRACT This experimental study examined what is the optimal decision for a company whose brand is endorsed by a celebrity immersed in a scandal (revoking versus continuing the endorsement) as a function of brand/endorser fit (congruence versus incongruence) and of the veracity of the negative event created by the celebritys reaction (denying versus admitting the facts). In the case of congruence, revoking the endorsement is suboptimal with respect to brand attitude and purchase intention. Furthermore, denying lowered the endorsers trustworthiness which, in turn, hampered attitude and intention. Managerial and theoretical implications, as well as directions for further research, were also considered.

An experimental investigation of the use of brand extension and co‐branding strategies in the arts

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of two different extension strategies, namely brand extension and co‐branding, on consumer attitude toward an extension in the context of the arts.Design/methodology/approach – An experiment was conducted in which the type of extension strategy, as well as other variables identified as potentially having an impact on consumer attitudes, were manipulated.Findings – The results showed that, whatever extension strategy is chosen, the new product should be congruent with the arts organizations activities and should be of low complexity. If these conditions are met, a co‐branding strategy appears to be preferable.Research limitations/implications – Because only two arts organizations were analyzed in this study, i.e. museums and symphonic orchestras, future studies should consider other domains of the arts. New products introduced as brand extensions should be simple and congruent with the business activities of the arts organization. If the product...

Product-Country Images in the Context of NAFTA

Abstract This article presents the results of a survey of 415 male consumers carried out in Mexico (240 respondents) and Canada (175 respondents). In this study, country-of-origin information was manipulated along three dimensions, namely country of design, country of assembly, and country of parts. Consumer judgments of the quality and purchase value of three product categories, i.e., automobiles, videocassette recorders, and shoes, were obtained in a multi-cue context. The results showed that Canadian and Mexican consumers put more emphasis on the country of origin of consumer products than on brand names. The product-country evaluations of Mexicans seemed to be affected by a strong home country bias. Implications for international marketers were derived from the results.

The sponsorship‐advertising interface: is less better for sponsors?

Purpose – The objective of this article is to explore the general idea that there is a limit to the extent to which consumers make goodwill assumptions when sponsorship is used in combination with advertising.Design/methodology/approach – An experiment was conducted where the number of different sponsorship activities by the same sponsor (i.e. one or two) in a sport event was varied in the context of an ongoing advertising campaign.Findings – The results show that when brand advertising is used during a sport event, it is more beneficial for the brand to either be the official sponsor of the event or to be the official provider of products that are integrated in the event than to apply these two sponsorship strategies at the same time.Research limitations/implications – Future studies should be conducted with representative samples of consumers and a larger array of sponsored entities such as different sports events, art events, athletes, and cultural organizations. In addition, these studies should incor...

Leveraging social media to enhance recruitment effectiveness: A Facebook experiment

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how firms can use social media such as Facebook to recruit top job prospects. Design/methodology/approach – In the context of a fictitious event presumably sponsored by a potential employer, a sample of university students became members of a new private and secret Facebook user group dedicated to this event for a period of four days. They were exposed to event sponsorship activation messages varying systematically with respect to the mode of processing (i.e. passive or active) and their focus (i.e. the brand or the event). Findings – The results show that their expectations as regards the salary that they would require to become employees were higher in the active mode of processing. Also, their attitude toward the sponsor as an employer was more favorable when the activation messages focussed on the brand rather than on the event. In addition, further analyses showed that the effects of message focus and mode of processing on the attitudinal response...

Perceptions of countries based on personality traits: a study in China

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine country perceptions in China from the point of view of the personality concept.Design/methodology/approach – A country personality scale developed in a Western country was adapted to the Chinese social context and used to position 11 different countries, including China, on six personality dimensions. This was accomplished by means of a survey of 184 adult Chinese people from the city of Beijing.Findings – The results show that the adapted scale has good psychometric properties, that it behaves appropriately with respect to some theoretical expectations, and that it brings about results that are consistent with common sense and with previous country image research.Research limitations/implications – The study should be replicated with a more representative sample of Chinese people and a larger array of country stimuli.Originality/value – The paper shows that the country personality scale can be used to better understand how Chinese consumers think of a pro...

National versus store brand effects on consumer evaluation of a garment

Purpose – The study reported in this article aims to examine the effects of national versus store brands on consumer evaluation of a garment, taking into account the intended product usage situation (for everyday use versus for a special occasion) as well as price (regular versus discount), type of store (department versus boutique), and store image (lower‐class versus upper‐class).Design/methodology/approach – An experiment was conducted with 127 Canadian adult consumers where the above variables were manipulated by means of short vignettes presenting a to‐be‐evaluated branded shirt.Findings – The results of the experimental study showed that consumer evaluations of store brands and national brands were influenced by the joint effects of store image and intended usage situation.Practical implications – Retailers in upper‐class retail clothing stores willing to promote their store brands should emphasize in their communication programs buying contexts in which an item is needed for some special event (e.g...

Brand Stereotyping and Image Transfer in Concurrent Sponsorships

Concurrent sponsorship, that is, when several brands simultaneously sponsor the same event, is a common yet understudied marketing communication situation. The research presented in this article explores the transfer of image that takes place among the sponsoring brands in this situation. The results of two experiments reveal that this image transfer is due to stereotypic processing. Additional analyses delineate more specifically the stereotyping process at work. They show first that the stereotype is ad hoc, rather than based on some a priori developed mental schema, and therefore that it is construed from the images associated with the concurrent sponsoring brands. And second, that brand stereotyping serves a cognitive rather than an evaluative function, thus suggesting a valence-neutral process whose outcomes can be beneficial or detrimental to a focal sponsor, depending on the images initially associated with the other sponsors. The implications of these findings for sponsorship research and practice are discussed, along with research limitations and future research avenues.