Alice Kendrick

Promotional products vs price promotion in fostering customer loyalty: a report of two controlled field experiments

Winning customer loyalty and repeat business and eliminating or reducing their reliance on coupons and other forms of price promotion is the goal of many service businesses today. The effectiveness of using advertising specialties (imprinted items given away for free) and price promotions was directly compared by way of two controlled field experiments involving customers of a Chinese food delivery service and a drycleaner in a major US metropolitan area. The studies used a controlled field experiment with a behavioral measure. The experiments offered support, in the business‐to‐business and consumer settings, that ad specialties can serve as inducements for a larger dollar volume of repeat business than the use of no promotion, and in some cases more than was generated by price promotion. Results suggest that goodwill engendered among customers by the ad. specialty “gifts”, coupled with the repeated brand exposure opportunities afforded by imprinted items, can exert a considerable impact on purchase behavior.

Portrayal of Men and Women in U.S. Spanish-Language Television Commercials

While numerous studies have analyzed womens portrayals in U.S. general market television as well as depiction of both sexes in several foreign countries, no data have been published regarding gender depictions targeted to the growing U.S. Hispanic market via Spanish-language television. A content analysis of 162 prime-time commercials from a Spanish-language television affiliate in a major U.S. market revealed depiction of women is most likely to be in traditional sex-stereotypical roles. In only a few cases was a male character cast as a parent or performer of household chores, and never as a homemaker. Some of the commercials appeared to be “re-treads” of general market creative edited for the Hispanic market.

Strategic Uses of Mediated Public Diplomacy International Reaction to U.S. Tourism Advertising

Using a newly launched U.S. tourism commercial as a stimulus, this pre/post quasi-experimental study empirically tests the bleed-over effect of tourism advertising on public diplomacy measures. Metrics for both tourism and public diplomacy objectives were obtained after the commercial was viewed by a large, nationally representative sample of Australian adults. Confirmation of the bleed-over effect was found. Subgroup analysis further explains how the commercial affected various audience segments. Practical and theoretical implications for the use of tourism advertising as a tool for mediated public diplomacy are explored.

Advertising Ethics Student Attitudes and Behavioral Intent

A national survey of 1,045 advertising students measured opinions about the ethical nature of advertising and ethical dilemmas in the advertising business. More than nine out of ten students agreed that working for a company with high ethical standards was important. Students rated all twelve workplace dilemmas presented as somewhat unethical. For ten of the twelve scenarios, student attitude toward the ethicality of the described action and behavioral intent were inconsistent. Implications for advertising educators and for professionals are discussed.

Country reputation as a moderator of tourism advertising effectiveness

This study examines the role that country reputation plays in moderating the effects of tourism advertising for that country as well as attitude toward its government and citizens. A pre/post online study conducted in Australia used the current Brand USAs ‘Land of Dreams’ television commercial as the experimental stimulus. The country reputation scale was factor analyzed to reveal three underlying dimensions – Leadership, Investment, and Culture. Results indicated that Leadership moderated the effectiveness of the tourism ad for interest in travel to the USA as well as for attitude toward the US government.

Social Responsibility in Advertising A Marketing Communications Student Perspective

Although advertising has played a key role in bringing corporate social responsibility (CSR) to the public agenda on behalf of agency clients, little effort has been made to define what social responsibility means in advertising. A national survey of 1,045 advertising and marketing communications students from 176 colleges and universities were asked to write their own definitions of CSR. The majority of student responses fell within Carroll’s CSR categories, with the heaviest emphasis on Ethical and Legal responsibilities, a lighter emphasis on Economic responsibility, and the lightest emphasis on discretionary responsibility. Students exhibited “message myopia” in that they largely focused their comments on the creation of advertisements and to the exclusion of environmentalism; client, vendor, and employee relations; diversity or community involvement. Implications for educators of advertising and marketing communications are discussed in terms of how their efforts could help shape the advertising business/society relationship of the future.

The Math Problem Advertising Students’ Attitudes toward Statistics

This study used the Students’ Attitudes toward Statistics Scale (STATS) to measure attitude toward statistics among a national sample of advertising students. A factor analysis revealed four underlying factors make up the attitude toward statistics construct—Interest & Future Applicability, Confidence, Statistical Tools, and Initiative. Advertising students’ attitudes toward statistics were shown to be more positive than negative. Students in this study were most positive about the use of Statistical Tools and displayed attitudes well above neutral on Interest & Future Applicability and Initiative. Confidence received the lowest evaluation. Advertising students who were drawn to the major because of its creative aspects had significantly weaker attitudes toward statistics than did those who came to study advertising because of the business aspects. Strategies for improving negative attitudes toward statistics in advertising courses are discussed.

Advertising Practitioner Perceptions of HDTV Advertising: A Diffusion of Innovations Perspective

Abstract A nationwide online survey of advertising agency executives was conducted to investigate attitudes toward high-definition television (HDTV) diffusion. The survey was completed by 70 practitioners. The majority of respondents (85.9%) had viewed HDTV, but only 18.6% owned an HDTV set. Among non-owners of HDTV sets, 50% said they would not be acquiring 1 for at least 24 months. More than one half of the respondents believed that HDTV would not become the norm for 5 or more years. Respondents recognized the benefits of HDTV, but were not yet comfortable recommending HD advertising to clients. Factors inhibiting greater support of HDTV advertising include perceptions of insufficient HDTV programming, low HDTV diffusion among viewers, and greater cost of producing HD ads. Agency executives feel under-informed about HDTV, and would like to learn more about it. Industry groups interested in promoting greater acceptance of HDTV among advertising practitioners need to educate executives about the actual rate of HDTV diffusion to convince them that the medium is capable of attaining critical mass.

Diplomatic relations and tourism advertising effectiveness: U.S. travel interest to Cuba

Abstract This study explores the relationship between nation brand familiarity and increased interest in tourism and tourism advertising effectiveness. Surveys fielded a few months before and a few months after the historic 17 December 2014 announcement of improved diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba showed an increase in familiarity with Cuba as well as increased interest in traveling to Cuba among US adults. Respondents also indicated a more favorable reaction to a 30-s ad agency-produced television commercial for Cuba tourism. Results are discussed in light of literature on destination brand familiarity as it relates to brand interest and advertising evaluation. Implications for destination marketing managers are presented.

Profiles of Advertising Students: Are "Creatives" Different from the Rest?.

Data from a national survey of U.S. advertising students compared those who planned to seek creative jobs in advertising with those who desired management positions and “Generalists,” who chose both. Male and female students were equally likely to aspire to be Creatives, despite current U.S. agency estimates that men outnumber women by more than 2 to 1. Creatives self-reported higher grade-point averages (GPAs) than other students but were less likely to have held an internship or to have had a job offer senior year. Viewed within the theory of situated learning, the lack of a creative internship and mentoring may pose a disadvantage as creative students attempt to assimilate into the advertising community of practice after graduation. Implications for advertising educators who teach and counsel students about the advertising job market are discussed.