Arien Strasheim

Psychometric Properties of the Schlinger Viewer Response Profile (VRP): Evidence from a Large Sample

The Viewer Response Profile (VRP) scale is often used in commercial advertising research, and frequently used and cited in the academic advertising literature. This paper describes an investigation of the psychometric soundness of the Schlinger scale among a very large sample of respondents (N = 4,800) who each view a single ad from a large set of ads. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) provides an alternative parsimonious 20-item version of the scale that is found to exhibit superior psychometric properties. Managerial and research implications are discussed and suggestions for further improvement of the scale are offered.

Suggesting new communication tactics using digital media to optimise postmodern traits in marketing

Abstract In a postmodern society, technological advances have had a considerable impact on the development of media, most notably digital media. The unique properties and interactive capabilities of digital media have altered the dynamics of communication and have given rise to new applications that were not previously possible. This article considers the transitions from modern to postmodern marketing. The main purpose is to reflect on the effects of the characteristics of postmodernism as outcomes of a postmodern society, in the context of marketing and marketing communication, with specific emphasis on the use of digital media. This conceptual article, based on a review of the postmodern literature, argues that characteristics of postmodernism are evident in society and that they create new opportunities for marketers. This requires innovation in communication strategies. The marketing literature reveals that the most relevant characteristics of postmodernism are fragmentation, de-differentiation, hyperreality, chronology, pastiche, anti-foundationalism and pluralism. Potential marketing opportunities resulting from these traits were identified together with prospective marketing communication tactics. Assessing the extant literature on postmodernism has made it possible to advance the application of the characteristics of postmodernism to the marketing domain, thus adding to the body of knowledge on postmodernism. The article contributes by providing practical applications through which to optimise the effects of the characteristics of postmodernism. It also illustrates the need to revisit existing traditional approaches to marketing and/or marketing communication, which were developed under previous worldviews and are becoming less applicable in the context of a postmodern society.

Open to all: a postmodern perspective on product development and brands in an open-source environment

While open source product development and innovation is not a new phenomenon, it is a prominent form of offering development in the post-industrial age, facilitated by networked communication media. Understanding open source presents challenges to practitioners and academics alike. This article explores the open source phenomenon using themes characterising postmodernism, which is particularly apt to an information-rich context such as open source. The article defines and describes open source and then examines the phenomenon using the postmodern themes of fragmentation, dedifferentiation, time and space interaction, antifoundationalism and the values of paradox, reflexivity, and pastiche. The contention is that postmodernism illuminates thinking concerning open source as a means of invention and production in the information age, just as modernism illuminated thinking in the traditional approaches to physical invention and production in the industrial age.

An Alternative Model of Schwartz’s Basic Human Values in Consumer Research

Previous studies of Schwartz’s theory of basic human values assessed whether the measurement part of the model is invariant across cultural groups by mainly considering the covariances between the values, modelled as first order latent variables in order to describe the structural relationship postulated in the theory. The proposed model is a second-order confirmatory factor analysis model which is more parsimonious and provides stronger support for the applicability and rigour of Schwartz’ theory of basic human values. The proposed model specifies the structural relationships postulated in the theory as relationships between first-order latent variables representing the different basic human value constructs. The major advantage of the model lies in its simplicity – it provides an approach that is more parsimonious than the traditional confirmatory factor analysis and a few higher-order models used so far in the literature representing the relationships between opposing basic human values. Based on the sample, it seems that the model provides a more accurate reflection of what the theory postulates. In addition, our finding suggest that some aspects of the theory of basic human values may need to be revisited. The model was applied to a nationally representative sample of 2 566 consumers representative of major ethnic groups in South Africa.

Deriving Value from Advertising as a Consumable Product: Ideas and Evidence

We introduce the concept of advertising as a product for consumption, from which individuals may derive value based on aspects of consumer relevance. As elsewhere, advertising is an integral constituent of the South African commercial media landscape. The proportions of advertising to editorial content fluctuate, influenced by variables such as market demand, seasonality, media type and regulations. For example, at the regulatory level, South African commercial television stations are permitted to broadcast up to 20 % of classical advertising per hour (Serrurier, 2009), but this regulation does not extend to alternative forms of advertising like advertorials, sponsorships, infomercials and advertiser funded programmes that are used by advertisers to compete for consumer attention. The inclusion of these different forms of advertising further increases the ratio of advertising to editorial content.

Segmentation Analysis of Mobile Phone Users Based on Frequency of Feature Use

The rising popularity of mobile phones in the South African population, currently 80% ownership (All media products survey, June 2010-July 2011), indicates both the importance of these devices and acceptance of mobile technology amongst this group, in which there is wide disparity in terms of socio-economic status. The high penetration of mobile phones presents this medium as an attractive platform for marketing communication activities. To implement effective marketing communication campaigns, using the various features hosted by mobile phones, requires understanding of a) which mobile phone features people have access to; b) which mobile phone features people make use of; and c) how often people use specific mobile phone features. The purpose of this study is to build segmentation profiles based on the mobile phone features people use and the frequency of use. These segments were compared on attitudinal and behavioural factors concerning the importance of mobile phones and social transformation within the context of a postmodern environment.