Cristina Zerbini

Product versus region of origin: which wins in consumer persuasion?

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of highlighting the geographical area in question – through either pictorial or pictorial-textual formats – in print-advertising messages for European Union geographical indication (GI) quality-labelled products. Design/methodology/approach A 2×3 between subjects factorial design was used to manipulate the type of GI, namely, protected designation of origin vs protected geographical indication, and the region of origin presentation in the advertisement (absent vs pictorial vs pictorial-textual), while measuring participant brand attitude and intention to buy (dependent variables). Findings Results show a significant main effect of the region of origin presentation on brand attitude and purchase intention. Communicating the region of origin through pictorial cues leads to more favourable responses than when there is no reference to it in the advertisement. The presentation of the region of origin through pictorial-textual cues leads to more positive responses than communication based just on pictorial cues. No interaction effect between the type of GI and the region of origin presentation is found. Originality/value The study makes a new contribution in the field of communication about typical food products, since the ability of the geographical area to increase consumers’ purchase intention has not been systematically tested in an advertising context. To date, there is no strong evidence on how effective it is to convey the values of the geographical area through its picture and/or name. On a practical level, the study supports new communication strategies for typical food products in a context where messages tend to use intrinsic advertising cues that emphasize physical product attributes, rather than extrinsic advertising cues that leverage intangible product values.

Sexual stimuli in advertising: The opposite sex effect

Sexual stimuli in advertising often evoke an emotional state able to shape both attitude towards the advertisement and towards the brands that interact in fostering consumers’ purchase intention. These relationships can be influenced by the interaction between the gender of the respondent and the gender of the model (opposite sex effect). The present study focuses on the interaction between brand and advertising attitude and their conjoint effect on purchase intention in the light of the opposite sex effect. Results show that such effect influences the attitude towards the advertisement while it does not emerges whit reference to attitude towards the brand and purchase intention. Implications for advertising and brand management are discussed.

Consumers’ intention to buy generic drugs: Evidences from the Italian setting

The paper aims to understand the determinants that may encourage consumer acceptance of generic drugs. In particular, attitude, perceived risk and brand sensitivity are considered as relevant predictors of the intention to buy. Moreover, the study aims to investigate: the effect of perceived risk on brand sensitivity and attitude towards generic drugs; and the mediation role of attitude and brand sensitivity in the risk-intention relationship. The proposed conceptual model was tested through structural equation modelling using data collected with an online survey from a sample of 742 people who bought drugs. All the hypothesized relationships are supported. Results contribute both theoretically and practically to the understanding of generic substitution.

Consumer Responses to Explicit Sexual Stimuli in Advertising: Artistic vs Provocative Style

This study extends prior research on sexual appeal advertising by developing a model of consumer responses to explicit sexual stimuli conveyed through different expressive styles (artistic versus provocative). A between-subjects experimental design (N=369) was conducted. The theoretical model includes ad-, brand- and behaviour-related variables. Structural equation modelling was used to estimate the hypothesized relationships. Findings reveal that the use of an artistic format stimulates a better response than the use of images in merely provocative poses. From a female consumer perspective, all paths were positive and significant when exposed to the artistic nudity stimuli, with the only exception of the positive emotions-purchase intention relationship. Results suggest a moderating role of the mode of representing sexual images on attitude-intention relationships. From a male consumer perspective, the response was similar, but any effect was present between attitude towards the advertisement and purchase intention. Support was found for a moderating influence of expressive styles on positive emotion-attitude towards the brand relationship. The paper sheds new lights on the way explicit sexual stimuli can be represented, offering a contribution to improving the communication effectiveness of products and brands that exploit sexual stimuli.