Fernando R. Jiménez

A classification schema of co-production of goods: an open-systems perspective

Purpose – A growing body of literature reveals that the domain of customer co-production of goods is expansive. Many research articles in the area of co-production of goods, however, have focused on specific sub-areas within the larger domain. One result of these multiple lines of inquiry is that they establish overlapping construct names and definitions. The purpose of this article is to propose a classification schema of customer co-production of goods based on general systems theory (GST). Design/methodology/approach – A logical partitioning approach was employed. Findings – A classification schema of co-production of goods is derived from two criteria: the nature of the customers input and the customers autonomy. The classification suggests six sub-areas of co-production of goods: restricted co-manufacturing, unrestricted co-manufacturing, co-ideation, co-design, mass customization, and participation loop. Practical implications – The distinction of activities involving co-production of goods guides...

Concrete and abstract goals associated with the consumption of environmentally sustainable products

Purpose – This paper aims to identify and classify consumers’ goals associated with the consumption of environmentally sustainable products. The applicability of such goals to the positioning of environmental products is also tested. Design/methodology/approach – Study 1 used 62 laddering interviews to identify a hierarchical map of adoption related goals. Study 2 used a survey design (N = 152 students) to test the effects of construal-goal fit on evaluations of environmental product attributes of a hybrid car. Study 3 involved an online experiment (N = 125 consumer panellists) to test the effects of construal-goal fit on consumers’ willingness to pay a price premium (WTPP) for energy-efficient light bulbs. Findings – A hierarchical goal map displays consumption goals attainable through environmentally sustainable products. Consumers with a chronic, high-level construal placed more importance on product attributes associated with abstract goals than those with chronic, low-level construal. This effect was...

Corporate brands as brand allies

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of the corporate brand in a brand alliance that includes one of the corporation’s product brands.,Using a scenario-based study, 899 participants were randomly assigned to one of 84 unique brand alliance scenarios involving a corporate brand, a product brand ally and a focal product brand; a total of 33 corporate brands were represented. Results were estimated using a three-stage least squares model.,Consumers’ evaluations of a focal brand were enhanced when a corporate brand name associated with a product brand ally was included in the brand alliance. The effect was mediated by attitude toward the product brand ally. The indirect effect of the corporate brand was stronger when consumers had low product category knowledge (PCK).,Consistent with competitive cue theory, the findings suggest that a corporate brand can provide superior, consistent and unique information in a brand alliance.,Practitioners should note that the effectiveness of adding a corporate brand name into a product brand alliance is contingent on the extent of consumers’ PCK.,This paper examines when and why corporate brands are effective endorsers in product brand alliances. This paper adds empirical support to previous assertions that, if managed effectively, corporate brands can be valuable assets that convey unique valuable information to consumers.

A cross-national and cross-generational study of consumer acculturation to advertising appeals

Purpose – Previous research on global marketing has typically focussed on marketing strategies across national markets. Yet, the cross‐national mobility of individuals has increased heterogeneity within country markets. The purpose of this study is to examine how immigrant consumers perceive advertising appeals in the context of the consumer acculturation process. Specifically, our study focusses on the reactions of Mexican, American, and Mexican‐American consumers to puffery‐laden advertisements.Design/methodology/approach – Using two‐factor theory as our theoretical prism, the study offers salient hypotheses regarding consumer perceptions of puffery‐laden advertising appeals, which are then tested in a cross‐national experiment in the USA and Mexico.Findings – The results show that Mexican consumers are more susceptible to puffery‐laden claims than Americans. In contrast, American consumers are more susceptible to advertising that does not contain puffery‐laden claims than their Mexican counterparts. In...

Consumer Attitudes Toward Human-Like Avatars in Advertisements: The Effect of Category Knowledge and Imagery

ABSTRACT Despite the importance and the growing use of avatars in online and offline advertising, investigations on the effectiveness of avatar-based advertising remains scant. This article attempts to narrow this gap by examining several factors that influence consumers’ evaluations of human-like avatar-based ads. Based on mental schema theory, the authors theorize that avatars elicit categorization tension, a feeling of incongruence between avatar and expected human features. This tension is reflected in negative attitudes toward the ad and low purchase intention. Two experiments supported these contentions and demonstrated how product category knowledge and imagery moderate these effects. This investigation contributes to theory by employing a mental schema framework to explain and predict how and when consumers form positive evaluations of human-like avatar-based ads. The research findings also offer several recommendations for advertising professionals. The findings suggest that human-like avatars are more likely to generate negative evaluations among novice or less knowledgeable consumers. To minimize this effect, advertisers can encourage consumers to imagine the consumption experience.

The Impact of Supplier Orientation on Firm Innovativeness: An Abstract

For over two decades, scholars have investigated the link between market orientation, innovation, and performance. However, the market orientation framework including customer-orientation, competitor-orientation, and cross-functional coordination is outdated. It reflects how vertically-integrated firms innovate. Today, only a handful of firms are vertically integrated. Many firms focus on their core capabilities and outsource to suppliers all other resources. Unfortunately, market orientation overlooks this change. This article fills this void. Drawing from the resource based view of the firm, market orientation is expanded by adding two dimensions: supplier orientation and inter-firm coordination. We postulate that this new model can better explain and predict firm innovativeness and performance in the current global network economy. The moderating role of power, communication richness, and communication frequency are also discussed. The article ends by proposing avenues for future research.

Brand skill: linking brand functionality with consumer-based brand equity

Purpose This paper aims to explore the relationship between brand functionality and consumer-based brand equity. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-methods approach was adopted including a qualitative study and multiple survey-based studies. Mediation and moderated-mediation paths were tested using PROCESS and three-stage least squares simultaneous estimation models. Findings Study 1 finds that consumers perceive highly functional brands can enhance their self-competence to perform a task. This phenomenon is labelled brand skill and defined as the extent to which consumers perceive their own performance as emanating from their use of a particular brand. Study 2 finds that brand skill mediates the relationship between brand functionality, brand connection and consumer-based brand equity, while a post hoc study showed that these relationships are robust among private meaning brands. Study 3 demonstrates that these mediated relationships are moderated by the type of dominant benefit the brand provides (i.e. hedonic-versus utilitarian-dominant benefits). Research limitations/implications Based on self-determination theory, brand skill is posited as the link between brand functionality, brand connection and consumer-based brand equity. Practical implications Brand managers are urged to not overlook the role of brand functionality in favor of other non-functional brand dimensions. Brand functionality enhances consumers’ perceived self-competence and fosters brand connection, especially for brands that offer superior utilitarian benefits. Originality/value This is the first study that empirically examines the process by which brand functionality leads to consumer-based brand equity and the role brand skill plays in making that connection.

Price Discount and Gift Choice: The Interplay Between Economic and Social Value

Price discounts are a popular pricing strategy because discounts increase the perceived economic value of a purchase. Prices are used as referents to assess the economic value of a purchase (Blattberg and Neslin 1990; Grewal et al. 1998). Accordingly, price discounts are offered to increase consumers’ perceived economic product value and thus increase purchase intention (Dodds and Monroe 1985). However, social, rather than economic, value is the primary concern in gift choice. Accordingly, consumers are often willing to pay a premium for gifts with high social value. This social value of gifts is important because it helps societies maintain social norms (i.e., reciprocity) and reaffirm social values through symbolic social conventions (i.e., achievement) (Camerer 1988; Belk and Coon 1993). Interestingly, price discounts remain ubiquitous during gift-giving holidays.

Emotional Capital: The Missing Link Between Social Media Usage and Customer Relationship Performance

Many companies are increasing the allocation of financial resources to social media management For instance, companies with over

Supplier Orientation: Expanding the Conceptual Scope of Market Orientation

15.6 billion in revenue will invest about