George E. Belch

The Role of Attitude toward the Ad as a Mediator of Advertising Effectiveness: A Test of Competing Explanations

Attitude toward the ad (Aad) has been postulated to be a causal mediating variable in the process through which advertising influences brand attitudes and purchase intentions. Previous conceptual a...

The Effects of Sexual and Non-Sexual Advertising Appeals and Information Level on Cognitive Processing and Communication Effectiveness

Abstract Previous research on the use of either implicit or explicit sexual imagery in advertising has focused mainly on factors such as the gender of the receiver, the product advertised (sexually or non-sexually related), and the type of stimulus presented (double entendre, decorative models, and nudity). Many of the relevant studies have focused on lower-order cognitive processes such as recall and/or recognition. Few, if any at all, examine the higher-order cognitive processes underlying reactions to sexually explicit material. The present study examines the role of visually explicit sexual stimuli in the processing of verbal information in a persuasive message, and the resulting effect on traditional outcome measures of recall, attitudes, and behavioral intentions, as well as higher-order cognitive response measures. In so doing, the study contributes to a greater understanding of sexual- and non-sexual appeals and how they are affected by information level.

Youth Access to Artificial UV Radiation Exposure Practices of 3647 US Indoor Tanning Facilities

OBJECTIVE To assess indoor tanning facility practices in a sample of facilities in 116 cities representing all 50 states. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING United States. PARTICIPANTS Employees of 3647 indoor tanning facilities were contacted by telephone. Data collectors (ie, confederates) posed as prospective, fair-skinned, 15-year-old female customers who had never tanned before. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Confederates asked respondents about their facilitys practices related to parental consent, parental accompaniment, and allowable tanning session frequency. RESULTS Approximately 87% of the facilities required parental consent, 14% required parental accompaniment, 5% said they would not allow the confederate to tan owing to her age, and 71% would allow tanning every day the first week of indoor tanning. In Wisconsin, which bans indoor tanning among those younger than 16 years, 70% of facilities would not allow the confederate to tan. Multivariate analyses indicated that facilities in states with a youth access law were significantly more likely to require parental consent (P <.001) and parental accompaniment (P <.001) than those in states without a youth access law. Law was not significantly related to allowable tanning frequency (P = .81). Conclusion We recommend that additional states pass youth access legislation, preferably in the form of bans.

A content analysis study of the use of celebrity endorsers in magazine advertising

This paper presents the results of a content analysis study that examined the use of celebrity endorsers in magazine advertising. Advertisements appearing in 37 different magazines representing eight major classification categories were analysed to gain insight into the prevalence of use of celebrity endorsers in magazine advertising. Only 10% of the magazine ads run during the time period analysed contained a celebrity, which is much lower than estimates of their use often reported in the media. The findings show that the use of celebrities varies by magazine type with their use being highest for sports and teen publications. The use of celebrities also varies by product/service category as does the type of celebrity utilised, such as athletes, actors/actresses, entertainers and supermodels. Celebrity use was based primarily on the source characteristics of popularity/likeability followed by physical attractiveness. Celebrity use based on expertise occurs primarily for athletic products.

Disseminating a sun safety program to zoological parks: the effects of tailoring.

Previous research found that a sun safety program for visitors at 1 zoo increased sun safety behaviors. This randomized study compared the effects of tailored dissemination materials plus 2 brief follow-up phone calls (tailored group) versus generic materials (basic group) on implementation by other zoos of the previously evaluated sun safety program. Education directors of 126 zoos completed surveys several months following initial dissemination and 1 year later. During Summer 1, 40% of tailored group zoos and 24% of basic group zoos offered visitors at least 1 sun safety activity (odds ratio=2.2, 95% confidence interval=1.0-4.8). During Summer 2, these rates were 34% and 44%, respectively (ns). The pattern of findings suggests that tailoring had no incremental long-term impact and that the generic materials produced a good level of dissemination.

What Happens When Parents and Children Go Grocery Shopping? An Observational Study of Latino Dyads in Southern California, USA

The objective of this study was to observe parent–child interactions in tiendas, limited assortment food stores catering to Latinos in the United States, and to examine the extent to which child involvement influenced these interactions and their purchase outcomes. Two confederates, one posing as a tienda employee and one posing as a customer, observed the entire shopping trip of 100 Latino parent–child (mean age = 8 years) dyads and coded the following: number and type of parent- and child-initiated request interactions, types of purchase influence attempts used by children and how parents responded, and whether the product was purchased. Level of child involvement was examined as a potential influencing factor on purchasing. The observations were relatively short (mean duration of 10 minutes), reflecting the “quick trip” nature of the observed shopping trips. From the 100 parent–child dyads, 144 request interactions were observed, and among dyads with at least 1 request interaction during the shopping trip, the average number of request interactions per dyad was 2. Children initiated most of the request interactions by asking for a product or simply placing it in the basket; parents initiated 24% of the request interactions. Child involvement in shopping and checkout were associated with spending and purchase outcomes. These results indicate that children and parents influence each other during grocery shopping, and children who are more involved have greater influence over purchases. Furthermore, this study identified a number of targets for future family/parent and consumer food environment interventions.

The Future of Creativity In Advertising

In the rapidly changing marketing environment, more attention is being placed on media than on message factors. Creativity, which has been shown to impact the success of a product seems to be receiving secondary attention from marketers. This research discusses the value of creative advertising, and why marketers may be less focused on message strategies. The study concludes that creativity is not dead, and will continue to remain an important factor in marketing communications into the future.

A national survey of sun safety activities at U.S. zoos.

Skin cancer incidence in the United States has increased. Exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is a major risk factor for skin cancer. Every year, millions of children with their families visit outdoor leisure facilities such as zoos where overexposure to UVR may occur. This study was conducted to assess the proportion of U.S. zoos that provided sun safety activities during the summer of 1998 and their willingness to incorporate skin cancer prevention strategies at their facility in the future. A 56 item self-administered questionnaire was mailed to 140 zoos accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association. A follow-up telephone survey was also conducted with 33 mail non-respondents. The response rate was 97% (N = 136). Results revealed that in the summer of 1998, only 5% of zoos provided sun safety recommendations to visitors and 25% of zoos provided recommendations to their employees. The recommendations made most often to visitors and employees were to use sunscreen and wear protective clothing. Eighty-five percent of zoos indicated interest in providing sun safety activities at their facilities in the future. The next step will be to design environmentally appropriate sun safety programs for zoos and to encourage zoos to implement these programs.

Examination of the Relationship between In-Store Environmental Factors and Fruit and Vegetable Purchasing among Hispanics

Retail food environments have received attention for their influence on dietary behaviors and for their nutrition intervention potential. To improve diet-related behaviors, such as fruit and vegetable (FV) purchasing, it is important to examine its relationship with in-store environmental characteristics. This study used baseline data from the “El Valor de Nuestra Salud” study to examine how in-store environmental characteristics, such as product availability, placement and promotion, were associated with FV purchasing among Hispanic customers in San Diego County. Mixed linear regression models indicated that greater availability of fresh FVs was associated with a

Fruit and Vegetable Intake of US Hispanics by Food Store Type: Findings from NHANES

0.36 increase in FV purchasing (p = 0.01). Placement variables, specifically each additional square foot of display space dedicated to FVs (p = 0.01) and each additional fresh FV display (p = 0.01), were associated with a