James M. Hunt

The Persuasive Impact Of Two-Sided Selling Appeals For An Unknown Brand Name

The persuasive effectiveness of message sidedness (one versus two-sided messages) and message structure was assessed in the context of a personal selling appeal for a new home computer to an unfamiliar target audience. Contrary to some prior research, two-sided appeals were found to be less, not more, effective in promoting seller credibility and message acceptance than onesided appeals. To some extent, however, this effect was attenuated by placing unfavorable product arguments at the end rather than the beginning of the selling appeal. To account for these findings, a disarming effect is proposed. People who have little or no, knowledge regarding a seller’s particular offering tend to be disarmed by two-sided appeals. As a result, they discount the seller’s product-related knowledge. This effect is thought to be more pronounced when the unfavorable information is presented at the beginning of the message.

Achtung! The Information Processing of Foreign Words in Advertising

This article explains the use of foreign words in advertising from an information processing perspective. The ability of such distinctive words to enhance an advertisements effectiveness derives f...

Animosity, collective memory, rumor and equity restoration: Consumer reactions to the Holocaust

Ethnic groups that have experienced violent and stressful events often have a reaction against the specific aggressor for future generations. This reaction is sometimes manifested in consumer behavior. Building on the Klein, Ettenson and Morris (1998) Animosity Model, this study utilizes depth interviews and netnographic discussion data to demonstrate the role animosity, collective memory, rumor and equity restoration play in consumption behavior among Jewish consumers living in the United States buying German‐made automobiles 60 years after the liberation of the concentration camps. This study shows how some consumers may attempt to respond to distressing ethnic‐related events in the arena of the marketplace. Both cultural and psychological implications are discussed.

Locus of Control as a Personality Correlate of Materialism: An Empirical Note

For a sample of 148 undergraduate students, scores on Belks materialism scale correlated negatively with Rotters locus-of-control scores. Stepwise regression further indicates that Rotter scores are responsive largely to the envy subscale of materialism, with the possessiveness and nongenerosity subscales contributing little to the explained variance. Inasmuch as composite materialism (the sum of three subscales) relates inversely with internal locus of control, this result is consistent with the other/external-directed nature of envy and the self/internal-directed focus of possessiveness and nongenerosity.

Memory structure in the processing of advertising messages: how is unusual information represented?

Two models of memory structure--schema-copy-plus-tag (Graesser & Nakamura, 1982; Schmidt & Sherman, 1984) and associative-network/depth-of-processing (Craik & Lockhart, 1972; Hastie & Kumar, 1979)--were tested in a 2 x 2 between-subjects design. Type of argument (typical vs. atypical) and measurement interval (immediate vs. 2-day delay in recognition and recall) were manipulated in a print-advertising context. Results indicated that atypical arguments (unusual information) prompt deeper processing of the entire message (implying an associative-network memory structure) rather than some part of the message (as would be hypothesized by the schema-copy-plus-tag formulation) and that this effect prevails under both immediate- and delayed-measurement conditions.

The Role of Discontinued Expectancies in the Processing of Advertising Messages

Abstract Eagly, Chaiken, and Wood (1981) have proposed that, because communicators commonly argue for their vested interests, message recipients develop biased expectations. When these expectations are disconfirmed (when communicators seem to argue against their own interests), source credibility and message acceptance are thought to be enhanced. This study tested the Eagly et al. paradigm in a commercial advertising context, using 150 undergraduate subjects who viewed bogus advertisements. The model received general support, and some evidence for more elaborate information processing as a consequence of expectancy disconfirmation is presented. Arguments about intangible (styling) product features are shown to present particular problems.

Materialism, Conspicuous Consumption, and American Hip-Hop Subculture

ABSTRACT This article examines materialism, conspicuous consumption, race, and hip-hop subculture. Our study used survey data from over 1,200 individuals. Results show that African Americans scored higher in materialism and conspicuous consumption compared to non-African Americans. Additionally, those who prefer hip-hop music scored higher in materialism and conspicuous consumption than those who preferred to listen to music in other genres. Implications and historical context are discussed.

The role of perceived risk in pricing strategy for industrial products: a point‐of‐view perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this research paper is to examine the role corporate and individual risk (from the point of view of the pricing manager) plays in developing pricing strategies.Design/methodology/approach – Managerial professionals in two graduate business programs were used to assess riskiness associated with pricing strategies. Grounded in attribution theory, t‐tests were used to compare the different types of risk associated with the various pricing strategies.Findings – The findings suggest that pricing managers will view risk from different perspectives (i.e. corporate and individual) and that this “point of view” should have an impact on the pricing strategies selected.Research limitations/implications – Research limitations include the use of graduate students in lieu of actual pricing managers. However, this research is a first step in examining the different perspectives of risk that may be taken by managers.Practical implications – Pricing managers and organizations alike should be made ...

Consumer innovativeness: a domain-specific perspective of information acquisition and choice

This study examines how experiential brand factors are related to perceived domain-specific innovativeness. We further investigate how domain-specific innovativeness predicts the phase of innovation diffusion. To accomplish these objectives, we employ an integrative perspective of consumer innovativeness and decision process. Results suggest that information utilization, diagnostic attributes and post-purchase behavior are important predictors of consumer innovativeness. In addition, consumer innovativeness predicts the diffusion of new product adoption. The findings and implications are discussed.

User Perceptions of Customer Service

In assessing international marketing endeavours, it is essential to understand customer services as a function of the logistics structures of global organisations. Users form idiosyncratic perceptions of service, and these ultimately influence the survival of the organisation‐customer relationship. The process by which users form impressions of an organisation′s services and its apparent service deficits must be understood. Perceptions of service can vary on a global basis. An attempt is made to develop a framework that accounts for such variation as well as provide general guidance regarding user perceptions and misperceptions of customer service.