John B. Lord

Food advertising on children's television

Purpose – This research investigates the changes in the types of advertised food products and the use of nutritional versus consumer appeals in children’s advertising from 2000 to 2005.Design/methodology/approach – Content Analysis.Findings – Results indicate that food processors and restaurants have not changed their advertising messages to children in response to the multitude of pressures the industry is facing. Specifically, this pre‐post longitudinal comparison shows no significant change regarding types of food products advertised and type of appeals used in the ads directed to children.Research limitations/implications – Limitations include the sample studied. While the ads recorded all came from television programming aimed specifically at children, there was no specification or ability to classify the consumers according to the age of the viewer. Additionally, duplicate exposures of the ads were not included in the study.Practical implications – Obesity is a serious and expanding concern for our ...

Marginalized Morality: Making Sense of Questionable Sport Fan Behaviors

Sport is a major force in the world in terms of the commerce it generates and the community that sustains it. Indeed, it plays a significant role in connecting, and synergizing, the interests of business and society. Spectator sports and sporting events are now recognized as significant parts of a nation‘s culture and values (Gilbert, 1995; Shank, 1999), often carrying deep meaning for individuals and society-at-large (Wann et al., 2001). Mainstream competitive sports have attracted the attention of fan consumers at the collegiate, amateur, and professional levels.

Bracketed morality and ethical ideologies of sport fans

Abstract Historically, scholarship on ethics in sport has focused almost exclusively on practices of athletes, coaches and leagues. In this study, we highlight a serious void in the existing empirical literature on morality – ethical ideology and intention – of sport fans. Applying ‘bracketed morality,’ sport fans sometimes enact or accept behaviours otherwise regarded as problematic in everyday situations – insulting athletes, cursing at officials, celebrating riotously and/or intimidating fans of rival teams. Only some fans actually sanction (oppose) these kinds of behaviours, suggesting that they are questionable but not necessarily problematic, and, thus, worthy of closer investigation. Here, with the aid of four scenarios, we find that sport fans’ ethical ideology influences ethical intention. We also find that this influence is mediated twofold by ethical perception of moral problems and trivialization of observed situations, with trivialization exhibiting greater influence. Hence, while ethical ideologies and perceptions are important, they may be bracketed in evaluations of sport-fan behaviours.

Personal Ethics of Today’s Sport Fans: Connecting Cultural Values, Ethical Ideologies, and Ethical Intentions

The fanatics of sport are highly engaged participants and observers who can stir excitement, or ire, among others within their midst. In reference to sport fanatics, Mike Schmidt, a former player for Philadelphia Phillies professional baseball team, once declared, “They read their sports pages, know their statistics and either root like hell or boo our butts off. I love it. Give me vocal fans, pro or con, over the tourist types who show up in Houston or Montreal and just sit there.”

Market Segmentation in Marketing Education: A Case Study

This paper demonstrates how product positioning and market segmentation have been employed successfully in an educational context. Applying these concepts, a specialized marketing program is described using a systems framework. Some implementation problems and directions for the future are discussed.

Supermarket Promotional Strategies: What's Hot and What's Not

Food retailing is a highly competitive industry characterized by extensive use of a variety of promotional activities designed to realize profit, volume or patronage-related objectives. This research examines consumer perceptions of the relative importance of various promotions which super-marketers have historically employed. The study shows that consumers do discriminate among different promotional techniques, and further that chain executives’ forecasts of the use of promotions may be at variance with the relative importance attached by consumers. The study also indicated the existence of relationships between importance ratings and various consumer descriptors. Results emphasize the importance of considering consumer perceptions in the establishment of promotional objectives, the planning of promotional strategies, and the use of individual promotional vehicles.

The Results of a Two Year Study of Health Claims in Food Advertising

Following the introduction by Kellogg in 1984 of advertising for All-Bran cereal which contained a statement linking fiber consumption to reduced risk of certain kinds of cancer, the issue of health claims in food advertising has become a major focus of attention by food manufacturers, health and consumer interest groups, and regulatory agencies. This paper presents some of the most recently-discussed viewpoints on this issue, and reports the different types of copy claims in food print advertising. The data show that while both health and nutrition claims are far less prevalent than appeals based on taste and quality, their use did increase markedly from 1985 to 1986.

Alternative Retailer Couponing Strategies: Consumer Reactions and Marketing Implication

Couponing, traditionally a promotional tool used by manufacturers to generate trial, brand continuity and brand switching, has been seized by supermarket retailers as a vehicle for building store loyalty, patronage, and traffic. This research focuses on the interaction of alternative retailer couponing strategies with selected key variables such as shopper awareness, preference, intention, and behavior. The results suggest that significant gaps exist between the supermarket retailer’s perception of the benefits associated with such strategies and the actual effects observed. In essence, the researchers question the appropriateness of double and triple couponing options by retailers given the primary supermarket objective of building store loyalty.