Joseph F. Rocereto

When Humanizing Brands Goes Wrong: The Detrimental Effect of Brand Anthropomorphization Amid Product Wrongdoings.

The brand relationship literature shows that the humanizing of brands and products generates more favorable consumer attitudes and thus enhances brand performance. However, the authors propose negative downstream consequences of brand humanization; that is, the anthropomorphization of a brand can negatively affect consumers’ brand evaluations when the brand faces negative publicity caused by product wrongdoings. They find that consumers who believe in personality stability (i.e., entity theorists) view anthropomorphized brands that undergo negative publicity less favorably than nonanthropomorphized brands. In contrast, consumers who advocate personality malleability (i.e., incremental theorists) are less likely to devalue an anthropomorphized brand from a single instance of negative publicity. Finally, the authors explore three firm response strategies (i.e., denial, apology, and compensation) that can affect the evaluations of anthropomorphized brands for consumers with different implicit theory perspectives. They find that entity theorists have more difficulty in combating the adverse effects of brand anthropomorphization than incremental theorists. Furthermore, they demonstrate that compensation (vs. denial or apology) is the only effective response among entity theorists.

The Connubial Relationship Between Market Orientation and Entrepreneurial Orientation

Research examining the relationship between market orientation (MO) and entrepreneurial orientation (EO) has recently received considerable attention in both the marketing and the management literature. To date, most academic studies have treated EO and MO as separate constructs. Here, we argue that both EO and MO reside in a single coexisting network. Unlike past research, a reverse moderation from one MO construct (i.e., Intelligence Generation) is found in the mediated EO network (Proactiveness → Risk-Taking Propensity → Innovativeness). We also find that our mediated EO is directly related to a market-oriented dimension (i.e., Responsiveness). Furthermore, we examine some hidden relational links between the operational dimensions of MO and EO in order to unwrap the structural nature of correlations between the two constructs. Practical implications are discussed along with some important theoretical recommendations.

Ads are watching me - A view from the interplay between anthropomorphism and customisation

With the advancement of technological platforms, the use of recommendation agents that can provide highly customisable solutions has become more ubiquitous. Marketing academics and practitioners alike have begun to investigate various communication styles and functionality designs of such decision aid systems. One variant of a design of a recommendation agent is to imbue it with humanlike features (i.e. to anthropomorphise it). However, academic research is silent with respect to whether this type of design would lead to more favourable consumer evaluations. To fill this gap, our research investigates the downstream consequences of anthropomorphising a recommendation agent, when the recommendation itself may require the exchange of personally sensitive information, and the message is customised. The results of two experiments reveal that, when a message is customised, the effect of an anthropomorphized recommendation agent on attitude towards the advertisement is predominantly negative and is mediated by consumers’ unwillingness to provide personal information to an anthropomorphic recommendation agent, as well as by greater psychological resistance towards the advertisement. Our research concludes with theoretical and practical implications, as well as further research directions.

The Role of Response Formats on Extreme Response Style: A Case of Likert-Type vs. Semantic Differential Scales

Purpose – A major limitation in cross-cultural research continues to be attempts to compare construct measurements across cultures without adequate conceptual and empirical evidence of the equivalency of the measurement scores. Of significant concern in such studies is the presence of various types of response bias that may systematically differ from one culture to another, resulting in a potential violation of the assumption that measurement scores across cultures are equivalent. The focus of this study is to investigate the role of the response format type, extreme response style (ERS). Most studies have investigated response bias styles using Likert-type scales as response formats, yet it has long been argued that these particular formats tend to result in various types of response style bias, especially in cross-cultural research. Would other scaling devices, such as semantic differential (SD), lessen response style bias in pan-cultural studies? To answer this question, our study employs two types of response formats (i.e., Liker-type and SD) to empirically test for the presence of ERS within each response format style. Methodology/approach – This chapter takes the form of empirical research using ERS indices to test for the degree of ERS between response formats using samples from a collectivistic culture (i.e., South Korea) and an individualistic culture (i.e., United States). Findings – Results show that samples from both cultures exhibit greater levels of ERS when using Likert-type scales compared to SD scales. Additionally, this study finds that, when using Likert-type scales, ERS is greater for U.S. respondents than for South Korea respondents. Finally, results show that there is no statistically significant difference in ERS between the two cultural groups when using SD response formats. Research implications – Findings show that the use of SD response formats eliminates systematic differences in ERS between a collectivist sample and an individualist sample. Therefore, the use of such response formats in future cross-cultural research can greatly diminish the problematic effects of culturally based ERS and lead to greater confidence in the equivalency of measurement scores across cultures. Originality/value of paper – This study is the first to simultaneously assess culturally based ERS using two types of response formats to investigate the impact of response format on ERS. Furthermore, this study assesses the role of response format on ERS both within and between two distinctly different cultures.

Brand Interdependency Versus Brand Dependency: A Maslow’s Self-Actualization Perspective

This paper conceptualizes Maslows traditional needs framework to explain the impact of various levels of needs on the formation of distinct self-concept brand image congruity constructs and resulting temporal and dynamic forms of brand loyalty (i.e., brand dependency and brand interdependency).

The Role of Self-Concept Brand Image Congruity in Consumers’ Attitudinal Formation and Attitudinal Brand Loyalty: A View From Utilitarian and Hedonic Product Brands

There has been great interest in the marketing literature regarding the effects of consumer self-concept brand image congruity. While previous studies have investigated various marketing-related consequences of this construct, few studies have investigated its impacts on the traditional tri-component attitude model that has been identified by researchers as a necessary component of attitudinal brand loyalty. The current study addresses this gap in the literature by examining the effects of consumer self-concept brand image congruity on consumer attitude and attitudinal brand loyalty. Furthermore, while differences between hedonic and utilitarian products have been long investigated, the marketing literature is lacking in providing empirical evidence regarding the manner in which the effects of self-concept congruity constructs may differ between the two product types. In this study, it is theorized that the attitudinal components will serve differing roles in the creation of brand loyalty between hedonic and utilitarian products.