Julie A. Edell

The Power of Feelings in Understanding Advertising Effects

This research investigates the role of feelings in understanding advertising effects. We conducted two studies to examine (1) whether feelings occur as a result of viewing television commercials, (2) the relative importance of feelings and judgments of the ads characteristics on several advertising outcomes, and (3) the variation in the importance of feelings given different ad characteristics. We found that (1) negative and positive feelings co-occur; (2) both are important predictors of the ads effectiveness; (3) feelings contribute uniquely to attitude toward the ad, beliefs about the brands attributes, and attitude toward the brand; and (4) the relative importance of feelings and judgments of the ads characteristics varies based on the extent to which the ad is transformational and informational.

The Impact of Feelings on Ad-Based Affect and Cognition

The authors examine the relationships among feelings generated by new television ads for unfamiliar products, judgments of the ads’ characteristics, brand attribute evaluations, attitude toward the...

The Information Processing of Pictures in Print Advertisements

This study postulates that the presence of a dominant picture in a print ad can alter a consumers cognitive activity while viewing the ad. Using the findings of previous research, we develop a model of the process by which a viewer evaluates, encodes, and stores information found in the ad. This model is tested in a laboratory setting. The results clearly indicate that the way a message is conveyed (pictorially or verbally), whether the viewer is given some reference point for encoding the picture (framed or not framed), and the type of claim made (objective, subjective, or characterization) have a significant effect on the processing of the information presented in the advertisements. These differences in processing are also shown to affect the viewers brand attitudes and purchase intentions.

Cognitive Effort, Affect, and Choice

This article examines cognitive effort and its influence on choice outcomes through process-induced negative affect. We propose that an alternative that requires more cognitive effort to evaluate leads the decision maker to generate more negative affect and to choose that alternative less frequently than an alternative that is less effortful to evaluate. Two studies demonstrate that when different levels of effort are expended processing equivalent alternatives, the effort adversely affects choice of the more difficult to process alternatives. More respondents, especially those with less skill at the evaluation task, selected a brand and expressed a greater willingness to pay a premium for it when it was less effortful to evaluate. The second study shows that more negative affect was generated as the cognitive effort increased, lowering the likelihood of the difficult alternative being selected. The extent of negative affect generated was exaggerated under time pressure and increased the choice of the less difficult alternative. Although negative affect was generated, it did not influence choice when there was a clearly superior alternative.

Relating Brandand Customer Perspectives on Marketing Management

What is the difference between brand equity and customer equity? Does the distinction matter? Is there a difference between the firm’s brand asset and customer asset? What are the implications of taking a brand perspective versus a customer perspective when designing and implementing marketing programs? The objective of this article is to examine these two perspectives in depth so that researchers and managers can improve their understanding and use of customer and brand perspectives on marketing. The authors seek to determine the relationship between the two assets and perspectives in terms of similarities and differences. They examine the development of customer and brand perspectives and describe how each adds value to the firm and to the customer. Subsequently, they delineate possible approaches for measuring marketing assets. They discuss key issues researchers and practitioners should consider in managing marketing assets, particularly for multibrand companies. They conclude by suggesting future research directions.

Factors Affecting the Impact of Negatively and Positively Framed Ad Messages

This article examines the effects of negative and positive framing of ad claims on consume~s choices and attitudes. Propositions about how the extent of processing before choice affects the relative impact of claims-related versus advertising tactics-related cognitions are tested in three experiments. Findings suggest that when processing is limited, claims-related cognitions have a greater impact on choice, which results in the sponsoring brand being chosen more often when the ad claims are negatively framed than when they are positively framed. When respondents engage in more extensive processing before choice, tactics-related cognitions become more accessible and, if perceived to be unfair, result in an attenuation of the advantage of negative framing over positive framing. A different pattern of results is obtained when one examines brand attitudes rather than brand choice. Copyright 1997 by the University of Chicago.

Moralities in food and health research

Abstract Society has imposed strict rules about what constitutes a ‘good’ or a ‘bad’ food and ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ eating behaviour at least since antiquity. Today, the moral discourse of what we should and should not eat is perhaps stronger than ever, and it informs consumers, researchers and policy-makers about what we all should consume, research and regulate. We propose four types of moralities, underlying sets of moral assumptions, that orient the contemporary discourses of food and health: the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ nature of food items, the virtue of self-control and moderation, the management of body size and the actions of market agents. We demonstrate how these moralities influence consumer behaviour as well as transformative research of food and health and develop a critical discussion of the impact of the underlying morality in each domain. We conclude by providing a few guidelines for changes in research questions, designs and methodologies for future research and call for a general reflection on the consequences of the uncovered moralities in research on food and health towards an inclusive view of food well-being.

Surcharges Plus Unhealthy Labels Reduce Demand for Unhealthy Menu Items

Three laboratory experiments and a field experiment in a restaurant demonstrate that neither a price surcharge nor an unhealthy label is enough on its own to curtail the demand for unhealthy food. However, when the two are combined as an unhealthy label surcharge, they reduce demand for unhealthy food. The authors also show that the unhealthy label is as effective for women as the unhealthy label surcharge, whereas it backfires for men, who order more unhealthy food when there is an unhealthy label alone. The authors demonstrate that an unhealthy surcharge, which highlights both the financial disincentive and potential health costs, can significantly drive healthier consumption choices. From a policy and government perspective, if the goal is to reduce demand for unhealthy food, increasing the transparency of the health rationale for any financial disincentive is necessary to effectively lower unhealthy food consumption.

Consumers’ Responses to Service Failures and Recoveries

This paper presents the results of a study examining the nature of consumers’ emotional reactions following a significant service failure. In addition to measuring consumers’ feelings about the outcome that occurred (including the remedy), the emotional response to the service provider and the emotional response about the decision makers own choice to use that provider were captured separately. Consumers regretted their decision to use a provider if the provider only offers them compensation and not an apology when there was a delay in the service. Negative emotions focused toward the self and toward the provider played significant roles in the continuation intentions of the consumers. Offering a small amount of compensation (

The information processing of coordinated media campaigns

10) for a delay with an apology was as effective as offering a large amount of compensation (