Kim Bartel Sheehan

E‐mail Survey Response Rates: A Review

Electronic mail (e-mail) has been used to distribute surveys and collect data from online users for almost fifteen years. However, some have suggested that the use of e-mail is becoming obsolete. This study analyzes response rates to e-mail surveys undertaken since 1986 and examines five influences to response rates: the year the study was undertaken, the number of questions in the survey, the number of pre-notification contacts, the number of follow-up contacts and survey topic salience. Response rates to e-mail surveys have significantly decreased since 1986. Correlation and regression analyses suggest that year that the survey was undertaken and number of follow-up contacts had the most influence on response rates. A discussion of other influences and future research into this area is provided.

Dimensions of Privacy Concern Among Online Consumers

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is one of many organizations studying influences on consumer privacy online. The authors investigate these influences, taking into consideration the current body of literature on privacy and the Internet and the FTCs core principles of fair information practice. The authors analyze these influences to assess the underlying factors of privacy concern online. The authors examine the current recommendations and actions of the FTC in light of the results of an e-mail survey of online consumers in the United States that assessed their attitudes toward privacy online. The authors find that the FTCs core principles address many of online consumers’ privacy concerns. However, two factors not directly incorporated in the five principles, the relationships between entities and online users and the exchange of information for appropriate compensation, may influence consumers’ privacy concerns.

An investigation of gender differences in on-line privacy concerns and resultant behaviors

Abstract This study examines whether gender differences are apparent in attitudes and behaviors toward advertising and marketing practices involving information gathering and privacy on-line. As part of a larger study, 889 internet users nationwide were surveyed using electronic mail. Results indicated that women and men differed significantly in their attitudes toward several practices, with women generally appearing more concerned about the effect the practice would have on their personal privacy. Additionally, the study found that men were likely to adopt behaviors to protect their privacy when they became concerned; women, however, rarely adopted protective behaviors. Implications for web advertisers are provided.

Using E-mail to Survey Internet Users in the United States: Methodology and Assessment

The Internets potential for academic and applied research has recently begun to be acknowledged and assessed. To date, researchers have used Web page-based surveys to study large groups of on-line users and e-mail surveys to study smaller, more homogenous on-line user groups. A relatively untapped use for the Internet is to use e-mail to survey broader Internet populations on both a national and international basis. Our experience using e-mail to study a national sample of Internet users is presented, beginning with a discussion of how a sample of on-line users can be selected using a ‘people finder’ search engine. We include an evaluation of the demographic characteristics of the respondent pool compared to both a web page-based survey and a telephone survey of Internet users. Considerations for researchers who are evaluating this method for their own studies are provided.

In Poor Health: An Assessment of Privacy Policies at Direct-to-Consumer Web Sites

Overall, consumers are concerned about the privacy of their personal health information. However, they are also active seekers of health care information online. Many of these information searches lead consumers to Web sites sponsored by pharmaceutical companies that provide information about drugs that are available only through prescription. Many of these Web sites collect personalized information about site visitors to facilitate information exchanges between visitors and site sponsors. This study examines the types of information collected at Web sites that promote product-claim drugs and studies the privacy notices that such sites provide. The author evaluates the degree to which such notices comply with Federal Trade Commission Fair Information Practices. Drug Web sites collect a range of information through a variety of interactive methods. The Web sites have relatively high compliance with two of the Fair Information Practices, notice and choice, but they have poor compliance with the access and security Fair Information Practices. In addition, readability of the policies is low. The author discusses implications for the industry and public policy.

Online Research Methodology

ABSTRACT The Internet’s potential for quantitative data collection has been debated by researchers for many years. For advertising academics and practitioners, the Internet allows for the assessment of consumer opinions and attitudes toward a range of topics. However, the accessibility of online populations and the generalizability of data collected online are uncertain. The author discusses a range of online techniques and what we still need to learn about such techniques in order to harness the potential of the Internet for quantitative research. The author wishes to acknowledge the insights provided by Mariea Hoy, Angela Mak, and Tad O’Dell during the preparation of this manuscript.

An Analysis of Data Quality: Professional Panels, Student Subject Pools, and Amazon's Mechanical Turk

Data collection using Internet-based samples has become increasingly popular in many social science disciplines, including advertising. This research examines whether one popular Internet data source, Amazons Mechanical Turk (MTurk), is an appropriate substitute for other popular samples utilized in advertising research. Specifically, a five-sample between-subjects experiment was conducted to help researchers who utilize MTurk in advertising experiments understand the strengths and weaknesses of MTurk relative to student samples and professional panels. In comparisons across five samples, results show that the MTurk data outperformed panel data procured from two separate professional marketing research companies across various measures of data quality. The MTurk data were also compared to two different student samples, and results show the data were at least comparable in quality. While researchers may consider MTurk samples as a viable alternative to student samples when testing theory-driven outcomes, precautions should be taken to ensure the quality of data regardless of the source. Best practices for ensuring data quality are offered for advertising researchers who utilize MTurk for data collection.

“Leaving on a (Branded) Jet Plane”: An Exploration of Audience Attitudes towards Product Assimilation in Television Content

Abstract As advertisers work to break through commercial clutter, they are investigating ways of connecting advertising messages with program content in television and feature films. This study investigates the relatively new phenomenon of product assimilation, that is, when the brand becomes the “star” of the show. Using a new reality program, “Airline,” participants in an experiment were queried as to their perceptions of the brand featured in the program both before and after viewing the show, as well as several weeks after viewing. Results indicate that attitudes were positively affected among those who were familiar with the brand featured in the program but who had never actually used the brand. The change in attitudes did not diminish over time.

Balancing Acts: An Analysis of Food and Drug Administration Letters About Direct-to-Consumer Advertising Violations

Traditionally, physicians have considered themselves the gatekeepers to health care and have desired (and received) tight control over information conveyed to patients. Approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising changes this dynamic. The FDA is charged with promoting public health by reviewing clinical research and by taking timely, appropriate action on the marketing of regulated products. In addition, the FDA must ensure that human drugs are safe and effective. To accomplish this, the FDA must balance drug marketers’ desires to provide persuasive advertising messages with the concerns of several other groups about the effects of DTC messages on both the cost of medical care and the quality of patient interaction. The FDA must also balance these concerns with First Amendment protection of commercial speech. This study investigates the FDAs perceptions of the problems with DTC advertising. To accomplish this, the author examines FDA letters to pharmaceutical manufacturers about concerns about advertising messages that do not meet the guidelines established by the FDA. The author also provides suggestions about where the FDA should put its resources to best address these concerns: enhanced guidelines, consumer involvement, and intra-agency cooperation.

Advertising strategy and effective advertising: comparing the USA and Australia

A considerable body of research makes cross-cultural comparisons of advertising content and executional factors. Much of this work compares very different cultures. This study compared the strategic elements found in television commercials that have received industry recognition for effectiveness in two similar cultures, the USA and Australia. The study found that effective messages were similar in terms of selling propositions, tone and positive versus negative appeals. Specifically, the messages were similar in terms of their emphasis on product attributes and performance and a heavy reliance on humour. Effective campaigns differed in their creative strategy, rational versus emotional appeals and the presence of a brand-differentiating message. It is suggested that the differences in advertising arose from differences in the marketplace and cultural environment.