Kineta Hung

The Influence of eWOM on Virtual Consumer Communities: Social Capital, Consumer Learning, and Behavioral Outcomes

ABSTRACT Word of mouth (WOM) is a highly credible form of marketing information. However, because it is difficult to study WOM in the face-to-face context, researchers have limited understanding of its sources of effectiveness or its effects beyond product and brand communications. We analyzed computer-mediated data and conducted face-to-face interviews with beauty product enthusiasts in China to understand electronic WOM (eWOM) in a consumption-interest virtual community. Our findings reveal four categories of responses: (1) sources of social capital, (2) brand choice facilitation, (3) persuasion knowledge development, and (4) consumer reflexivity. We then propose a model and offer a set of postulates to outline future research directions.

Framing Meaning Perceptions with Music: The Case of Teaser Ads

Abstract Teaser ads rely heavily on nonverbal executional cues to communicate. This research suggests that music may function in a manner similar to verbal captions with regard to the meanings viewers attribute to a teaser ad. Whereas previous research tended to examine the effects of executional cues within a single medium (e.g., music, visual element), this research suggests that interactive audiovisual images play an important role in the meaning enactment process. Specifically, music connects with and accentuates selective visual events, as well as selective aspects of a visual event, to draw out the advertising proposition. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Images of the contemporary woman in advertising in China a Content analysis

Abstract With changing social expectations, rising living standards, and increasing Western influences in China, young Chinese women residing in urban areas have developed an awareness of their new identities as contemporary women distinct from the traditional or revolutionary ideals of the past. The current study examines the images of women depicted in a representative sample of magazine advertising in China. Of the 427 magazine ads examined, over 80% featured one or more images of contemporary Chinese woman: nurturer (8%), strong woman (12%), flower vase (28%), and urban sophisticate (44%). Further, the findings showed specific correlations between the featured images and (1) product categories, (2) magazine type, and (3) presenter ethnicity. Implications of the findings are discussed.

IMPROVING MEDIA DECISIONS IN CHINA: A Targetability and Cost-Benefit Analysis

This study examines two central issues underlying effective media decisions in China. We pay particular attention to the issue in reaching Chinas upscale and status-seeking consumers and the cost/benefits of so doing. In this study, we analyzed syndicated secondary data involving 48,000 respondents in 15 cities in China, and compared the extent to which television, newspapers, and general and special interest magazines reach particular consumer segments effectively. The study then used a second database containing cost information on media vehicles, and compared their efficiency in reaching segments of upscale/status-seeking consumers in China. As hypothesized, and in accord with findings in developed economies, we found that magazines have the highest targetability among the three most popular mass media. Among special interest magazines, fashion magazines are significantly more costly to advertise in, while they reach the same income segments as travel and business magazines. The implications of these findings on advertising research and practices are discussed.

An Assessment of Methodological Development in Cross-Cultural Advertising Research: A Twenty-Year Review

Abstract The present study reviews the methodologies used in cross-cultural advertising studies. We examine published cross-cultural advertising studies in eighteen journals between 1980 and 1999 in terms of topic studied, countries/cultures selected, research design, data equivalence and reliability check, as well as analytical techniques used. Results show that although significant methodological improvements have been made in cross-cultural advertising studies over the past two decades, recent studies are still suffering from a number of methodological limitations, such as the lack of theoretical guidelines in selecting culture/country, non-representativeness in sampling, and problems in establishing construct and metric equivalence. Recommendations are suggested to advance the quality of cross-cultural advertising studies.

Language and Its Effects on Advertising Modality: The Case of Chinese and English

Abstract This study examines how visual and musical stimuli contribute to perceived trendiness of the commercial across native Chinese- and English-speakers. Research results indicate that, though visual stimuli have stronger effects on both Chinese- and English-speakers, visual stimuli have stronger effects on Chinese-speakers than English-speakers. These findings are consistent with suggested differences between the Chinese and English language that could have affected the processing orientation of native speakers. The implications of the results are discussed.

Do Social Institutions Matter to Markets in Transition? Investigating Consumer Sentiment in China

This study assesses the impacts of the social institutions of a transitional economy on its market by examining how China’s political, economic and cultural institutions influence consumers’ sentiment and their purchase planning behaviors. We propose and empirically validate a four‐factor model of consumer sentiment that captures the impacts of these powerful social institutions. The validity of the model was supported with data from a multi‐level stratified survey that involved 9 cities and 3,960 consumers across a number of product categories. Our findings confirm the salience of social institutions in affecting consumers’ sentiment as well as their consumption behaviors in China.