Mariko Morimoto

Effects of media formats on emotions and impulse buying intent

One way of generating revenue from broadband media content rests upon the assumption that multi-media content may trigger a greater intent to buy products and services impulsively. An experiment was performed in order to explore the effects of media formats on the emotions and impulse buying intentions for music compact discs (CDs). Three distinct media formats of World Wide Web pages were set up: (1) the text of the lyrics, (2) still images from the songs music video and (3) the music video itself. Each had a varying degree of visual/verbal intensity while simultaneously playing the soundtrack in all three conditions. The results of this study indicate that displaying the text of the lyrics had a greater effect on the impulse buying intent than showing still images of the music video. In addition, different media formats caused emotional responses that can explain the participants impulse buying intent to buy the CD. Unexpectedly, the still images and video did not necessarily generate more buying intention than combinations of the text and music. Therefore, it is recommended that electronic commerce and marketing managers explore innovative ways of integrating visual and verbal media formats for eliciting an effective consumer response.

Stay away from me

This study attempts to identify the potential determinants of advertising avoidance in the context of personalized advertising media, including unsolicited commercial e-mail, postal direct mail, telemarketing, and text messaging. Using a self-administered survey (n = 442), the proposed model is tested with structural equation modeling analysis. The findings indicate that while ad skepticism partially mediates the relationship between ad avoidance and its three determinants (perceived personalization, privacy concerns, and ad irritation), both privacy concerns and ad irritation have a direct positive effect on ad avoidance. However, increased perceived personalization leads directly to decreased ad avoidance.

Consumers’ Attitudes Toward Unsolicited Commercial E-mail and Postal Direct Mail Marketing Methods

ABSTRACT Using Psychological Reactance as the framework, this study sought to understand consumer attitudes towards two major direct marketing techniques: unsolicited commercial e-mail and postal direct mail. In particular, audience perceptions of advertising intrusiveness, perceived loss of control (as conceptualized by Psychological Reactance), and irritation regarding the direct marketing techniques were investigated. The results of this survey study (N=119) indicated that recipients perceived unsolicited e-mails as more intrusive and irritating than postal direct mail. This study contributed to the theory of Psychological Reactance by indicating that recipients did not feel a loss of control regarding spam, thus Psychological Reactance was not fully supported in the context of these marketing communication techniques. Suggestions for direct marketing practitioners conclude the paper.

Psychological Factors Affecting Perceptions of Unsolicited Commercial E-mail

Abstract Using the online survey method, this study investigates how consumers regard unsolicited commercial e-mail (spam) and their possible responses. Specifically, the study closely examines the relationships among five key indicators: (a) perceived intrusiveness, (b) perceived irritation, (c) attitudes toward the advertising medium, (d) ad skepticism, and (e) ad avoidance. Also examined is the process of attitude formation concerning unsolicited commercial e-mail. The results indicate that while perceived intrusiveness increases the likelihood of avoiding unsolicited commercial e-mail, perceived irritation tends to raise the degree of ad skepticism.

The Influence of Acculturation and In-Group Bias on Source Credibility: The Case of Asian American Female Consumers

While research on cultural variables influencing source credibility has been called for by scholars, very few studies have made attempts thus far. In this study, an experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of acculturation and in-group bias on Asian Americans’ perceived source credibility and advertising effectiveness. The results indicate that while acculturation had some effects on the subcomponents of credibility, in-group bias did not have an effect on credibility and Asian Americans’ advertising responses.

The Impact of Life-Stage on Asian American Females' Ethnic Media Use, Ethnic Identification, and Attitudes Toward Ads

Significant buying power positions Asian Americans as an attractive market for advertisers. However, little is known about this group with respect to advertising responses and even less with respect to in-group differences. In this exploratory study, life-stage is identified as one of the potential factors that may differentially influence important advertising relevant variables for student and working Asian American females. The results of an experiment indicate differences between the two groups in terms of their ethnic media use, ethnic identification, and advertising evaluations.

Electronic Marketing Communications: An Evolving Environment, but Similar Story Regarding the Perception of Unsolicited Commercial E-Mail and Postal Direct Mail

The internet is still a relatively new mass communication tool for advertisers and marketers. When weighing the potential benefits of electronic techniques against the financial investment, spam seems particularly attractive to marketers for either for-profit or non-profit objectives. Since it is unlikely that marketers will decrease their efforts related to spam and postal direct mail as a form of communicating to mass consumers, it is important to track consumer attitudes so that audiences are not subjected to the backlash predicted by psychological reactance. The results of this study found that spam is more irritating than postal direct mail at both T1 (2004) and T2 (2006), and participants in T2 found both direct marketing communication methods more intrusive than those in T1.

Television, Japan, and Globalization

This book investigates Japanese television both broadly and deeply. It is a noteworthy endeavor, as previous works on Japanese television either focused on single areas (e.g., anime, cinema, drama, etc.), or remained descriptive. Approaches to genres that were not previously explored in a rigorous manner, such as ‘‘variety shows’’ and ‘‘nodojiman (amateurs’ concerts),’’ make this book stand out from previous works in this field (pp. 27–71). Examples of such efforts include, but are not limited to, the chapter by Iwabuchi that sheds light on discourses about Japanese television through a lens of ordinary foreigners featured in a variety show, DeBoer’s essay on Fuji TV’s symbolic role in constructing the meaning of Tokyo megalopolis, and Aso’s historical analysis of female anime characters and their evolution over time. Moreover, Gerow makes a compelling argument on telops’ (television opaque projector; similar to subtitles) role in capturing audiences’ attention during programs to deliver them to advertisers. Lukacs’ work regarding the relationship between male TV drama producers and female script writers, clearly illustrates the increasing need of mediation between drama audiences and the content’s provider, as well as the struggle of female scriptwriters in the male-dominant TV field in Japan. The other chapters contribute to the field by approaching the broad topic of Japanese television from a variety of angles and research approaches. All together, the book depicts a comprehensive landscape surrounding Japanese television today. There is some room for improvement and suggestions for future work. The editors initially argue that the book attempts to examine Japanese television in the context of globalization by analyzing the medium beyond the existing framework of the relationship between Japan and the West. Yet, the majority of work in this book