Marla Royne Stafford

Determining Uses and Gratifications for the Internet

Uses and gratifications (U&G) is a media use paradigm from mass communications research that guides the assessment of consumer motivations for media usage and access. It has been used previously in research and decision making related to the promotion of emerging radio and television media. Recent adaptations of U&G research to the Internet are incomplete and have not identified important new Internet-specific gratifications. This paper empirically derives dimensions of consumer Internet use and usage gratifications among customers of a prominent Internet Service Provider (ISP). Results describe three key dimensions related to consumer use of the Internet, including process and content gratifications as previously found in studies of television, as well as an entirely new social gratification that is unique to Internet use. All three dimensions of gratification are relevant to managing the Internet as a commercial medium, and measures developed from the gratification profiles identified here can serve as trait-valid scales in future Internet and e-commerce research.

Retail services advertising: The effects of appeal, medium, and service

Abstract In an exploratory study, two message appeals (rational and emotional) and two media (print and radio) were tested to determine whether certain message or media strategies are more appropriate than others for two broad categories of retail services. For both types of services, a rational appeal generated higher levels of attitude toward the ad than an emotional appeal and radio ads generated higher levels of patronage intention than print ads. In addition, a main effect for service type was found for two of the dependent variables, indicating that more experiential retail services may benefit more, overall, from radio and print advertising than utilitarian offerings.

Demographic discriminators of service quality in the banking industry

Service quality continues to be a significant issue in the banking industry. Because money and other financial services are generally undifferentiated products, banks are continually striving for increased service quality in order to achieve and maintain a competitive edge. Critical to the improvement of service quality is the determination of those service quality characteristics considered important by consumers. Moreover, it is necessary to understand which of those elements of service quality are more important to different groups of customers. Reports a study that identifies distinct elements of bank service quality and ascertains which of those elements are most important to different demographic groups.

A Contingency Approach: The Effects of Spokesperson Type and Service Type on Service Advertising Perceptions

Abstract Recent growth in the U.S. economy has been in the service sectors, and increased understanding of the marketing and advertising of services is critical to sustaining this growth. This paper investigates issues related to the advertising of common retail services. Results from an empirical study into the relative effectiveness of four types of spokespersons for a hedonic and a utilitarian retail service indicate that a created character fits well with the hedonic service but not with the utilitarian service. The celebrity spokesperson performed well for both types of services, but effects varied across service type. The hypothesized contingency relationship between spokesperson type and service type was supported.

An international analysis of emotional and rational appeals in services vs goods advertising

The growth of international business, combined with an increase in the number of service offerings, underscores the importance of understanding effective promotional strategies for services versus goods in international markets. The current study examines advertising appeals for services and goods across four different countries: Brazil, Taiwan, Mexico and the USA. Results of a content analysis indicate that the use of rational and emotional appeals differs across both product type and country. It is suggested that culture plays a role in the use of the appeals and that the product type × country interaction is strongly reflected in Taiwanese and US advertising.

Tangibility in Services Advertising: An Investigation of Verbal versus Visual Cues

Abstract As the service sector of the U.S. economy continues to grow dramatically, so does the need for increased attention to advertising strategies for the service sector. The author examines print advertising strategy for services by testing whether the presence of a visual tangible cue (a physical representation) and the use of verbal tangible cues (informational cues related to tangible dimensions of the service) influence the effectiveness of the advertisement. Results indicate that for a hotel (a service high in experience qualities), verbal tangible cues are related to more positive attitudes toward the ad and service, higher patronage intentions and higher levels of recall. For an auto service (high in credence qualities), verbal tangible cues are related positively to attitude toward the ad, attitude toward the service, and recall, but not patronage intention. The presence of the physical representation did not affect any of the four dependent variables.

Identifying Motivations for the Use of Commercial Web Sites

The uses and gratifications theoretical framework has continued to prove useful in the study of new and emerging media. In previous research on television as a medium, motivations for media use have been grouped into either process gratifications motivations associated with using the medium, like channel surfing or content gratifications motivations related to information or entertainment delivered by the medium, like watching the evening news for information. This study applies the uses and gratifications perspective to better understand the factors motivating commercial Web site use, and identifies a new media use gratification unique to the Internet: socialization using the medium to communicate with people. Through the cooperation of two major on-line companies, this research reports the results of a two-part study that begins with the identification of 179 motivations for Web use and subsequently reduces those to five primary underlying factors. These factors are discussed and related to three key indicators: frequency of Web use, frequency of computer use, and affinity with the computer. Implications for new social gratifications for Internet use are discussed, and directions for future research are proposed.

Determinants of service quality and satisfaction in the auto casualty claims process

The insurance industry has placed increased emphasis on service quality and customer satisfaction as companies seek to compete with generally undifferentiated products. This attention to customer service dictates that insurers understand exactly what elements individuals use to assess their providers’ performance. This study examines the most significant dimensions of service quality and customer satisfaction across four large companies in the auto casualty industry, using the familiar SERVQUAL instrument. Results indicate that reliability is consistently the most important determinant of both perceived service quality and feelings of satisfaction among customers engaged in auto insurance claims. Implications for auto insurance providers are discussed.

Age-related cues in retail services advertising: Their effects on younger consumers

Abstract Although the mature market will become increasingly attractive to retailers, targeting older consumers could have adverse effects on attempts to also appeal to younger consumers. The current study explored potential problems retail service firms face in using older-age cues in their advertising. Results indicated that patronage intentions of younger persons for a less conspicuous service were not affected by either the use of older models or mention of a senior citizen discount. In contrast, patronage intentions of younger persons for a more conspicuous service were negatively influenced by advertisements containing older models when subjects would be accompanied by same-age friends.

Opportunities for Involvement Research: A Scale Development Approach

Abstract The authors identify, classify, and compare several involvement measures used in studies reported in the Journal of Advertising and related publications, and identify opportunities for future involvement research. Most published scales pertain to enduring product involvement. Few studies have addressed enduring involvement with a service or situational involvement with either a product or a service. Most of the involvement research in advertising has investigated the effects of situational involvement on other variables. Despite the considerable theoretical work related to the involvement concept, knowledge remains incomplete. Additional scale development is advocated as a means for increasing the knowledge base.