Nancy Spears

Measuring Attitude toward the Brand and Purchase Intentions

Abstract Attitude toward the brand (Ab) and purchase intentions (PI) are two pivotal and popular constructs that have been routinely used by advertising scholars and practitioners. Despite their popularity, standard scales, with known psychometric properties, for measuring Ab and PI are not available. Furthermore, these two constructs might not be empirically distinguishable. On the basis of scales reported in prior studies, the authors develop measures of Ab and PI and assess their psychometric validity within a well-established, attitude toward the ad (Aad) theoretical framework. Implications of their findings are discussed.

Time Pressure and Information in Sales Promotion Strategy: Conceptual Framework and Content Analysis

Abstract The purpose of this study is to investigate differences in time pressure and information between two broad classes of promotional offers: (1) “advanced receipts” in which consumers are encouraged to expedite the purchase of a good or service to take advantage of coupons, rebates, price-offs, premiums, etc.; and (2) “delayed payments,” in which consumers are urged to “buy now and pay later.” A content analysis of 222 promotional offers was conducted using the time and outcome valuation model as a theoretical basis for understanding the role of time pressure in terms of time allowed before the offer expiration as well as copy and information in these different types of promotional offers. The findings indicate that delayed payment offers allow less time to participate than advanced receipt offers, have more time pressure copy for those promotional offers giving a deadline and provide more information.

The effects of obtaining one's preferred service brand on consumer satisfaction and brand loyalty

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to focus on the feeling associated with being rejected by the preferred service brand, and its effect on consumer assessment of the alternate brand.Design/methodology/approach – The data were collected using a self‐administered questionnaire in the context of higher education services targeted at the international market.Findings – Consumers who do manage to get their preferred service brand tend to be more satisfied with the features of the obtained brand and exhibit higher levels of brand loyalty towards that brand. In comparison, consumers who end up with a service brand that is not their first choice seem to have lower levels of satisfaction with and loyalty towards the obtained brand.Research limitations/implications – A key limitation of this study is the sampling frame. Future studies should replicate this study in different service and product contexts and with different target population. In addition, the disconfirmation of expectations or desires within the...

On the Use of Time Expressions in Promoting Product Benefits--The Metaphoric and the Literal

The purpose of this study is to investigate how the theme of time is used to advertise product benefits by providing a framework that integrates literal expression and relational/nominative, dead/alive metaphors. The model proposes that the linguistic field is composed of metaphoric and literal words that express wider or narrower ranges of inferences and implications. These words are linked to product benefits with differing ranges of implications and then communicated to consumers. A content analysis of 382 print ads tests the model by examining (1) metaphoric versus literal time expressions in conveying functional versus psychosocial benefits and (2) dead versus alive and relational versus nominative time metaphors in conveying functional versus psychosocial benefits. The findings suggest that advertisers use proportionately more psychosocial than functional benefits with metaphoric time expressions, whereas proportionately more functional benefits are likely to be associated with literal expressions. Proportionately more psychosocial rather than functional benefits are associated with relational/alive metaphors, and more functional than psychosocial benefits are associated with nominative/dead metaphors. Finally, guidelines are offered for the use of time metaphors in conveying product benefits.

Are Celebrity-Heroes Effective Endorsers? Exploring the Link between Hero, Celebrity, and Advertising Response

In an exploratory approach, the study examines the relationship between hero and celebrity by reviewing key dimensions of the celebrity/hero debate: shallowness, flawed celebrity/hero, and narrowness of appeal. The cumulative findings of two studies suggest that attitudes toward celebrities in ads are most strongly influenced by attitude toward advertising in general and least by flawed celebrity/hero. The findings also indicate that the more shallow celebrities are perceived to be and the more narrow their appeal, the more negative the attitude. The research findings provide guidance for marketing practitioners as they develop endorsement strategies.

Generating a Visceral Response

The research applies the theory of visceral influences to investigate the effects of visceral cues in a weight loss advertising context. Three visceral cues are addressed: proximity of reward, visual prime, and vividness of reward. Predictions are derived and three experiments are designed to examine the effects of visceral cues in weight loss advertisements. Results indicate that visceral cues are associated with greater buying impulse, attitudes toward the product, attitudes toward the advertisement, and purchase intentions. A high level of involvement with body weight is shown to increase respondent susceptibility to the visceral cues. Implications for theory and research in advertising are discussed.

Hope and Fear in an Advertisement Context: Understanding How Hope Undoes Fear

The study investigates the oppositional prospect-based emotions of fear and hope in an advertisement context. The broaden-and-build theory of emotions provides a framework for establishing a theoretical link between fear and hope. The findings suggest that: (1) Fear narrows and hope broadens the thought–action repertoire; (2) age moderates the impact of a prospect-based measure of hope on behavioral change intentions and ad attitude; (3) three undoing strategies undo fear with hope, including personal action plans, social action plans of good deeds, and reframing in a positive light; and (4) when fear is high, hope is energized through self-focus, and when fear is low, hope is energized through a focus on others.

An Investigation of Match-Up Effects: Influential Sources of Fit and the Generative Role of Imagination

The purpose of the study is to enhance our understanding of sources of visual–product fit by investigating imagination as a process mechanism in a print ad context. Three studies are presented. In the first study, a scale is developed to measure perceptions of fit. The second study applies the perceptions of fit measure to investigate sources of fit. Findings indicate that this influence resides in the overlap of shared visual–product assumptions. The results of the third study suggest that assumptions common to the visual and the product provide the generative ground for imagination. This common ground facilitates the allocation of cognitive resources for imagining product experiences and augmented features beyond those associated with just the visual or the product only.

West African Immigrants’ Perceptions of Advertising in General and Impact on Buying Decisions

ABSTRACT Despite the increasing attention to African immigrants in the United States, and the pivotal role that advertising messages play in the immigrant community, examination of African immigrants’ purchasing behavior and perceptions of advertising have been overlooked by marketing scholars. The purpose of this research is to investigate West African immigrants’ perceptions of advertising in general and its impact on buying decisions. Data analyses extract five perceptual factors toward advertising in general, namely, “advertising is a pleasure and affects perceptions,” “advertising heightens vanity,” “advertising intensifies materialism,” “advertising enhances social role and image,” and “advertising is good for the economy.” With the exception of “advertising heightens vanity,” all the identified factors impact buying decisions. The overall results show that consumers rely on a broad scope of information about the impact of advertisements on standards of living and the economy. This study can be of value to marketing scholars, practitioners, and policy makers interested in the United States African immigrant community.

Advertising and Pseudo-Culture: An Analysis of the Changing Portrayal of Women in Print Advertisements

This study investigates the use of mass media, specifically advertising, in cultural transformation projects to weaken cultures and replace them with a crafted pseudo-culture. We rely on Adorno’s theory of pseudo-culture to examine how political ideologies shape cultural transformation using mass-mediated ad images. Following a content analysis and a semiotic analysis of print advertisements over a period of 48 years, we identify five major themes underlying pseudo-culture formation and the advertising strategies implemented to support these themes. This work also identifies four major tools used in pseudo-culture formation and demonstrates how pseudo-cultures may be formed, promoted, and abolished.