Renaud Lunardo

In-store arousal and consumers’ inferences of manipulative intent in the store environment

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to show how consumers’ inferences of manipulative intent mediate the effects of in-store arousal on pleasure and approach behavior. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative study identifies arousal as a dimension of the store environment that may lead to inferences of manipulative intent. An experiment manipulating arousal tests the mediating effect of inferences of manipulative intent on the relationship of arousal with pleasure and approach behavior. Findings – A qualitative study and the results of an experiment suggest that arousing store environments lead to negative outcomes when consumers infer that such environments are manipulative. The experimental study results show that high in-store arousal increases inferences of manipulative intent, which in turn negatively affect pleasure and approach behaviors. The results also indicate that the effects of in-store arousal on inferences of manipulative intent vary with age. Practical implications – The study res...

A Perceived-Control Based Model to Understanding the Effects of Co-Production on Satisfaction

Abstract This article represents an initial effort to analyze the complex linkages among co-production, perceived control and satisfaction. Co-production refers to the consumer participation in production activities and is here considered a proxy for behavioral control as it allows consumers to have some control over the process of the desired product or service. Considering the increase of co-production in consumption activities, understanding the linkage between the control from the co-production process and the satisfaction toward the related consumption may be quite useful to firms interested in adopting such a managerial tool. Two experimental studies – one in a service setting and the other in a product setting – show that co-production positively affects customer’s satisfaction through the mediating effect of perceived control. Information gain and refund choice, representing cognitive and decisional controls respectively, also enhance customers’ perceived control.

Celebrities as human brands: an investigation of the effects of personality and time on celebrities’ appeal

Abstract This article considers celebrities as brands and relies on the brand personality literature to investigate how celebrities’ personality impacts their appeal. Celebrities’ appeal is analysed across different cultural fields (TV, music, sport and cinema) and over time. Using data gathered by Epoll Market Research about the perception of more than 3000 celebrities among the US population, our results show that apart from rudeness, all dimensions of personality have a positive impact on appeal. Interestingly, our results show that the impact of personality dimensions varies across cultural fields. Finally, we provide a dynamic analysis of the evolution of appeal over time, which also exhibits different patterns (declining, inverted U-shape) across cultural fields.

Congruency between colour and shape of the front labels of wine: effects on fluency and aroma and quality perceptions

For small wineries that often underestimate the need for applying contemporary marketing concepts to increase sales, some extrinsic cues exist that: 1) influence consumers during their evaluation of wine; 2) are easy and not expensive to control. The colour and the shape of the front labels of wine bottles represent such cues. In this research, we rely on psychological literature on visual perception to propose a model whereby colour and shape interact to affect consumer experience of fluency and perceptions of aroma and wine quality. Then an experiment manipulating colour and shape of a front label is presented. The results support our model. Overall, they indicate that colour and shape that are congruent lead to higher fluency and greater aroma perceptions and perceived quality. A discussion of managerial implications is then presented.

How guilt affects consumption intention: the role of rumination, emotional support and shame

Purpose – This paper aims to determine how consumers may regulate their guilt through rumination and emotional support and how such regulation affects their consumption. Compelling research indicates that consumption may sometimes induce guilt. Social–psychological literature suggests that a potential way for consumers to regulate their consumption-related guilt is to seek emotional support. Design/methodology/approach – Two studies, which measure (Study 1) and manipulate (Study 2) guilt, investigate how guilt and rumination affect emotional support and subsequent consumption. Findings – The results show that guilt and rumination interact and prompt individuals to seek emotional support. The valence (positive or negative) of feedback they receive affects and interacts with their guilt to affect their intention to consume the guilt-inducing product again. Shame is shown to mediate the effect of post-feedback guilt on consumption intentions. Research limitations/implications – The results extend previous re...

L’usage de l’humour par les vendeurs et son impact sur la performance : le rôle de la phase d’exploration et du type d’humour

L’efficacité de l’usage de l’humour par les vendeurs dans le but de créer une relation de confiance et d’être performant reste à ce jour inconnue. Plus précisément, la question de si – et quand – les vendeurs auraient un intérêt à utiliser l’humour reste à investiguer. Pour répondre à cette question, cette recherche se fonde sur les quatre phases qui caractérisent les relations de long terme entre les vendeurs et acheteurs (exploration, renforcement, maturité, déclin) pour proposer que l’humour pourrait se révéler inefficace s’il est utilisé durant la phase d’exploration. Deux études menées auprès d’acheteurs (n=322) révèlent que bien que l’humour constructif ait généralement des effets positifs sur la performance des vendeurs à travers le rôle médiateur de la confiance, un tel effet n’est pas observé durant la phase d’exploration. L’autre type d’humour – à savoir l’humour offensif – a un effet négatif quelle que soit la phase durant laquelle il est utilisé. Dans l’ensemble, ces résultats indiquent donc que les vendeurs pourraient trouver un avantage à utiliser l’humour, seulement si celui-ci n’est pas utilisé durant la phase d’exploration, cette phase étant la seule durant laquelle l’humour à un effet négatif sur la confiance de l’acheteur et sur la performance commerciale du vendeur. De plus, ces résultats indiquent que l’humour offensant devrait être évité durant chacune des différentes phases de la relation.

Humor usage by sellers and sales performance: The roles of the exploration relationship phase and types of humor:

For sellers, the efficacy of humor to create trusty relationships and achieve performance with buyers remains unknown. Specifically, the question of if – and when – sellers should use humor still deserves examination. To answer this question, this research builds on the four phases that characterize long-term relationships (exploration, buildup, maturity, and decline) to argue that humor might be inefficient when used in the exploration phase. Two studies conducted among buyers (n = 322) then reveal that although constructive humor has overall positive effects on the performance of the sellers through a mediating effect of trust, this effect is not observed during the exploration phase. The other type of humor – offensive humor – has a negative effect regardless of the phase in which it is used. Taken together, these results first indicate that sellers may gain from using humor only if the relationship with their buyers is not at the exploration phase since this particular phase is the only one when a negative effect of humor on trust and subsequent performance is observed. Furthermore, these results indicate that offensive should be avoided in all the relationship phases.

The effects of humor usage by salespersons: the roles of humor type and business sector

While humor is known to help relational outcomes, its usefulness for sellers to build strong relationships with their business partners and achieve performance remain unknown. Specifically, humor styles (constructive versus offensive) and business sectors (service-based versus other) may play an important role. To fill this gap in extant marketing literature, this study aims to test the effects of humor styles among salespersons of different business sectors on relationship quality and business performance.,This research paper derives hypotheses from prior studies referring to humor effects in psychology and management, business-to-business and relationship marketing literature. The hypotheses are tested using a sample of 175 salespersons operating across different business sectors.,While constructive humor is shown to have positive effects on relationship quality and business performance regardless of business sectors, a different pattern is found for offensive humor. Specifically, the results show that business sector moderates the effects of this type of humor, which has negative effects on relationship quality and business performance, but only when used by salespersons in non-service-based business sectors.,The limitations of the research concern the cultural context. The lack of responses from salespersons from different countries may be considered as a direction for future studies exploring connections between humor usage and culture in business-to-business marketing.,This study brings strategic insights into how to use humor in a business-to-business context.,To the best of the author’s knowledge, no previous study has thus far examined the proposed set of inter-related research constructs.

Do Ads that Tell a Story Always Perform Better? An Anthropomorphism-Based Response: An Abstract

To understand the relative efficiency of storytelling versus factual advertising, this research builds on the notion that stories are made up of characters through which people vicariously experience the story (Escalas & Stern, 2003) and examines the roles of character identification and anthropomorphism in the effects of storytelling ads.

When (Not) to Use Humor in a B-to-B Relationship: The Role of the Exploration Relationship Phase in the Effects of Humor on Business Performance: An Abstract

How salespeople communicate with their business partners helps to build strong relationships (Boorom et al., 1998). A communication trait that salespeople can use is humor or “any event shared by an agent with another individual that is intended to be amusing to the target and that the target perceives as an intentional act” (Cooper, 2008, p. 1090). In the context of business-to-business relationships, humor makes easier obtaining the other agent’s attention, developing rapport and group solidarity, reducing anxiety and hostility, softening the meeting of objections, or distracting the other agent from the objection (Wagle, 1985). It is thus the overall quality of the relationship between two agents that might be positively affected by the use of humor.