Tina M. Lowrey

Buyer Characteristics of the Green Consumer and Their Implications for Advertising Strategy

Abstract The authors construct a psychographic profile of the green consumer in terms of variables directly related to purchase behavior, such as price consciousness and general care in shopping, interest in new products, and brand loyalty. Additionally, they address attitudes toward advertising and media preferences. Data from 3264 respondents to the DDB Needham Life Style Study were analyzed. The results show the green consumer to be an opinion leader and a careful shopper who seeks information on products, including information from advertising, but also suggest that the green consumer is rather skeptical of advertising. The implications are that green consumers may be receptive to green marketing and advertising, but marketers should take care not to alienate them by using ambiguous or misleading messages.

Toward an understanding of consumer ambivalence

A case study of wedding planning is used to explore the concept of consumer ambivalence. Focus groups, in-depth interviews, and shopping trips were employed to generate text. A formal definition of consumer ambivalence is provided. Our analysis revealed four antecedents of consumer ambivalence: expectation versus reality, overload, role conflict with purchase influences, and custom and value conflict. These antecedents were then linked to particular coping strategies that informants employed to manage the ambivalence that was generated. Suggestions of how future research might explore consumer ambivalence are offered. Copyright 1997 by the University of Chicago.

The Relation Between Brand-name Linguistic Characteristics and Brand-name Memory

Copytesting results from a commercial copytesting firm were used to assessthe relation between the presence of linguistic features in brand names and memory for those names. Brand names in the ads being tested (n = 480) were coded on 23 linguistic properties, of which 11 occurred with sufficient frequency to be retained for analysis. Regression analyses tested for the association between linguistic properties of the brand names and brand-name memory as a function ofbrand-name familiarity,controlling forexecutionalvariables.Resultsrevealed thatthree linguistic variableswerepositively related to brand-name memory (semantic appositeness, paranomasia, initial plosives), but only for less familiar brands. Two linguistic variablesshowed main effectsfor brand-name memory: unusual spelling (positive) and blending (negative). However, the effects for unusual spelling and blending were also qualified by the same interaction with familiarity: The effects were stronger for less familiar brands than they were for more familiar brands. These results are interpreted within Craik and Lockharts (1972) depth of processing framework and implications for the naming of brands are discussed.

Shopping with consumers usage as past, present and future research technique

Abstract Shopping with consumers, a method that has yielded useful data in the past, is demonstrated as a method that can efficiently and effectively generate naturalistic text. We review how shopping with consumers has been utilized within retailing research, compare this method with other techniques applicable to the study of consumer shopping behavior, and provide a detailed description of how we have used the method in our own research. Recommendations for future use of the method are offered for both managers and researchers.

The Development of Consumer‐Based Consumption Constellations in Children

Three studies using multiple methodologies investigated the development of consumer-based consumption constellations in children, finding an increasing linear age trend in the number of products and brands children use to form constellations, the degree to which these elements display symbolic complementarity, and the accessibility of constellations in memory. However, by early adolescence, as stereotypes become stronger, constellations become smaller and less flexible. Although seventh graders use more products and brands to form constellations than younger children, they do so in place of other ways to define roles, such as personality traits, therefore forming constellations with fewer elements overall. By late adolescence, individuals develop more flexible constellations with a greater number of elements. (c) 2009 by JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH, Inc..

Shopping with consumers: reflections and innovations

Purpose – This paper reflects on the protocol suggested for using shopping with consumers (SWC) as a means for gathering high‐quality, naturalistic text in the field.Design/methodology/approach – The original SWC method combined accompanying consumers in the field as they shopped with in‐depth interviews.Findings – This paper reflects on how SWC has been used in past research, including new and innovative applications of the method to a variety of research phenomena.Research limitations/implications – The primary limitation of the approach is the amount of time required to implement SWC thoroughly.Practical implications – SWC has the advantages of a multi‐method research design. In addition, SWC hastens trust and rapport with informants, potentially yielding richer data.Originality/value – This paper is unique in terms of reflections on how a variety of scholars have used SWC to investigate phenomena of interest beyond that investigated in our original data collection. In addition, we offer suggestions fo...

The Relation Between Script Complexity and Commercial Memorability

The relation between script complexity and commercial memorability was assessed using scripts and field data from a copytesting firm. The scripts were coded using the Flesch Reading Ease Formula. In Study 1 (field study), regression analyses revealed that complexity contributes independently (negatively) to advertising recall and recognition (controlling for executional variables). In Study 2, a laboratory experiment replicated the main effects of complexity on recall and recognition, but also showed that product category involvement moderated this effect. Complexity adversely affected a variety of memory measures, but only for those who were less involved with the product category. These findings provide further evidence that psycholinguistic factors should be taken into consideration when developing effective advertising.

Applying Social and Traditional Marketing Principles to the Reduction of Household Waste Turning Research Into Action

This article provides an overview of past research on household waste management, particularly research that pertains to recycling and to green buying. The authors discuss social marketing principles and make suggestions as to how past research might be applied toward increasing recycling behavior in communities. They also discuss traditional marketing strategy and tactics in the context of selling products based on pro-environmental positionings or attributes, and make suggestions of how past research on green buying can be applied to encourage green buying practices.

Response Latency Verification of Consumption Constellations: Implications for Advertising Strategy

Abstract Consumers are assumed to organize information about lifestyle groups much like they organize other category knowledge, in that features of the object are used by the consumer to assign it to a category. Knowledge about the complementary consumption choices—consumption constellations—associated with different lifestyles is hypothesized to be organized in associative networks. A consumption constellation is a hypothetical construct used to describe the cognitive organization of cross-category product information. This study examines several processing alternatives pertaining to consumption constellations using response latency methodology. Participants were asked to respond to stimuli (products) representative of either an aspirational or an avoidance group consumption constellation. Results suggest that, at least for products defining an aspirational lifestyle, consumption constellations exist as constructs in memory. The findings support the value of adapting cognitive processing methodologies to understand better how consumers perceive the symbolic meanings of products. The article concludes with a call for additional research and a discussion of the ramifications for advertising strategy.

Phonetic symbolism and children's brand name preferences

Purpose – Children are bombarded by branded communication every day. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role that particular linguistic devices play in communication, and whether this process differs between children and adults. One such device is phonetic symbolism, which has been shown to lead adults to prefer brand names whose phonetic attributes match product and/or brand features.Design/methodology/approach – Three experiments were undertaken to examine childrens (six to 12 years of age) preference for phonetically manipulated brand names. Experiment 1 replicates findings in previous research showing that preference for a particular brand name within a single product category is dependent on how the brand is described. Experiment 2 extends this research across product categories that are expected to lead to differential brand name preference (based on product features). Finally, experiment 3 investigates the interaction between pure phonetic symbolism and semantic information.Findings –...