Tripat Gill

Applications of Evolutionary Psychology in Marketing

Evolutionary psychology is an emerging paradigm in psychological science. The current article introduces this framework to marketing scholars and presents evidence for its increasing acceptance within the social science community. As a result, a case is made for the application of evolutionary psychology to marketing, and especially consumer behavior. Application of the evolutionary framework in studying gender-related consumption behavior is illustrated by comparing the evolutionary predictions with results obtained from previous studies, by supporting these predictions with market-level consumption data, and by proposing new hypotheses based on this framework. Also discussed are the potential applications of evolutionary psychology to other consumption-related phenomena like evaluation of endorser attractiveness in advertising, biologically driven consumption choices among women, consumer-experienced emotions in service encounters, and consumption choices as inclusive fitness maximization rather than utility maximization. 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Convergent Products: What Functionalities Add More Value to the Base?

Convergence in the electronics sector has enabled the addition of disparate new functionalities to existing base products (e.g., adding mobile television to a cell phone or Internet access to a personal digital assistant). This research investigates the role of two factors—(1) the goal congruence between the added functionality and the base and (2) the nature of the base product (utilitarian versus hedonic)—on the evaluation of such convergent products (CPs). The author proposes that the evaluation of CPs with a utilitarian versus hedonic base is subject to an asymmetric additivity effect. Specifically, whereas CPs with a utilitarian base gain more from adding an incongruent, hedonic functionality than a congruent, utilitarian one, CPs with a hedonic base gain less from an incongruent, utilitarian addition than a congruent, hedonic one. This asymmetry is because hedonic additions enhance the pleasure of using a utilitarian base, whereas utilitarian additions may dilute the existing hedonic image of a hedonic base. The moderating role of prior ownership of the base of a CP is also explored. The author proposes that the effects of goal congruence are stronger for owners than for nonowners, but only for CPs with a hedonic base, not for those with a utilitarian base. The author verifies the proposed effects in an experimental study conducted with a large-scale, representative sample of the target market population. Further research on other (moderating) factors affecting the evaluation of CPs is also suggested.

What is a Leather Iron or a Bird Phone? Using Conceptual Combinations to Generate and Understand New Product Concepts

This article introduces the framework of conceptual combinations, which underlies the creative ability to combine existing concepts to create new ones. Using this framework, two creative processes are identified, namely, (a) property mapping (PM), which entails combining concepts by transferring a property from one concept to another (e.g., shape in the case of notebook computers); and (b) relation linking (RL), which entails linking the two combining concepts by a thematic relation (e.g., the “locative” relation in desktop computers). The effect of these processes on the comprehension of new product concepts is investigated in two experimental studies. In Study 1 it is shown that novel products created by RL are easier to interpret than the ones created by PM. In Study 2 it is found that new products combining concepts from different super-ordinate categories are more likely interpreted by RL, and are easier to comprehend than the ones from the same super-ordinate category, which use PM. The theoretical and managerial implications of using conceptual combinations in the context of new product ideation are discussed.

The effects of a recipient's gender in a modified dictator game

In the two-person dictator game, player A (allocator) chooses how to split a given sum of money with player B (recipient). Player B has no power in terms of either accepting or rejecting payer As offer. This paper investigates the gender dynamics within the four possible dyads in a modified Dictator game. Both men and women gave more money to women. In other words, contrary to other studies that have investigated dictator game behaviour, the current study finds a main effect for the recipients gender (rather than for the allocators gender).

Core Versus Peripheral Innovations: The Effect of Innovation Locus on Consumer Adoption of New Products

In four experimental studies, the authors investigate the effect of innovation locus—whether the innovation is integrated with the base product (the core locus) or offered as a detachable accessory (the peripheral locus)—on consumers’ adoption intentions. The findings show that offering a really new innovation (RNI) as a detachable peripheral component leads to higher adoption intentions than integrating the same innovation into the core. Innovation locus, however, does not have an effect on incrementally new innovations. The positive effect of peripheral locus (relative to core locus) for RNIs occurs through four mechanisms: (1) reduced schema incongruity, (2) lower risk perceptions, (3) increased benefit understanding, and (4) greater perceived usage flexibility associated with the new product. The authors demonstrate these effects by using stimuli from four product categories and including both attitudinal and behavioral measures of innovation adoption. The findings have implications for product design strategies for RNIs.

Ethnic stereotyping in service provision: When do stereotypes affect the performance expectations and evaluation of ethnic service providers?

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the expectations and evaluations of services provided by members of an ethnic minority using the lens of ethnic stereotypes. The authors also examine how ethnic service providers (ESPs) are evaluated by customers from the majority group vs the same ethnic group as the provider. Design/methodology/approach In Study 1, the authors measure the stereotypes about skills, abilities, and typical professions associated with different ethnic groups (i.e. Chinese, South Asians and white). The authors then measure the effect of these stereotypes on the performance expectations from ESPs in different professional services. In Study 2, the authors manipulate the service domain (stereotypical vs counter-stereotypical) and the level of service performance (good: above average performance vs mediocre: below average) of a Chinese ESP, and subsequently measure the evaluation of the ESP by the same ethnic group (Chinese) vs majority group (white) participants. Findings Performance expectations from ESPs closely match the stereotypes associated with the ethnic group. But the performance of an ESP (especially mediocre-level service) is evaluated differently by the same ethnic group vs majority group customers, depending upon the domain of service. A Chinese ESP providing mediocre service in a stereotypical domain (martial arts instructor) is evaluated more critically by same ethnic group (Chinese) participants as compared to white participants. In contrast, a Chinese ESP providing mediocre service in a counter-stereotypical domain (fitness instructor) is evaluated more favourably by same ethnic group (Chinese) participants as compared to white participants. There is no such difference when performance is good. Research limitations/implications It is a common practice to employ ESPs to serve same ethnic group customers. While this strategy can be effective in a counter-stereotypical domain even if the ESP provides mediocre service, the findings suggest that this strategy can backfire when the performance is mediocre in a stereotypical service domain. Practical implications The results demonstrate the need for emphasizing outcome (vis-a-vis interaction) quality where ESPs are employed to serve same ethnic group customers in a stereotypical service setting. However, when an ESP is offering a counter-stereotypical service, the emphasis needs to be more on the interpersonal processes (vis-a-vis outcome). Firms can gain by taking this into account in their hiring and training practices. Originality/value Prior research has primarily used cultural distance to examine inter-cultural service encounters. The authors show that ethnic stereotypes pertaining to the skills and abilities of an ESP can affect evaluations beyond the role of cultural distance alone.

How rumors and preannouncements foster curiosity toward products

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on the potentially positive role of rumors in generating curiosity about new products, and further shows how this prior knowledge through rumors affects consumer responses to subsequent official preannouncements about these products. Design/methodology/approach Building on the seminal work by Rogers (2003) on the innovation-adoption process, the authors examine how two factors – product newness (incremental vs radical) and rumor ambiguity (ambiguous vs unambiguous) shape consumer interest (curiosity) toward new products. Findings Study 1 experimentally tests the assumption that incremental and radical new products may benefit from different types of rumors, and shows that radical new products benefit more from ambiguous rumors as compared to incremental new products in terms of increased curiosity toward the product. Study 2 links rumors to preannouncements, and shows that rumors set expectations that become confirmed or disconfirmed by preannouncements. The results show that the curiosity evoked by the rumor has a significant impact on purchase intentions toward the new product, especially when they are confirmed by the preannouncements about the same product. Originality/value There is scant research investigating how rumors may shape consumer expectations about new products despite the prevalence of rumors in the marketplace, and this research provides a first outlook on the positive role that rumors play in the marketplace.

Feature fit: The role of congruence and complementarity when adding versus deleting features from products

Purpose Previous research in the context of feature fit has examined the effects of congruence (i.e. more specifically, the extent to which a new feature and the product are similar in the hedonic-utilitarian benefits they provide to consumers). The purpose of this paper is to examine a second dimension of feature fit: complementarity (i.e. the extent to which a new feature is related and contributing to the main functionality of the product). Design/methodology/approach The role of feature fit is examined in two experimental studies (n=593) in the context of feature additions, and also for feature deletions. Findings The results showed that complementarity adds value to a product as an additional dimension of feature fit beyond congruence, complementarity matters more for a hedonic than for a utilitarian product, and complementarity can compensate for lack of congruence. Originality/value For a product developer, adding new features to a product offers an array of choices in terms of what feature(s) to include. Although having a large pool of potential features to choose from is attractive it can also prove problematic, as products may become overly complex and features do not fit well together. The results demonstrate the importance of both congruence and complementarity as predictors of feature fit when features are added to or deleted from products.