Ulrich R. Orth

Dimensions of wine region equity and their impact on consumer preferences

Purpose – The purpose of the study is to identify dimensions of wine equity in terms of benefits sought by consumers in wine.Design/methodology/approach – This study examines dimensions of wine region equity, measured in terms of benefits sought by consumers in wine. A survey was conducted in several US states to identify drivers of preferences and to determine relationships that may exist between those drivers, preferences for wine from a number of origins, and consumer lifestyles.Findings – The findings suggest that wine region equity originates in six consumer motivational factors. Quality, price, social acceptance, emotional, environmental value, and humane value were found to be strong and significant predictors of consumer preferences for wine from three US states (California, Oregon, Washington) and six countries (Australia, Chile, France, Italy, New Zealand, Spain). Linking those dimensions of region equity to consumer lifestyle, demographic and behavioral variables allows for tailoring marketing ...

Promoting brand benefits: the role of consumer psychographics and lifestyle

Because consumers can vary greatly in their value composition, they may seek a range of different benefits from products and brands and hence will react differently to marketing communications emphasizing selected brand benefits. The present study adapts a scale for measuring benefits that drive consumer preferences for craft beer. As part of this process, five dimensions of utility are identified, such as functional, value for money, social, positive and negative emotional benefit. In order to support decisions on market segmentation and brand positioning, those dimensions of benefit are profiled against consumer brand preferences, lifestyle segments, demographic and behavioral variables. Based on the results, guidelines for communication strategies are offered that address the benefits sought by specific segments more holistically.

Formation of consumer price expectation based on package design: attractive and quality routes

Drawing from dual-process theories, this paper examines how generic design factors influence consumer price expectation with judgments of attractiveness and quality as mediators. In addition, it determines how centrality of visual product aesthetics (CVPA), an individual difference variable that captures a consumers interest and involvement in aesthetics, affects these processes. Results indicate that the influence of natural designs on consumer price expectation is mediated through judgments of quality and attractiveness, harmonious designs exert a direct effect on price expectation and an indirect effect through quality judgments, and elaborate designs exert both direct and indirect effects via quality and via attractiveness. Compared to low-CVPA consumers, high-CVPA individuals base both quality and attractiveness judgments to a greater extent on design, and base their price expectation more strongly on the packages attractiveness. However, high-CVPA individuals do not infer higher quality from attractive packages than do individuals low in CVPA. Implications focus on assisting managers in pricing decisions and on advancing research on design effects.

Understanding the Relationships Between Functional, Symbolic, and Experiential Brand Beliefs, Product Experiential Attributes, and Product Schema: Advertising-Trial Interactions Revisited

This research examines the interaction between advertising claims and personal tasting experience in shaping brand beliefs and subsequent purchase intentions. Product schema is included as a moderating variable of these effects. Branding, advertising-trial interaction, and schema congruity literature are extended by focusing on (1) the uniformity of functional, symbolic, and experiential brand beliefs in effecting evoked beliefs and purchase intentions; (2) differential effects of product schema on these effects; and (3) the endurance of ad-evoked beliefs when additional (experience) information becomes available. Employing a consumer panel, two studies contribute to a deeper understanding of differences and similarities in functional, symbolic, and experiential beliefs. In addition, our understanding of potentially synergistic effects of brand beliefs and experiential attributes is advanced by revealing how brand beliefs can be reinforced (or weakened) through product experiential attributes.

Intrapersonal Variation in Consumer Susceptibility to Normative Influence: Toward a Better Understanding of Brand Choice Decisions

The authors examined intrapersonal variation in consumer susceptibility to normative influence as a key mediator of wine brand choice. On the basis of a consumer sample, the authors found that individual values and social identity complexity affect consumer susceptibility to normative influence with downstream effects on (a) which brand benefits consumers desire in wine and (b) choice. Individuals higher on internal values and with more complex social identities were less susceptible to normative influence and placed less emphasis on social brand benefits. Separate examinations of consumption scenarios with and without salient reference groups showed that reference group salience interacts with personal values and social identity complexity in affecting consumer susceptibility to normative influence, which in turn affects which brand benefits consumers desire and consequently choice.

The global wine business as a research field

Purpose – This paper has the purpose of introducing the inaugural issue of the International Journal of Wine Business Research after the re‐launch from the International Journal of Wine Marketing including rationale, scope, goals, and objectives.Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a rationale for a journal such as IJWBR. It starts by outlining the global wine business as a complex and fruitful field to study, describes some streams of research, and identifies issues for future studies as potential further contributions to this journal.Findings – There is a critical need for an outlet that provides an overview on current issues and topics in the wine business, promotes high quality research on all aspects related to managing wine and related businesses, and is accessible to both academics and the global wine trade.Originality/value – This paper is essential for current and prospective readers of the journal and those who consider submitting to IJWBR.

Cross‐national differences in consumer response to the framing of advertising messages

Purpose – The purpose of this research was to examine how consumers in four Central European countries respond to positively and negatively framed message appeals in advertising.Design/methodology/approach – Emotional, cognitive and attitudinal reactions to four advertisements for food products were collected from matched homogeneous student samples in Croatia, The Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland. In addition to analysis of variance, a comprehensive structural equation model was tested separately for each country.Findings – The findings not only indicate different emotional, cognitive and attitudinal responses across countries, but additionally reveal differences in how positively versus negatively framed advertisements are being processed by consumers.Research limitations/implications – Across countries, the intertwined roles of emotions and cognitions in affecting consumer attitudinal response were generally confirmed, suggesting cross‐cultural robustness of the underlying advertising‐processing fra...

Sustainable Marketing and Social Media

Abstract Increased spending and demand for sustainable advertising necessitates research to understand better how to encourage sustainable thought and behavior effectively, especially in the understudied areas of social media and cross-cultural research. This study, which includes respondents from the United States, Germany, and South Korea (total n = 1,018) who completed an online survey about usage of Facebook and Twitter, examines motives for sustainable behaviors. Kelmans (1958) functional motives, which correspond to the three major philosophies of psychology, were used as the theoretical foundation for this study. For all countries, involvement motives lead to recycling behaviors and green transportation use, but only for the United States and Germany do involvement motives lead to antimaterialistic views and organic food purchase. Collectivist South Korea has the highest level of social media involvement and of sustainable behaviors except in recycling, where Germany leads. Motives are complex, demanding careful analysis from advertisers who plan to deliver green advertisements over social media.

Package Design as a Communications Vehicle in Cross-Cultural Values Shopping

Following a strategic approach, the authors test a universal model across cultural groups. They propose that consumers infer brand values (i.e., internal, external, and fun and enjoyment values) from packages and form their purchase intentions on the basis of those values. The authors test this proposition on three culturally diverse subsamples who evaluated three fictional brands each for one hedonic product (chocolate) and one utilitarian product (salt). The results indicate that variances in consumers’ use of package-evoked brand values are dependent on culture and are specifically driven by consumer values. The decision-making patterns studied seem to be universal in existence but not in relative or absolute importance. The findings underscore the ability of packages to convey meaning in terms of brand values; they also affirm the role of brand values as predictors of consumer purchase intentions depending on cultural groups. The authors conclude by outlining implications for international brand management and research.

Ambient scent and consumer exploratory behaviour: A causal analysis

Abstract Stimulating consumers to explore ‘new’ wines constitutes a major marketing challenge. This paper investigates the potential of retail atmospherics, namely ambient scent, for supporting consumer exploratory behaviour. Scents pretested to vary in pleasantness were diffused in a laboratory setting. Data were collected on consumer actual and optimum stimulation level, exploratory tendencies, and behaviour. It was determined that the pleasantness of a scent moderated effects of optimum and actual stimulation on risk taking, variety seeking, and curiosity-motivated behaviour. Downstream effects extended onto the importance of label colour, text, and grape variety in the preference development process. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.