{"title":"Unmasking the pivotal role of ad–target ethnic congruence in driving consumers' response to fear appeals","authors":"Arash Talebi, Sourjo Mukherjee, Gopal Das","doi":"10.1002/mar.21984","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21984","url":null,"abstract":"Fear appeals are persuasive messages that scare consumers into compliance with the appeals' recommendation by highlighting a personally relevant threat. Several factors, including personality traits and message features, can influence the effectiveness of fear appeals. This article proposes an additional element that contributes to the persuasiveness of fear appeals: ethnic congruence between the fear appeal and the target audience. Specifically, this research examines the interplay of high fear arousal appeals and ad–target congruence on message persuasiveness. We operationalize congruence by ethnicity match (vs. mismatch). A series of three experiments and a follow-up study reveal that while high fear arousal appeals are more persuasive than low-arousal appeals in general, their effectiveness is accentuated when the target audience feels congruent with the elements of the appeal. We argue that when encountering fear appeals, consumers' perceived ethnic congruence with the elements of the advertisement (e.g., ad character–target ethnic similarity) affects whether they identify with the ad and thus influences their perceived vulnerability to the publicized threat. This, in turn, influences the level of the induced emotion (i.e., fear), which subsequently drives persuasiveness. We document this effect using both self-reported and behavioral measures. We also rule out an alternative account based on appraisal-tendency theory, which predicts that the uncertainty dimension characterizing the emotions—for example, fear (anger) is associated with high (low) uncertainty—explains the results. The findings highlight the importance of representing diverse characters in marketing and public policy campaigns relying on fear appeals.","PeriodicalId":501349,"journal":{"name":"Psychology and Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139919336","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Marko Sarstedt, Susanne J. Adler, Lea Rau, Bernd Schmitt
{"title":"Using large language models to generate silicon samples in consumer and marketing research: Challenges, opportunities, and guidelines","authors":"Marko Sarstedt, Susanne J. Adler, Lea Rau, Bernd Schmitt","doi":"10.1002/mar.21982","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21982","url":null,"abstract":"Should consumer researchers employ silicon samples and artificially generated data based on large language models, such as GPT, to mimic human respondents' behavior? In this paper, we review recent research that has compared result patterns from silicon and human samples, finding that results vary considerably across different domains. Based on these results, we present specific recommendations for silicon sample use in consumer and marketing research. We argue that silicon samples hold particular promise in upstream parts of the research process such as qualitative pretesting and pilot studies, where researchers collect external information to safeguard follow-up design choices. We also provide a critical assessment and recommendations for using silicon samples in main studies. Finally, we discuss ethical issues of silicon sample use and present future research avenues.","PeriodicalId":501349,"journal":{"name":"Psychology and Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139769906","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"How brand gender affects consumer preference for sweet food: The role of the association between gender and taste","authors":"Ying Ding, Yanzheng Liu, Sunxu Xu","doi":"10.1002/mar.21978","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21978","url":null,"abstract":"Although previous studies have provided some exploratory evidence of the gender-taste association, empirical evidence on the causal relationships and downstream consequences of such an association in the consumer behavior domain is still lacking. To address this gap, the present research empirically documents the association between gender and taste, and explores the spillover effect of brand gender on consumer preference for sweet food. Across four studies, we demonstrate that feminine and sweet are cognitively associated (Study 1), and accordingly, products launched by a feminine brand are perceived to be sweeter than those launched by a masculine brand (Study 2). Furthermore, a feminine (vs. masculine) brand leads to a higher preference for its sweet (vs. unsweet) products, which is mediated by the perceived congruence between brand gender and product taste (Study 3). Finally, we identify brand type as a moderator, showing that the congruence effect between brand gender and product taste holds for traditional brands but is attenuated for innovative brands (Study 4). Our findings advance the understanding of brand gender association and its impact on consumer behavior and offer meaningful implications for market positioning and communication.","PeriodicalId":501349,"journal":{"name":"Psychology and Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139769905","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Karina Sokolova, Saeedeh Rezaee Vessal, Charles Perez
{"title":"Home cooking in the digital age: When observing food influencers on social media triggers the imitation of their practices","authors":"Karina Sokolova, Saeedeh Rezaee Vessal, Charles Perez","doi":"10.1002/mar.21973","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21973","url":null,"abstract":"Social media influencers are effective in influencing the purchase intention of their audience. Aside from products, influencers also promote certain lifestyles and behaviors. Food influencers, for example, frequently feature home cooking, a healthier behavior compared to snacking or dining out. This study explored the potential of social media influencers in promoting such behavior. Driven by social cognitive theory, we explored whether self-efficacy, perceived benefits, and concerns (social, entertainment, health, and economic) relate to the intention of the audience to cook at home following the recipes an Instagram influencer provides. We conducted three separate studies (two surveys and one experiment) with a French population of social network platform users. Our results showed that the entertainment value of an observed behavior is the main driver for imitation on social media, along with self-efficacy, at least for women. Mixed results were obtained for social benefits. The perceived ease of the recipe, cooking experience, and explicit verbal encouragement were positively related to self-efficacy. Surprisingly, the effect of health and economic benefits or concerns and labeling was not confirmed.","PeriodicalId":501349,"journal":{"name":"Psychology and Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139679248","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Augusto Bargoni, Chiara Giachino, Rada Gutuleac, Dalia Streimikiene
{"title":"Is this really me? Investigating brand personality self-congruity on consumer behavior in video-based social media","authors":"Augusto Bargoni, Chiara Giachino, Rada Gutuleac, Dalia Streimikiene","doi":"10.1002/mar.21969","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21969","url":null,"abstract":"This research aims to explore the role of brand personality self-congruity (BPC) in affecting consumers' purchase behavior in a particular setting: video-based social media (i.e., TikTok). Moreover, we test the moderating role of consumers' emotional attachment to the influencer and the mediating role of brand engagement in affecting purchase intention. Finally, we delve into the antecedents of influencer effectiveness and their relationship with consumers' actual purchases. To do so, we leverage two quantitative studies (n1 = 248; n3 = 247) and a qualitative one. Results from Study 1 indicate that the lower consumers perceive the gap between the brand personality and self-image, the more they are inclined to engage with and purchase a brand. Moreover, we find that the emotional attachment to the influencer does not play a role in influencing purchase intention, positing that emotional attachment and BPC have different emotion dynamics with different purchase outcomes. Building on Study 1, Study 2 leverages a focus group to identify the antecedents of influencer effectiveness. Results highlight that a sense of indulgence appears in the minds of consumers when confronted with brands that have a lower congruity with their self. This sense of indulgence, in the case of low BPC, hinders the ability of the influencer to create an engagement between the brand and the consumer. Finally, Study 3 quantitatively tests the antecedents of influencer effectiveness under two conditions (entertaining vs. informative content type) highlighting the different influence of the antecedents on individuals with high (vs. low) BPC.","PeriodicalId":501349,"journal":{"name":"Psychology and Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139679247","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Lonely human and dominant robot: Similarity versus complementary attraction","authors":"Lingzhi Yu, Xiucheng Fan","doi":"10.1002/mar.21975","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21975","url":null,"abstract":"While social robots can provide companionship, people hesitate to connect with them. This research delves into a neglected question: How can we enhance the probability of potential users, especially those grappling with loneliness, connecting with companion robots to fulfill their social needs? Building upon the friendliness–dominance model and attraction theory in social psychology, our six studies reveal that individuals experiencing greater loneliness hold generally less favorable attitudes toward the idea of adopting robotic companionship. However, lonelier individuals show a higher inclination to bond with robots that act submissive rather than dominant ones. This research contributes to the understanding of human–robot interaction by examining how human traits and their perceptions of robot personalities jointly influence the interaction. The results have significant implications for guiding the design of robot product attributes to enhance their appeal to individuals experiencing varying degrees of loneliness.","PeriodicalId":501349,"journal":{"name":"Psychology and Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139770221","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cut me some slack! How perceptions of financial slack influence pain of payment","authors":"Justin Pomerance, Nicholas Reinholtz","doi":"10.1002/mar.21970","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21970","url":null,"abstract":"Consumers often experience pain of payment, a tug of negative affect that holds back their spending. While the literature has long viewed pain of payment as self-regulatory in nature, it has left the dynamics of self-regulation that lead to the pain of paying largely unaddressed. In self-regulation, affect arises when people move away from a goal they hold. Thus, understanding the specific goals that people consider when making a payment can help us better predict when pain of payment will arise. We propose that people have a goal to maintain financial slack, and that violating this goal contributes to pain of payment. Thus, people experience more pain of payment when the goal to maintain financial slack is stronger or when it is particularly salient that a purchase entails losing financial slack. Critically, subjective changes in financial slack are not equivalent to objective changes in wealth, altering pain of payment for economically equivalent trades. This research contributes to the existing literature by identifying a novel antecedent to the pain of payment. It additionally expands our understanding of people's preferences between payment systems. Finally, it offers guidance to practitioners who wish to minimize pain of payment among their consumers.","PeriodicalId":501349,"journal":{"name":"Psychology and Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139679141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Switching to sustainable products: The role of time, product, and customer characteristics","authors":"Agnieszka Karman, Marcin Lipowski","doi":"10.1002/mar.21974","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21974","url":null,"abstract":"Achieving a sustainable economy is one of the primary needs of our time, and sustainable products can play a decisive role in achieving this goal. This article seeks answers about the role of time and product characteristics in the intention to switch to a sustainable product using the example of an everyday product. Drawing from social identity theory, utility maximization and switching theory, the authors propose a conceptual model to examine these questions in a specific market disruption when a product is modified by the same company. The framework focuses on the time-varying effects of customers' features (brand identification, loyalty, embeddedness) and products' features (perceived value [PV], compliance, switching cost) on switching behavior. The research was carried out using a quasi-experimental method in three periods. In the first stage, Cox Proportional Hazard Regression was used, and a random-effects model in the second. Results from longitudinal data of 282 customers during the launch of a new sustainable product show that customer characteristics do not influence the intention to switch. In contrast, the PV and switching costs inhibit the switching behavior, but their effects vary over time. In particular, the effect of the relative PV of the sustainable product on switching will increase over time, but the importance of customer–brand identification also rises. The study has important implications for introducing a sustainable equivalent of an incumbent product of the same brand.","PeriodicalId":501349,"journal":{"name":"Psychology and Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139585171","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kamal Ahmmad, Mycah Harrold, Elizabeth Howlett, Andrew Perkins
{"title":"The effects of awe-eliciting experiences on consumers' aversion to choice ambiguity","authors":"Kamal Ahmmad, Mycah Harrold, Elizabeth Howlett, Andrew Perkins","doi":"10.1002/mar.21976","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21976","url":null,"abstract":"Experiencing awe elicits feelings of both being part of something that is bigger than oneself (self-transcendence) and a sense, or feeling, of smallness. Our studies show that these distinct responses serve as mechanisms of action that have both main and mediating effects on consumer preference in ambiguous choice contexts. Across five studies, this research shows that self-transcendence <i>decreases</i> ambiguity aversion while a sense of smallness <i>increases</i> ambiguity aversion. In other words, the experience of awe can both increase and decrease consumers' aversion to ambiguity and this, in turn, can impact choice preferences. Awe-inspiring brands with unique innovative designs, unexpected features, or exceptional quality need to be cognizant of the potential influence awe could have on consumers' purchase decisions.","PeriodicalId":501349,"journal":{"name":"Psychology and Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139585545","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Freya De Keyzer, Cristian Buzeta, Ana Isabel Lopes
{"title":"The role of well-being in consumer's responses to personalized advertising on social media","authors":"Freya De Keyzer, Cristian Buzeta, Ana Isabel Lopes","doi":"10.1002/mar.21977","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21977","url":null,"abstract":"In two studies, this paper examines how perceived personalization in advertisements on social media affects brand engagement and ad avoidance. Using a preregistered between-subjects cross-sectional survey (<i>n</i> = 794), we tested four different moderated mediation models with perceived creepiness and perceived relevance as competing mediating variables, and hedonic and eudaimonic well-being as moderating variables. Perceived relevance explains the positive effect of perceived personalization on brand engagement and the negative effect on ad avoidance. Moreover, perceived creepiness explains the negative effect of perceived personalization on ad avoidance. Contrary to our hypotheses, we find positive effects of perceived personalization via perceived creepiness on brand engagement and ad avoidance. Then, a qualitative think-aloud survey (<i>n</i> = 36) shows that participants are accustomed to personalized advertisements and scroll to avoid them unless there is relevant or useful content. Independent of their well-being, participants are not creeped out because of personalized advertising; however, it does raise their privacy concerns. Finally, the findings of our two studies indicate that advertisers and social media need to particularly consider consumers' negative affective well-being to effectively deliver personalized advertisements due to the increase in creepiness and/or privacy concerns.","PeriodicalId":501349,"journal":{"name":"Psychology and Marketing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139585142","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}