The health halo of morality- and purity-signifying brand names

Purpose Past research has demonstrated a health halo for food product labels (e.g. organic), resulting in inflated perceptions of a product’s healthfulness (e.g. low fat). While past studies have focused on labeling and related health claims, the health halo of brand names has scarcely been investigated. This study aims to address this gap by investigating the health halo of brand names featuring morality- and purity-signifiers. Design/methodology/approach The current research uses two experiments to examine the health halo of morality- and purity-signifying brand names on perceptions of nutritional and contaminant attributes. Mediation analysis is performed to investigate perceived naturalness as the mechanism for the brand name effects while moderated mediation analysis examines this mechanism across product types (healthy vs unhealthy). Findings The findings reveal that both the morality- and purity-signifying brand names produce a health halo on nutritional and contaminant attributes, regardless of product healthiness. Further, mediation and moderated mediation analysis provide evidence for perceived naturalness as the underlying mechanism driving these effects. Social implications This research highlights unwarranted consumer inferences made based upon food brand names and, thus has implications for consumers, public policy and marketing managers. Originality/value While much health halo research has focused on labeling, this research examines the health halo of two brand name types which symbolically convey either morality or purity. This research provides additional contributions by investigating perceived naturalness as the underlying mechanism for the effects and is one of the few studies to investigate the health halo for both healthy and unhealthy products.

Inferred respect: a critical ingredient in customer satisfaction

Purpose This paper aims to address the following question: Do consumer inferences of respect (disrespect) contribute to satisfaction (dissatisfaction)? The research question is explored over two studies. The first aimed to test whether respect spontaneously emerged as an important component of consumer satisfaction. The second aimed to examine whether perceptions of respect could explain consumers’ satisfaction response beyond traditional antecedents of satisfaction (i.e. product and service factors, expectations). Design/methodology/approach The first (pilot) study examined whether respect/disrespect spontaneously emerged in written descriptions of highly satisfactory/dissatisfactory experiences (n = 356). The second (main) study used a survey methodology to test whether perceptions of respect could explain customer satisfaction beyond traditional antecedents (n = 2,641 plus n = 398). Findings Drawing on theories from social psychology and organizational justice, the current study argues that perceived respect, as inferred by customers from elements of their interactions with organizations, may also be critically involved in the satisfaction response. Research limitations/implications Conceptually, the findings place respect as a central antecedent among satisfaction determinants. Practical implications Practically, this research underscores the importance of enacting respect and avoiding actions that communicate disrespect because of their effect on satisfaction. Originality/value Customer satisfaction is critically important to organizations and so a great deal of research or work has sought to understand its causes – traditionally product performance, service quality and expectations. This current work, or This current research argues that inferred respect, as an indicator of the extent to which people perceive they are valued, should have an important, and general, influence on satisfaction that goes beyond what traditional determinants of satisfaction can explain.

Leaving Something for the Imagination: The Effect of Visual Concealment on Preferences

When advertising products to consumers, firms sometimes conceal key aspects in an effort to arouse consumer curiosity. This research investigates when and how visual concealment tactics may benefit or hurt aesthetic product evaluations. The authors propose that when consumers are only able to view a portion of an aesthetic product, assessments of its appeal will be influenced by two interrelated mechanisms: curiosity to see the item completed and inferences about the item’s fully disclosed appearance. The authors show that heightened curiosity triggers feelings of positive affect that are transferred to the product itself, a process that may inflate preferences and choice likelihoods for products beyond what would occur if the full image were known. This transference effect, however, has an important boundary: it works only when initial consumer inferences about the appeal of the product are positive or emotionally congruent with the positive affect triggered by curiosity. The key implication is that, ironically, the products likely to benefit most from concealment tactics are those that have the least to hide. The authors provide evidence for these effects and the underlying mechanism using six experiments that manipulate concealment in a variety of task settings.

Promotional Games Increase Consumer Conversion Rates and Spending

Promotional games are used frequently in retail stores and online. While prior literature has focused on antecedents of promotional games, such as how individual differences induce game participation, little is known about post-winning decision making or its underlying processes. This study offers findings from seven studies to provide a detailed perspective on how promotional games increase consumer conversion rates and spending. The effect of winning a discount on conversion rates and spending is multiply determined and occurs via perceptions of luck and store affective attitude, and via perceptions of luck alone and store affective attitude alone. In order to get a more nuanced understanding of the underlying processes and to delineate theoretically driven boundary conditions for this novel effect, the authors subsequently analyze the two individual pathways through perceptions of luck and store affective attitude in isolation. Thereby, they contribute to the literature on pricing and promotions by providing a detailed understanding on how winning a promotional discount leads to a different set of consumer inferences relative to an equivalent straight discount, and to the literature on the role of luck in consumer behavior by providing a nuanced understanding of how luck operates in this common consumer context.

Brand hypocrisy from a consumer perspective: scale development and validation

Purpose There is increasing interest in understanding negative consumer reactions to brands and the nature of negative brand perceptions. The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize the construct of brand hypocrisy from a consumer perspective and develop a scale to measure it. Design/methodology/approach A multiphase scale development process involving 559 consumers was conducted. Study 1 pertains to item generation and reduction phases. Study 2 reports on scale purification and validation through confirmatory factor analyses and model comparisons. Study 3 focuses on discriminant and predictive validity, while Study 4 further investigates predictive validity using real brands with differences in brand hypocrisy. Findings A 12-item scale measuring four dimensions of brand hypocrisy is developed: image hypocrisy (brand failing to put words into action), mission hypocrisy (brand exerting an unacknowledged negative impact on society or consumer well-being), message hypocrisy (brand conveying unrealistic or unattainable images) and social hypocrisy (brand supporting social responsibility initiatives for strategic purposes only). Results indicate that brand hypocrisy is distinguishable from similar constructs in the literature and that it is a significant predictor of negative word-of-mouth and brand distance. Practical implications This conceptualization provides managers with a detailed understanding of what constitutes a hypocritical brand in the eyes of consumers as well as insights about how to prevent consumer perceptions of brand hypocrisy. Originality/value Findings enrich the understanding of negative consumer inferences related to brands and provide a conceptualization of an understudied but increasingly relevant form of brand judgment.

Synchronicity in Signage Promotes a Sense of Belonging

The role of synchronicity in signage is investigated in two studies. Synchronicity has been theoretically linked to solidarity or a feeling of unity. In this research, we empirically investigate the effects of depicting synchronicity in signage using the visual principle of rhythm. Rhythm in images to create synchronicity in signage increases entitativity and a sense of belonging. We demonstrate key effects that can be leveraged in shaping consumer inferences in community and commercial contexts. Finally, we demonstrate the effectiveness of this strategy, but only when prior perceptions of belonging are absent. Implications for theory and future research are discussed.

Synchronicity of Signage

The role of synchronicity in signage is investigated in three studies. Synchronicity has been theoretically linked to solidarity or a feeling of unity. In this research, we empirically investigate the effects of depicting synchronicity in signage, using the visual principle of rhythm. Rhythm of the imagery as synchronicity in signage increases entitativity and a sense of belonging. We demonstrate key downstream effects that can be leveraged in shaping consumer inferences in community and commercial contexts. Finally, we demonstrate the effectiveness of this strategy, but only when prior perceptions of belongingness are absent. Implications for theory and future research are discussed.