Marketing Commons^™

Online Product Search And Purchase Behavior Of Generation Y, Dawn B. Valentine, Thomas L. Powers

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The purpose of this paper is to determine whether gender differences exist in online product search and purchase behaviors. A survey of 116 undergraduate college students with questions regarding the types of products researched and purchased over the Internet, the type of information they looked for when researching the products, reasons for not purchasing products online, and reasons for returning products purchased over the Internet. While both male and female college students use the Internet to research and purchase products, the findings indicate that they differ significantly in the types of products they research and purchase online, the kinds of …

The Strategic Importance Of Customer Value, Donovan A. Mcfarlane

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This paper examines the importance of customer value as a strategic approach to doing business in the 21^st century hypercompetitive marketplace and marketspace. The author examines the customer value theory of Professor Art Weinstein as a valid and plausible conceptual framework for strategically positioning an organization through market orientation to design and deliver superior customer value as a competitive advantage. Citing examples of new economy companies that have effectively propelled themselves to the forefront of the competition through the delivery of superior customer value, the author argues that customers are not simply just consumers or buyers of goods and …

"Do You Know Me?" The 'Doodling' Of Iconic Mink, Milk, Booze, And Fruit Campaigns, Linda A. Ferguson

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Anyone who has paid attention to advertising for the past several decades is familiar with five iconic campaigns: Blackglama mink “What becomes a legend most?”; American Express “Do you know me?”; Absolut vodka “Bottle”; Fluid Milk Processor Board “Got Milk?”; and Apple computer “Think Different.” These smart, successful, and long-running campaigns share an important characteristic: they rely on the audience to have a certain level of cultural literacy in order to interpret them. However, an advertiser in today’s digital world can no longer take cultural literacy for granted. Yesterday’s common experiences in all facets of life are being replaced by …

Revisiting Cognitive Dissonance Theory:Pre-Decisional Influences And The Relationship To The Consumer Decision-Making Model, Paul J. Costanzo Dr.

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This paper examines pre-decisional dissonance as a motivating factor in consumer decisional-making. A review of the marketing literature found the majority of research studies were limited to post-decisional influences. Several studies including measures of pre-decisional activity linked the construct to post-decision situations. The author provides evidence regarding the popularity and resurgence of research on cognitive dissonance theory and asserts that researchers in the field of consumer behavior may gain a better understanding of consumer decision-making when studying pre-decisional consonance and dissonance as separate entities and independent of post-decisions.

Non-Verbal Customer-To-Customer Interaction In Retail Setting: An Investigation Of Indirect Effects Of Perceived Customer Similarity On Important Marketing Outcomes, Nusser Raajpoot, Anita Jackson, Jean Lefebvre

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the causal effects of similarity among customers in retail mall settings on four outcome variables: intent to stay, satisfaction, word-of-mouth generation and repurchase intention. Using structural equation modeling, we tested both direct and mediated effects. Results indicate significant direct influence in the direct model and significant indirect influence in the mediated model. The study suggests that similarity with other customers has a significant influence on outcome variables. Therefore, mall managers should measure and monitor consumers’ perceptions of similarity and enhance these similarities whenever appropriate and feasible. To our knowledge, this …

An Exploratory Investigation Into The Budget Allocation Of Mexican Male Sojourners In The U.S., Willie Nichols, Marko Grünhagen

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Mexican male sojourners make up a large, distinct consumer segment that has been present in the United States for decades, but have not been extensively studied from a business perspective with respect to their budget allocation decisions. The result is that this consumer segment may have been underserved due a lack of understanding and research. This paper examines the budget allocation process of these sojourners, exploring their patterns of sending remittances and the extent of their expenditures, providing grounds for future studies focusing on how to better serve this segment.

Social Media And Negative Word Of Mouth: Strategies For Handing Unexpecting Comments, Jane B. Thomas, Cara O. Peters, Emelia G. Howell, Keith Robbins

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Increased usage of social media by consumers impacts businesses that find it necessary to participate to connect with customers. Because social media is conversational in nature, marketers have little control over the message, unlike more traditional forms of marketing communication. The purpose of this paper is to flesh out the tensions that exist as marketers deal with consumer-generated negative social media messages and present possible responses for marketers dealing with this form of negative word of mouth (WOM). Its contribution lies in unpacking options for companies dealing with such negative social media. Case studies and a conceptual model identifying possible …

Smokers’ Vs. Non-Smokers’ Attitudes Toward Tobacco Usage, Jeff W. Totten, Betty J. Cayton

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The purpose of the study was to collect attitudinal and behavioral data on a sample of college students from a Southern state university regarding tobacco usage. The sample was designed to include both smokers and non-smokers. A non-probability sample of 508 college students was collected by handing out surveys in classes and in campus buildings. The questionnaire was designed by the students and the authors and included half of Pechmann and Shih’s (1999) smoking perceptions scale items. Users made up 36.6% of the sample. The average length of time reported using tobacco products was five years, with 78.3% stating they …

Cleaning Up Dirty Politics: A Social Marketing Perspective On New Jersey's Clean Elections Program, Amy H. Handlin

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This paper reviews the outcome of a state electoral reform initiative in terms of the four-stage behavior change process used by social marketers to gauge the effectiveness of their techniques. While the Clean Elections initiative was moderately successful in its Action and Contemplation stages, the author argues that realization of its full potential could be significantly hastened by utilizing the social marketing tools of segmentation, communications research and pretesting.

Reflections On The Market-Oriented Theory In The Behaviour Of Real Organization, Michal Felcman

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This paper presents market-oriented marketing concept which is reflected in the case study describing the behaviour of existing organization. An initial theoretical section of the paper introduces the reader to the market-oriented theory throughout the literature review, which provides different scholastic approaches to this theory. The practical section focuses on the qualitative assessment of the real organization and its behaviour. It starts with the description of the organization itself and it is subsequently expanded into the assessment of the organization´s behaviour in the light of the market-oriented theory. The goal of this assessment is to present benefits and challenges which …

An Empirical Analysis: Wine And The Consumer Price-Perceived Quality Heuristic, Freddy S Lee

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Does price have anything to do with Wine? The consumer price-perceived quality has always been used by consumers when they gauge the quality of a product or service. Three propositions are developed which show how the consumer uses the price-perceived quality in the wine industry. For all types of wines, there will be attributes like ratings, brand name and word of mouth that will affect the purchase. The goal in this paper is to empirically validate propositions pertaining to the factors that influence how consumers use the price-perceived quality heuristic to determine which wine is worth the money that they …

Second Life In The Classroom: Interacting With The Modern College Student, Stef Nicovich

Atlantic Marketing Journal

How do we engage our students to actively learn? That is a question that educators are asking more and more often. New techniques and philosophies are constantly being developed and tried in the classroom yet we still come back to the same observations. Students are generally unprepared for college level studies and often seem unwilling to put in the required effort needed to succeed. Perhaps one reason students seem disengaged is because they may not see the value of what they are learning. The connections between their studies and how they will benefit them later in life may not be …

Use Of Counterfactual Thinking For Understanding The Impact Of Personal Value Orientation On Blame Assignment And Customer Complaint Behavior, Nusser Raajpoot, Arun Sharma, Jean Lefebvre

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Counterfactual thought processes are being increasingly studied in the context of consumer experiences. For example, recent research demonstrated that have used counterfactual thought process to understand the composition of comparison standards and related feature mutability to identify the factors thought to be responsible for negative experiences (McGill 2000). We extend this of research by examining the impact of personal value system on blame assignment, and subsequent post-experience consumer behavior. Our study in the context of a service experience demonstrates that personal values affect counterfactual thinking. Specific marketing implications are discussed.

A Lesson Plan For Communicating The Sustainability Of An Enterprise, Clare L. Comm, Dennis F. X. Mathaisel

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Sustainability is the ability to endure. For any organization or any enterprise, sustainability is the ability to remain productive long term while minimizing waste and creating value. An organization can achieve sustainability if it aligns itself with the product and service needs of its customers and wants and interests of its multiple stakeholders. The enterprise, whether it is an ecological, environmental, human, or service enterprise, must possess five “abilities” to be sustainable: availability; dependability; capability; affordability; and marketability. This paper presents a lesson plan or strategy for how an enterprise should communicate/promote sustainability to its stakeholders based on these five …

Delivering Preventive Health Care Information To More Versus Less Health-Oriented Consumers: A Comparative Demographic Analysis, Joseph D. Cangelosi, Edward Ranelli, David Kim

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Preventive health care (PHC) is the awareness and efforts a person undertakes to enhance and preserve physical, mental, and emotional health for today and future. Although PHC information is widely available, people are not utilizing the information to improve their health. We examine PHC information sources utilized by persons who are more health-oriented vs. less health-oriented. The less health-oriented individuals were identified as: low educational attainment, low income, men, younger age, unmarried, and non-White. A factor analysis produced three primary sources of PHC information sources: print, institutional, and electronic and audio-visual delivery systems. An ANOVA compared how more health-oriented individuals …

Marketing Mavens’ Fusion With Social Media, Deborah Lester, R. Keith Tudor, Dolly D. Loyd, Tyra Mitchell

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Maven behavior and its fusion with social media was a natural progression from an auspicious beginning. The acknowledgement of market influencers and their impact on consumer behavior emerged in the discipline literature during the 70’s with a study by Sheth (1971) who recognized the marketing opportunity of information disseminators. The potential publicizing influence of these brokers was investigated by Kotler and Zaltman (1976) whose findings advocated for their inclusion within a communication stratagem. Further examination produced precise demographic variables and personality traits along with the more accurate terminology of market mavens (Feick and Price, 1987) to delineate their unique dispositions. …

A Comparison Of State And Local Welcome Center Visitors: Issues Regarding Sampling Frame Generalizability, James E. Stoddard, Stephen W. Clopton

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Tourism is an important industry in the United States and for more regional economies, motivating research exploring characteristics of tourist consumers and their travel behavior. This paper deals with the issue of sampling frame generalizability for tourism research. Visitors to state and local welcome centers were compared in terms of their area awareness, respondent and travel party demographics, and expenditures. Significant differences were found between the groups, questioning the generalizability of data collected at state welcome centers.

Exploring The Strategic Use Of Platform-Based Planning, Ellen Thomas

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Platform planning is a strategy that can be effectively used to manage today’s rapidly changing environment. It is the process by which core elements are identified and used as a foundation for future growth. Although platform planning is most often associated with product design, its value is now being acknowledged along other dimensions of marketing strategy such as brands, target markets, geographical markets, and business processes. This paper summarizes literature introducing different dimensions of marketing strategy that platform planning can be applied to. Next it introduces findings from engineering literature regarding the benefits and risks associated with this type of …

Shopping Cart Abandonment In Online Shopping, Laura S. Egeln, Julie A. Joseph

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Shopping cart abandonment in online shopping is a growing concern for retailers because it represents lost sales. This study looks at perceived risk and perceived ownership in relation to shopping cart abandonment. It is hypothesized that perceived risk in intended behavior will affect actual purchase behavior and perceived ownership in intended behavior will positively affect perceived ownership in actual behavior. It is believed that decreasing risk will also decrease cart abandonment and increasing ownership will increase transaction completion therefore decreasing cart abandonment. A survey was administered and results showed that the most common perceived risk in abandoning the cart was …

An Exploratory Model Of The Antecedent Factors Contributing To Fan Support/Attendance At Hbcu Basketball Games, George W. Stone, Kathryn T. Cort, Japhet Nkonge

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The factors that impact attendance at sporting events in general and at small college sporting events in particular have been widely examined by sports marketing academicians. Among the various factors emerging over two decades has been attendance based on identity with individual teams and players, to idiosyncratic factors such as the environment and the entertainment value of the sporting event itself. Less is known, however, about what creates and promotes the desire to attend sporting events associated with historically black colleges and universities (HBCU’s). HBCU’s, like their other small college athletic departments, are now facing financial difficulties because of dwindling …