Marketing Commons^™

Coping Under Constraint: How Consumer Vulnerability And Caregiver Status Shape Food Choice And Well-Being, Kerry-Ann V. Forbes, Prachi Gala

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Caregiving is a chronic and understudied form of consumer vulnerability that reshapes everyday decision-making, particularly in food contexts. This research conceptualizes caregiving as a sustained role-based vulnerability. It proposes a moderated-mediation model in which consumer vulnerability influences coping strategies that subsequently affect food choice and consumer well-being. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behavior, Coping Theory, and Transformative Consumer Research, the study examines how caregiver status (familial, professional, or non-caregiver) serves as a boundary condition that shapes these relationships. A three-phase mixed-methods design is employed: qualitative interviews to refine constructs, a survey–experiment to test the moderated-mediation model, and an experimental …

Consumer Adoption Of Cultivated Meat: A Multi-Value Perspective Using Empirical And Synthetic Data, Wei Fu

AMTP Proceedings 2026

The global demand for meat is projected to rise by more than 70% by 2050, creating pressure on natural resources and worsening environmental challenges. Cultivated meat, produced by growing animal cells in controlled environments, offers a sustainable alternative to conventional livestock farming; however, consumers acceptance remains uncertain. This study applies the Theory of Consumption Values (Sheth, Newman, & Gross, 1991) to examine how multidimensional consumption values influence consumer’s sustainable evaluation of cultivated meat. Using both empirical survey data from U.S. consumers and a synthetic dataset generated with the same instrument, the results show that functional value (food quality), social value …

Dressed For Judgment: What Should Celebrities Wear To Court?, Alaina Jean, Emily Lesmes, Hyunju Shin

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This project explores consumers’ perceptions of celebrities facing criminal charges based on their choice of outfit. On the basis of Weiner’s attribution theory, we argue that when celebrities facing criminal charges are attired in traditional/professional outfits such as a black suit for males or a black knee-length dress for females in court compared with non-traditional/casual outfits such as a casual shirt with a defiant print and sneakers, consumers are likely to infer their remorse for their wrongdoings, which in turn may lead to more favorable attitudes toward the celebrity and higher forgiveness intentions. This research expands understanding of how consumers’ …

Consumer Insights About Art Workshop And Art Boutique Preferences, Lucia M. Johnson, Richard Kaminski, Megan E. Marlin, Craig B. Joyner

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This research explores customer preferences, the effects of local demographics, purchasing habits, and the impact of social media platforms in driving customer engagement and loyalty. By surveying consumers, the study identifies the key qualities necessary to further engage potential and return customers, including pricing, location, and accessibility. The findings suggest a deep appreciation for creating artwork rather than buying artwork, distinct social media opportunities through the utilization of apps such as Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok, as well as focusing their current offerings while broadening and segmenting their marketing initiatives. However, the study also notes limitations such as a convenience-based sample …

Bias In Generative Ai: Amplified Stereotypes And Their Impact On Decision-Making, Jaymo Kim, Mi Zhou, Vibhanshu Abhishek, Tim Derdenger, Kannan Srinivasan

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This study examines bias in generative AI through an analysis of approximately 8,000 occupational portraits created by Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, and DALL·E 2. We document significant underrepresentation of women and Black individuals compared to real-world benchmarks. The research identifies two primary manifestations of bias: systematic gender and racial disparities, and subtle biases in facial expressions that influence perceptions of competence and trustworthiness. Through an iterative "Creative Lab" involving a fictional brand, we employ a three-phase experimental design to test whether AI disclosure labels—as proposed in the AI Disclosure Act of 2023—can mitigate the impact of these biases on consumer evaluations. …

Consumer Insights About Wood Pellets And The Heating Industry, Marlana Krug, Camille Gagnon, Harrison Synder, Ashton Rounsley

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This study investigates consumer purchasing behaviors and decisions within the wood pellet and heating industry with a focus on Central Pennsylvania. Research examined the decisions behind heating sources, pellet retailers, and pellet vendors. These findings are focused on understanding the purchasing habits of consumers, preferred retailers, and other considerations that influence pellet choice. Gaining an understanding of these purchasing choices and heating options is essential for improving marketing strategies. The Customer Engagement Theory served as the theoretical framework for this research, while the survey used quantitative questions to conduct and gather data on household decision-making.  Overall, the findings highlight the …

Dark Sides Of Financial Inclusion: Examining The Buy Now, Pay Later Industry, Neleen S. Leslie-Piper, Ficawoyi Donou-Adonsou, Tina Facca-Miess

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Drawing on mental accounting and dual-process frameworks, this study investigates the relationship between Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) usage, consumer financial well-being and life satisfaction.  Using survey data from a national sample of over 5,000 American consumers, we employ structural equation modeling to analyze the associations between BNPL usage and social media buy-now-button usage, splurge purchasing, luxury brand purchasing, debt accumulation, financial security, and consumer life satisfaction.

Our results indicate that frequent BNPL usage is a significant predictor of increased social media-driven purchases and luxury consumption, as well as higher levels of revolving credit card debt. These behaviors are associated …

See Lower Price In Cart: Impact Of Consumer Knowledge On Price Obfuscation Strategies, Negin Malaki, Sajeesh Sajeesh

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This paper studies a price obfuscation strategy in which firms display pricing cues but conceal final prices, requiring consumers to take an additional step, such as adding a product to a cart, to observe the actual price. We develop a two-period analytical model with two competing firms that differ in their price disclosure strategies. Consumers are heterogeneous: knowledgeable consumers can infer prices from pricing cues, while ignorant consumers must incur search costs to obtain price information. Firms compete under four possible strategic scenarios depending on whether prices are revealed. The results show that when search and mismatch costs are low, …

Running On Empty: How Burnout Derails Customer Delight And Sales Performance In Road Warrior Salespeople, Charshae L. Marshall-Phillips

AMTP Proceedings 2026

In an increasingly competitive marketplace, firms rely on customer delight for success. The physical and emotional toll on “Road Warrior” salespeople often acts as a barrier to this goal. This research proposes a model connecting antecedents (burnout) and outcomes (sales performance) via the salesperson's ability to create customer delight.

Employing a quantitative design with B2B salespeople traveling over 50% of the time, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is used to test hypothesized relationships. It is hypothesized that emotional exhaustion negatively impacts the capacity to create delight, subsequently lowering sales performance. Crucially, sales manager support is expected to moderate this relationship, acting …

From Channel Partnerships To Performance: The Enabling Role Of Artificial Intelligence, Manisha Mathur

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This study reframes channel strategy by shifting attention away from relationship investments as direct performance drivers and toward the mechanisms through which those investments create value. It proposes that resources committed to channel partners influence firm performance only insofar as they build channel equity, the capacity to operate credibly, visibly, and effectively within markets, and that this capacity is further shaped by firms’ analytical capabilities.

Internship Best Practices: A Comparative Analysis Of A Small Private University (Tiffin University) And A Large Public University (Kennesaw State University), Kellie Mcgilvray, Randy Stuart

AMTP Proceedings 2026

The balance of scholarship and professional practice is a hallmark of career preparation in higher education. While classroom instruction is essential for building foundational knowledge, experiential learning through internships allows students to apply theory in authentic professional contexts.

Are the requirements and administration of internship experiences the same at a small private university (Tiffin University-TU) (student population 3,726/687 business majors) as at a large public university (Kennesaw State University-KSU) (student population 50,000/10,000 business majors) and what best practices can be learned from both organizations? This paper will compare and contrast the practices at both schools and recommend best practices to …

Understanding The Controversy Of Tipping Fairness: Insights From Paradox, Sensemaking, And Equity Theories, Madilynn Moen, Ralf Mehnert-Meland, Wooyang Kim

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Tipping in the U.S. has become increasingly controversial as widening disparities and “tip creep” intensify inequities among tipped employees who receive a certain amount of minimum tips in the U.S. This contradictory situation, a social issue among various stakeholders—including employees, employers, consumers, and public policymakers in labor law—raises a critical question: “Who should hold primary accountability for ensuring wage fairness and guaranteeing a livable income for minimum-wage workers?” As ongoing preliminary research, this study aims to explore potential answers to this question by examining the evolution of tipping contexts and cultures associated with various stakeholders by incorporating three theoretical grounds—paradox …

Understanding The Benefits Of The Choice Of Free Gifts In Consumer Sales Promotions, Atmadeep J. Mukherjee, Ronn J. Smith, Scot Burton

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Free gifts associated with a focal product have long been recognized as one effective form of sales promotion that is valued by consumers. However, in recent years, in contrast to offering a single fixed free gift to consumers, some marketers have begun to offer consumers the choice among several possible free gifts. In this research, consumer responses to the choice of a free gift are compared to the offer of a single fixed gift. We show how the choice offered to consumers attenuates greater risk associated with the promoted focal product and how the choice can reduce unfavorable effects of …

Human Advisors Or Ai Algorithms? How Loneliness And Age Impact Trust In Consumer Evaluations Of Services, Kevin Newman, Ainslie Schultz

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This research investigates how loneliness and age shape trust and consumer evaluations of services that provide personalized advice through human versus Artificial Intelligence (AI) recommenders. Across three experimental studies, our findings show that loneliness increased trust and consumer evaluations for services using human- (vs. AI-) based) recommenders among younger adults, but this pattern reversed among older, more lonely adults. Among these individuals, loneliness led to more positive consumer evaluations of a service using an AI-based (vs. human) recommender. Guided by the Evolutionary Theory of Loneliness (Cacioppo & Cacioppo, 2018), these findings suggest that younger lonely consumers exhibit approach motives …

Deploying Root-Cause Analysis (Rca) Agents: An Implementation Blueprint For Ai-Augmented Marketing Analytics, Seojoon Oh

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Artificial intelligence is widely adopted in marketing, yet many organizations struggle to translate analytical outputs into timely action. This paper presents a practitioner-oriented blueprint for deploying root-cause analysis (RCA) agents within AI-augmented marketing analytics systems. We propose a three-layer reference architecture—semantic data layer, autonomous RCA agent, and action layer—that enables continuous anomaly detection, causal diagnosis, explanation generation, and recommendation delivery. Through simulated e-commerce use cases, we demonstrate how RCA agents identify performance disruptions such as email engagement declines and checkout failures, and translate diagnostic findings into actionable guidance. Beyond system design, we outline organizational workflows, trust-building validation loops, scalability pathways …

The Dark Side Of Authenticity: Examining The Ethicality Of Influencer-Led Message Framing In Glp-1 Marketing, Antoinette Okono

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This conceptual paper examines ethical risk in influencer-led message framing within the expanding GLP-1 pharmaceutical marketplace. Although regulatory systems require risk disclosure, influencer communication frequently emphasizes convenience, access, and visible outcomes, potentially shaping interpretations of safety and appropriateness. Drawing on stakeholder theory and marketing ethics, the framework explains how influencer–brand partnership characteristics influence perceived health credibility, which in turn may contribute to consumer harm. Two boundary conditions are specified: consumer health vulnerability and platform governance. Higher vulnerability strengthens the credibility–harm relationship, whereas stronger governance mechanisms, including moderation and accountability systems, attenuate it. The model clarifies how authenticity and experiential narration …

Reimagining Brand Resonance: A Symbolic Interactionist Framework For Influencer-Brand Relationships And Within-Category Switching, Antoinette Okono

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This conceptual paper reinterprets brand resonance as a mechanism for competitive acquisition rather than retention. While traditional frameworks position resonance as the outcome of loyalty and attachment, contemporary markets require strategies that convert consumers embedded in rival ecosystems. Drawing on symbolic interactionism, the model positions influencers as meaning intermediaries who reshape interpretations of identity, relevance, and social permission. Influencer–brand partnership strength initiates a sequential pathway in which effort expectancy and performance expectancy reduce perceived barriers, while a novel construct—switching legitimization—authorizes movement away from incumbent brands. Through repeated mediated encounters, attachment to the target brand develops prior to behavioral change. The …

Subsidiary Autonomy, Internal Embeddedness, And Innovation: The Role Of Government Intervention In Brazilian And Mexican Multilatinas, Ji Eun Park, Dominic Buccieri

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This study examines innovation-based foreign direct investment of multilatinas. More specifically, how multilatinas utilize subsidiaries located to drive innovation performance. Partial least squares structural equation modeling is used to analyze a sample of 92 multilatinas from Brazil and Mexico. This study advances the multilatinas literature by examining how Brazilian and Mexican firms that experience varying levels of government intervention in their home countries related to internationalization and innovation pursue innovation-driven internationalization into developed markets. Our study contributes to the discussion that multilatinas are a heterogenous group despite the common history of the Latin American region.

Our results indicate that delegating …

Out Of Everything: Consumer Response To Extreme Scarcity, Melodie Philhours, Courtney Peters, John E. Mello

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Product shortages often evoke strong emotional reactions and subsequent behavioral responses that can amplify market disruptions. This research explores consumer behavior during two high-profile shortage events: the 2012 and 2020 U.S. ammunition shortage and the COVID-19 pandemic’s staple goods shortage. Using a comparative qualitative case study design, this research develops a psychologically grounded process model to explain how perceived scarcity can trigger emotional arousal, overreaction, and persistent marketplace behaviors. Drawing from reactance and self-determination theories, this research reveals how threats to autonomy, competence, and relatedness lead consumers to engage in coping tactics such as panic buying, hoarding, extended search, and …

Green Marketing And Culture: Understanding Hispanic Consumers’ Sustainable Purchase Intentions, Santiago Reyes, Sindy Chapa

AMTP Proceedings 2026

As sustainability becomes a central force in shaping consumer expectations, businesses increasingly rely on green marketing strategies to communicate environmental responsibility and influence purchasing behavior (Polonsky, 1994; Kuria, 2024). This study examines how environmental concern, attitudes toward cause-related marketing (CRM), and cultural values influence purchase intentions, and compares Hispanic and non-Hispanic consumers.

Defining Cultural Credibility: Perceptions Of Authenticity, Representation, And Appropriation In Brand Campaigns, Santiago Reyes, Alessandra Noli, Ashley Johns, Hannah Trandle, Leticia Falcao

AMTP Proceedings 2026

As brands navigate increasingly diverse consumer markets, cultural authenticity has become essential for building trust and relevance. Yet marketing scholarship lacks a clear framework for understanding cultural credibility as distinct from traditional notions of source or brand credibility. This study addresses that gap by examining how consumers conceptualize and evaluate cultural credibility in brand campaigns and collaborations. Drawing on theories of authenticity, cultural identity, and persuasion, the research positions cultural credibility as a socially constructed judgment shaped by perceived authenticity, shared values, and relational alignment. Using semi‑structured interviews and focus groups with multicultural consumers, the study employs thematic analysis to …

When Brand Protection Leads To Brand Crisis: The Case Of Disposable Fashion, Priya Rangaswamy, Rohini Daraboina, Lizhihan Yu

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Firms in the fashion industry have a practice of disposing unsold inventory to protect their brand value. It has gained a lot of importance in the media due to increasing consumer awareness about sustainability and has led to consumer backlash. This research examines whether this practice negatively impacts firm value, contrary to the firm’s belief. Specifically, the authors examine the effects of news on inventory disposal on short-term cumulative abnormal returns using an event-study methodology. Results show that news of this practice has a negative relationship with firm value for both the focal firm engaged in the practice and rival …

When Ai Joins Your Teaching Team: Reinventing Sales Education With Ai, Cindy B. Rippé, Caroline K. Munoz

AMTP Proceedings 2026

A key component of sales education is role-play practice, but grading role-plays is time-consuming and a beneficial but unscalable activity. Additionally, students struggle to act as a buyer in role-play practice because they have no business experience. The inability to act as a realistic buyer can impede sales call practice. This research empirically examines how the use of AI role-plays using Yoodi in a professional selling class impacts students and instructors. This research empirically examines how the use of AI role-plays in a professional selling class impacts students and instructors. Findings through a qualitative analysis of student feedback reveal that …

Determinants Of E-Waste Recycling Intentions Among Us And Uk Consumers, Catherine A. Roster

AMTP Proceedings 2026

The amount of e-waste generated globally is rising faster than e-waste recycling rates and represents a danger to the environment and humans. The objective of this study was to investigate determinants of e-waste recycling intentions among a representative sample of 1,050 adult consumers from the US and the UK. Cross-national differences were also examined. A model integrating factors drawn from the theory of planned behavior and value-belief-norm theory was tested using PLS-SEM. Findings showed that values, awareness of consequences, ecological self-identity, and ascription of responsibility influenced personal norms toward e-waste recycling, and that personal norms partially mediated relationships between these …

Human Or Bot? How Tripartite Privacy Concerns Shape Ai Service Adoption, La Toya M. Russell, Neleen Leslie-Piper

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This study investigates how tripartite privacy concerns: online, offline, and AI-specific, shape consumer preferences for AI chatbots versus human representatives across five service sectors. Utilizing a large-scale U.S. sample, the research extends privacy calculus theory by conceptualizing privacy concern as a single trait.

Findings reveal that participants who prefer human interaction consistently report higher mean privacy concern scores than those who prefer AI. However, this “human preference” weakens as the sector's inherent risk increases. While significant differences exist in retail and travel, they disappear in high-stakes contexts like healthcare. The results suggest that while AI privacy concerns are unique, they …

Mindset Matters: How Growth And Fixed Mindsets Shape Consumer Adoption Of Ai, Myungjin Smale, Yuri Martirosyan, Hui Zhang

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This research examines how individuals’ mindsets shape their use of generative AI (gen AI). In a study with 348 undergraduate students, participants imagined writing a graduate school Statement of Purpose and indicated whether and how they would use AI tools. Among participants who indicated they would use AI, fixed-mindset students were more likely to rely on AI for brainstorming tasks, such as idea generation, whereas growth-mindset students were more likely to use AI for writing aids, such as grammar or spell checking. A significant interaction emerged between mindset and AI use type on anticipated guilt: growth-mindset students anticipated greater guilt …

From Personas To Experience Appetites: Extending Identity-Based Profiles To Improve Behavioral Prediction In Tourism, John Story

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Personas are widely used in tourism marketing, representing consumer segments through stable demographic, psychographic, and lifestyle profiles. While effective for communication and creative strategy, personas are limited in predicting specific behaviors. This research introduces experience appetites—derived from Fennell’s (1978) Perceived Product-Use Situation framework—as a complementary, behaviorally grounded extension. Whereas personas describe who the consumer is, experience appetites capture the motivational state activated within a particular decision context. Using data from repeat visitors to multiple destinations, we demonstrate substantial within-person variation in motives across trips, even to the same location. While persona categories alone failed to predict these shifts; appetite …

Perceived Authority Of Ai-Generated Videos And Consumer Vulnerability, Kungpo Paul Tao

AMTP Proceedings 2026

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into social media has transformed how consumers watch, interpret, and engage with video content. While AI-driven personalization enhances engagement, the growing realism of AI-generated videos blurs the boundary between authentic and fabricated content, increasing consumer vulnerability. This study examines how creativity influences consumer attention, interpretation, and interaction with AI-generated videos, and how it moderates the relationship between perceived authority and consumer engagement. Using secondary data collected from YouTube, the study analyzes publicly available AI-generated videos and user responses, including engagement metrics and comment-based sentiment indicators. The findings reveal that most consumers struggle to …

What Drives Solar Energy Adoption? An Exploratory Study, Can Trinh

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Environmental pollution and its detrimental impact on people around the world have received significant attention in the past decades. As concerns for the environment grow, there have been increasing calls to adopt more environmentally-friendly practices in all aspects of life, including the adoption of green energy (Siddiqua et al., 2022). Green energy has become a hot topic in political debates (Schipani, 2023) because it can shape the future of global trade (Joselow, 2023) and the utility industry landscape (Waldholz, 2023). Recent polls showed that up to 80% of Americans were in favor of green energy in place of non-renewable energy …

Cute, Collectible, And Contagious: Understanding The Starbucks Bear Cup Phenomenon, Natalya Vodopyanova

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This study examines the Starbucks Bear Cup phenomenon to understand how identity expression, scarcity perceptions, and fear of missing out (FOMO) shaped consumer engagement during a highly publicized limited-edition product drop. Using Consumer Culture Theory and scarcity/FOMO frameworks, the research investigates how consumers constructed meaning around the Bear Cup through social media displays, community rituals, and symbolic participation. A qualitative content analysis of Instagram posts revealed five dominant patterns: celebratory acquisition posts, expressions of scarcity frustration, curated identity displays, community interaction, and creative substitution using bear-shaped alternatives. Findings show that consumers used the cup as a vehicle for identity signaling …