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False memories are generally viewed as “dumb,” in the sense of being caused by deficient processing, but recent psychological research has shown that elaboration and inferences can result in “smart” false memories. These “smart” false memories are explained by fuzzy-trace theory (FTT), which assumes that they derive from comprehension of the meaning of experience. FTT predicts that “smart” false memories should be positively correlated with measured levels of Need for Cognition (NFC). In three experiments we find those higher in NFC are more likely to elaborate and infer information from advertising that causes them to create “smart” false memories. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Participation in fantasy sports has become one of the most popular forms of interactive online entertainment, attracting more than 32 million players in North America. The purpose of this study was to examine the biasing effects of an advertisement promoting the popular online service. Using the illusion of control theory as a framework, a 2 x 2 between-subjects experiment {N = 156) was conducted to examine the effects of two marketer-controlled variables (i.e., customization level and expert information) on participants' illusory judgments and their decisions to participate in the advertised service. The results showed that both manipulated features evoked biases in control perceptions. Furthermore, illusory control increases winning expectancy and increased winning expectancy leads to favorable attitude and decision toward the advertised product. Findings suggest that promotional information emphasizing control heuristics and expert knowledge can increase consumers' beliefs that they can control their outcome, which subsequently influences their decision to participate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metaphors appear frequently in contemporary advertising. The purpose of this study is to distinguish between two types of metaphor (explicit versus implicit) and to further examine potential influences associated with product type and consumer differences in need for cognition (NFC). Experimental results from two studies indicate that, regardless of metaphor type, ads with metaphors are more effective than nonmetaphor ads. An implicit metaphor is more effective than an explicit metaphor in hedonic product advertising. In contrast, an explicit metaphor is more effective than an implicit metaphor in utilitarian product promotion. These results hold only for individuals with high NFC, not for those with low NFC. Hence, in practice, marketers stand to gain not only by matching the metaphor type with their advertised products or brands but also by appropriately framing the products as hedonic or utilitarian. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article presents three studies on how the negative emotions of guilt and shame differentially influence the effectiveness of health messages framed as gains or losses. Guilt appeals are more effective when paired with gain frames, whereas shame appeals are more effective when paired with loss frames. These framing effects occur because gain frames facilitate the use of problem-focused coping strategies favored by guilt, whereas loss frames facilitate the use of emotion-focused coping strategies favored by shame. Frames that fit with the emotion facilitate the activation of coping strategies consistent with that emotion and consequently lead to greater fluency and message effectiveness. These effects manifest on intentions to binge drink and time spent viewing alcohol advertising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research applies the theory of visceral influences to investigate the effects of visceral cues in a weight loss advertising context. Three visceral cues are addressed: proximity of reward, visual prime, and vividness of reward. Predictions are derived and three experiments are designed to examine the effects of visceral cues in weight loss advertisements. Results indicate that visceral cues are associated with greater buying impulse, attitudes toward the product, attitudes toward the advertisement, and purchase intentions. A high level of involvement with body weight is shown to increase respondent susceptibility to the visceral cues. Implications for theory and research in advertising are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines the effects of message framing of health advertisements and individual differences in temporal orientation on consumer risk perceptions, attitude, and behavioral intentions. Results from two between-subjects experiments indicate that consumers' temporal orientation moderates ad-framing effects related to goal pursuit strategies (GPS). In Study 1, a GPS manipulation in the ad message has a significant influence on consumers' attitude toward the ad; this effect is moderated by temporal orientation, however. Also, results suggest that consumer risk perceptions mediate the interaction effect. Study 2 demonstrates that a "fit" between a GPS manipulation in the ad and consumers' chronic regulatory focus increases the effectiveness of the advertisement, but the regulatory fit effect is moderated by temporal orientation. Implications are offered for theory, as well as for creators of public service advertising campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the development and production of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2005-2006 "Inside the Warrior" advertising campaign. Three aspects of the creative process are explored: (1) the context of the 2004-2005 NHL lockout season that led to the League's ensuing relaunch and rebranding exercise for a new professional ice hockey product within the entertainment industry; (2) the promotional devices used in the campaign that accentuate its explicit hypermasculine "warrior" theme; and (3) interviews with executives from Conductor that offer important insights on their construction of a warrior theme and the existent nature of the crisis of masculinity. Taken collectively, it is argued that the NHL's "Inside the Warrior" campaign is exemplary for exploring the crisis of masculinity inasmuch as it highlights how one major sport-entertainment-media partnership created, produced, and (re)presented a mythical form of hegemonic masculinity, a contemporary hockey warrior hero, for public consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a new model of advertising research based on the new understanding of the mind provided by brain science. It hypothesises that much advertising nowadays works implicitly- either below, or at very low levels of, awareness- but that so-called affective (emotional) advertising does not work exclusively through implicit processes. It suggests that both recall and recognition may be effective means of measurement for emotional advertising, and argues that attempts to prejudge advertising as either rational or emotional are highly problematic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the processing fluency model, advertising exposures enhance the ease with which consumers recognize and process a brand. In turn, this increased perceptual fluency leads to consumers having more favorable attitudes toward the brand. The authors extend the processing fluency model to examine the effect of conceptual fluency on attitudes. In three experiments, the authors show that when a target comes to mind more readily and becomes conceptually fluent, as when it is presented in a predictive context (e.g., a bottle of beer featured in an advertisement that shows a man entering a bar) or when it is primed by a related construct (e.g., an image of ketchup following an advertisement of mayonnaise), participants develop more favorable attitudes toward the target. It is believed that positive valence of fluent processing underlies these processing-fluency effects. When conceptual fluency is associated with negative valence (e.g., hair conditioner primed by a lice-killing shampoo), the authors observe less favorable attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examines consumers' perceptions of the intrusiveness of advertisements. A scale is developed to tap an underlying construct that has not previously been measured. Following traditional methods of scale development, the study uses expert-generated adjective lists, expands possible measures using a thesaurus, and finally reduces the number of items statistically to derive a new measure of advertising intrusiveness. The scale is validated using samples in different experimental conditions and is found to be valid, reliable, and parsimonious. The importance of such a scale for the field of advertising is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies on irritation in advertising have primarily focused on commercial attributes that produce negative reactions to that commercial and the brand advertised. The present study extends this line of research by examining the carryover effects of irritation previously elicited by either disliked ads or a large number of ads (embedded in a documentary) to an unrelated, neutral ad (at the end of the documentary). We hypothesize that people with a high need to evaluate (NE) will show such a transfer of irritation more clearly than will low NE individuals. The results confirm this hypothesis; high NE individuals were (1) more irritated after exposure to disliked or many ads and, consequently, (2) more negatively affected in their evaluations of the neutral ad and brand. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although both top‐dog and underdog positioning appeals are widely used in marketing and advertising, little is known about which strategy is more effective in persuading consumers. By introducing a sense of power, a social variable that is inherently relevant to the nature of the top‐dog versus underdog classification, we propose that consumers' responses to these two appeals are influenced by their psychological experience of power. Specifically, low‐power consumers will respond to top‐dog appeals more favorably because associating with top dogs facilitates power restoration. In contrast, high‐power consumers will respond to underdog appeals more favorably because supporting underdogs facilitates power expression. In four experimental studies, we provide consistent support for our main predictions as well as the underlying processes. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrate the differential effect of consumers' power states on their attitudes toward top‐dog versus underdog appeals. Providing process evidence, Studies 3 and 4 identify boundary conditions under which the basic effect was eliminated. These findings contribute to the persuasion literature and power research and provide important implications for positioning strategy and advertisement development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors examine the long-term effects of promotion and advertising on consumers' brand choice behavior. They use 8 1/4 years of panel data for a frequently purchased packaged good to address two questions: (1) Do consumers' responses to marketing mix variables, such as price. change over a long period of time? (2) If yes, are these changes associated with changes in manufacturers' advertising and retailers' promotional policies? Using these results, the authors draw implications for manufacturers' pricing, advertising, and promotion policies. The authors use a two-stage approach, which permits them to assess the medium-term (quarterly) effects of advertising and promotion as well as their long-term (i.e., over an infinite horizon) effects. Their results are consistent with the hypotheses that consumers become more price and promotion sensitive over time because of reduced advertising and increased promotions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most marketing applications of signal detection theory (SDT) produce an estimate of the respondent's memory accuracy based on exposure to a number of advertisements. Marketing practitioners, however. are usually more interested in the performance of an individual advertisement, or elements of that ad. Moreover, advertising recognition paradigms are typically limited to single observations per respondent. The authors present and compare two alternative methodologies that estimate SDT parameters for such designs by pooling recognition performance across respondents. They present two simulations that explore the most efficient methodology and suggest guidelines for selecting appropriate accuracy indices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Responding to Holbrook's questioning of "what's unfair" in "The Distorted Mirror," the author extends the discussion of advertising's cultural impact on values. He examines the validity of the model Holbrook assumes to be implicit and provides a more explicit statement of the essential argument. He accepts some but refutes many aspects of the critique and suggests a research agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author responds to Pollay's review of the "conventional wisdom" or "prevailing opinion" about the unintended consequences of advertising. After (re)constructing the implicit train of thought underlying Pollay's reflections, he suggests that the thin strands of the arguments Pollay cites compose only the weakest logical thread. The author finds unfairness in the attacks of critics who would smash the advertising mirror because they do not like what they see in it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subjects scoring high on the Affect Intensity Measurement (MM) scale responded with greater emotional intensity than low AI subjects to both positive and negative emotional appeals. These high Al individuals also expressed more positive attitudes and higher levels of enjoyment of the positive emotional appeal. However, in response to the negative emotional appeal, high Al and low Al subjects did riot differ in ad enjoyment level or attitude toward the ad. Emotional responses mediated the effects of affect intensity on attitude toward the ad only when subjects were exposed to the positive emotional appeal. Theoretical and managerial implications of the effect of affect intensity on the recipient's attitude toward high impact emotional advertising appeals are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the influential role involvement plays in advertising processing, it is important that researchers planning to manipulate the construct take great care in developing their manipulations and manipulation checks. This study discusses a procedure, adapted from Churchill's (1979) paradigm for developing better measures of marketing constructs, that may be useful in constructing manipulations of advertising (message) involvement. A manipulation and accompanying manipulation checks are offered as examples of instructions/items satisfactorily meeting reliability and validity requirements. The study draws attention to the importance of developing valid manipulations of involvement when conducting advertising research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Affect Intensity Measurement (AIM) scale assesses the strength of the emotions with which individuals respond to an affect-laden stimulus. This study investigated the extent to which individual differences in affect intensity influence the message recipient's responses to emotional advertising appeals. In two experiments high affect intensity individuals, compared with those who scored low on the AIM scale, (1) manifested significantly stronger emotional responses to the emotional advertising appeal and (2) showed no differences in emotional response intensity when exposed to a nonemotional appeal. Both negative and positive emotions mediated the influence of affect intensity on attitude formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines how consumers' attitudes toward advertisements are affected by their previous exposure to them. The results of our experiment suggest that the effects of exposure on ad attitudes may be moderated by the complexity of the advertisement: evaluations of complex ads become more positive with exposure, while those of simple ads do not. This finding may help explain why previous studies of ad exposure effects have yielded mixed results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses advertising effectiveness on children in relation to the repetition of television commercials. The goal of the article is to determine whether children and adults respond similarly to viewing commercials repetitively. Adults are characterized by increasingly negative views towards a product as the number of times a commercial has been viewed increases. A study of eight to ten year old boys is presented and evaluates their response to ice cream commercials during the "Flintstones." The name recognition, brand preference, and recognition of flavors are presented.

What goes on in the mind of a consumer as he forms a purchase decision? To answer this question, the author uses a relatively new methodology with a computer for setting up and interpreting multiple time-period survey data. He examines the hierarchy-of-effects theory of consumer behavior with panel results for a convenience food brand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advertising must have impact, but may miss the goal of stimulating demand because of a failure to create a favorable image. This article describes psychological and sociological influences affecting image formation. It shows how a limited number of principles may be utilized in creating an image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a comprehensive application of contemporary psychological theories to the analysis of consumer behavior. Although modern marketing is thawing heavily upon psychology, there is a tendency for the emphasis to become somewhat "one-sided," as observed in the stress on motivation research. The danger is that concentration upon only one aspect of behavior will obscure other important psychological dimensions necessary to understanding the behavior of consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Like humans, monkeys value information about sex and status, inviting the hypothesis that our susceptibility to these factors in advertising arises from shared, ancestral biological mechanisms that prioritize social information. To test this idea, we asked whether rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) show choice behavior that is similar to humans in response to sex and social status in advertising. Our results show that monkeys form preferences for brand logos repeatedly paired with images of macaque genitals and high status monkeys. Moreover, monkeys sustain preferences for these brand logos even though choosing them provided no tangible rewards, a finding that cannot be explained by a decision mechanism operating solely on material outcomes. Together, our results endorse the hypothesis that the power of sex and status in advertising emerges from the spontaneous engagement of shared, ancestral neural circuits that prioritize information useful for navigating the social environment. Finally, our results show that simple associative conditioning is sufficient to explain the formation of preferences for brand logos paired with sexual or status-based images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With today's high degree of advertising clutter, marketers might greatly focus on evoking emotion or creating hedonic (e.g., feeling) experiences for consumers in order to improve practice. These strategies minimize the effort needed to process a message and can influence consumers' decisions. In 4 studies, we examine the effects of music tempo on consumers' attitudes toward the brand while further considering the mediating role of evoked feelings. Study 1 and 2 supports that music tempo in commercials influences consumers' affective response to the music in advertising. Study 3 replicated this effect using a controlled experiment and extended the research by demonstrating that tempo also affects general mood states, in addition to feelings evoked by the music. Last, Study 4 demonstrates that need for emotion moderates the role of affect as information. This research contributes to theory in sensory marketing and consumer behavior and offers practical implications to improve marketing practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts pertaining to advertising and promotion. They include "The Grocery Shopper and Food Specials: A Case of Subjective Deception?," by J. B. Wilkinson and J. Barry Mason, "FTC's Talk of Banning Cereal Premiums Stirs Ire of Citizens as well as Food Firms, Admen," by Kenneth Bacon, and "Multivariate Analysis of Variance in Research on the Effectiveness of TV Commercials," by Yoram Wind and Joseph Denny.

Four groups of students were presented with identical advertisements for sangria wine, attributed to one of four different types of endorsers: a celebrity, student, professional expert, and company president. A fifth group serving as a control was presented with the same advertisement, but it was not attributed to an endorser. Subjects were asked to rate the wine on three scales: expected selling price, probable (anticipated) taste and intent-to-purchase. In addition, the advertisements were rated on their believability. While endorsers did not significantly affect the expected selling price or believability, they had an effect on probable taste and intent-to-purchase. The authors conclude that it is probably worthwhile for an advertiser to use an endorsement for his product, rather than utilize a similar advertisement without an endorsement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commentary is presented on the article, "Fear: The Potential of an Appeal Neglected by Marketing," by Michael L. Ray and William L. Wilkie, published in the January 1970 issue. According to the author, the article asserts that product advertising messages designed to elicit anxiety in consumers are more effective when shown to people who do not already own those products than in people that do own them. The author notes a number of other variables that could potentially effect an advertisement's effectiveness, including the personality and socioeconomic status of the viewer.

The article presents marketing abstracts relative to research and forecasting. They include "Long-term Forecasting of Consumer Durable Markets," by Peter F. Mason, "Some Observations on, and Developments in, the Analysis of Multivariate Survey Data," by Jim Inglis and Douglas Johnson, and "Aggregate Models of Consumer Purchases," by James R. Emshoff and Alan Mercer.

It is difficult, particularly in mass retailing, to convince shoppers to open their pocketbooks and make their purchases from displays. This article discusses what can be done in advertising to attract and build steady customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents marketing research, specifically focusing on the relative importance of brand and location within the store for customers' milk buying selections. A film based research technique developed by Purdue University, memomotion analysis, is described. A test of consumers' actions, preferences and buying patterns was conducted using memomotion analysis. The benefits of this type of marketing research are described. Overall the researchers present their findings with respect to consumers' gender, age, and buying habits.

A number of abstracts are presented for articles pertaining to the topic of advertising. They include "Believability in Ads and Use Go Together," "What Psychology Offers to Advertising" and "Research Should Not Scoff at the Advertiser's Hunches."

Purpose To identify and review evidence on 1) the effectiveness of statutory and self-regulatory actions to reduce the volume, exposure or wider impact of advertising for foods high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) to children, and 2) the role of educational measures. Design/methodology/approach A systematic review of three databases (Medline, CINAHL and PsycINFO) and grey literature was carried out. Relevant evidence included studies evaluating advertising bans and restrictions, advertising literacy programmes and parental communication styles. Relevant media included TV, internet, radio, magazines and newspaper advertising. No studies were excluded based on language or publication date. Findings Forty-seven publications were included: 19 provided evidence for the results of statutory regulation, 25 for self-regulation, and six for educational approaches. Outcome measures varied in approach, quality and results. Findings suggested statutory regulation could reduce the volume of and children's exposure to advertising for foods HFSS, and had potential to impact more widely. Self-regulatory approaches showed varied results in reducing children's exposure. There was some limited support for educational measures. Discussion Consistency in measures from evaluations over time would assist the development and interpretation of the evidence base on successful actions and measures to reduce the volume, exposure and impact of advertising for foods HFSS to children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: One important psychological mechanism of advertising is mere exposure inducing positive attitudes towards brands. Recent basic research has shown that the underlying mechanism of mere exposure for words, in turn, is the training of subvocal pronunciation, which can be obstructed by oral motor-interference. Commercials for foreign brands were shown in cinema sessions while participants either ate popcorn, chewed gum (oral interference) or consumed a single sugar cube (control). Brand choice and brand attitudes were assessed one week later. While control participants more likely spent money (Experiment 1, N =188) and exhibited higher preference and physiological responses (Experiment 2, N =96) for advertised than for novel brands, participants who had consumed popcorn or gum during commercials showed no advertising effects. It is concluded that advertising might be futile under ecological situations involving oral interference, such as snacking or talking, which ironically is often the case. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Previous studies have sought insights into how websites can effectively draw sustained attention from internet users. Do different types of information presentations on webpages have different influences on users’ perceptions of the information? More precisely, can combinations of an ever greater number of advertising elements on individual websites increase consumers’ purchase intentions? The aim of this study is to explore changes in web advertising’s verbal and visual stimulation of surfers’ cognitive process, and to provide valuable information for the successful matching of advertising elements to one another. We examine optimal website design according to the personality-trait theory and resource-matching theory. Study 1 addresses the effects that combinations of various types of online advertising can have on web design factor, and to this end, we use a 2 (visual complexity: 3D advertising with an avatar, 2D advertising)×2 (verbal complexity: with or without self-referencing that is an advertising practice to express product claims in words) factorial design. Study 2 treats personality traits (i.e., need-for-cognition and sensation seeking) as moderating variables to build the optimal portfolio regarding the “online-advertising effects” hypothesis. Our results suggest that subjects prefer medium-complex advertising comprising “3D advertising elements with an avatar” or “2D advertising elements with self-referencing”: high-sensation seekers and low-need-for-cognition viewers prefer the former, whereas low-sensation seekers and high-need-for-cognition viewers prefer the latter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Cancer detection and treatment is now a huge part of the health care system, and many cancer charities and organizations advertise heavily in various media. However, from pink ribbons to yellow wristbands, marketing spending and imagery are vastly different between diseases that primarily affect men and those that primarily affect women. Yet, the ways in which consumers react to specific marketing images when used in cancer-related advertising, and the importance of the congruence between the disease and the ad image have been under-researched. This paper explores these research questions in two studies and finds significant differences in ad evaluations by image and gender of the disease target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terror Management Theory has led to suggestions that humans may distance themselves from menstruation in order to avoid reminders of their own corporeality and mortality, and the objectification of women has received empirical support as one means to do so. A content analysis of 240 menstrual product advertisements published in Seventeen and Cosmopolitan over 12 years was undertaken to look for evidence of objectification. Idealized images of women were common, lending support to the idea that these tactics can be used to provide distance from reminders of our own mortality, but overtly sexualized images were less common. The fact that nearly half of the advertisements did not include images of women may provide even stronger support for this idea. This indicated that a sanitized female body is not just being paired with reminders of menstruation, we are, literally, removing the female body entirely in many instances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of advertisement choice on individuals’ subsequent attention towards the advertisement. Participants in this study decided which type of advertisement to watch or they were not given a choice. Results of the study showed that advertisement choice significantly influenced female participants’ subsequent attention towards the advertisement but not males’. This effect suggests that this marketing technique should be used in specific situations to target women predominately. These include marketing products predominately or universally used by females or during shows which are viewed by a large number of females. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In the present experiment, 85 female undergraduate students were presented with an advertisement for chewing gum, featuring an attractive or a moderately attractive same-sex model. Participants were either primed on their gender or not. Results showed that gender-primed women were willing to pay more for the product when it was promoted by an attractive model, and, with increasing levels of social comparison orientation, women showed a more positive attitude toward the product when it was promoted by an attractive as opposed to a moderately attractive model. In contrast, when they were primed on being a female, women were willing to pay less when the product was promoted by an attractive model, and, with increasing levels of social comparison orientation, they had a less positive attitude when the product was promoted by an attractive as opposed to a moderately attractive model. Implications for advertising are discussed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the content of food industry Web sites targeting children by describing strategies used to prolong their visits and foster brand loyalty; and to document health-promoting messages on these Web sites. Design: A content analysis was conducted of Web sites advertised on 2 children's networks, Cartoon Net- work and Nickelodeon. A total of 290 Web pages and 247 unique games on 19 Internet sites were examined. Results: Games, found on 81% of Web sites, were the most predominant promotion strategy used. All games had at least 1 brand identifier, with logos being most frequently used. On average Web sites contained 1 "healthful" message for every 45 exposures to brand identifiers. Conclusions and Implications: Food companies use Web sites to extend their television advertising to promote brand loyalty among children. These sites almost exclusively promoted food items high in sugar and fat. Health professionals need to monitor food industry marketing practices used in "new media." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article traces the emergence and subsequent decline of motivation research. It argues that contrary to recent opinion that interpretive consumer research emerged in the mid-1980s, an embryonic form of interpretive research can actually be found in the 1930s in the form of motivation research. It demonstrates that there are clear and distinct parallels regarding the ontology, axiology, epistemology, methodology and view of human nature between motivation research, interpretive research and, to a limited extent, critical theory. Not only is motivation research presented as an early form of interpretive consumer research, but in addition, Holbrook's and Hirschman's experiential analysis is shown to be a possible take-off point to make the case that motivation research represents an early root of Consumer Culture Theory. This genealogical exercise resituates the emergence of the CCT discourse by 80 years and interpretive research by 60 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose — In the marketing process, the positioning effort exerted by manufacturers for their brands is slowed by the commercial objectives of intermediary firms. In addition, to act as buyers, retailers act as suppliers of demand segments. When they receive privileged conditions in their product purchasing contracts, they do not always transfer them, totally or partially, to the final consumers through prices. The purpose of this paper is to analyse price dispersion tools available to consumer goods manufacturers to obtain price consistency. Design/methodology/approach — An empirical study was conducted that analysed the retail price dispersion of 66 manufacturer brands in the categories of packaged foods, drugstore products, personal care products, and cellulose derivatives marketed in 574 Spanish retail outlets in different cities. Findings — In general, manufacturer brands achieve greater price-consistency, and therefore less price dispersion, when the consumer's knowledge of the product category is greater and when there are considerable levels of differentiation. Research limitations/implications — One important limitation must be recognised. Manufacturers' prices offered to retailers were not controlled. Such data would have allowed one to check whether some price dispersion was caused by the discount strategy of the manufacturers themselves. Originality/value — In this research the effect of retail competitive structure in Porter's model is incorporated. In addition, it is demonstrated that price consistency is more likely to occur for manufacturer brands, and that price dispersion is likely to be lower for such brands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A variety of negative consequences for girls and women have been associated with women's and men's viewing unrealistic portrayals of women in advertising. However, research on the positive consequences of presenting larger-sized women in advertisements, and the conditions under which they are effective, has been lacking. The present research examined such positive effects and found that larger-sized female models in ads were rated as more attractive when an instructional frame activated nontraditional beliefs (a new women's magazine that features larger-sized models) than when it activated traditional beliefs (a traditional women's magazine). These effects were more pronounced for women than for men, and particularly for women who scored higher in their need for cognition. The degree to which women generated positive thoughts about themselves in response to the ads tended to correspond with their ratings of increased attractiveness of the models in the ads. Implications of findings for using positive larger-sized female models in ads are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demonstrates that existing scales of brand personality do not in fact measure brand personality, but merge a number of dimensions of brand identity which need to be kept separate both on theoretical grounds and for practical use. Overview of the literature and research on the concept of brand personality since 1977; Brand personality measurement; Validity of existing brand personality scales.