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Prior research has indicated that consumers' decisions are significantly influenced by online reviews. However, existing research has focused mainly on attributes (e.g., average ratings) that are not fully controlled by firms; only limited research has investigated how controllable attributes (e.g., review display formats) affect consumers. Drawing on visual perception research, the authors examine the effectiveness of two prominent graphical display formats used by major e-commerce platforms: one that displays rating distributions in a proportional format (e.g., Amazon) and one that does so in a simple format (e.g., Google). The results indicate that due to the changes in graphs' reference points caused by the shrunken x-axis in simple bar graphs, consumers respond more positively to an item when its rating distribution is displayed in a graphically simple (vs. proportional) format. This effect is moderated by the distribution's peak value (i.e., the share of the most frequent rating) and imbalance score (i.e., the difference between the share of positive and negative ratings). Furthermore, even an item's future ratings are influenced by the graphical format in which its prior ratings are displayed. The contributions to the marketing literature are discussed, and insights that can aid managers in making more informed decisions are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how odd-ending pricing influences consumption of hedonic and utilitarian products. Four studies test the hypothesis that the discount image associated with odd-ending prices reduces anticipated guilt and provides justification for hedonic consumption--an effect the authors label the odd-ending price justification effect (OPJE). Study 1 reveals people are more likely to choose hedonic over utilitarian products when they have odd-ending prices. Study 2 finds that the effect of odd-ending prices on hedonic consumption is mediated by guilt reduction. Study 3 reveals a boundary condition for the OPJE--purchase likelihood of hedonic products increases only when monetary, not nonmonetary, guilt is reduced. Study 4 suggests the OPJE operates at an unconscious level, as consumers who are made aware of the trivial difference between odd- and round-ending prices are no longer influenced by odd-ending prices. The theoretical, practical, and research implications of these findings are discussed. Keywords Odd-ending pricing * Motivation * Hedonic consumption * Justification effect, Imagine a product being sold in two different retail outlets for $99.99 (odd-ending price) and $100.00 (round-ending price). For all practical purposes, the price difference of $0.01 should not influence [...]

Employees' positive affective displays have been widely used as a strategic tool to enhance service experience and strengthen customer relationships. Companies have primarily focused their employee training programs on two dimensions of display: intensity and authenticity. Yet there is limited research on when, how, and why these two dimensions affect customer reactions. Drawing on the emotions as social information (EASI) framework (Van Kleef, 2009), we develop a conceptual model in which display intensity and display authenticity differentially influence customer loyalty by changing customers' affective reactions and cognitive appraisals. Further, we propose that the relative impact of either dimension depends on customers' motivation to understand the environment deeply and accurately (i.e., their epistemic motivation). We tested our model in one field study and one laboratory study. Results across these two studies provide consistent support for the proposed model and advance our understanding about how different dimensions of employees' positive affective displays enhance customer reactions. Thus, findings of this research contribute to knowledge on the interpersonal effects of emotions in customer-employee interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

98 children in Grades 4, 5, and 6 were surveyed in 1997 for their knowledge of sunlight's harmful effects, attitude toward and frequency of usage of sun-safety devices, perceived peer pressure against sun-safe behavior, and parental encouragement for practicing sun-safe behavior. Children exhibited low knowledge of harmful effects of sun exposure and perceived the threat as remote. Of the two primary determinants of sunscreen usage, parental reminders and a positive attitude towards sunscreen use, the former was dominant. The knowledge of harmful effects of sun exposure, the primary focus of most interventions, does not appear to be the most critical variable influencing children's sun-safety behavior; parental involvement does.

Purpose Co-branding is popular with partnerships between well-known and new brands. In a laboratory study, this paper aims to examine the effects of a single ally and multiple allies on quality perception of a brand. The results suggest that the quality perception of the new brand depends on the co-branding strategy.Design/methodology/approach For dual-brand alliances, a single-factor design was used, with secondary brand quality level (high, medium and low) as the independent variable. Three advertisements were created by manipulating quality levels of the single partner. For multiple-brand alliances, a 2 × 3 between-subjects factorial design was used in the experiment. The two factors were diversification (homogeneous vs heterogeneous) and quality levels of the alliance (high-end, mixed and low-end).Findings The results suggest that the number of brand partners significantly affected the perceived quality of the primary brand. For both dual- and multi-brand alliances, the quality level of the secondary brand positively influenced the perceived quality of the primary brand. For multiple-brand alliances, even though the highest quality perceptions of the primary brand are in the heterogeneous conditions, the heterogeneity of partners (partners across different product categories) did not affect the quality perception of the primary brand.Research limitations/implications One limitation of the current study is that it only addresses one type of brand alliance: co-promotion. The generalization of these findings to other forms of brand alliances (e.g. ingredient branding: Intel with IBM, Dell and HP) merits further investigation. Also, in this study, respondents processed the information in a relatively low-involvement condition (note that the target ad was presented along with filler ads). They were more likely to use brand names as heuristic cues to form their judgments. Because an alliance partner also assumes risks, future research should consider the effect of the alliances on the secondary brand.Practical implications Understanding brand alliances (especially multiple-brand alliances) is critical for new product managers and marketers. Introducing a new brand has higher risk and failure rates. Companies may lower these risks by co-branding with established brands. However, they should carefully consider the diversification and quality level of the partners. If brand managers position their product as “high quality (luxury)” or “low quality (budget)”, they should choose high- (or low-) quality partners from different product categories (heterogeneous high-end or low-end alliances) because diversification strengthens the primary brand. For a single-partner alliance, the secondary brand should be of high quality.Originality/value This paper extends the brand alliance literature beyond single-partner to multiple-partner alliances. With multiple partners, one can explore several critical aspects of an alliance, e.g. quality variance and product class diversity across the partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the effects of viewer excitement as elicited by television programs on the effectiveness of commercials embedded in such programs. A review of the literature suggests that the physiological arousal which results from suspenseful or emotional programs can be usefully characterized as an intensifier of important viewer responses. A brief overview of the literature on program context effects to date is given and a model is developed which positions arousal in relation to other mediating variables affecting commercial impact. The paper concludes with a summary of the more pressing issues arising from the study of excitement as an aspect of media environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]