Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising

Rudolph, Roger; Akhavan, Roya

doi: 10.1080/10641734.2014.866842pmid: N/A

The concept of perceived risk in consumer decision making constitutes an important area in advertising research. The experiment described here was designed specifically to identify and reduce salient components of risk for two purchase conditions and to measure the impact of the risk-reducing advertisements on, (a) advertising believability, (b) attitudes toward brand, and (c) consumer purchase intentions. The study found that systematically identifying salient components of risk associated with a product/service and addressing them in the advertising message is a significant means of increasing advertising effectiveness.

Gao, Zhihong; Zhang, Hongxia; Li, Sherry F.

doi: 10.1080/10641734.2014.866844pmid: N/A

Contextualized in the regulatory differences between China and the United States, this study surveyed Chinese and U.S. consumers on their beliefs and attitudes toward advertising. It found that the two samples shared considerable similarities in their beliefs and attitudes, as well as some differences. The data suggest the possibility that when advertising reaches a certain threshold of development and becomes ubiquitous in people's life, consumers, regardless of their cultural background, invariably acquire a less favorable view of advertising.

Chou, Hsuan-Yi; Lien, Nai-Hwa

doi: 10.1080/10641734.2014.866845pmid: N/A

This article investigates the effects of using auditory cues (i.e., popular songs) to evoke consumer nostalgia in response to TV commercials. Possible moderation of the song familiarity and the lyrics’ relevance to the advertised product are also explored. Experimental results indicate that even if the product and other ad design elements are not related to nostalgic themes, placing an old song in an ad evokes nostalgic feelings among viewers and elicits more positive nostalgia-related thoughts. Additionally, old songs could generate positive emotions and better advertising effectiveness only under the more familiar song and more relevant lyrics conditions.

Folse, Judith Anne Garretson; Grau, Stacy Landreth; Moulard, Julie Guidry; Pounders, Kathrynn

doi: 10.1080/10641734.2014.866847pmid: N/A

Advertisers have long been interested in the persuasiveness of cause-related marketing (CRM) campaigns, and the authors extend this stream of research using two separate experiments that considers the effectiveness of the company's product versus cash donations. Findings from Study 1 indicate consumers perceive sponsoring companies of CRM campaigns less favorably when these companies make product rather than cash donations to their nonprofit CRM partners, and the level of consumer participation effort required in these campaigns does not moderate this effect. However, Study 2 introduces congruency as a potential explanation for these adverse effects and extends Study 1 by demonstrating that more (as compared to less) congruent product donations can eliminate the negative effects of product donations. Further, it confirms prior findings concerning the importance of sponsoring company–cause congruency. Campaigns designed with higher levels of both types of congruency (product donation–cause and company–cause) promote favorable campaign outcomes. Further, both studies demonstrate that the effects of product donations on campaign outcomes are mediated by company motive. Implications for advertising theorists and practitioners are offered.

Krishen, Anjala S.; LaTour, Michael S.; Alishah, Elnaz Jalilipour

doi: 10.1080/10641734.2014.866851pmid: N/A

While the explosive literature on the portrayal of women in advertising has established a multitude of salient issues (e.g., sexual objectification), the skin tone of Asian models in ads and associated cultural underpinnings has not yet been examined. However, given the obsession in various Asian countries with skin whitening for women, it has the potential to be salient in Asian cultures in the United States. The current exploratory study examines the possibility of “skin tone tension” occurring in a diverse Asian sample in the United States and compares Caucasian to Asian reactions to a model's skin tone in a print ad. The results reflect cultural frameworks and provide a preliminary evidentiary starting point for further examination of this issue in various Asian cultures within the United States. Toward that end, extant theory is discussed and a new research agenda to extend such is proposed.

Kalliny, Morris

doi: 10.1080/10641734.2014.866855pmid: N/A

The impact of globalization can be felt throughout the world in various ways. Among these is the opening of markets to multinational companies worldwide. One of the regions where the impact of globalization is apparent is the Middle East region, particularly the Arab region. The purpose of this article is to investigate the technological changes as they relate to media in the Arab world and the opportunities and challenges they provide to marketers, particularly in the area of advertising. The article outlines the media challenges the Arab region has faced and the opportunities technology has created for advertisers in the region. The article, using secondary data, shows that television and Internet may be the most promising media outlets for advertisers to reach the Arab population.