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The purpose of this paper is to analyze parents’ intentions toward the anti-consumption of junk food for their children. The paper incorporated the theory of planned behavior (TPB) using two external factors, which previously have not been investigated together.

A questionnaire was designed from previous studies consisting of the constructs of the TPB (intention, attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control) and two external factors (anticipated regret and perceived risk). An online survey was conducted among 392 participants. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used to test the hypotheses.

All hypotheses were supported. Attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control affected parental intentions toward the anti-consumption of junk food. The two external factors of the model also affected parental intentions toward the anti-consumption of junk food.

There were four limitations regarding participants, the research model and product type.

Junk food producers, sellers, fast food restaurants and public policies should encourage healthy lifestyles, particularly for children. Junk food producers and fast food restaurants should offer healthier nutritional options. Governmental policies should include legal regulations to restrict marketing strategies for unhealthy products. Parents, as the primary influencers of children, should be educated regarding the anti-consumption of junk food.

The study contributed to the anti-consumption literature by analyzing buying intentions toward junk food within the concept of anti-consumption, analyzing intentions by adding anticipated regret and perceived risk to the TPB model and analyzing the effects of perceived risk on anticipated regret.

The purpose of this paper is to predict customers’ intentions to use self-checkouts based on the technology acceptance model (TAM).

The questionnaire consisted of constructs taken from the existing literature such as perceived ease of use (PEU), perceived usefulness (PU), behavioral intentions, technology anxiety (TA), perceived risk (PR), need for interaction (NI), and situational factors (SF). Before preparing the questionnaire, the focus group studies were organized to gain deeper insights regarding customers’ views about self-checkouts. Based on the results of the focus groups, some items in the constructs were adapted, and the questionnaire was generated. The field study was conducted via face-to-face survey with 500 customers chosen by stratified random sampling. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used to validate the relationships hypothesized in the conceptual model among constructs.

Out of the 16 hypotheses, 10 were found to be significant. The hypotheses related to the effects of PR, PEU, PU, intentions, while the effects of NI on PU and intentions; the effects of SF on intentions were not accepted in the study. According to the findings, PEU, PU, and TA affected intentions whereas PR, NI, and SF did not.

There were some limitations related to demographics, attitudes, SF, and actual usage of self-checkouts.

To avoid queues, retailers should install a sufficient number of user-friendly and simple interfaced self-checkouts with well-trained employees to encourage usage and reduce the perceived risk and anxiety.

The main contribution of this study was that the effects of different constructs were measured on Turkish customers’ intentions to use self-checkouts, which could be used in formulating marketing strategies as well as considering future research directions. The paper also provided additional insights into the effects of SF, TA, NI, and PR, all of which were added to the TAM in this study.

Although women have been represented in advertising since WWII, the themes were laden with stereotypes – from working roles in the 1940s to superwomen in the 1970 and 1980s, second-wave feminism. Contemporary women-centric advertising (or femvertising) strives towards women empowerment and gender equality by stripping down stereotypes. However, through closer inspection, this study examines if this femvertising by brands nowadays is a gimmick to sell their products and further the neoliberal, postfeminist perspective.

Semiotic content analysis (SCA) explored the post-feminist discourses, as categorised by Windels et al. (2020) – in the internationally awarded 80 advertisements produced from 2013 to 2023 in the global West and South. Codes generated from SCA were then quantitatively analysed using chi-square and p-values, comparing the three themes: post-feminist elements and discourses, the form of self-surveillance and product ads and measuring the changes in post-feminist discourses in recent years.

After 2018, advertisements used more post-feminist discourse, especially commodity feminism, self-surveillance and love-your-body parameters. Brands reacted in their campaigns, conforming to gender stereotypes under empowerment and modifying feminist values.

The study lacked a phenomenological understanding of the perspective of the consumers, the advertisers and the panel judges of these awards through a qualitative study on the post-feminist aspects of the femvertisements, the importance of depoliticising the women’s struggle or the feminist movement in communicating with the audience and how such a strategy has helped in empowering (or disempowering) real women.

The study highlights the need for inclusive marketing communication and also outlines implications for the brand owners, advertisers and the creative team. The research emphasises determining the fit between brands and the social issue, eventually leading to positive brand attitude and purchase intention among consumers.

The research helps inform the young consumers about gender equity, the role played by the social, cultural, political, environmental and structural elements in shaping women’s empowerment and how their identity and experiences affect their empowerment. An inclusive communication approach would enable projects with real people with whom consumers, irrespective of gender, can resonate.

The study highlighted the femvertising issue from an inclusive marketing communication spectrum, implying its importance for brands’ attempts to connect with feminist and women consumers authentically.