Joya A. Kemper and Paul W. Ballantine
This paper aims to explore how the socio-ecological model can be expanded to address wicked problems that are perpetuated by marketing systems through examining the ways the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore how the socio-ecological model can be expanded to address wicked problems that are perpetuated by marketing systems through examining the ways the external environment can be targeted.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used an extended socio-ecological model to provide a framework for social marketers to combat climate change through the food system in the external environment.
Findings
The socio-ecological model is extended to examine how social marketers can influence the micro and macro environment through targeting the physical structure, economic, political and socio-cultural environment of desirable (sustainable) and undesirable (unsustainable) food products.
Practical implications
The authors highlight that social marketers should focus on the various ways the external environment at multiple levels can be targeted to produce systemic change.
Originality/value
This paper broadens the current macro-social marketing knowledge by providing a framework to analyse where and how change can be affected at the various levels of society.
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Paula Arbouw, Paul W. Ballantine and Lucie K. Ozanne
The purpose of this paper is to examine how consumer attitudes are affected by corporate brands that have newly adopted a sustainable brand image. Specifically, this paper…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine how consumer attitudes are affected by corporate brands that have newly adopted a sustainable brand image. Specifically, this paper examines consumer responses to ad–brand incongruity and tests whether two-sided messages yield greater acceptance of incongruence.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 528 responses were collected via an online experiment using a 3×2 between-subjects factorial design which manipulated three levels of perceived ad–brand congruence (congruent, moderately incongruent and extremely incongruent) and two levels of message sidedness (one- and two-sided).
Findings
Results indicate that brand managers have to be careful not to create ad–brand incongruence after adopting new brand values and should avoid two-sided messages during this period.
Originality/value
This paper tests the use of two-sided messages as resolution hints for ad–brand incongruence and furthers the corporate branding literature incorporating sustainability.
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Paul W. Ballantine, Richard Jack and Andrew G. Parsons
The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of atmospherics in the creation of an hedonic retail experience by comparing the perceived differences between a retail…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of atmospherics in the creation of an hedonic retail experience by comparing the perceived differences between a retail environment attempting to provide an hedonic experience and one with a more utilitarian focus.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative methodology was employed, using protocol analysis and in‐depth semi‐structured interviews that were conducted with ten participants.
Findings
The paper highlights several atmospheric cues and their influence on the hedonic retail experience. The first category of cues – attractive stimuli – were those cues that attracted attention, exciting the participant and eliciting approach behaviours. The second category – facilitating stimuli – included those cues that were necessary in order to facilitate product engagement.
Originality/value
The paper provides a broad categorisation of atmospheric cues, providing factors that shop designers can be aware of when creating a store with the hedonic experience in mind.
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Paul W Ballantine, Andrew Parsons and Katrina Comeskey
The purpose of this paper is to examine how the holistic atmospheric cues encountered in a retail environment contribute to the creation of a retail experience. The interaction…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine how the holistic atmospheric cues encountered in a retail environment contribute to the creation of a retail experience. The interaction between these cues, and how they impact on the various stages of the retail experience is also explored.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative methodology was employed, using protocol analysis and in-depth semi-structured interviews that were conducted with 18 participants. Data were collected in the context of the women’s fashion sector.
Findings
The findings highlight the importance of store owners ensuring atmospheric cues create a store image congruent with their target market’s self-image. A model is also developed which highlights how atmospheric cues are able to affect successive stages of the retail experience.
Originality/value
This paper provides a holistic understanding of how retail atmospheric cues are able to influence the overall retail experience; from how a retail store is initially evaluated through to the intention to purchase.
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Andrew G. Parsons and Paul W. Ballantine
This paper aims to explore the topic of gift‐giving to children, highlighting some of the issues that provide insight into how consumers might be making their choices.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the topic of gift‐giving to children, highlighting some of the issues that provide insight into how consumers might be making their choices.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 285 personal interviews were conducted using a structured questionnaire. All participants were aged 18 or over, and had purchased a gift for a child aged under‐13 within the previous three months.
Findings
The findings of this study are that kinship, gender of the buyer, and the presence of siblings are related to the type of gift bought, including how traditional or contemporary it is, how educational it is, and whether the gift is reflective of the child's personality.
Practical implications
Understanding the purchasing behavior of shoppers giving gifts to children allows marketers to participate in important stages in societal development.
Originality/value
This paper provides insight into the purchasing behavior of consumers when buying gifts for children.
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Andrew G. Parsons and Paul W. Ballantine
A common complaint about shopping malls is the “sameness” of them. Despite this, shopping mall groups are increasingly using group branding as the basis for promotional…
Abstract
A common complaint about shopping malls is the “sameness” of them. Despite this, shopping mall groups are increasingly using group branding as the basis for promotional activities, emphasising the security for the customer of knowing that they will receive the same level of mix, no matter which “branch” is shopped at. This research examines the effectiveness of group versus local promotional activities, with the premise that level of local market dominance will impact on the effectiveness of both promotional types. The two key performance indicators of sales and foot traffic were used to measure effectiveness. Findings suggest that promotional type and level of market dominance have significant effects on sales and traffic. Managerial implications are offered, along with suggestions for future research extending this study to other retail groups.
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Paul W Ballantine and Cara Au Yeung
The purpose of this paper is to understand the differences between organic (i.e. naturally occurring) and sponsored (i.e. marketer influenced) consumer-generated blog reviews, by…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand the differences between organic (i.e. naturally occurring) and sponsored (i.e. marketer influenced) consumer-generated blog reviews, by examining how blog source and review valence can impact upon perceived credibility, brand attitude, and behavioural intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used an online experiment, where participants were randomly assigned to one of six conditions in a 2 (blog source) × 3 (review valence) between-subjects factorial design.
Findings
The findings indicate that balanced reviews are perceived to be the most credible. Negative reviews led to the lowest ratings on brand attitude and purchase intention, while positive reviews led to the highest ratings on these two constructs. However, the effects of review valence were not found to differ based upon whether a blog was organic or sponsored.
Originality/value
The findings of this study extend and contribute to the knowledge of the impact of source and valence in electronic word of mouth settings. Moreover, the findings of this study provide practical insight into how consumers react to the sponsorship of blog web sites on the internet.
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Jane Roberts, Bill Merrilees, Carmel Herington and Dale Miller
Trust is the basis of business relationships. The purpose of this paper is to explore the antecedents of trust in the context of the relationship between shopping centre…
Abstract
Purpose
Trust is the basis of business relationships. The purpose of this paper is to explore the antecedents of trust in the context of the relationship between shopping centre management and retail tenants, primarily from the retailer perspective, as a first test of trust in such business‐to‐business relationships. A contrast is made between neighbourhood and regional centres to determine if centre size affects trust development.
Design/methodology/approach
Quantitative research methods are used. The focus is a sample of 201 retail tenants in Australian shopping centres. Psychometric properties were assessed for all multi‐item scales used to capture variables of interest. Multiple regression analysis is used to explain trust in terms of five key influences: power of the centre manager (as a negative relationship), empowerment of the retailer, flexibility, responsiveness and the shopping centre brand.
Findings
Empowerment, restraint of power and responsiveness are the main determinants of trust. Power is especially critical in regional shopping centres. The shopping centre brand and flexibility play important support roles in neighbourhood centres.
Research limitations/implications
The lack of comparable studies limits the generalizability of the results to other countries.
Practical implications
Centre managers, in larger planned shopping centres, who want greater retail tenant trust, should not demonstrate their power overtly in, say, rent negotiations. They could also learn from small centres about being flexible and projecting a more unified centre brand.
Originality/value
This empirical study probes the antecedents of trust in Australian shopping centres, a previously neglected area in the shopping centre literature. The paper is unique because it contrasts neighbourhood and regional shopping centres.
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Marilyn Y. Jones, Sonia Vilches‐Montero, Mark T. Spence, Sevgin A. Eroglu and Karen A. Machleit
The purpose of this paper is to present findings from an experiment designed to test the impact of crowding perceptions (both human and spatial), emotions (positive and negative…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present findings from an experiment designed to test the impact of crowding perceptions (both human and spatial), emotions (positive and negative) and shopping values (utilitarian and hedonic) on shopper satisfaction. Culture is explored as a moderating variable with the expectation that it systematically affects perceptions and values, which, in turn, influence the shopper's experience with the store.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected via a 2×2×2 full factorial between subjects design with two variables, one manipulated and one measured. The two manipulated variables were spatial density (high versus low) and human density (high versus low). The measured variable was country of origin, where subjects were coded as either American or Australian.
Findings
Culture moderates the effects of perceived spatial crowding as well as both hedonic and utilitarian shopping values on shopper satisfaction. Specifically, the adverse effect of perceived spatial crowding on shopper satisfaction is less pronounced for Australians than is the case for Americans. With respect to both utilitarian and hedonic shopping values, the positive relationship between shopping values and shopper satisfaction is greater for Australians than for Americans.
Originality/value
Shopping has been generally described by Rintamaki et al. as “relativistic, because it involves preferences among objects, it varies among people, and it is specific to the context”. This paper demonstrates that culture clearly affects shopper's perceptions and shopping values, which in turn affect shopper satisfaction. It is reasonable to speculate that these effects would be even more pronounced had countries with greater cultural distance been examined.
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Andrew G. Parsons, Paul W. Ballantine and Ann‐Marie Kennedy
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the recipient side of gift exchange by establishing the combination/level of gift benefits preferred by the recipient. It investigates…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the recipient side of gift exchange by establishing the combination/level of gift benefits preferred by the recipient. It investigates the association between these benefits and the nature of the relationship between the gift giver and recipient.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 250 people were surveyed about a recent gift receipt experience. Levels of symbolic, experiential, and functional benefits sought from the gift were established. Canonical correlation was used to analyse the interrelationships of relational variables (relationship type, strength, and length) and the preferred gift benefits.
Findings
People prefer gifts with a greater symbolic meaning (see with lower levels of functional and experiential benefits) from people close to them. People who have not known each other for long, but have a strong emotional connection, prefer gifts that are primarily functional. It shows that benefit associations are significant to gift recipients, the type of relationship the recipient is in has a significant effect on the desired combined level of benefit associations, and the symbolism of meaning for gifts can be expressed through benefit associations.
Originality/value
Studies of gift exchange focus on the gift giver and the benefits gained from the act of giving. The results show that the exchange process used by sociologists and consumer behaviorists to describe and explain gift‐giving activity cannot assume the same levels of benefits associated with the gift occurring on each side of the exchange. It is also shown for the first time that the type of giver, and the relationship the recipient has with the giver, will modify recipient preferences.