A front-of-package label is a simple and effective way to communicate nutrition information to consumers. However, the use of the label has been limited to product packages. The…
Abstract
Purpose
A front-of-package label is a simple and effective way to communicate nutrition information to consumers. However, the use of the label has been limited to product packages. The purpose of this study is to explore the applicability of a front-of-package label to food print advertisements and to examine how the degree of nutrient content on the label influences consumer perceptions and behavioral intention.
Design/methodology/approach
Many food product manufacturers voluntarily use a front-of-package nutrition label showing specific information per serving size for calories, saturated fat, sodium and sugar. This exploratory, experimental research evaluates the thoughts, feelings and behavioral intention changes of consumers in response to a front-of-package label on a print advertisement and a product package. Two experiments were conducted online.
Findings
The presence of a front-of-package label in the ad increases ad responses involving perceived healthfulness of the product, ad attitude, brand attitude, healthy brand image and purchase intention. In addition, the healthier nutrient content listed on the label positively affects the audience’s responses. However, the front-of-package label on the product package increases only perceived healthfulness. Information about the degree of nutrient content indirectly influences intention to purchase the advertised healthy/unhealthy product sequentially via perceived healthfulness of the product, ad attitude, brand attitude and healthy brand image.
Research limitations/implications
To generalize the results, various product categories should be tested with the same research design in future studies.
Practical implications
This study recommends that communication practitioners place a front-of-package label on their print advertisements even though the food is not healthy. However, practitioners should keep in mind that a front-of-package label does not increase sales in the long term if the product is unhealthy.
Originality/value
The major contribution of this study is its exploration of the applicability of a front-of-package label to the advertising context. The label plays a role as a message cue a consumer can use to evaluate the ad, brand and product.
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Organizations are communicating with the public about their thoughts and behaviors relevant to the environment via social networking sites. The purpose of this paper is to explore…
Abstract
Purpose
Organizations are communicating with the public about their thoughts and behaviors relevant to the environment via social networking sites. The purpose of this paper is to explore for-profit and nonprofit organizations' Twitter messages to understand their environment-related messages and their influences on the publics' responses.
Design/methodology/approach
This study conducted a content analysis adopting four message classification systems: environmental message orientation, message specificity, message framing, and environmental issue. Guided by attribution theory, this study also explored how the organization's environmental messages influence social media (Twitter) user responses, likes, retweets, and replies.
Findings
The analysis showed that for-profits' messages tend to discuss their green products and manufacturing processes with specific numeric evidence, while nonprofits are disposed to describe a severely degraded environment. In addition, the study revealed that tweets yield a high number of likes and replies when the organizations are for-profits and the messages emphasize green products.
Research limitations/implications
The findings of this study showed that the green message categorization systems are applicable to the social media context. But, this study focused on Twitter only. Future studies need to examine various social media platforms.
Practical implications
The study findings recommend communication practitioners use substantive green messages highlighting actual pro-environmental performances. Also, practitioners might need to make a linkage between the discussed environmental issue and the organization (e.g. a water issue by a wildlife-related nonprofit, an energy issue by a home appliance manufacturer, an air pollution issue by a bicycle company). In addition, regarding the message specificity, infographics can be present specific information that audiences can readily understand because it is described visually.
Originality/value
Scholars investigated environmental messages in advertising and cautioned that environmental messages that are not substantive or specific can cause audiences to perceive the messages as greenwashing. However, these previous studies focused on conventional media, and they have not been replicated in the age of social media. Thus, it is important to explore the current status of organizational environmental messages on social media.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine the congruence effect of the product and claimed environmental issue on green advertising on consumer responses as well as the moderation…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the congruence effect of the product and claimed environmental issue on green advertising on consumer responses as well as the moderation effect of the perceived green reputation of the product on the congruence effect.
Design/methodology/approach
A two-by-two designed experiment (high/low congruence × high/low green reputation) with a covariate (ad skepticism) was conducted via online survey recruiting 179 college students.
Findings
High congruence of green issue and product category generated positive ad attitude, sponsor attitude, behavioral intention (BI), sponsor credibility and message credibility. Low green reputation positively affected ad attitude and BI. An interaction effect of congruence and green reputation on BI occurred.
Originality/value
This study contributes to suggest a new approach to green reputation by examining a perception of a product category in terms of green reputation. The study findings recommend marketing communication managers to keep high congruence of their product category and claimed environmental issue to maximize communication effectiveness.
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Han Jia, Sumin Shin and Jinfeng Jiao
This paper aims to offer a framework explaining how product experience (i.e. think vs feel) and product involvement (high vs low) influence the helpfulness of online reviews. It…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to offer a framework explaining how product experience (i.e. think vs feel) and product involvement (high vs low) influence the helpfulness of online reviews. It also reexamined how online consumer review dimensions help to build online review helpfulness under different contexts.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected using content analysis on 1,200 online customer reviews on 12 products from four categories to measure the relationships between online review dimensions and the helpfulness of reviews. The regression analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The findings indicate that the effectiveness of length of a review is moderated by product type; for think products, longer reviews yield higher helpfulness. Furthermore, the level of consistency between individual review ratings and overall product ratings is associated with review helpfulness. The length of product descriptions and product ratings is moderated by the level of involvement. For products with high involvement, longer descriptions yield higher helpfulness.
Originality/value
A conceptual connection to customer interaction is proposed by online customer reviews that vary by product type. The findings provide implications for online retailers to better manage online customer reviews and increase the value of product ratings.
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Soo Il Shin, Sumin Han, Kyung Young Lee and Younghoon Chang
The television (TV) content ecosystem has shifted from traditional broadcasting systems to dedicated content producers and over-the-top (OTT) services. However, less empirical…
Abstract
Purpose
The television (TV) content ecosystem has shifted from traditional broadcasting systems to dedicated content producers and over-the-top (OTT) services. However, less empirical effort has been paid to the actual behaviors of the mobile users who watch TV content when explaining the impact of OTT service and mobile network profiles in watching TV content. This study aims to investigate the impact of gratifications and attitude formed by mobile TV users on actual mobile TV watching behaviors, as well as the moderating impacts of paid OTT service subscriptions and mobile network profiles, based on gratification theory, cognition–affect–behavioral (CAB) framework, sunk cost effect and walled-garden effect.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employs the generalized linear model (GLM) with generalized estimating equations (GEE) to test hypothesized relationships. A total of 338 mobile phone users who have been watching TV content using a mobile phone participated in the survey. The moderating variables, 4 types of paid streaming platform subscriptions, were classified based on the walled gardens formed by mobile telecom services.
Findings
The study’s results revealed that obtained gratifications and opportunity constructs substantially influenced a mobile phone user’s attitude and behaviors. Additionally, mobile network profiles and the degree of access to paid platform services played significant moderating roles in the relationship between users’ attitudes and behavior.
Originality/value
This research enriches the existing OTT service literature and is one of the pioneering studies investigating the walled-garden effect’s role in mobile phone users’ actual watching behaviors, offering valuable practical implications for the OTT platform providers.
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Kyung Young Lee, Sumin Han, Soo Il Shin and Sung-Byung Yang
This study aims to apply the information system success model (ISSM) to examine the relationships among actual use, use continuance intention, user satisfaction and net benefits…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to apply the information system success model (ISSM) to examine the relationships among actual use, use continuance intention, user satisfaction and net benefits in the context of quick-service restaurant (QSR) patrons using two contactless technologies (CT): self-service kiosks (SSK) and mobile applications (MA) for food ordering. The study also investigates the moderating roles of social interaction anxiety (SIA) and language proficiency (LP) in the abovementioned relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
Survey data from 421 QSR patrons with experience using McDonald's SSK and MA were collected and analyzed through a seemingly unrelated regressions (SUR) technique.
Findings
Research findings reveal positive associations among actual use, use continuance intention and satisfaction with CT (i.e. SSK and MA). The actual use and satisfaction with CT are positively associated with individual benefits, leading to improved patron satisfaction with QSR. Findings also reveal that, in the case of MA, SIA positively moderates relationships between actual use/satisfaction and individual benefits and between satisfaction and organizational benefit, while LP shows negative moderating effects on those relationships.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first attempts to present empirical evidence of constructs in the ISSM (actual use, use continuance intention, satisfaction and individual/organizational benefits) in the context of QSR patrons using SSK and MA. It also shows that using MA can address some patrons' psychological problems interacting with others in their food-ordering processes.
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Soo Il Shin, J.B. Kim, Sumin Han and Sangmi Lee
The purpose of this study is to examine factors affecting mobile phone users' attitude toward watching TV content on a mobile device. Under the uses and gratifications theory, the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine factors affecting mobile phone users' attitude toward watching TV content on a mobile device. Under the uses and gratifications theory, the current study examined attitude toward watching TV content on a mobile phone, with antecedents of affinities for both watching TV content and a mobile phone use.
Design/methodology/approach
The current study adopted a construct of relative advantage as a mediator between affinities and attitude, and four moderators that affect the relationship between relative advantage and attitude. The study then analyzed 430 survey responses from public mobile phone users with a generalized linear model.
Findings
Research findings reveal that both affinities are significantly associated with the relative advantage of watching TV content on a mobile phone. Relative advantage plays a salient role in explaining attitudes toward watching TV content on a mobile phone. The relationship between attitude and relative advantage was significantly affected by relaxation, fashion status and accessibility.
Originality/value
This study contributes to media literature, especially where new, applied technology is considered. Particularly, the current research theoretically explains rationale behind a mobile phone user's positive attitude toward watching TV content on a mobile phone, and potential implication of the current and increasing trend of broadcasting individual content through social media outlets.
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Soo Il Shin, Dianne Hall, Kyung Young Lee and Sumin Han
The purpose of the current study is to examine a social network site (SNS) users' overall satisfaction with SNS use in conjunction with their fan page visiting activities. We…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the current study is to examine a social network site (SNS) users' overall satisfaction with SNS use in conjunction with their fan page visiting activities. We examined overall satisfaction with SNS usage from the lens of people's perceptions acquired from the use of sub-components of SNS.
Design/methodology/approach
The current study employed uncertainty reduction theory (URT) and general systems theory (GST) to examine antecedents affecting overall satisfaction with SNS use. Five constructs were adopted: interactive and passive uncertainty reduction strategies, perceived usefulness and continuance visiting behavior, satisfaction, and perceived functional benefits. Using a web-based survey, we analyzed 200 SNS users who follow at least one company's fan page, utilizing seemingly unrelated regression models to test hypotheses empirically.
Findings
Research findings reveal that uncertainty reduction strategies supported by URT are significantly associated with the perceived usefulness of a company's fan page. In turn, we found that perceived usefulness becomes a strong motivator to continuance visits to the fan page. The frequency of return visiting behaviors eventually accounts for overall satisfaction with SNS. Perceived functional benefits moderates the relationship between perceived usefulness and visiting behaviors significantly.
Originality/value
The current study contributes to information systems (IS), electronic communication, and their adjacent academic disciplines in providing evidence, including (1) the impact of uncertainty reduction strategies on continuance visiting behaviors in the SNS context, (2) SNS functionalities influencing the relationship between people's belief and behavior, and (3) theoretical significant perceptional link between a sub-component and a whole.
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The aim of this study was to develop a smart wearable mask designed for the prevention of respiratory infectious diseases by understanding consumer's preferences in designs and…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study was to develop a smart wearable mask designed for the prevention of respiratory infectious diseases by understanding consumer's preferences in designs and functions of the smart wearable masks.
Design/methodology/approach
To develop a smart mask design, a survey was conducted on Chinese consumers in their 20–40s and analyzed their mask wearing behaviors, preferences and caring aspects of masks. The collected data were analyzed to identify the demographic characteristics of the subjects surveyed by using the SPSS program, and technical statistical analysis was conducted. To identify differences in demographic characteristics, an independent samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance and Scheffe's ad hoc test were conducted.
Findings
Based on the research results, design guidelines for wearable masks were defined, and four wearable mask designs were developed and presented in 2D and 3D images based on the design guidelines. There were significant differences among people with different backgrounds.
Originality/value
It is significant that this research presents smart wearable mask design guidelines and designs through supplementation and improvement of existing mask. It is expected that this research provides basic empirical data for mask designs through the planning of smart wearable mask designs and surveys assessing consumer perceptions, attitudes and satisfaction.
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Helen Sumin Koo and Kris Fallon
The purpose of this paper is to understand what dimensions consumers prefer to track using wearable technology to achieve a healthier lifestyle and how these tracking dimensions…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand what dimensions consumers prefer to track using wearable technology to achieve a healthier lifestyle and how these tracking dimensions are related.
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey was conducted with potential consumers in the USA, and a series of Pearson’s correlation and regression analysis and multiple regressions was conducted.
Findings
The most preferred self-tracking dimensions, tracking dimensions on others, most private tracking dimensions, most variable dimensions, and the dimensions that need to be improved were identified. The results of this study showed positive relationships overall among similar types of tracking dimensions, such as among dimensions of physical health condition (disease and disorder symptoms and general vital signs), mental health condition (stress level and mood/feeling), healthy lifestyle (fitness, and pose and posture), and productivity and task management (work productivity, location, and time management).
Originality/value
Designers are encouraged to make wearable technology products that are durable, easy to care for, attractive in design, comfortable to wear and use, able to track preferred dimensions, appropriate for various consumers, unobtrusive, portable, and small. This research will guide wearable technology and fashion industry professionals in the development process of wearable technology to benefit consumers by helping them be more self-aware, empowering them to develop a healthier lifestyle, and ultimately increasing their quality of life and well-being.