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The effects of apparel names and visual complexity of apparel design on consumers' apparel product attitudes: A mental imagery perspective
Abstract
Although atypical apparel names, such as “Boyfriend Jeans” and “Cozy Workday Sweater,” have the potential to make consumers purchase more apparel products, there is little research on apparel names in the literature. Applying the mental imagery framework, we examined the moderating effect of the visual complexity of apparel design on the relationship between apparel name and mental imagery, followed by apparel product attitudes. A two apparel names (atypical vs. typical name) × two levels of visual complexity (complex vs. simple apparel design) between-subject experimental design was used. The results showed that for simple apparel designs, mental imagery elaboration and quality were greater for atypical than typical apparel names, while for complex apparel designs, there was no difference in mental imagery across apparel names. We also found that for simple apparel designs, mental imagery evoked by atypical apparel name increased positive apparel product attitudes.
... Throughout the current luxury fashion market, most of these brands are applied with wordmarks as their identity. By definition, typefaces are being considered to be different from fonts, but sometimes they can be used interchangeably (Lee & Shin, 2020). A typeface refers to a collection of related fonts, such as Times New Roman. ...
... According to definition, typefaces are considered different from fonts, but sometimes they can be used interchangeably (Lee & Shin, 2020). A typeface refers to a collection of related fonts, such as Times. ...
An appropriate and well-designed logotype is essential to create brand awareness and positive brand perception. The effect of different typefaces has not been well researched in the luxury fashion sector. This paper expands on previous findings on typeface applications, in which two studies test the impact of Serif and San Serif typefaces, and three experiments test the effects of San and Serif typefaces on brand perception. Study 1 (N = 102) tests the visual complexity of Serif and San Serif typefaces; study 2 (N = 134) further investigates the visual simplicity and perceived luxury; and study 3 (N = 92) studies the brand gender of the two typefaces. The results of these three studies suggest that Serif typeface is more complex in structure than San Serif typeface. However, it does not have too much impact on the perceived luxury. Male consumers have greater gender cognitive differences than female consumers, and the San Serif typefaces are considered to be more masculine than Serif typefaces.
... From the results of this study, it can be concluded that VHO consumers feel that they get sensory (sense), affective (feel), and behavioral (act and related) (EM 2,3,4,5) experience compared to intellectual experience when they use services at the hotel. Consumers feel that the VHO brand appeals to their senses, induces sentiments and feelings, and makes them engage in physical action and behavior when using the brand's services (Lee & Shin, 2020). An interesting result here is that VHO consumers have the lowest score in the intellectual sense aspect compared to other sense aspects, where consumers do not take too much Roggeveen et al., 2020). ...
... consideration before choosing a brand and that the VHO brand does not really stimulate their curiosity and problem-solving. This is consistent with existing consumer research about logos and branding(Lee & Shin, 2020; ...
Budget traveling has developed to become a potential niche market in the hospitality industry as an increasing number of backpackers and domestic tourists with limited disposable income. This niche market has grown to become a multi-billion dollar market globally as its ability to develop the economy through more job opportunity, enforce small accommodation service with low overhead-cost and shift local product increase of destination country such as Virtual Hotel Operators (VHO). This business model provides rented accommodation in which services are accessible on the official website and mobile application. As a marketplace, it enables guest and hotel operators to meet, deal, and finalize accommodation booking transactions online. This study analyzes the influence of experiential marketing, experience engagement, reference group and customer satisfaction on repurchase intention of VHO consumers. The result shows a positive relationship between experiential marketing, experience engagement, VHO consumer reference groups, customer satisfaction, and purchase intention. These results support previous research investigating a so-called "experience profile," which consumer summarize and evaluate memory experiences by combining their sequential experiences received by their senses which provided by company’s experiential marketing channels.
... Mental imagery activated by green advertising pictures will enable consumers to have a clear understanding of the safety, health, and environmentally friendly attributes of green products, then will further associate and judge the positive impact on consumers themselves and the environment, thus forming a positive advertising attitude and product attitude. Mental imagery plays a mediating role in multiple situations (Walters et al., 2007;Bambauer-Sachse and Gierl, 2009;Krishna et al., 2016;Lee and Shin, 2020). Walters et al. (2007) suggested that mental imagery played a mediating role between advertising pictures of tourist destinations and travel intentions. ...
... Krishna et al. (2016) demonstrated that mental imagery also played a mediating role between advertising visuals and advertising attitude in sensory marketing. Lee and Shin (2020) argued that mental imagery played a mediating role in the relationship between apparel names and product attitude. Based on the above discussion, it is hypothesized: ...
Based on the construal level theory (CLT), this study discusses the effects of congruence between image proximity and product type on advertising attitude and product attitude from the perspective of spatial distance and investigates the mediating role of mental imagery. Data are collected using two laboratory experiments and one online experiment. A two-way ANOVA is used to test the interaction between image proximity and product type, and a bootstrap analysis is used to test the mediating role of mental imagery. The result shows that: (1) For search products, compared with full-length shots, the close-up shots of environmental information can enable consumers to generate more positive advertising attitude and product attitude. For experience products, the full-length shots of environmental information can enable consumers to generate more positive advertising attitude and product attitude than the close-up shots. (2) The congruence effect of image proximity and product type has an impact on advertising attitude and product attitude through mental imagery. This research uses different kinds of image proximity to express environmental information about green products and tries to interpret the effectiveness of green advertisements from a new perspective.
... Attitude and complexity (H3): [43] suggested that complexity influences attitudes. In line with the hypothesis proposed by [43], [44] found that adoption rate of technology is higher if it is easy to use. ...
... Attitude and complexity (H3): [43] suggested that complexity influences attitudes. In line with the hypothesis proposed by [43], [44] found that adoption rate of technology is higher if it is easy to use. [45] supported this finding that complexity adversely affects Internet usage and thus, complexity in mobile applications would negatively impede the development of a positive attitude towards applications. ...
Co-creation of value between the consumer and services providers is an idea that has been receiving much attention. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of consumer motivation on attitudes and adoption intention of co-creational banking activities. By means of a quantitative method, 339 surveys were collected. The research instrument was compiled from existing scales that were adopted for the purpose of this study. The proposed conceptual model and hypotheses were tested using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), while scale reliability and validity was confirmed using SPSS 23. Further, AMOS 23 was used to test the model fit. The findings indicated that all seven proposed hypotheses are significant. Therefore, indicating that consumer motives have a positive influence on a consumer's attitudes toward participating in co-creation activities, which in turn has an impact on relative advantage, complexity and compatibility. Lastly, the results indicate that relationships exist between relative advantage, complexity and compatibility, respectively and adoption intention. This study adds to contextual knowledge of co-creational adoption within digital banking, and provides managers with significant insight into the potential success of digital customization and how banks can benefit from digital co-creation.
... Likewise, applying this principle to the fashion industry, consumers can have vicarious consumption experiences through imagery processing that provides sensory stimulation, during the pre-consumption stage (J. E. Lee & Shin, 2020). Thus, consumers' pre-purchase interactions with anthropomorphic chatbots can function as a priori avenue for imagery processing. ...
What factors drive consumers to use artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbots? The current study examined the associations among AI-powered chatbots’ anthropomorphism (human-likeness, animacy, and intelligence), social presence, imagery processing, psychological ownership, and continuance intention in the context of Human-AI-Interaction. Results from a path analysis using LISREL 8.54 show that consumers’ perceived human-likeness of AI-powered chatbots is a positive predictor of social presence and imagery processing. Imagery processing is a positive predictor of psychological ownership of the products (fashion industry) and services (tourism industry) promoted by the chatbots. Most importantly, social presence and imagery processing are positive predictors of AI-chatbot continuance intention. These empirical findings entail practical implications for AI-powered chatbot developers and managerial implications for commercial brands such that (1) increasing anthropomorphism of chatbots and inducing the sense of being co-present with the chatbots are important factors AI-chatbot designers and developers need to consider and (2) inducing vivid visualization of the products endorsed by the chatbots is an important variable marketers need to understand.
... A concrete text might help consumers create more elaborate mental imagery [11]. Photographs may be an entry point, but descriptions and size tables provide complementary support once they have selected products they are interested in buying [88]. ...
The purpose of this study is to trace the processes behind the elaboration of the product page and map the shopping journey to identify ways to reduce returns. This is a qualitative study conducted in three stages: exploratory interviews with users, semi-structured interviews with e-commerce and logistics specialists, and directed storytelling sessions with users. Our findings indicate that the e-commerce specialists are not fully aware of the impacts caused by the high return rates, and product presentation pages are therefore not elaborated to provide users with all the information necessary to make accurate purchases. Sellers should improve product presentation pages to increase product knowledge by providing tools to enhance quality mental imagery. Additionally, sellers should inform consumers of the impact of their shipping options and returning habits. There are ways to optimize logistics processes to reduce the environmental impact. Prior research has addressed these issues separately. Besides, have addressed mental imagery to increase sales. This study brings a holistic approach and brings mental imagery as a tool to provide users with more information about a product.
... Direct experience appears fundamental to individuals' sensory perceptions; however, research in psychology and neuroscience suggests that sensory images can be conveyed through visual elements, which help people develop mental imagery without having actual sensory experiences (Elder et al. 2017;Pearson et al. 2015). That is, multisensory feelings can be triggered by mental imagery in the absence of corresponding stimuli (Lee and Shin 2020). Yet how these sensory perception are elicited may depend on the modality of visual presentation (Krishna, Morrin, and Sayin 2014;Lee and Kim 2020). ...
The notion of multifaceted image, composed of cognitive, affective, and sensory dimensions, has attracted growing scholarly interest in recent years. However, general understanding of the roles of the senses (i.e., sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch) in image processing remains scarce. Little attention has also been paid to the effects of visual stimuli related to design features on the construction of multifaceted image. This study investigated viewers’ perceived multifaceted destination image upon exposure to different photo formats (i.e., animated vs. static). A mixed method approach was employed to collect data using a between-subjects experimental design. Findings revealed that moving visual presentation exert stronger impacts on three image dimensions in several aspects and associations were also observed between photo contents and sensory arousal. Results enrich the body of knowledge on destination image in terms of image structure and the features of visual stimuli. Practical implications are discussed as well.
Purpose
Despite the growing importance of visual information, user-generated photos in product reviews have received relatively little attention. We investigate whether the contextual background of a product image can influence consumers' perceptions of review helpfulness and product evaluation.
Design/methodology/approach
Online experiments were conducted using a scenario technique. A single factor (contextual background: low vs. high) between-subjects design was conducted in Study 1. A 2 (contextual background: low vs. high) × 2 (mental simulation: outcome vs. process) between-subjects design was conducted in Study 2.
Findings
A photo with a high (vs. low) contextual background enhances mental imagery, increasing perceived helpfulness and product evaluation. Furthermore, mental simulation plays a significant moderating role in the relationship between contextual background and mental imagery.
Originality/value
Based on cue utilization theory, this study identifies how the contextual background of product images affects consumers' perception and product evaluation by uncovering the underlying mechanism of mental imagery. Furthermore, the research examines the moderating effect of mental simulation while reviewing user-generated photos.
The study aims to investigate how a 360° virtual tour is more effective than photographs in strengthening viewers’ attitudes when promoting tourist destinations. The results of a quasi-experiment indicate that a 360° virtual tour led to higher mental imagery processing in the dimensions of quantity, modality, and valence; however, there was no significant difference in the dimension of vividness. These four dimensions of mental imagery have a significant impact on the sense of presence and communication effects (attitude strength and attitude confidence). In addition, a sense of presence mediates the relationship between mental imagery processing and communication effects.
Phygital retailing connects physical and digital world to build unique customer experiences. Although the applications of phygital retailing are increasing, it is yet to understand what factors may influence customer experiences, especially among the hedonic factors. This study thus examines this gap by exploring the hedonic factors that affect customer experiences in phygital retailing. Moreover, the role of gender is also explored as a boundary condition. This study is conducted using as a sample of 237 customers who experienced phygital retailing in China. Data are analyzed using PLS and PROCESS macro, which indicate that hedonic factors (i.e., mental imagery, entertainment, and aesthetics) affect customer experiences, which eventually affect customers’ decision satisfaction. This study further finds that the impacts of mental imagery, entertainment and aesthetics on customer experiences are higher for female customers than for male customers.
Purpose – The literature on product design/development (PD) has attempted to understand the consumer but has not provided a comprehensive framework for product marketers and designers. Thus, this paper aims to compile and link the main topics in the literature on PD to create a foundation for strategic development in this field.
Design/methodology/approach – This research adopted a “fit-for-purpose” methodology, a cross-referencing method and a meta-narrative approach that are appropriate for reviewing studies in a field involving complex topics and areas in which the literature is still developing.
Findings – To enhance the quality of product development, there is a need for PD strategy based on a clear understanding of many factors: the consumer; the complex interrelations among a product’s values, dimensions and personalities; PD theories; and other related variables.
Practical implications – This study found that PD studies should concentrate more on codifying strategies to enhance product development success. This is particularly important in view of consumers’ varied and changeable tastes in the global market and the differing insights of product marketers and designers.
Originality/value – This comprehensive systematic review is a unique study that contributes to future business-to-consumer and business-tobusiness research by compiling scattered and hidden strategies, theories and variables in the PD/development literature.
Purpose
Drawn from the concepts of processing fluency and mental imagery, the present study aims to fill the void by developing the mechanism underlying consumers' cognitive processing of visually appealing digital content in social media (i.e. Instagram) of retail brands.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were gathered using a web-based survey method with consumers residing in the USA ( N = 328). Structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed to investigate the proposed hypotheses. In addition, measurement invariance and multigroup analyses were conducted to test the moderation effect of need for cognition (NFC).
Findings
The results supported the pivotal role of mental imagery when consumers process visual messages in the context of a retail brand's Instagram. Both comprehension fluency and imagery fluency positively influence mental imagery, which in turn cultivates positive attitude towards the brand. The mediating role of mental imagery is confirmed. Furthermore, individuals' NFC interacts with imagery fluency but not with comprehension fluency such that high NFC strengthens the effect of imagery fluency on mental imagery. That is, when high-NFC consumers process information on Instagram, their perceptions of ease of generating imagery likely evoke visual representation of the brand's messages on Instagram in their minds.
Practical implications
This research provides feasible ways for brands to increase the effectiveness of digital marketing communications in social media (e.g. optimising of the contextual features of visual information and employing interactive features such as filters of social media to enhance processing fluency).
Originality/value
Within the context of digital retailing, this study provides a new perspective of consumers' imagery processing to investigate the effectiveness of visual-focussed messages.
Dynamic imagery (e.g., frozen motion images) is widely used in high-imagery ads to enhance consumer engagement. However, little is known as to whether and how product presentation dynamism influences the effectiveness of ads with other visual stimuli. Given that different visual elements compete for finite attentional resources, this article proposes that product presentation dynamism interacts with contextual backgrounds and advertising slogans in a visual ad. Study 1 reveals that dynamic product presentation diverts attentional resources away from the background image, making contextual backgrounds less effective in enhancing imagery fluency than a plain background. Study 2 extends these findings by exploring the complicating effect of the presence of a slogan and revealing important product category differences. For hedonic products, congruent (incongruent) slogan–background meanings increase imagery fluency under stationary (dynamic) product presentation, which further increases purchase intentions. For utilitarian products, incongruent slogan–background meanings increase purchase intentions under dynamic product presentation. The conceptual and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
This introduction briefly summarizes each of the twenty articles included in this special issue on “Bridging Asia and the World: Searching for Academic Excellence and Best Practice in Marketing and Management” and provides valuable implications for marketers and researchers. The articles are grouped by topic- luxury brand management, sustainable marketing, new product development retail management, and strategic marketing and management. The introductory article in this special issue places each article in one of five categories even though some of the articles include information relevant to at least one other topic and briefly introduces unique and interesting about each article. This selection of papers written by 61 authors representing 16 countries serves to contribute the Academic Excellence and Best Practice in Marketing and Management research in response to new trends in management scholarship and global marketing practices.
Sensory marketing enables visualization of intangible services, helping to promote customers’ future hotel experiences. This study investigates how sensory information, brand relationships, and review types affect customers’ responses in the context of the hotel industry. Customers’ response types include narrative persuasion, experiential, emotional, and cognitive responses. Conducting two 2 × 2 scenario-based between-subjects experiments with previous hotel customers in the US, Study 1 confirms the effect of brand relationships on story-format sensory information that promote customers’ transportation experience, brand experience, and emotional responses. Study 2 also identifies effects of review types on story-format sensory information that enhance customers’ transportation experience, brand experience, and trust. Results inform theoretical contributions and practical implications to promote customers’ future experiences.
Consumers tend to imagine product features, functions, or usage that they have learned from previous exposure to and experiences with brands, especially when they engage in online apparel shopping. Prior brand-related factors, such as brand familiarity and brand loyalty, may influence imagery elaboration – the activation of stored information in the production of mental images beyond that provided by the stimulus – evoked through virtual product experience tools with online apparel websites. Thus, the purpose of this study was to empirically examine how brand familiarity and brand loyalty impact imagery elaboration at online apparel websites and consequently influence attitudinal and behavioral intention relative to the brand. Utilizing MacInnis and Joworski’s model of brand attitude formation, a conceptual model was developed. Using an Internet-based survey, data was collected from 403 undergraduates at a Midwestern university in the US. Results indicated participants familiar with, and loyal to, a brand engaged in greater imagery elaboration as evoked through virtual product experiences, resulting in positive brand attitudes and online purchase intention. Managerial implications are discussed to highlight the important roles of brand familiarity and brand loyalty on imagery elaboration, brand attitudes, and online purchase intentions.
Presenting pictures along with food names on menus is a common practice in the restaurant industry. However, it is not clear whether adding pictures to menus always leads to positive effects. In addition, since more restaurant practitioners are creating ambiguous names for their dishes, it is valuable to study how pictures with different types of food names impact customers’ attitudes and behavioral outcomes. In the current study, we examine the joint effect of pictures, food names, and individuals’ information processing styles on consumers’ attitudes, willingness to pay, and purchase intentions. The results reveal that for common descriptive food names, adding pictures have a positive effect on consumers’ attitudes toward the menu item, their willingness to pay and their purchase intentions. More interestingly, for ambiguous food names, pictures have a positive effect only among verbalizers. Visualizers exhibit less favorable attitudes and behavioral outcomes after viewing ambiguously-named dishes with pictures than those without pictures.
Online consumers have the limitation of product experience and evaluation, due to the inability to directly experience the product, thereby increasing perceived risk of product performance. This study investigated the dimensions of product performance risk that relate to virtual product experience in online apparel shopping. Perceived risk theory was applied to explain consumers' risk perceptions of product performance. Data were collected from 403 female college students at a Midwestern university using a web-based survey. Results indicate that online consumers perceived visual, tactile, and trial risks of product performance based on the evaluation of product attributes through virtual product experience. Visual, tactile, and trial risks may help online consumers determine more specific product performance characteristics related to product attributes. Attention to the three dimensions of product performance risk may allow online retailers to develop more differentiated virtual product experience strategies to reduce each dimensional risk of product performance in online apparel shopping.
Visual appeal is an important consideration in the design of interior service environments because attractiveness influences consumer behavior. Employing both an experiment and a field study, we show that visual complexity reduces a service environment's attractiveness. Furthermore, we find that the complexity-attractiveness relationship is mediated by processing fluency and its instantaneous affective companion, pleasure. Our findings provide novel insights into the underlying process mechanism involved in channeling the effect of visual complexity on attractiveness. Furthermore, both studies confirm that customers' field dependence moderates the complexity-fluency relationship and that shopping motivation (i.e., hedonic vs. utilitarian shopping goals) moderates the fluency-pleasure relationship. Our findings suggest that it is generally better to reduce the complexity of interior service environments. To achieve this, service firms should reduce the number of objects in the environment, enhance the visual organization and symmetry of their arrangement, and use fewer colors, textures, and materials.
Johnson-Laird's mental models theory claims that reasoning is a semantic process of construction and manipulation of models in working memory of limited capacity. Accordingly, both a deduction and a given interpretation of a premise would be all the harder the higher the number of models they require. The purpose of the present experiment was twofold. First, it aimed to demonstrate that the interpretation of if...then conditional sentences in children (third, sixth, and ninth graders) evolves as a function of the number of models the children can produce. We proposed a theory of conditional reasoning development that hypothesises a developmental trend of three successive levels of interpretations underlain by one, two, and then three models, i.e. conjunctive, biconditional, and conditional respectively. Second, we aimed to show that these different levels correlate with working memory capacities: the higher the working memory span, the higher the number of models underlying the conditional interpretation. These two hypotheses were verified, supporting the mental models theory. The results are compared with the rival theory of mental logic.
Consumers' attraction to a product can often be based on the subjective reactions that they imagine they would have if they personally used it. Three experiments examine the effects of self-focused attention on the use of this criterion and the conditions in which it is applied. When features of the judgment (social or nonsocial) context are similar to those of the situation in which the products are normally used, self-focused attention increases participants' disposition to imagine themselves using the products they evaluate, and in turn, these imaginings increase both their evaluations of these products and their likelihood of choosing these products as a gift for taking part in the experiment. The effects occur when features of the judgment context are manipulated both by incidental background music and by the presence of others in the situation at hand. However, when either self-focused attention is low or features of the judgment context are dissimilar to those in which the products are normally used, these effects are not apparent.
Semantic and perceptual size decision times for pictorial and verbal material were analyzed in the context of a unitary memory model and several dual memory models. Experiment 1 involved a same-different categorical judgment task. The results showed that picture-picture response latencies were 185 msec faster than the corresponding word-word latencies, and word-picture and picture-word latencies equaled the mean of these two extremes. Similarity of subcategory for "same" judgments led to faster decision latency for all presentation conditions. Additionally, a linear relationship was found between picture-picture and word-word latencies for individual item pairs. Experiment 2 involved a comparison of pictures and words across a. categorical judgment and a size judgment task. Pictures produced faster decision latencies in both tasks, and the latency diflerence between pictures and words was comparable across tasks. These data fit the predictions of a unitary memory model. Several variants of a dual memory model are rejected and those which fit the data require assumptions about storage and/or transfer time values which result in a functional regression to the unitary memory model.
Tourism Web sites have unique interactive and multimedia qualities with the potential to create experiences similar to product trial. The purpose of the study is to investigate whether destination Web sites with sounds and sensory descriptions can have a positive impact on consumers’ mental imagery processing, which in turn should enhance quasi-trial experiences. A Web-based experiment is conducted for a fictitious island destination Web site. Empirical results show that sensory descriptions, but not sound, have a positive influence on the extent to which participants experience mental imagery and that the experience of extensive mental imagery leads to greater feelings of virtual presence and, as a result, to stronger attitudes about the destination. Implications for destination Web site design and future research are discussed.
Existing research suggests that consumers’ choices of vacations may be significantly influenced by mental imagery processing, which is considered to be high elaboration cognitive processing. This study first aimed to identify imagery-eliciting Web site features, and second to test their influence on persuasion-related outcomes such as attitude strength, confidence, and attitude resistance. A total of 252 subjects participated in a Web-based experiment to examine the influence of selected Web site features on individual imagery processing and its effect on consumers’ attitudes and expectations. The data was analyzed primarily using a structural equation modeling methodology. Structural model results revealed that the mental imagery construct strongly influenced the measured communication effects. In terms of inducing mental imagery processing, only pictures were found to make a significant difference. The findings stress the importance of researching mental imagery processing in tourism and provide practical implications for the design of persuasive destination Web sites.
Fashion leadership is an important consumer characteristic due to the interpersonal influence essential in the consumption process of apparel. Based on the human motivations theory and Sheth’s shopping preference theory, this study examines the hypothesized relationships of fashion leadership and five hedonic shopping motivations (gratification, value, social, idea, and adventure). This study advances current understanding of fashion leadership by studying a broad national female population base and offers empirical evidence into how fashion leadership shapes consumer need for emotional and experiential satisfaction in shopping. Results show fashion leadership to be significantly related to all but one hedonic shopping motivation. Additionally, this study finds that adventure shopping motivation may be derived from other types of hedonic shopping activities. Discussion concerning how current findings expand our understanding of fashion leadership within the context of shopping is presented.
Advertising needs to capture consumers' attention in likable ways, and the visual complexity of advertising plays a central role in this regard. Yet ideas about visual complexity effects conflict, and objective measures of complexity are rare. The authors distinguish two types of visual complexity, differentiate them from the difficulty of comprehending advertising, and propose objective measures for each. Advertisements are visually complex when they contain dense perceptual features ("feature complexity") and/or when they have an elaborate creative design ("design complexity"). An analysis of 249 advertisements that were tested with eye-tracking shows that, as the authors hypothesize, feature complexity hurts attention to the brand and attitude toward the ad, whereas design complexity helps attention to both the pictorial and the advertisement as a whole, its comprehensibility, and attitude toward the ad. This is important because design complexity is under direct control of the advertiser. The proposed measures can be readily adopted to assess the visual complexity of advertising, and the findings can be used to improve the stopping power of advertisements.
Natural information processing systems such as biological evolution and human cognition organize information used to govern the activities of natural entities. When dealing with biologically secondary information, these systems can be specified by five common principles that we propose underlie natural information processing systems. The principles equate: (1) human long-term memory with a genome; (2) learning from other humans with biological reproduction; (3) problem solving through random generate and test with random mutation; (4) working memory when processing novel information with the epigenetic system managing environmental information; (5) long-term working memory with the epigenetic system managing genomic information. These five principles provide an integrated perspective for the nature of human learning and thought. They also have implications for the presentation of information.
In this paper, a computer-aided system for designing knit stretch materials is presented. It allows designers to optimize the structure of knit stretch materials according to the functional properties. This system aims at modeling the relation between functional properties (outputs) and structural parameters (inputs) of knitted fabrics. Thirteen features characterizing knit structures and operating parameters were taken as input parameters of the artificial neural networks (ANNs). These parameters were preselected according to their possible influence on the outputs which were the elongation, growth, and elastic recovery. In order to reduce the complexity of the models, an original fuzzy logic-based method was proposed to select the most relevant parameters which were taken as input variables of the ANNs. The selection procedure of structural parameters allows designers to focus on the most relevant parameters in order to conduct production experiments related to the new product. Then, two types of model are set up by utilizing multilayer feed forward neural networks, which take into account the generality and the specificity of the product families, respectively. The presented models have been validated with the use of experimental data concerning several families of knitted fabrics.
Purpose – This research aims to examine how the amount of information provided on a web site affects consumers' perceived risk, satisfaction, intention to revisit, and purchase intent. Design/methodology/approach – A convenience sample of 220 female college students participated in an online experiment. Confirmatory factor analysis, multivariate analysis of variance, and structural equation modeling were conducted. Findings – Significant main effects were found for amount of information on consumers' perceived risk and satisfaction; significant causal relationships were found among perceived risk, satisfaction, intention to revisit, and purchase intent. Research limitations/implications – Generalizing the findings of the study is limited by the use of only female college student participants and the use of a single type of online retailing. Therefore, future research should consider varied samples and a variety of types of online retail settings to generalize the findings. Practical implications – The study demonstrates the effect of amount of information on consumers' online shopping behaviors. To reduce risk perception and impact positive consumer shopping behaviors, online retailers should pay attention to the amount of information available on their web sites. Originality/value – The study provides valuable practical insights to online retailers and academic researchers by suggesting the importance of providing sufficient amounts of information on a web site.
A 2-process theory of human information processing is proposed and applied to detection, search, and attention phenomena. Automatic processing is activation of a learned sequence of elements in long-term memory that is initiated by appropriate inputs and then proceeds automatically--without S control, without stressing the capacity limitations of the system, and without necessarily demanding attention. Controlled processing is a temporary activation of a sequence of elements that can be set up quickly and easily but requires attention, is capacity-limited (usually serial in nature), and is controlled by the S. A series of studies, with approximately 8 Ss, using both reaction time and accuracy measures is presented, which traces these concepts in the form of automatic detection and controlled search through the areas of detection, search, and attention. Results in these areas are shown to arise from common mechanisms. Automatic detection is shown to develop following consistent mapping of stimuli to responses over trials. Controlled search was utilized in varied-mapping paradigms, and in the present studies, it took the form of serial, terminating search. (60 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Reviews evidence which suggests that there may be little or no direct introspective access to higher order cognitive processes. Ss are sometimes (a) unaware of the existence of a stimulus that importantly influenced a response, (b) unaware of the existence of the response, and (c) unaware that the stimulus has affected the response. It is proposed that when people attempt to report on their cognitive processes, that is, on the processes mediating the effects of a stimulus on a response, they do not do so on the basis of any true introspection. Instead, their reports are based on a priori, implicit causal theories, or judgments about the extent to which a particular stimulus is a plausible cause of a given response. This suggests that though people may not be able to observe directly their cognitive processes, they will sometimes be able to report accurately about them. Accurate reports will occur when influential stimuli are salient and are plausible causes of the responses they produce, and will not occur when stimuli are not salient or are not plausible causes. (86 ref)
A bidimensional (hedonic/utilitarian) approach to understanding consumer attitudes was recently introduced by Batra and Ahtola (1991); they reported three construct validation studies and proposed a set of items to measure the construct(s). In the present paper, the Batra and Ahtola (1991) scales are applied to a wide variety of product categories. Results of the present series of measure validation studies suggest that there are hedonic and utilitarian elements comprising attitudes toward product categories and that, although problematic, the Batra and Ahtola (1991) scale items are a useful first step in measuring these components.
This article presents an experiment examining the effects of stimulus complexity on consumers' aesthetic preferences. The
results suggest that preferences for visually complex product designs tend to increase with repeated exposure, while preferences
for visually simple product designs tend to decrease with repeated exposure. In addition, the results suggest thatperceived complexity partially mediates the exposure-preference relationship. The authors discuss implications of these findings for
market researchers conducting aesthetic product design concept tests, as well as more basic research on the affective impact
of repeated exposure.
Advertising needs to capture consumers’ attention in likable ways, and the visual complexity of advertising plays a central role in this regard. Yet ideas about visual complexity effects conflict, and objective measures of complexity are rare. The authors distinguish two types of visual complexity, differentiate them from the difficulty of comprehending advertising, and propose objective measures for each. Advertisements are visually complex when they contain dense perceptual features (“feature complexity”) and/or when they have an elaborate creative design (“design complexity”). An analysis of 249 advertisements that were tested with eye-tracking shows that, as the authors hypothesize, feature complexity hurts attention to the brand and attitude toward the ad, whereas design complexity helps attention to both the pictorial and the advertisement as a whole, its comprehensibility, and attitude toward the ad. This is important because design complexity is under direct control of the advertiser. The proposed measures can be readily adopted to assess the visual complexity of advertising, and the findings can be used to improve the stopping power of advertisements.
This research examines how mental imagery affects the persuasive effectiveness of a brand's SNS (Social Networking Service) and whether transportability moderates such processing in SNS. Using a web-based survey design, two studies were conducted to test the research hypotheses across SNS communications in two domains: fashion retail brands’ SNS (Study 1) and luxury hotel brands’ SNS communications (Study 2). Results show that two dimensions of mental imagery, quality and elaboration, facilitate favorable attitude, both directly and indirectly via positive affect, toward a brand's SNS advertising. Furthermore, the moderating effect of transportability is shown to occur in Study 1 with somewhat inconsistent results in Study 2. This research highlights key elements which may potentially assist in the design of SNS messages and content, as well as the importance of considering users’ characteristics to create effective brand communication for SNS.
The authors provide a framework and a set of research propositions that capture and extend current theory on information processing from advertisements. The integrative attitude formation model includes antecedent levels of ability, motivation, and opportunity (AMO), processing of brand information, cognitive and emotional responses, brand attitude formation processes, and brand attitude. Key features of the framework are (1) a more complete, integrative discussion of needs and motivation, (2) a more precise specification of processing mechanisms than currently is proposed in two-routes-to-persuasion models, (3) inclusion of a new typology of emotional and cognitive responses explicitly linked to the levels of brand processing, and (4) a discussion of how alternative attitude formation models correspond to each level of brand processing. To assess the relative advantage of the framework, the authors compare the model with previous integrative models and discuss its implications for related research streams.
Evidence is reviewed which suggests that there may be little or no direct introspective access to higher order cognitive processes. Subjects are sometimes (a) unaware of the existence of a stimulus that importantly influenced a response, (b) unaware of the existence of the response, and (c) unaware that the stimulus has affected the response. It is proposed that when people attempt to report on their cognitive processes, that is, on the processes mediating the effects of a stimulus on a response, they do not do so on the basis of any true introspection. Instead, their reports are based on a priori, implicit causal theories, or judgments about the extent to which a particular stimulus is a plausible cause of a given response. This suggests that though people may not be able to observe directly their cognitive processes, they will sometimes be able to report accurately about them. Accurate reports will occur when influential stimuli are salient and are plausible causes of the responses they produce, and will not occur when stimuli are not salient or are not plausible causes.
Process tracing data help researchers understand how yellow pages advertisement characteristics influence consumer information processing behavior. In a laboratory experiment eye movement data were collected while consumers chose businesses from telephone directories. Consumers scan listings in alphabetic order. Their scan is not exhaustive. As a result, some ads are never seen. Consumers noticed more than 93% of the quarter-page display ads but only 26% of the plain listings. They perceived color ads before ads without color, noticed more color ads than noncolor ads, and viewed color ads 21% longer than equivalent ads without color. Also, they viewed 42% more bold listings than plain listings. Consumers spent 54% more time viewing ads for businesses they ended up choosing, which demonstrates the importance of attention for subsequent choice behavior.
Rhetoric, considered for a long time as reserved only for a verbal discourse, is applied to image in advertising. This research tests the impact of stylistic elements in advertising that form visual and verbal rhetorical figures on imagery and recall. The visual and verbal figures examined here produce more mental images and led to a more favorable attitude toward the ad. This stylistic device affects the ad memorization. However, the ability of mental imagery contributes to enhance the recall of advertising messages using figures of rhetoric. Involvement had a moderating effect on the relationship between rhetorical figures and attitude toward the advertisement.
We examine the role of working memory's central executive in the mental model explanation of propositional reasoning by using two working memory measures: the classical “reading span” test by Daneman and Carpenter (198013.
Daneman , M. and Carpenter , P. A. 1980 . Individual differences in working memory and reading . Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior , 19 : 450 – 466 . [CrossRef]View all references) and a new measure. This new “reasoning span” measure requires individuals to solve very simple anaphora problems, and store and remember the word solution in a growing series of inferential problems. We present one experiment in which we check the involvement of the central executive in conditional and disjunctive inference tasks and compare predictions of the new reasoning span test with those of the classical reading span test. The results of the experiment confirm that reasoning responses, which according to mental model theory require high cognitive work, are predicted by working memory measures. Results also show that some reasoning responses are probably obtained by means of superficial biases or strategies that do not load working memory. The reasoning span test, which involves the central executive to a greater degree, predicts reasoning performance better than the reading span test. The significance and possibilities of the new measure in studying reasoning are discussed.
Advertising strategists should be interested in visual imagery because it may represent a useful way to shape consumers' impressions. A framework is tested which casts visual imagery as a mediating factor and individual differences, such as style of processing, as potential moderators of certain advertising strategies which elicit attitude and intentions differences in consumers. Results indicate that the vividness of visual imagery does operate as a latent cognitive construct when concrete wording is used in advertising copy. Instructions to imagine, however, are not found to induce visual imagery. It is concluded that visual imagery vividness has the potential to trace consumers' mental reactions to certain advertising strategies and to explain attitudinal and intentions consequences. Finally, suggestions for future research are discussed.
Results of an experimental study in a print advertising context suggest that two imagery-eliciting strategies, use of pictures and use of copy containing instructions to imagine, stimulate mental imagery processing, which in turn influences attitudinal judgments. Specifically, an ad containing a concrete picture of a product in use was more effective in stimulating vivid visual imagery processing and favorably influencing attitude toward the advertisement and brand than either an ad containing a considerably less concrete picture or one without a picture. Copy containing instructions to imagine also stimulated vivid and elaborate visual imagery processing and enhanced attitudes. Tests for mediation indicate that mental imagery processing explains all or some of the direct effects of the two imagery-eliciting strategies' influence on attitudes.
A new theory of the way in which advertising can influence consumers' attitudes toward products is proposed. The theory is based on visual imagery and classical conditioning rather than on the typical verbal belief summation approach to attitude. A supportive experiment is presented and the persuasive function of visual imagery in advertising is discussed.
The research proposes that the consumer imagination combines information about a current
sensory stimulus (product) with triggered episodic memories to use as inputs in making product
evaluations. Two studies reveal that the consumer imagination can be suppressed when preferred
haptic sensory information is missing and when a situation is unambiguous, reducing the need
for relying on episodic memory. The research findings support the general notion that the
consumer imagination enhances purchase intentions compared to considering product attributes
because the imagination enables consumers to integrate the information in a more efficient way.
In both studies, perceived ownership mediates the effect. Contributions to theory and practical
implications are provided.
This study compared the effects of a photograph versus two artistic renditions of a beach scene contained in a direct-response print ad for a fictional Caribbean resort island. The two impressionistic artistic renditions included a watercolour painting based on the photograph and an electronically altered version of the photograph. Results indicate that the artistic renderings of the scene were superior to the photograph in drawing attention. The photograph was found to be better for evoking greater quantity, more vivid and more affectively positive mental imagery. The photograph was also superior in generating more favourable attitudes towards the ad and the resort and stronger behavioural intent, but not better recall of the resort name. Theoretical explanations and managerial implications are offered for this pattern of results.
If descriptive menu-item labels are used sparingly and appropriately, they may be able to improve sales and post-consumption attitudes of both the food and the restaurant.
Purpose
– The purpose of this study is to investigate whether online apparel shoppers' adoption of product virtualization technologies is facilitated more by hedonic motivations than functional motivations due to the hedonic nature of the product virtualization technologies.
Design/methodology/approach
– In addition to the focus group interview, two separate online surveys with links to a stimulus web site containing one of the two product virtualization technologies was conducted to a national online shopper sample. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling by comparing the structural coefficients of hedonic and functional motivations on the attitude toward using the product virtualization technologies. The linear combination of functional and hedonic roles of each technology was examined using discriminant function analysis to see if the results were consistent.
Findings
– The results showed that the hedonic motivation had a stronger positive relationship than functional motivations with the attitude toward using product virtualization technologies. The empirical findings of this study confirm our proposition that perceived entertainment value is a stronger determinant of attitude toward using product virtualization technologies than perceived usefulness.
Originality/value
– The findings of the paper support the idea that the direction of technology acceptance model related research should be drawn by the (functional or hedonic) purpose of the technology/system. Based on the current findings, it seems likely that the predictive importance of the hedonic or functional benefits on attitude toward using a particular technology/system will depend, to a large extent, on the primary purpose of the system/technology.
The purposes of this study were to investigate components of apparel Web sites and to examine whether differences existed among the types of Web retailers in their components. Thirty-six apparel Web sites were classified into four categories: virtual e-retailer, catalog company, bricks-and-mortar retailer, and multi-channel retailer. The Web sites were content analyzed according to the components of the apparel Web including merchandise, promotion, and customer service. Significant differences were found among the four types of Web retailers as to the components (product description, product price information, advertising, catalog service promotion, placing order, and returns policy) included on the Web sites. Currently, competition among Web sites is not based on what information is available, but how information is provided. Therefore, to differentiate themselves from competitors, each type of Web retailer should take advantage of their unique Web strategy within their own retail channel.
Despite the rapid growth in online sales of apparel, some consumers are still reluctant to purchase clothing on the Internet. This may be due to perceptions of risk associated with the type and quantity of information on which to make their purchase decision. The purpose of this study was to explore the availability of product and customer service information and to examine Web site quality of leading US Internet apparel retailers. A content analysis of their Web sites shows that online apparel merchants are providing a large amount of basic product information traditionally provided on labels, but are not providing sensory or experiential product information useful in making purchase decisions for fashion-oriented garments. Online merchants are providing extensive customer service information. Basic Web site quality components are evident on most apparel Web sites, but entertaining and aesthetic features that can differentiate a merchant from competitors are being used sparsely.
This article details the stages in developing a multiitem communication-evoked imagery processing scale. It builds on the foundation provided by Ellen and Bone (1991) by proposing three dimensions of imagery processing: vividness, quantity, and elaboration. Scale development procedures advocated by Churchill (1979) and techniques described by Gerbing and Anderson (1988) are applied. Qualitative and quantitative methods are employed. Face validity of the theoretical structure and items is assessed by consulting experts and employing judging procedures, respectively. Evaluation of the items is done across two separate samples in which reliability, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and nomological validity are exhibited. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
A debate in the marketing literature concerning the relative effectiveness of various imagery-evoking strategies in influencing consumer responses to advertising has been unresolved. This study examined the effects of three imagery-evoking strategies commonly used in radio advertising—sound effects, vivid verbal messages, and instructions to imagine—in influencing mental imagery, ad-evoked feelings, and attitude toward the ad. The theoretical basis for the study is an imagery model based on propositional representations theory. Consistent with the implications of the theory, of the three strategies, sound effects had the greatest impact on imagery and affective responses. Compared with sound effects, a vivid verbal message had a slightly weaker influence. Instructions to imagine, however, had a very weak impact on imagery and no significant influence on affect. Finally, the results indicated that the three strategies interacted with one another. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Presents the findings from a panel data on consumer buying behavior on the Internet. Advantages and disadvantages of panel data for survey research; Demographics of online consumers; Dollar amount that consumers are spending online; Total online spending projections in the United States.
We examined the effects of imagery copy and product samples on responses toward an apparel catalog product. The addition of product samples with or without imagery copy to a catalog page enhanced pre-purchase attitude toward the product. These treatments did not, however, affect willingness to purchase, perceived accuracy of product information, post-purchase satisfaction, or likelihood of returns. We also examined whether aspects of experiential pleasure mediated responses toward the product. Both sensory pleasure and cognitive pleasure affected attitude toward and willingness to purchase the product. We discussed considerations regarding the effectiveness of imagery copy and product samples. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and Direct Marketing Educational Foundation, Inc.
Can a dietitian, restaurateur, marketer, or parent change the perceived taste of a food simply by changing its name? In a six-week cafeteria experiment involving 140 customers, those who ate foods with evocative, descriptive menu names (such as “Succulent Italian Seafood Filet”) generated a larger number of positive comments about the food and rated it as more appealing, tasty, and caloric than those eating regularly-named counterparts (e.g., “Seafood Filet”). The open-ended comments indicated that their evaluations were assimilated with prior taste expectations in a manner that is more deliberate and less automatic than most research typically claims. For practioners, the use of descriptive names may help improve perceptions of foods in institutional settings, and it may help facilitate the introduction of unfamiliar foods.
Endorser credibility is one of the most frequently used methods in advertising to influence consumers’ attitudes and purchase intentions. Corporate credibility, or the reputation of the firm, is another source of credibility identified in marketing that can influence these cognitions. Our experimental study examined these two sources of credibility to assess their impact on attitude-toward-the-ad, attitude-toward-the-brand, and purchase intentions. A 2 × 2 (high versus low corporate credibility and high versus low endorser credibility), between-subjects factorial design was used. One hundred women students were shown one of four mock magazine ads. The results indicate that both credibility types influence attitude-toward-the-ad and attitude-toward-the-brand, but corporate credibility alone appears to have a significant influence on purchase intentions. Moreover, whereas endorser credibility seems to have a greater influence on attitude-toward-the-ad, corporate credibility seems to have a greater influence on attitude-toward-the-brand and on purchase intentions.
Empirical evidence suggests that users often exhibit a viewing pattern that favors the top and left sides of web pages. This
viewing pattern may cause users to miss a great deal of information. Grounded in the model of visual hierarchy, this study
examines the impact of visual complexity on how users view a page. The results show that users’ viewing pattern in our study
was more scattered than those reported in previous studies, which used pages with a relatively less complex visual hierarchy.
We also examined the impact of browsing and information retrieval on viewing pattern. Such an investigation can provide insight
for the design of homepages that can effectively serve both those who browse and those who retrieve information. The results
also show that eye tracker can serve as a valuable tool for designers to develop and test new designs.