Priscilla A. LaBarbera’s research while affiliated with The Graduate Center, CUNY and other places

The present study examines the characteristics of possessions which consumers deem to be their most important. Two orthogonal dimensions emerged as an interpretive structure for possession meaning: A sacred/secular dimension, and a subjective/objective dimension. Examples of products falling into each quadrant (e.g., sacred-objective) are described and their implications for future research inquiry are discussed.

A proposed integrative approach measured consumer response to various incentives to switch brands. The response measure consisted of both actual behavior (i.e., switching behavior) and an evaluative measure, which underlies the behavior. Self-perception theory was utilized to assess consumer switching behavior in response to intrinsic versus extrinsic motives. The integrative approach was tested in the context of a multistage longitudinal field study concerning five product classes. Findings show that there is a difference depending upon whether switching behavior was induced by extrinsic (e.g., price, coupon) or intrinsic (e.g., a desire to try a new brand) incentives. Unlike intrinsically induced switching, extrinsic incentives motivated consumers to switch despite a high level of satisfaction with the last purchased brand. However, this switching behavior resulted in weaker intentions to repurchase the new brand.

The article reports on a study to determine physician resistance to advertising by applying diffusion of innovation theory. Advertising was examined as an innovative service for physicians and was examined based on those factors which usually affect the adoption of an innovation. Results showed that while both dermatologists and plastic surgeons are concerned about the opportunity costs of not advertising, there are distinctions on how the two medical specialties view advertising. Dermatologists appear to be more patient and health oriented. Plastic surgeons seem be more concerned about economics and business. Thus, dermatologists are more likely to use advertising if there is a positive effect on the quality of health care, while plastic surgeons' likelihood of advertising is affected by their perceptions on the negative effects of abuse of advertising.

Although the philosophy of science literature argues that a distinction should be made between different levels of abstraction, it is only recently that such models have been developed and estimated by researchers in the social sciences. Estimation of such hierarchical models, which was not possible earlier, is made easier by the work of Bentler and Weeks (1979) and Joreskog and Sorbom (1981). This paper illustrates the application and use of hierarchical models using the structure of attitude as an example. Hierarchical models of attitude showed considerably better fit and interpretable results than the non-hierarchical model. Such models also appear to be a better way to conceptualize and estimate models in the presence of collinear constructs. Caution should be exercised, however, as higher-order models may not be uniquely determined.

A simplified cognitive model is proposed to assess the dynamic aspect of consumer satisfaction/dissatisfaction in consecutive purchase behavior. Satisfaction is found to have a significant role in mediating intentions and actual behavior for five product classes that were analyzed in the context of a three-stage longitudinal field study. The asymmetric effect found demonstrates that repurchase of a given brand is affected by lagged intention whereas switching behavior is more sensitive to dissatisfaction with brand consumption. An attempt to predict repurchase behavior on the basis of the investigated cognitive variables yielded weak results. However, repurchase predictions were improved when the model was extended to a multipurchase setting in which prior experience with the brand was taken into account.

Guided by diffusion theory, the executive directors of over 2,000 major trade associations were surveyed to determine the extent of their adoption of advertising self-regulation and the objective and perceptual factors that might account for non-adoption. The study found that the majority of associations reporting public dissatisfaction with the industry's advertising are sponsoring self-regulation programs, but not all industry groups with advertising problems are engaged in self-regulation. Based on the perceptual profiles of executives representing adopting and nonadopting associations, a program to accelerate the adoption of advertising self-regulation is suggested.

The author investigates the effectiveness of selected credibility enhancement devices in increasing the intent to purchase a brand which has a unique attribute, but is advertised by a firm with no reputation in the specific product category. The credibility enhancers tested are documentation of advertising claims, advertising self-regulation, and government regulation. Findings of the study demonstrate that implementation of these credibility enhancers can be valuable in bolstering a firm's influence and overcoming a no-reputation liability.

In response to public criticism and government regulation, the advertising community has developed programs of industry-wide self-regulation. A major difficulty with these programs, however, is the potential danger of antitrust violation. This paper reports findings of interviews with representatives of industry and government designed to clarify the limitations of the antitrust laws on advertising self-regulation. Guidelines for minimizing the antitrust risks of advertising self-regulation, which are derived from empirical data and the legal literature, are suggested.