Stephen J. Grove’s research while affiliated with Clemson University and other places

The sales profession represents an area of particular ethical concern within marketing because sales offers the opportunity for a wide range of unethical behaviors. This study applies the techniques of neutralization (Sykes and Matza 1957), a framework borrowed from the social deviance literature, as a possible explanation regarding how otherwise “principled” individuals may diminish their culpability for inappropriate sales behaviors. Recommendations regarding the means by which selling organizations might reduce the use of such excuses/rationalizations for unethical behaviors by salespersons are discussed.

This paper argues that college-aged men and women represent an increasingly attractive market for a wide range of goods and services. Therefore, how this segment regards and responds to promotion is of great interest to a large set of advertisers. Ten years ago, college students were surveyed to uncover their perceptions regarding television versus magazine advertising. An adapted “Magazine Publishers Association of America” schedule of items used to assess the students’ agreement or disagreement that such ads were appealing, annoying, informative, exaggerated, believable, unbelievable, helpful, silly, boring, offensive, and that they presented quality products. In comparing the survey results from ten years ago to a recent replication, the findings indicate that while students used to be more universally positive about magazine advertising, their perceptions of the two media have become more similar over time. Still, although students perceive that television advertising has become more appealing, informative, and helpful, they concurrently feel that it has become more annoying and exaggerated. Comparison tables with Chi-square measures are provided for each item characteristic. The results indicate that as ads and media have become more sophisticated, the media planner’s decisions have necessarily become more complex.

The potential value of integrated marketing communications has been recognized as organizations search for better ways to realize the benefits of customer relationship management. The key is to realizing IMC’ potential in this regard is to prompt consumer response, develop a database and to use the information to create individualized messages and/or to establish long term relationships. Providing a website address within an ad makes it possible for consumers to connect an organization and allows the advertiser to supply more information regarding a product or the firm, respond to inquiries, direct consumers to related material, field comments, build databases and the like (Kanso and Nelson, 2004; Schlosser and Kanfer 1999). Given the increasing popularity of the Internet as a marketing medium, our investigation examines whether a trend exists regarding the extent to which marketers actively direct their potential customers to company/brand websites through print advertising. Further, we investigate the utilization of websites within services vs. goods advertising.

Undoubtedly, the services marketing literature addresses questions pertaining to improving service processes and customers’ experiences, with the broad assumption that the organization and service personnel operate in systems designed to provide levels of service that are adequate or above. From 30 years of focused research, a knowledge base of practices and systems has emerged capable of providing service levels necessary for success, when implemented properly.

A study was conducted to investigate the effect that mood has upon price sensitivity. Eighty-four subjects were induced into one of three moods (positive, neutral, or negative), 72 hours after they were exposed to five fictitious advertisements. Questions were asked concerning a projected price and a price that subjects would be willing to pay for each item. Although results were in the predicted direction, induced mood states had no statistically significant effect on either of two measures of price sensitivity.

Purpose – This paper aims to demonstrate the applicability of a theatrical framework for improving the effectiveness of the knowledge transfer of service research findings to practitioners. Design/methodology/approach – A case study approach is adopted. The operation of a practitioner-oriented seminar is examined through a theatrical lens to establish the extent to which direction, audience participation and creativity, emotions and visual aesthetics can contribute to bridging the academia-practitioner divide. Findings – Planning a practitioner-oriented seminar performance is as important as planning the program content. Effective knowledge transfer requires active audience engagement, activation of favorable audience emotions and an enjoyable learning process. The lack of these requirements can render written dissemination by journal papers relatively ineffective in reaching and engaging practitioners. Research limitations/implications – Findings are based on one case study: a seminar delivered to practitioners on “service theater”. Practical implications – In addition to face-to-face seminars, contemporary dissemination methods (webinars, podcasts) can apply the theatrical lessons introduced and evaluated. Practitioners do not respond positively to only written declarative information, through academic papers and/or PowerPoint slides, from academicians. Originality/value – The article recognizes that dissemination of service research findings is, itself, a service, requiring depth of thought and understanding.

The ability of consumer judges to identify sustainable messages in environmental advertising and the effect of these messages is explored. A content analysis provides insight into these judges’ perceptions of the depth of environmental advertising messages. An experiment investigates the influence of sustainable messages and includes collection of cognitive response data to evaluate the cognitive dimension of sustainability messages. Content analysis results suggest that sustainability messages may influence how environmental advertisements are perceived. These findings are supported by the cognitive response data, which shows cognitive differences across advertisements, and the experimental manipulation that suggests sustainable ads may be more involving to consumers.