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Purpose Consumers seldom consider end-use consumption (reuse or upcycling) when products reach the end of their lifecycle. This study shows that end-use consumption can be encouraged if individuals are primed to think creatively, engage in end-use ideation (imagine end-use) and become inspired by more original ideas. Design/methodology/approach Three studies were carried out. Study 1 tested if creativity priming resulted in more effective end-use ideation (greater number of ideas and more original ideas) compared to environmental appeals and no intervention. Study 2 tested the effectiveness of creativity priming in a longitudinal setting. Study 3 demonstrated how creativity priming and end-use ideation could be practically executed using product packaging. Findings Creativity priming represents an effective intervention to stimulate end-use consumption with particularly positive results amongst less creative consumers. However, it was not the number of generated ideas, but their originality during end-use ideation that triggered inspiration. Research limitations/implications This study demonstrates which interventions are more effective in changing consumer behaviour in favour of more sustainable practices. Practical implications Increasing environmental degradation requires consumers to change their behaviour by re-consuming products. This study shows that consumers can adopt end-use if they are primed to think creatively, imagine end-use consumption and generate more original ideas. Originality/value Creative thinking has been leveraged at product development stages, but not at the end of products’ lifecycle. This study integrated creativity priming, consumer imagination and inspiration theories to explain the underlying mechanism behind end-use consumption to scale up its adoption by consumers.

Purpose This paper aims to explore the power of appeals based on fear mixed with challenge co-designed with vulnerable consumers in motivating the use of credence services. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative phase (Study 1), comprising focus groups of self-identified at-risk gamblers, revealed a series of conceptual themes for advertising stimuli that were then tested empirically (Study 2) on the likelihood to use credence services in a gambling context. Individual characteristics such as tolerance of ambiguity were also tested for their potential moderating influence. Findings In comparison to appeals based on single emotions, fear mixed with the challenge has a significantly stronger impact on intentions to use credence services in at-risk gamblers. Findings confirm the indirect positive impact of fear mixed with the challenge via sequential mediators of involvement with advertising and attitude towards credence service advertising. The moderating role of tolerance of ambiguity on credence service use intentions was confirmed. Originality/value The potential of a fear mixed with challenge appeal to motivate vulnerable consumers to seek credence services has not been investigated to date. The findings contribute to both the transformative service research and advertising literature streams by providing valuable insights into promotional campaigns aimed at vulnerable consumers such as at-risk gamblers.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) influences brand personality, trust, firm attitudes, and purchase intentions. Yet, little attention has been paid to its effects on brand attachment. This study integrated message specificity, self-identity, and attachment theories to explain how socially responsible communication can be used to influence brand attachment. We show that CSR boosted brand attachment when messages contained specific (rather than generic) information that fostered positive brand elaborations, but eroded it when specific information was interpreted negatively. This effect was present only when socially responsible engagement was personally relevant to consumers, pointing to significant variations in message effectiveness. CSR was also more effective when firms announced socially responsible support for the first time and less effective when firms already had a CSR track record, pointing to a ceiling effect.

Purpose With limited research on help-seeking in the social marketing domain, this research takes a unique perspective through the lens of McGuire’s psychological framework examining the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations (or perceived help-seeking benefits) influencing help-seeking attitudes and behaviour in at-risk gamblers. This paper aims to examine the role that response efficacy has on the relationship between perceived help-seeking benefits and help-seeking behavioural intentions. Design/methodology/approach Study 1 used focus groups to explore the positive influence of help-seeking in at-risk gamblers. Studies 2 and 3 used online surveys to further test the direct and indirect impacts of perceived help-seeking benefits on attitudes and behavioural intentions. Structural equation modelling with multi-group analysis (low/high response efficacy) tested the hypotheses. Findings Both cognitive and affective psychological motives manifest as distinct intrinsic (well-being, self-esteem and self-control) and extrinsic motivators (social influence) that influence at-risk gamblers’ help-seeking attitudes and intentions to seek professional services. These perceived benefits influence help-seeking intentions directly (for those high in response efficacy) and indirectly via serial attitudinal mediators. Practical implications The results provide a guide for practitioners to enhance the promotion of professional help. Practitioners should develop marketing communication messages centred on the specific psychological needs of at-risk gamblers to encourage help-seeking behaviour including an emphasis on assertion, affiliation, independence, utilitarian, tension reduction, ego defence and consistency. Originality/value This research is the first, to the knowledge, to examine the psychological motivations that encourage help-seeking in at-risk gamblers, demonstrating that both preservation and growth motives influence help-seeking attitudes and the decision to act.

PurposeWhile past studies have shown that corporate social responsibility (CSR) influences brand equity, loyalty and brand attitudes, research about CSR effects on the responsible and active dimensions of brand personality remains limited. This study aims to address this gap and examine how brands with different personality strength benefit from CSR communication, providing novel insights about CSR’s branding payoffs to firms.Design/methodology/approachThree experiments were conducted. Study 1 tested if CSR communication influenced responsible and active brand personality dimensions compared to non-CSR communication. Study 2 examined how varying CSR spending allocations affect personality perceptions of weak and strong brands. Studies 1 and 2 measured responsible and active brand personalities before and after exposure to experimental manipulations, assessing immediate changes in brand personality. Study 3 replicated the results of Study 2 using fictitious brands whose initial brand personalities were manipulated as either weak or strong.FindingsCSR communication has the potential to influence brands’ responsible and active personalities compared to non-CSR communication. However, changes in brand personalities were contingent on CSR manipulations (smaller vs larger CSR spending) and initial brand strength. Brands that lacked strongly responsible and strong active personalities experienced an improvement in these perceptions after exposure to any CSR spending message. However, brands with strong responsible or strong active personalities experienced brand erosion after exposure to smaller CSR spending message or no improvement when the CSR message was aligned with the responsible and active conduct (e.g. mentioned larger CSR spending).Originality/valueThis study is the first to examine how CSR affects brand personality. By combining signalling and attitude change/congruity principle theories, it provides novel theoretical contributions to explain when CSR can improve, erode or exert no effect on the responsible and active brand personalities, providing insights for effective brand management.

Purpose This study aims to investigate how judgments of firms’ underlying motives are affected by corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication which features percentages of profit allocations to CSR causes. It also examines how firm size interacts with CSR spending allocations affecting motive attributions for firms of different sizes. Design/methodology/approach Two experiments were carried out manipulating CSR spending allocations (smaller vs larger percentage of profit) and firm size (small vs large firm). Findings A larger percentage of profits allocated to CSR enhanced value-driven motives and inhibited inferences of manipulative intent, which produced lower egoistic-driven motives. Large firms allocating smaller percentages to CSR were judged as less value-driven and were more prone to elicit manipulative intent. Originality/value Two routes of motive attributions were identified – a direct route, contingent on CSR spending allocations and firm size; and an indirect route via inferences of manipulative intent, which inhibited favorable motives and prompted unfavorable ones. Both routes resulted from numerical cognition associated with the processing of numbers. Managerial implications include suggestions for firms wishing to overcome negative consumer bias arising from communication featuring CSR spending allocations and firm size.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to answer the call for additional detailed research on factors that influence corporate social responsibility (CSR) authenticity by examining how the former is affected by the commonly reported CSR spending allocations expressed as percentages of annual profits. It integrates equity and attribution theories to propose a new construct of inequity perceptions to explain how CSR spending allocations influence CSR authenticity. Inequity perceptions form from smaller allocations that are perceived disproportionate compared to the potential reputational gains from the executed CSR communication, which, in turn, prompts lower authenticity inferences. Design/methodology/approach Three experiments were performed. Study 1 examines how different CSR spending allocations influence inequity perceptions and how the latter relate to CSR authenticity. Study 2 examines how inequity perceptions are affected by firm size. Study 3 examines whether psychological distance (being a customer or non-customer) affects information processing by predisposing customers to forming higher inequity perceptions. Findings Study 1 shows that lesser allocations produce higher inequity perceptions. Study 2 demonstrates that inequity perceptions are enhanced when numerically small allocations are reported by a large as opposed to a small firm. Study 3 shows that both customers and non-customers form similar inequity perceptions from smaller percentage allocations without support for the psychological distance effect. Research limitations/implications This study shows that the percentage of profits allocated to CSR, as well as firm size, can affect authenticity inferences via inequity perceptions. These findings point to different implications of CSR communication that features percentage allocations that multiple firms may not be aware of. Practical implications Marketers can benefit from the reported findings by understanding when and how CSR communication that features percentage allocations may be counter-productive by generating lesser CSR authenticity. Originality/value This study provides a novel perspective on how consumers evaluate CSR authenticity in a marketplace where awareness of firms’ vested interests is increasing.

Purpose This paper aims to examine the relative importance of country of brand (COB), country of service delivery (COSD) and country of person (COP) in consumer evaluation of hybrid services. Design/methodology/approach Using data (N = 1,071) from Australia, Indonesia and Singapore, a conjoint analysis experimental design explored empirically the importance of country of origin (COO) effects in three service contexts: search, experience and credence. Findings The analysis reveals that the relative importance of COP was the highest for credence services, while COB was the strongest for experience services. Practical implications For firms operating offshore, companies must understand that the COO construct is multi-dimensional for services, as it is for tangible products and not limited only to COB as traditionally thought. At least two other distinct dimensions – COSD and COP – can play significant roles as predictors of service quality expectations. Companies must consider the implications of service type, according to the search-experience-credence continuum to inform staffing decisions and managing customer expectations. Originality/value This research contributes to the literature by extending the understanding of country image effects in the context of hybrid service provisions, particularly in the view of customer expectations of services with multiple country-of-origins. Although there have been several studies examining the effects of COO on services evaluation, no empirical study has examined the effects of multiple COOs simultaneously from the perspective of location where the service is delivered (COSD) and individuals who deliver the service (COP), in addition to the effect of COB origin.

PurposeThis study aims to fill in the above-mentioned gap by looking at both children’s understanding of advertising and product cues during decision-making. Currently, it is assumed that understanding of advertisements’ persuasive intent represents the sole factor that children consider during decision-making, which overlooks the role of intrinsic product cues (taste or healthiness) and more complex interaction between the latter and the perceived persuasive intent.Design/methodology/approachAn experiment with children (of ages 7-13 years) and a survey of their parents were carried out.FindingsWhen exposed to an advertisement, children exhibited less favorable food preferences when they grasped the advertisement’s intended persuasive intent and evaluated the product as less healthy. Participants who did not believe that the advertisement aimed to influence them and rated the product as healthy, exhibited more favorable intention to consume the advertised snack.Research limitations/implicationsThis study shows that persuasive intent and healthiness product cues are used simultaneously by young consumers and need to be considered in future research to provide more in-depth understanding of children’s decision-making.Originality/valueThe findings highlight the importance of previously overlooked intrinsic product cues and the need to consider both persuasive intent and product cue evaluations to better understand why children may exhibit less healthy food choices.

Purpose Studies to date have focused on one or very few factors, rather than exploring a host of influences associated with children’s consumption of energy-dense foods. This is surprising as multiple agents are relevant to children’s food consumer socialisation (parents, peers, social norms and food advertising). This study aims to address these gaps and offers the first comprehensive empirical assessment of a wide cluster of variables. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional study was undertaken with children aged 7-13 years and their parents/main carers, collecting family metrics from parents and data directly from children. Structural Equation Modelling was used to estimate a series of interdependence relationships in four steps, revealing the increased explained variance in children’s consumption of energy-dense foods. Findings The inclusion of multiple potential factors increased the percentage of explained variance in children’s consumption of energy-dense foods. The models explicate which factors relate to frequent consumption in children, and clarify various indirect influences on children through parents. Originality/value For the first time, a wider range of variables was integrated to maximise the percentage of explained variance in children’s behaviour, providing policy makers and social marketers with novel insights regarding areas that need to be prioritised for consumer education. Both direct and indirect relationships were assessed. Data were collected from parents and their children to provide an original methodological contribution and richer data for investigation.

With a sample of Australian at-risk gamblers, this research examines the impact of gender and individual difference in experiential avoidance (EA; cognitive and emotional suppression) on the processing of fear appeals. Study 1, through thematic analysis, explores fear appeal perceptions among at-risk gamblers. The results identify that relevant threats, such as social and psychological, should be integrated into fear-inducing advertising stimuli. Study 2 uses multigroup comparisons in structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the robustness of the revised protection motivation model (RPMM) in predicting the effectiveness of fear appeals to induce help-seeking intentions in at-risk gamblers. This research examines the boundary conditions of the RPMM through the moderating roles of gender and EA. The results provide evidence that fear partially mediates the impact of perceived susceptibility (PS) on help-seeking intentions in low experiential avoiders, whereas high experimental avoiders resist fear elicitation. Furthermore, evoked fear does not lead to help-seeking intentions in male at-risk gamblers. In female at-risk gamblers, while fear prompts help-seeking intentions, PS (i.e., probability of harm) does not translate to behavioral intentions via fear. For both genders and low and high experiential avoiders, cognitive appraisals of PS significantly and positively impact help-seeking intentions. This research demonstrates the unique roles of gender and EA on fear appeal effectiveness in at-risk gamblers.

Aim Previous research has identified convenience, enjoyment, value for money and perceived goodness as primary dimensions of parents' attitudes to foods and beverages. The aim of the present study was to examine the factors associated with parents' scores on each of these attitudinal dimensions to identify key issues for future interventions designed to improve parents' food provision behaviours and children's diets. Methods A sample of 1302 Australian parents of children aged 8 to 14 years completed an online survey relating to their food-related beliefs. Linear regression analyses were undertaken to examine factors associated with parents' attitudes to soft drinks and energy-dense nutrient-poor foods. Results Consistent factors were identified for both energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods and soft drinks, indicating that similar approaches could be adopted in interventions for both product categories. The primary factors were social norms, child pestering, television viewing and exposure to food advertising. Conclusions Food advertising represents a common link between the primary factors, indicating that it constitutes a critical component of future interventions designed to modify parents' attitudes to unhealthy food products and to reduce the frequency with which these foods are consumed by children.

Londono et al. (2016) aim to contribute to brand equity literature by introducing the concept of Consumer-Based Brand-Retailer-Channel Equity (CBBRCE) to capture the synergies created by brand, retailer, and channel equity. This commentary discusses their study in light of extant literature and provides alternative viewpoints. Specifically, it focuses on one of the key issues these authors investigate, namely retailer equity, with a view to highlighting the limitations in current retailer equity measurement. It also offers constructive directions for improvement.

Objective Although the last decade has seen multiple attempts to increase consumers' nutritional knowledge in expectation that this will result in healthier diets, extant knowledge about the influence of nutritional knowledge on children's food choices remains scarce due to mixed empirical evidence and limited inquiry into the role of product evaluations on the consumption of less healthy foods. Furthermore, no research has examined whether nutritional knowledge can effectively moderate the relationship between product evaluations and food consumption, leaving a gap in our knowledge about potentially effective intervention strategies to curb childhood obesity. Method Using survey data from children aged 7–13 years and their parents (N = 354) recruited at an annual fair visited by families in South Australia, regressions were performed to examine how product evaluations are associated with the consumption of less healthy foods and whether nutritional knowledge reduces the strength of these associations at different ages (7–8 years, 9–10 years, and 11–13 years). Results While children did not view fast foods to be fun or healthy, there was a positive association between appealing taste, perceived social acceptability and consumption of less healthy foods. Higher nutritional knowledge weakened the relationship between product evaluations and consumption in children younger than 11. Parents with higher nutritional knowledge had children who tended to consume less healthy foods less frequently. Although older children (11–13 years) possessed higher nutritional knowledge, it was not associated with their consumption; instead, taste and perception of social acceptability were the only factors associated with frequent consumption of less healthy products. Conclusion Practitioners are encouraged to test intervention strategies that concentrate on both product evaluations and nutritional knowledge to provide more effective outcomes. Further research about peer norms that endorse unhealthy eating is encouraged to facilitate a more comprehensive approach to unhealthy eating.

Effective health interventions rely on a detailed understanding of the target audience’s attitudes relevant to the desired behavioural change. In the context of obesity interventions targeting parents, understanding parents’ attitudes to unhealthy foods and beverages is necessary to overcome barriers to adopting recommended behaviours. The aim of the present study was to assess the factors influencing parents’ attitudes to unhealthy foods and beverages to identify potential elements to incorporate into future obesity prevention programs. A sample of 1302 parents responded to an online survey that assessed their perceptions of the two product categories of soft drinks and energy dense, nutrient poor (EDNP) foods. Overall, attitudes to these products were favourable, with perceived convenience and enjoyment receiving higher scores than value for money and health considerations. The results suggest that interventions designed to improve children’s diets should aim to enhance perceptions of the convenience and taste of healthier alternatives, while also addressing factors such as food advertising and child pestering that can influence parents’ attitudes to unhealthy products.

Organisations have attempted to transfer the image of their home countries to their product or services for decades (Arpan and Sun 2006). Recent research in international marketing has confirmed that brand’s country of origin (COO) can transmit various things to potential consumers, such as reliability, quality, prestige value and innovativeness. Such studies (referred to COO effects) highlight that, with the passage of time, consumers tend to form some impressions of countries and their products or services. These impressions become overall evaluations of country quality or image as they link to the key outputs of a given country. These overall evaluations can act as stereotypes or judgement invoked by consumers when intended to purchase a given product or services, primarily when consumers have a least knowledge about a given product or services (Maheswaran 1994). On the other hand, international brand-related crises (Volkswagen emission scandal, Malaysian airline crisis, United Airline crisis, Facebook data scandal, Samsung battery explosion crisis) have become more common, often threatening the image of the organisations behind them. The impact of COO effect in relation to crisis management context also remained significantly misinterpreted. In the past, researchers primarily focused on cognitive aspects of COO effects, while an affective aspect of COO has been largely ignored. Therefore, the present research provides an extensive review of the literature by highlighting the influence of both cognitive and affective COO effects on organisational trust, distrust, attribution of blame and consumer future purchase intention postcrisis event. A review of the literature confirms that trust and distrust in the organisations are not merely based on the cognitive aspects attached to their home country and its people but also based on the affective or emotional aspects. Moreover, in the past, distrust has been considered as an opposite end of a trust. Nevertheless, this research provides clear guidelines that these two are the separate and distinct constructs. The present study also seeks to advance our theoretical understanding of COO effects (both cognitive and affective) in a crisis management context, via decomposition of the COO construct into a country image (CI) and country people image (CPI) at both the cognitive and affective levels. Specifically, the research highlights the capacity of these four dimensions of COO to shape brand trust/distrust, attribution of blame and consumer purchase behaviour post a crisis event.

This study examines how advertisement typicality influences the capacity of sponsorship to transfer an image from a sporting event to a brand over time. Two pretests and one main experiment, involving more than 2,200 respondents in total, revealed that high advertisement typicality enhanced the effectiveness of sponsorship in event-related advertising more than low typicality. This study also introduces a robust and effective method to assess the typicality of various combinations of event-related elements: discrete-choice experiments. The authors discuss the implications of these findings for marketing and brand managers. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Maintaining a long term relationship with customers is a challenge for organizations (Gummesson 2008; Oliver 1999). A key objective for organizations seeking to build customer loyalty may be to create superior customer experience. Scholars have called for varied views on customer experience (e.g., Verhoef et al. 2009). Amongst the relevant studies of interpersonal relationships in the disciplines of marketing and psychology, it is noteworthy that scholars have specifically called for a study of love. The contribution of love remains to be explored in the business context. Compared with love, the concept of trust is well recognized for its significance to a long term business. In most studies of interpersonal relationships across the disciplines of marketing and psychology, trust appears to be the critical factor in engaging customers in a relationship (e.g., Johnson and Grayson 2000; Rempel et al. 1985). The likely interaction between love and trust foreshadowed in prior studies (e.g., Fehr 1993) suggests the need of studying both factors of love and trust simultaneously. Yet, to the authors’ knowledge, the relative contribution of love and trust to loyalty has never been examined in the context of commercial relationships. Therefore, this study aims to examine these two constructs, love and trust, in providing an insigh er loyalty in the business context.

This research examines the moderating role of problem gambling status (low-risk gamblers, moderate-risk gamblers and problem gamblers) on the processing of fear appeals in a sample of Australian gamblers.

Using a latent growth modeling (LGM) approach, this study examines the controversial role of perceived sponsor–event fit in inducing changes in brand affect. On the basis of two longitudinal studies related to the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2012 London Olympics, the authors determine that fit and brand affect increase linearly over time. Resolving an apparent conflict in the marketing literature, the results show that the initial level of fit relates positively to the initial level of brand affect, but relates negatively to the subsequent increase in brand affect. Moreover, a significant and positive association emerges between the change trajectories, such that a steeper increase in perceived fit results in a faster rate of brand affect improvement. Furthermore, the initial level of brand affect is associated with subsequent increases in neither brand affect nor fit. Therefore, incongruence resolution is key to ensuring that sponsorship improves brand affect. Finally, both attitude toward the sponsorship and event involvement have positive impacts on subsequent increases in both brand affect and perceived fit.

Corporate volunteering (CV) is known to be an effective employee engagement initiative. However, despite the prominence of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in academia and practice, research is yet to investigate whether and how CV may influence consumer perceptions of CSR image and subsequent consumer behaviour. Data collected using an online survey in Australia show perceived familiarity with a company’s CV programme to positively impact CSR image and firm image, partially mediated by others-centred attributions. CSR image, in turn, strengthens affective and cognitive loyalty as well as word-of-mouth. Further analysis reveals the moderating effect of perceived leveraging of the corporate volunteering programme, customer status and the value individuals place on CSR. The paper concludes with theoretical and managerial implications, as well as an agenda for future research.

Sponsors increasingly shift from large professional to community-based properties, as these can deliver an engaged audience and enable them to demonstrate their corporate social responsibility (CSR). This research comprises two studies and shows that community-based sponsorship may improve CSR image and, in turn, self-congruity, a key determinant of consumer behavior. Study 1 investigates perceived sponsor–club fit, confirming attitude and corporate positioning similarity as relevant predictors. Importantly, CSR image similarity does not impact fit, suggesting sponsorship opportunities for organizations independent of their initial CSR image. Study 2 shows perceived sponsor CSR image to mediate the relationship between the perceptions of a community-based property's CSR image and consumers' self-congruity with the sponsor. While perceived sponsor–club fit and sponsorship awareness moderate the relationship between property and sponsor CSR image, attitudes toward CSR moderate the association between sponsor CSR and self-congruity. The paper concludes with implications and future research directions.

Issues addressed: The aim of the present study was to describe food advertising and expenditure on Australian television, and to conduct an audit to assess what proportion of food and beverage television advertisements was consistent with dietary recommendations. Methods: Data were acquired from a national media monitoring company for advertisements broadcast in five major Australian cities from 1 September 2010 to 31 October 2010. Content analysis was undertaken on these advertisements and the advertised foods were assessed against the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. The data also included advertising expenditures. Results: Most advertised foods were non-core foods (63%), with few advertisements for fruits and vegetables (6%). Advertisements for non-core foods were significantly more frequent during prime time viewing periods (71% vs 60%; P < 0.01). High levels of advertising for fast food (28%) and non-core beverages (24%) were recorded. Conclusions: The present study found that the foods advertised during the data-collection period were inconsistent with the recommended diet. There are clear areas for policy concern given that the majority of recorded advertisements were for foods classified as 'occasional foods', there were low levels of advertising for fruit and vegetables, and there were no social marketing messages to support healthy eating. So what? The findings of the study suggest that there is an urgent need for more comprehensive regulation of food advertising in Australia.

Aim The aim of this study was to update knowledge about children's exposure to televised food advertising in Australia, providing a more comprehensive examination of children's exposure since the introduction of self-regulatory codes. Methods Two months of food advertisement data from four free-to-air television stations (SBS, Seven Network, Nine Network and Ten Network) in the five largest Australian cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth) were purchased and analysed. A content analysis was performed to classify the advertised products into food groups according to the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating and whether they were scheduled in children's popular viewing times (CPVT) according to audience viewing data from OzTam. They were also assessed as to whether they included a premium offer (free incentive). The 2 months of data covered September and October 2010 and included 43 weekdays, 18 weekend days and 15 days of school holidays. Results In total, 93 284 food advertisements, including repeat airings, were analysed from 1464 hours of continuous programming. The majority (63%) included non-core foods. During CPVT, this figure was significantly higher at 65% versus 61% outside CPVT. Within CPVT, the percentage of advertisements was higher for quick-service restaurants (30% vs 26%) and unhealthy beverages (3% vs 2%). Fifteen per cent of all advertisements were for sugar-sweetened soft drinks. Premiums were still apparent (10% vs 8%) despite being restricted by the codes. Conclusions Australian children continue to be exposed to a large amount of advertising for non-core foods, despite the introduction of voluntary codes.

Sponsorship has evolved significantly over the past 40 years, away from simple, short-term corporate donations to a highly commercialized and global industry (Walliser 2003). In particular, the sponsorship of sporting properties (i.e. professional teams, leagues, athletes and stadiums) is considered a highly strategic communication tool that commands a large audience and accounts for a majority of sponsorship spending and research (International Events Group 2010). Increasing consumerism in hedonic consumption industries, such as professional sport, have supported the popularity of sponsorship to a point where it is difficult today to find a pro-sport event, team, league or athlete that is devoid of it (Hirschman and Holbrook 1982). Lured by the number of consumers attending these sports events, more sponsors are encouraged to ‘spray and pray’, entering into sponsorship agreements to fund these events and to increase brand awareness without adequate measurement to verify the return on their investment. As a result, some sponsors are turning away from large professional sport properties to community sports organizations (CSO) and an engaged audience (Miloch and Lambrecht 2006).

Purpose This study aims to investigate how organizations can utilize sport sponsorship to build their corporate social responsibility (CSR) image effectively, by examining the attributes of a sports property that are most conducive to a sponsor gaining CSR image benefits. Design/methodology/approach A between-subjects experimental design was used, which simulated different sponsorship scenarios by varying community proximity (operationalized by property scope) and property engagement in community initiatives. Hypotheses were tested with a non-parametric bootstrapping-based procedure, using a panel sample of 400. Findings The results show that a sporting property’s proactive community engagement is conducive to an enhanced CSR image for its sponsor, especially when the property operates on the national rather than grassroots level. Further analysis also demonstrates the critical contribution of altruistic motive attributions in the process. Originality/value This study advances knowledge on how organizations may build their CSR image while leveraging on the strong audience involvement and the mass appeal of sport sponsorship. It is the first to offer insights into the extent to which a sports property’s proactive engagement in the community, rather than that of the sponsoring firm itself, enhances the CSR image of the sponsor, particularly if the property’s community proximity is low. Furthermore, our results provide an in-depth understanding of the mechanisms determining the benefits that sponsors can reap from a property’s activities.

Despite their crucial contributions to the prosperity of national economies worldwide, there is limited knowledge on the international operations of professional service firms (PSFs). The purpose of this paper is to investigate the antecedents of export success of PSFs, taking into account both firm characteristics and market characteristics. Research findings indicated that management attitude, resource commitment, and international experience and reputation significantly enhanced their export performance. However, the firms appeared to disagree on the role of firm size in fostering their success. Additionally, the performance of professional service exporters was also determined by competition intensity and actions by the host governments. Finally, export promotion efforts, in the form of export assistance by home government and support from industry-based associations, also played a significant role.

Introduction and Aims. Current alcohol guidelines in Australia recommend minimising alcohol consumption, especially among minors. This study investigated (i) the extent to which children and the general population are exposed to television advertisements that endorse alcohol consumption and (ii) the themes used in these advertisements. Design and Methods. A content analysis was conducted on alcohol advertisements aired over two months in major Australian cities. The advertisements were coded according to the products that were promoted, the themes that were employed, and the time of exposure. Advertising placement expenditure was also captured. Results. In total, 2810 alcohol advertisements were aired, representing one in 10 beverage advertisements. Advertisement placement expenditure for alcohol products in the five cities over the two months was $15.8 million. Around half of all alcohol advertisements appeared during children's popular viewing times. The most common themes used were humour, friendship/mateship and value for money. Discussion and Conclusions. Children and adults are regularly exposed to advertisements that depict alcohol consumption as fun, social and inexpensive. Such messages may reinforce existing alcohol-related cultural norms that prevent many Australians from meeting current intake guidelines.[Pettigrew S, Roberts M, Pescud M, Chapman K, Quester P, Miller C. The extent and nature of alcohol advertising on Australian television. Drug Alcohol Rev 2012;31:797–802]

A prolific stream of research has demonstrated the unique potential of sports sponsorship to contribute to corporate image and to influence audiences around the world. Meanwhile, the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has increasingly been identified in the literature for its potential to deliver a degree of competitive advantage. This paper builds on both these theoretical fields to develop a conceptual framework linking the effectiveness of sports sponsorship with the sponsors' CSR commitment to both employees and consumers.

PurposeIn recent decades, R&D networks have proliferated amongst members of universities, businesses, research organisations and government. Despite increases in the complexity and prominence of these networks, empirical studies investigating their performance are still sparse. The purpose of this paper is to fill this gap by investigating the impact of trust and commitment on network harmony and coordination.Design/methodology/approachThe study applies confirmatory factor analysis, using structural equation modelling, to ascertain the impact of trust and commitment on harmony and coordination within networks. It is based on responses of 124 participants from an Australian biotechnology and nanotechnology network.FindingsThe study reveals that trust has significant impacts on both network coordination and harmony.Practical implicationsThe paper provides managerial implications for organisations involved in innovation networks which can be used to inform the design and coordination of inter‐organisational innovation initiatives across sectors.Originality /valueThe paper is original as it provides a network perspective, as responses include a variety of perspectives from universities, businesses, research organisations and government. Consequently, it serves as a first step towards validating constructs from a network perspective that were previously validated only from organisational or dyadic perspectives.

This study examines the management of innovation networks which has enjoyed increased recognition in the marketing literature due to its growing prominence and relevance. By testing a causal model relating network factors to outcomes, the study contributes to theory development on managing innovation at the net level of analysis. Consequently, it contributes to the respective marketing literatures on new product development, open innovation, industrial marketing and its emerging network management sub-stream. It also offers a methodological contribution as respondents include key players from businesses, government agencies, research organizations and universities rather than from only one focal organization as studies in extant literature have predominantly done. Findings are based on 219 responses from Australian high technology networks, namely, information and communications technology and biotechnology/nanotechnology. The study offers valuable implications for marketing managers involved in new product development and innovation concerning strategies for managing their inter-organizational innovation initiatives effectively.

The postmodern consumer often finds authenticity in communities of consumption including those that are based around a focal brand. Two means through which authenticity can be achieved are an individual authenticating act or a collective authoritative performance. Using this dual lens, the contested nature of authenticity within subcultures is explored. Drawing on long, interpretive interviews with surfers, skaters, and snowboarders, it was found that the contested nature of authentic community membership is driven by different identity benefits, including flow and kinship. These two separate benefits lead members to engage different brand-related cues when seeking an authentic brand partner. This paper advances the understanding of subcultural authenticity by identifying the diversity of identity goals sought from membership of consumption communities and by linking antecedents and outcomes of authenticity, and associated consumption behaviors.

Despite considerable interest in the topic of country equity, attempts at its measurement have been scarce. This research contributes to the literature by providing a consumer-based measure for country equity, and it improves country equity measurement by addressing some of the limitations associated with previous approaches. This research also contributes to our understanding of this area by providing empirical evidence of the multidimensionality of the country equity construct. We define country equity from a consumer perspective, as the value endowed by a source country onto products originating from that country. We conceptualize country equity based on consumers’ memory based associations, using the associative network memory model, as a five-dimensional construct, comprising country awareness, macro country image, micro country image, perceived quality, and country loyalty. The paper reports the results of an empirical study of a sample of shopping mall consumers ( N = 719) from Australia. The proposed model is tested in two product categories (cars and televisions). Results confirm the hypothesized five-dimensional structure. Our findings extend Aaker's [Aaker, D. A. (1991). Managing brand equity . New York: The Free Press] and Keller's [Keller, K. L. (1993).Conceptualizing, measuring and managing customer based brand equity. Journal of Marketing, 57 (1), 1–22] conceptualization of brand equity to country brands, as well as Yoo and Donthu's [Yoo, B. & Donthu, N. (2001). Developing and validating a multidimensional consumer-based brand equity scale. Journal of Business Research, 52 (1), 1–14] consumer-based brand equity measurement to the measurement of country equity. The results have implications for government agencies, industry groups and firms interested in branding a country in target international markets.

This study examines the effect of ambush marketing disclosure on attitudes toward the ambusher's brand. The results of an experiment conducted to this end show that ambush disclosure negatively influences perceived integrity, affective response and purchase intention. Involvement in the event and attitudes toward sponsorship of an event both moderate consumers' response to ambush marketing.

PurposeThis paper aims to identify how community members of a long‐established service brand, Club Med, negotiate the strategic decision made by management in 2002 to substantially alter the brand positioning.Design/methodology/approachA mixed method approach relied on participant observations, interviews with managers and consumers, and a netnography of an independent website used by Club Med members to exchange information, advice and other holiday tips.FindingsBrand community members responded differently to the repositioning of the brand, according to the core benefit or value they first sought by attending the Club, from the functional and practical to the emotional or experiential reward. Responses also differed according to whether consumers valued the collective ideals of the earlier Club Med or the individualism advocated in the latest positioning. Hence, the value match between brand and consumers appeared predictive of their response.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough limited to the case of one iconic service brand, these findings have implications for marketers. In particular, they warn against unilateral decisions made without due consideration of the brand community which may have developed around the traditional meanings associated with the brand.Originality/valueGiven the paucity of evidence of service brand community, validating the existence of service brand community represents a first and important contribution of the paper. Brand communities have intrigued researchers and practitioners by their loyalty and resilience. Moreover, little or no research has examined how such communities cope with dramatic changes in the brand strategy.

This study revisits Ariely and Levav’s previous findings in relation to consumers’ need for variety when ordering (food or beverages) in a group setting. We examine how group opinion and unanimity can explain consumers’ individual choice in a group setting. We hypothesize that the relationship between individual choice and group opinion is nonmonotonic as it is moderated by the degree of unanimity around an alternative. We demonstrate this effect in two empirical studies. We show that choice patterns are curvilinear, with previous findings accurately reflecting only specific sections of the overall pattern of individual choices in a group setting.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of emotional valence and intensity on sport sponsorship attitudinal outcomes, across two culturally different samples from Australia and France.Design/methodology/approachBased on a multidisciplinary literature review of the emotional phenomenon, research hypotheses are proposed and empirically tested against two samples exposed to two comparable major sport events in Australia and France.FindingsData reveal that Australian and French spectators' emotional responses differ in terms of valence, but not in terms of intensity. This initial difference, in turn, impacts the effect of emotional responses on sponsorship attitudinal outcomes. The more positive are sport‐related emotions, the stronger their impact on the sponsorship persuasion process. The proposed mediating effect of attitude towards the event is partially supported.Research limitations/implicationsThe results are limited by the small sample size and the inherent bias of the verbal measurement of the emotional phenomenon.Originality/valueDespite omnipresence in sports events, emotions and their influence on sponsorship outcomes have not been clarified yet, once simply disregarded by many scholars. This paper provides evidence that emotions can contribute to the formation of attitudes towards sponsors, in some cases mediated by attitude towards the event. In addition, in line with the global reach of sports and sports sponsorship a comparison of results between samples from Australia and France creates a valuable contribution of this paper to marketing theory and practice.

This study aimed to build a model of business performance based on customer value-defined market orientation. In the context of a service retail industry, both firms’ and customers’ perspectives were involved in the development of the construct, using such dimensions as management support, employee efforts and customer satisfaction. The authors undertook a large-scale fieldwork to collect matched response data from firms and consumers and to test the proposed model. The results provide empirical evidence of the effects of a customer value-based market orientation on business performance, measured in terms of customer retention. In addition, this study identified three drivers of employees’ effort to implement market orientation from a value perspective.

This study investigates the respective influences of price and country of origin as extrinsic cues on consumer evaluations of wine quality when all intrinsic cues are experienced through sensory perceptions, and then compares these results with those of a survey employing identical intrinsic and extrinsic cues. Taste testing experiments were conducted ( N = 263) using Chardonnay and a three (COO) by three (price) by three (acid level) conjoint analysis fractional factorial design. Price and COO were both found to be more important contributors to perception of wine quality than taste. The study advances our understanding of the influence of extrinsic cues to dominant quality assessment and shows conjoint analysis to be a credible means of measuring consumer reactions to specific wine attributes.

Plusieurs etudes ont constate la confusion dans le public entre les parrains et les pseudo-parrains. Ces derniers s’associent a un evenement sans en payer les droits. Cette confusion remet en question les sommes investies par les parrains. Le pseudo-parrainage constitue aujourd’hui une reelle menace pour le financement des evenements. Nous presentons dans cet article les differentes strategies envisageables pour lutter contre le pseudo-parrainage.

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the respective influences of price and country of origin (COO), as extrinsic cues, on consumer evaluations of product quality when all intrinsic cues are experienced through sensory (taste) perception.Design/methodology/approach – Taste‐testing experiments were conducted (n = 263) using Brie cheese as the test product and a 3(COO) × 3(price) × 3 (fat content) conjoint analysis fractional factorial design.Findings – Price was clearly found to be the most important attribute contributing to perception of Brie quality, followed by fat content. COO also exerted a substantial influence on respondents’ evaluation. In the case of this sensory experiment, reliance on the extrinsic cues tested was found to remain extremely robust even when all intrinsic cues (through sensory experience) were available for respondent evaluation when objective product quality was manipulated to three differing levels.Research limitations/implications – The research presents a number of limita...

In an empirical study of both sides of the sponsorship dyad, a number of key antecedents to sponsors’ renewal intentions were examined. The study involved all sponsors and clubs of a leading Australian sport property. Sponsors’ market orientation was found to be a positive factor: it influenced non-economic satisfaction which, in turn, determined sponsors’ renewal intentions. On the other hand, and as expected, properties’ market orientation exerted a negative influence on economic satisfaction as well as, more directly, on renewal. Unlike non-economic satisfaction, economic satisfaction did not explain sponsors’ renewal intentions. The results are discussed in relation to sponsorship and more broadly in relation to other marketing relationships.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine whether retailer brand equity levels vary between department store and specialty clothing store categories.Design/methodology/approachRetailer brand equity is conceptualized in this paper as a four‐dimensional construct comprising retailer awareness, retailer associations, retailer perceived quality and retailer loyalty. Categorization theory is used to explain the differences in retailer equity across the two different store categories. A doubly multivariate design is incorporated in a structured questionnaire used to collect data via mall‐intercepts in an Australian state capital city.FindingsResults suggest that retailer brand equity varies significantly between department store and specialty store categories. Department store brands yielded significantly higher ratings for all the retailer brand equity dimensions than specialty store brands.Originality/valueResearchers have argued that retailers possess brand equity. However, extant research does not provide any specific guidance in relation to the question of whether retailer brand equity levels vary from one store category to another. The present research fills an important gap by demonstrating that retailer brand equity levels vary significantly between department store and specialty clothing store categories.

PurposeThis dyadic study aims to analyses the influence of champions, particularly their personal engagement and experience, on relationships that cross different sectors and working environments.Design/methodology/approachBased on an extensive literature review and initial qualitative research, a conceptual dyadic model is presented and tested using structural equation modelling methods.FindingsPath analysis results show a surprisingly weak effect of champions. However, personal experience influenced engagement, which, in turn, impacted on commitment. Furthermore, a positive influence of trust and commitment on satisfaction is confirmed.Research limitations/implicationsThe results are limited by the small dyadic sample size and a potential bias towards positive relationships.Originality/valueBased on relationship and services marketing theory, this paper provides much needed insights on university–industry relationships, analysing the influence of personal engagement and experience on the relationship characteristics trust and commitment and, in turn, on satisfaction.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the respective influences of price and country of origin as extrinsic cues on consumer evaluations of wine quality when all intrinsic cues are experienced through sensory perception. Taste testing experiments were conducted (N = 263) using Chardonnay as the test product in a 3 (country of origin, COO) × 3 (price) × 3 (acid level) conjoint analysis fractional factorial design. Price and COO were both found to be more important contributors to perception of wine quality than taste. Reliance on extrinsic cues was found to remain extremely robust even when all intrinsic cues were available through sensory experience for respondent evaluation. The research demonstrated that even when evaluating a product through consumption, consumer belief in the price/value schema dominates quality assessment. These findings mean that marketers cannot assume that intrinsic product attributes, even when experienced, will be weighted and interpreted accurately by consumers. The research significantly advances our understanding of consumers' use of extrinsic cues (price and COO specifically), and their respective influence in their determination of both expected and experienced quality. (JEL Classification: Q11, D12, M31)

Strongly supported forms of online and offline consumer networking strategies have the potential to reach consumers adverse to traditional forms of mass media advertising (Trusov, Bucklin and Pauwels 2009). Whilst such channels may offer important opportunities for marketers, brand managers must fully understand how to exploit them for maximum benefit (Kucuk 2010). Consumers engage in online interactions to satisfy their cognitive, social and emotional needs in a way that emulates traditional face-to-face contexts (Jae Wook et al. 2008). The impact of such consumer-to-consumer interactions and, information exchange on brand attachment and subsequent buying behavior is well documented in the literature with reported flow-on benefits such as enhanced attitudinal and behavioral loyalty, positive word of mouth (WOM), willingness to pay a premium price (WPPP) and brand defense (Jae Wook et al. 2008). However, the ability to stimulate and build brand attachment via the satisfaction of consumer needs in the context of brand-initiated, as opposed to consumer initiated, interactions is unknown. This is because such contexts have typically excluded marketers’ direct brand involvement. Usually, where brands have been involved, contact has been through forms of sponsorship or via a paid endorser, where direct interaction between consumers and brand representatives is extremely limited, scripted or non-existent. This is due to consumer skepticism stemming from their fear that brand participation in their conversations is motivated by the opportunity to ‘sell’. Consumers also often wish to keep their conversations ‘private’ in order to speak freely or even, sometimes, criticize products as well as praise them. Consequently, direct interactions between brands and consumers, both on and offline, are not truly co-created experiences where value is given and derived by both parties.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate how need for cognition (NFC), a personality trait, influenced the way consumers used information about product components in forming overall evaluations of motor vehicles.Design/methodology/approachThe study used interviews from a convenience sample of 445 visitors to a motor vehicle show over a three‐day period using a choice‐based conjoint analysis study design.FindingsThe NFC scale used in this study focused on abstract thinking. Results showed that consumers' responses to components from different countries changed their overall purchase intentions, and nationalism appeared to play a strong role in consumer attitudes to components. Consumers exhibiting high levels of NFC were more engaged in more complex assessment of the country of origin (COO) cue in their product evaluation than those who have less NFC.Practical implicationsManufacturers sourcing components from low labour cost countries need to be cautious. Even trusted brands may be sullied by components sourced from countries with negative stereotypes.Originality/valueResearch on product component systems and the use of choice‐based conjoint analysis in this context are novel contributions to COO research.