Marketing Theses and Dissertations

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Browsing Marketing Theses and Dissertations by Author "Cornwell, T. Bettina"

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    Accounting for the Social Element in Access-Based Consumption
    (University of Oregon, 2014-10-17) Koppenhafer, Leslie; Cornwell, T. Bettina
    This dissertation examines how the inclusion of the social element in access-based consumption can influence affective and behavioral responses. The first essay builds upon the dimensions proposed by Bardhi and Eckhardt, who found that market mediation, anonymity, temporality, consumer involvement, type of accessed object and political consumerism are key dimensions on which to study access-based consumption. A reconceptualization of these dimensions is proposed in the current work to incorporate the social element. Foremost, a separation of renting and sharing based on the presence or absence of economic exchange is proposed. The implications for the remaining dimensions of anonymity, temporality, consumer participation, type of accessed object, political consumerism and governance are then discussed. Finally, key outcome variables of community, cooperation, loneliness and contagion are reviewed. In Essay 2, the guiding theory of social distance is used to empirically test the impact of the social element on evaluations of a rental service on the outcomes of satisfaction, attitude, disgust and community. In the rental context examined, users are interpersonally anonymous indicating that there is no relationship between the current user and other users. In addition, users must engage in extra-role behaviors because no intermediaries are present. In three experiments, it is shown that encounters with other users can lead to increased feelings of disgust and decreased satisfaction and attitude towards the rental service. Having information about other users, provided in the form of avatar images, can enhance feelings of community, as can certain types of communication between users. Given the benefits that emerge from feelings of community, Essay 3 explores factors that can enhance or detract from sense of community. Factors such as apathetic participation and similarity are considered. In addition, positive outcomes that emerge from feelings of community, such as sign-up likelihood and care behaviors, are measured.
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    Brand Latitude
    (University of Oregon, 2019-09-18) Charlton, Aaron; Cornwell, T. Bettina
    This dissertation addresses the topic of brand latitude, defined herein as a public entity’s capacity to deviate from category norms or to transcend the normal function of a brand without incurring adverse responses from the public. The study of brand latitude is important because modern managers use brands to achieve much more than greater market share relative to similar competitors. Established brands are often leveraged to facilitate entry into new product categories, gain attention for social causes, and attract talent, among other uses. While managers hope every branding effort to be successful, these non-standard uses of brands may be received positively, negatively, or indifferently. This dissertation explores both the brand attributes and styles of approach that can lead to increased brand latitude. The first essay integrates various streams of literature to develop the concept of brand latitude, including predicted antecedents and outcomes. Additionally, potential moderators of these main effects are considered, including choice of narrative voice (first-person vs. third), a characteristic of the message. Essay 2 is an empirical investigation of both brand attributes (good character, innovativeness, altruism) and characteristics of the controversial message (use of first-person vs third-person narrative voice) as antecedents of brand latitude.
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    Brand Mind Perception and Moral Judgments of Brand Behavior: How Perceived Leadership Influences Consumer Attitudinal Responses to a Brand's Wrongdoing
    (University of Oregon, 2017-09-06) Xie, Hu; Cornwell, T. Bettina
    How we communicate about brands and companies has changed. CEOs have come into the spotlight of brand communications but little marketing research offers holistic knowledge about CEOs as brand endorsers. This research investigates how CEO endorsers influence consumer attitudes toward a brand differently from conventional endorsers (e.g., celebrities and athletes). Further, this research examines underlying mechanisms that determine consumer responses to CEOs as brand endorsers and especially consumer moral judgments of a brand’s wrongdoing. Building on research on brand endorsers and brand equity, as well as drawing theoretical support from research on leadership, anthropomorphism and mind perception, this dissertation proposes a moderated mediation model of CEO endorser effects on consumer moral judgments. Brand endorsers for decades have been viewed as essentially communicating via three characteristics: attractiveness, expertise and trustworthiness. This dissertation identifies perceived leadership as an additional endorser dimension elicited from a CEO-brand endorser. Further, this dissertation introduces brand mind perception into marketing research and finds that perceived leadership positively influences consumers’ perception of brand mind, which in turn determines consumers’ moral judgments. Boundary conditions are explored and include endorser-brand relationship and crisis controllability. Two sets of studies provide empirical support. The first set defines and develops the scale of perceived leadership including item generation (Study 1), item purification (Study 2), and scale confirmation (Study 3). The second set tests the hypotheses in the conceptual model. Two exploratory studies first find preliminary evidence of that perceived leadership differs from existing endorser dimensions by its effects on moral judgments (Study 4), and that mind perception is possible for a brand and can be enhanced by CEO association (Study 5). Study 6 shows positive effects of CEO endorsers on consumer attitudes by communicating perceived brand leadership. Study 7 investigates a brand-wrongdoing scenario and shows that perceived brand leadership yields negative results for a brand by increasing blame and reducing forgiveness; Study 8 demonstrates these relationships are mediated by brand mind perception. Study 9 shows that the inspiring aspects of perceived leadership can enhance perceptions of brand mind (to feel and experience), thus reducing consumers’ blame. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.
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    Healthy Competition
    (University of Oregon, 2020-09-24) Setten, Eric; Cornwell, T. Bettina
    My dissertation looks at how consumers view food and beverages either as a means to enjoy themselves as sports fans or as a means to improve physical performance as athletes. The first essay, “Eat to Win, Not to Lose,” focuses on reframing health appeals targeting men. Eating a healthy diet should be framed as a way to win in athletic competition, which is consistent with masculine identity, rather than as a way to lose weight, which is perceived as a feminine goal. The experimental studies show how framing consumption decisions in terms of being an athlete rather than being a sports fan can lead men to making healthier decisions. Eye tracking data shows how framing healthy eating in terms of improving athletic performance causes men to restrict their consideration of beverages and snacks to healthier options. The second essay, “Tempting Sponsors” focuses on the implications of a mismatch between consumers’ perception of brand healthiness and participatory sporting events which are viewed as a way to encourage a healthy, active lifestyle. Eye tracking data suggests that when consumers have a goal to compete at a participatory sporting event, they avoid looking at unhealthy food to protect their goal to compete. We also show that perceived healthiness is an important factor when consumers consider brands as sponsors for participatory sporting events, with healthier brands seen as having a better fit for these types of events.
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    The Theoretical Antecedents to Communication Primes: A Holistic Perspective with Public Policy Implications
    (University of Oregon, 2014-09-29) Minton, Elizabeth; Cornwell, T. Bettina
    This research provides a thorough review of the research on priming and marketing (essay 1) as well as empirically explores several unintended consequences of priming (essay 2) and the antecedents to priming effects (essay 3). In essay 1, priming research is reviewed using a classification system based on priming outcome using the ABC model of attitudes (i.e., affective, behavioral, and cognitive priming). The priming process is discussed, and types of priming in each category are reviewed before challenges in the priming process are discussed. In essay 2, non-product-centric (i.e., collateral) primes (e.g., co-branding, sponsorship, cause marketing) are explored. This research explores how collateral information works as a prime to influence product evaluations, specifically with application to cause marketing. Study 1 of essay 2 explores the consumer outcomes of collateral communication primes by showing that adding a health cause to a cookie package (i.e., the prime) significantly increases product health perceptions. Study 2 explores limits on collateral communication priming and finds that health charities on product packaging increase brand attitude and purchase intentions, while disclaimers increase processing and reduce prime effects. Study 3 explores person specific antecedents to collateral communication primes revealing that an individual's theory of mind leads to ad skepticism that, in turn, influences reaction to primes. Essay 3 specifically examines the theoretical framework underlying priming effects by examining priming from two bodies of competing theory rooted in individual and social antecedents to behavior. Study 1 of essay 3 confirms past findings and develops materials to be used in studies 2 and 3 by showing that spokesfigures are marketer-supplied cues that vary in manipulativeness, and these cues interact with other cues, such as complexity and persuasion. Study 2 provides support for individual antecedents to cue-based primes (cognitive abilities, as measured by working memory capacity, and advertising skepticism). Study 3 builds on study 2 by adding in social antecedents (theory of mind and psychological reactance) to develop a comprehensive model of consumer information processing. All together, these three essays explore the literature on priming and marketing and provide a more holistic understanding of the antecedents to priming effects.