In this article, we present an educational approach that bridges theory and practice: an applied ... more In this article, we present an educational approach that bridges theory and practice: an applied retail track. The track has been co-created by faculty and 10 partnering retail companies and runs in parallel with traditional courses during a 3-year bachelor’s degree program in retail management. The underlying pedagogical concept is to move retail education from simple dissemination of knowledge toward the production of learning by way of experiential, situated, and skill-based learning. Overall, we believe that this learning approach has helped to create a win-win-win situation for students, retailers, and faculty. Students gain unique insights from retail practice to complement their topically oriented course-based learning, thus enhancing their attractiveness to employers after graduation. Retailers gain in-depth knowledge about the competencies of young prospective employees, and faculty and retailers jointly benefit from exchanging ideas about contemporary challenges in retaili...
The movie industry benefits financially from creating sequels with links to previous movies. Sequ... more The movie industry benefits financially from creating sequels with links to previous movies. Sequels build on the success of the original movie and generally attain high box office revenues and generate positive word-of-mouth. In the current study, however, the converse effect is investigated; namely how preadvertising a sequel may lead to bigger success for the current (original) movie. Three studies demonstrate that a preadvertised sequel makes the original movie seem more interesting and produces higher levels of satisfaction and word of mouth. Results suggest that entertainment brands likely benefit from preannouncing sequels and follow-up concepts already at the time of launch of the original movie.
People increasingly are in motion when exposed to advertising, which begs the question, "Are movi... more People increasingly are in motion when exposed to advertising, which begs the question, "Are moving consumers more influenced by advertising?" This article builds on grounded cognition-the premise that the body influences the brain-to show that physical activity has positive effects on attitudes and intentions toward an advertisement and a brand. Prompted by movement (e.g., exercise), these effects are caused by an increased state of physical arousal. This phenomenon is accentuated when the advertisement is less related to the arousing context, because people are not reminded of the source of the arousal. Implications for researchers and advertisers are discussed. • Consumer movement increases the effectiveness of advertising. • Physical activity, in the form of walking around in a public space, walking up a set of stairs, or doing cardio exercise in a gym, positively affects attitudes and intentions toward an advertisement's sponsor. • The effect occurs because the heightened state of arousal from physical activity is transferred to the advertisement, hence leading to positive effects on the evaluation of the advertisement. • The findings suggest that companies should consider consumer movement when planning advertising and also that media spaces where consumer movement likely will occur can be more expensive than other venues.
This paper examines the effects of utilizing consumers' digital shopping traces when designing in... more This paper examines the effects of utilizing consumers' digital shopping traces when designing in-store promotions on purchase behavior and brand image. In two experimental studies with 526 and 550 espondents, the authors examine the effects of omnichannel-based promotions (e.g. using digital shopping trace to offer a promotion when the consumer enters the physical store) in two different product categories (utilitarian vs. hedonic), spontaneous/planned purchases and two different retail industries (durable good vs. travel). The results show that retailers benefit from using digital shopping traces as it increases purchases and enhances brand imagery. The effects are moderated by product category and type of purchase.
The common view of brand choice in consumer marketing is that brands compete against each other w... more The common view of brand choice in consumer marketing is that brands compete against each other within a specified product category. For example, different coffee brands are compared and evaluated by consumers and the most preferred brand is selected. Is this the only adequate way of demonstrating how consumers make brand choices?This thesis challenges the common view on brand choice and brand choice determinants in consumer markets on several accounts. First, brand choice is made in goal-derived categories (e.g., "foods to eat while on a diet"), and research on goal-derived categories and consumption goals suggests that consumers often choose between brands from different product categories. For example, a consumer may choose between brands of coffee, tea, and soft drinks to fulfill a consumption goal. Second, there is the question of complementarity. Are brands always chosen one by one? We argue in this thesis that consumers often choose brand constellations from complementary product categories in goal-derived categories (e.g., hamburgers and soft drinks when on a short lunch break). The thesis consists of four articles based on empirical studies. The articles cover single-brand choice and brand constellation choice in goal-derived categories, and the use of goal-derived categories by marketing practitioners. The general conclusion is that consumers evaluate more aspects than just brand-related ones when they choose brands in goal-derived categories. Product category associations (i.e., how typical a product category is perceived in a goal-derived category) are a more important determinant of brand (constellation) choice than brand associations. Also, in brand constellation choice, complementarity (i.e., perceived fit between brands) is more strongly related to brand choice than attitude towards individual brands.
In this study, we find that the addition of trivial attributes can improve product taste, brand a... more In this study, we find that the addition of trivial attributes can improve product taste, brand attitude, and purchase intention. That trivial attributes had significant influence on product taste, important in all food and beverage categories, adds to the complexity of sensory perception. In an experiment with berry liquorice pastilles, the effects of trivial attributes seem to be stronger if pastilles taste “intrinsically” bad and if they are introduced under a well-known brand. However, the addition of trivial attributes also have positive effects for an unknown (fictitious) brand.
Store windows offer an opportunity for retailers to influence consumers who are in the vicinity o... more Store windows offer an opportunity for retailers to influence consumers who are in the vicinity of their stores. However, little is known about the effects of store windows on shopper behavior. This study examines store window creativity and its effects on store entry. In line with advertising creativity research, the present study hypothesizes that window displays that are more creative will be more successful in attracting store visits and that this effect is mediated by store window attitude, product beliefs, and perceptions of retailer effort. The study proposes that shopping frequency moderates this effect. The study tests these hypotheses in two empirical studies: one large-scale field study (n=1,834) and one experimental online study (n=480). The results, which support all the hypotheses, contribute to a better understanding of the impact of (creative) store window displays.
Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising, 2005
... Fredrik Lange (Ph.D., Stockholm School of Economics) is an Assis-tant Professor at the Center... more ... Fredrik Lange (Ph.D., Stockholm School of Economics) is an Assis-tant Professor at the Center for Consumer Marketing, Stockholm ... Although its practical importance should be greatest in high-in-volvement and informational product categories (Rossiter and Percy 1997), ad ...
Based on goal-derived categorization, we examine the effects of brand-and product-level typicalit... more Based on goal-derived categorization, we examine the effects of brand-and product-level typicality in usage contexts. We vary the levels of typicality for brands and product categories and let the consumers choose between an atypical brand from a typical product category and a typical brand from an atypical product category. Our results indicate that typicality is more important on the product-level and that less attractive brands can indeed compete with typical brands. Typical brands can however offset the dominance of product-level typicality when the difference in typicality is smaller. Implications for marketing communications are discussed.
This paper examines the prevalent advertising practice of visually juxtaposing an anonymous, phys... more This paper examines the prevalent advertising practice of visually juxtaposing an anonymous, physically attractive ad model and a product in terms of its effects on the attitude toward the product. In this appeal, in which there are no explicit verbal claims about how the two objects are connected, we argue that the physically attractive model sets in motion a process in which emotions and the attitude toward the ad model serve as mediating variables, and that this process ultimately results in an impact on the attitude toward the product. Three empirical studies were made, with stimulus images from the fashion industry, and the findings indicate that emotions and the attitude toward the ad model indeed contributed to the product attitudes. The findings also indicate that images comprising physically attractive ad models produced higher product attitudes compared to a visual display of only the product.
ABSTRACT On a Friday night, you and your friends are standing at the local theater, choosing betw... more ABSTRACT On a Friday night, you and your friends are standing at the local theater, choosing between films. The ticketer asks you “Do you want the pervasive game with that, or just the film?” Later, you and your spouse stop at a coffee store to pick up two double low-lactose zero-fat decaf lattes, two chocolate bran muffins, and the coffee store’s own location-based pervasive game, and continue strolling through downtown, chasing locations, uploading pictures from your mobile, until the latte is finished and you head home. Neither scenario is available today. Yet both could be, and, in fact, could have been for a while now. This chapter takes a look at why they are not and presents possible ways forward by looking at consumer behavior science. It is safe to say that some of the more extreme pervasive games, such as Momentum (Case F), can never be mainstream hits. But some genres of pervasive games have very much potential to become highly profitable mass-market products – those are what this chapter is about.
This article deals with shopping on the Internet. On a basis of environmental psychology theory, ... more This article deals with shopping on the Internet. On a basis of environmental psychology theory, we examine the effects of this new retail interface on consumer shopping behaviour. In an empirical study, we contrast Web shopping with physical store shopping. The findings show discrepancies with regard to the amount and form of purchase planning. Internet shoppers plan their purchases better and seem to be less susceptible to marketing activities. However, these discrepancies can be attributed to differences in store stimuli, as the Web retail interface is not well designed in marketing terms. The mediating effect of shopping orientation was examined and found not to be significant. However, the distribution of shopping types has important implications.
ABSTRACT Retailers and manufacturers jointly do their best to influence in-store customer behavio... more ABSTRACT Retailers and manufacturers jointly do their best to influence in-store customer behavior. One promotional tool often used by the industry but rarely studied by academics is in-store demonstrations. In this article we look at when and how demonstrations work the best. Two large field experiments were run and the results indicate that in-store demonstrations are powerful tools to increase sales. Furthermore, the results from the experiments show that the effectiveness of the demonstrations vary widely depending on when they and how they are executed.
Reports on an experimental study where the effects of ad‐brand incongruency on a familiar brand a... more Reports on an experimental study where the effects of ad‐brand incongruency on a familiar brand and an unfamiliar brand, respectively, are measured. Building on theory on information incongruency, tests the notion that ads that are incongruent with the brand image may be more effective in raising brand interest and brand memorability. However, this depends on the familiarity of the brand: the incongruency reinforces the existing associations for a familiar brand by increasing elaboration of the brand message, whereas the incongruent associations may take the upper hand for an unfamiliar brand with weaker existing associations. The results show that ad‐brand incongruency enhances brand attitude and brand memorability and reduces ad memorability for the familiar brand. The only significant effect of ad‐brand incongruency for the unfamiliar brand is a reduced brand memorability.
When consumers fulfill consumption goals they make decisions on first, from which product categor... more When consumers fulfill consumption goals they make decisions on first, from which product category to buy, and second, which brand to purchase within the product category. In this article, the relative effects of product‐level typicality and brand‐level typicality on goal‐driven consumer choice are examined. Which level of typicality is more diagnostic of choice? Empirical results show that consumers are, in goal‐derived usage contexts, more likely to choose a less typical and less favored brand from a typical product category than a typical and more favored brand from a less typical product category. Consequently, brands that consumers perceive as inferior may be chosen over superior brands because of the link between product categories and usage contexts. Our results indicate that it may be fruitful for marketers to associate brands and product categories with usage contexts, and that they need to consider brand competitors from other product categories.
Twenty-eight studies were conducted for leading advertisers to measure the persuasion of sponsors... more Twenty-eight studies were conducted for leading advertisers to measure the persuasion of sponsorship without advertising on the internet. Experimental design maintained identical content except for the sponsorship message in the test group missing from the control group. The two groups were random replicates. Persuasion measures used were those accepted by the advertisers involved as being most predictive of sales. Average lift in purchase intent/brand consideration was 29 percent, which compares to an average lift of 4 percent across all ARS Persuasion tests. Across the 28 studies the results were consistent in 100 percent of cases, with the test group higher than the control group. Statistical significance was achieved in virtually all cases at 95 percent confidence. In a different study, the sponsored content was specifically courseware offered free on the internet by major advertisers. Here the measurement was ROI based on a questionnaire self-report of brand purchase and price paid. Sample size was over 196,000 intab questionnaires with a 65 percent response rate. ROI for sponsored educational content averaged 55:1, about 27 times the published average of all MMA ROI results. The latter study also obtained supplementary measures of satisfaction, increased brand perception, brand promoter, willingness to take future courses, etc., the results of which were highly positive and hence strongly supportive of the ROI results. These studies point strongly to a major role for classical "True" sponsorship in the future of advertising in all media, including internet, linear TV, VOD, mobile, etc.
In this article, we present an educational approach that bridges theory and practice: an applied ... more In this article, we present an educational approach that bridges theory and practice: an applied retail track. The track has been co-created by faculty and 10 partnering retail companies and runs in parallel with traditional courses during a 3-year bachelor’s degree program in retail management. The underlying pedagogical concept is to move retail education from simple dissemination of knowledge toward the production of learning by way of experiential, situated, and skill-based learning. Overall, we believe that this learning approach has helped to create a win-win-win situation for students, retailers, and faculty. Students gain unique insights from retail practice to complement their topically oriented course-based learning, thus enhancing their attractiveness to employers after graduation. Retailers gain in-depth knowledge about the competencies of young prospective employees, and faculty and retailers jointly benefit from exchanging ideas about contemporary challenges in retaili...
The movie industry benefits financially from creating sequels with links to previous movies. Sequ... more The movie industry benefits financially from creating sequels with links to previous movies. Sequels build on the success of the original movie and generally attain high box office revenues and generate positive word-of-mouth. In the current study, however, the converse effect is investigated; namely how preadvertising a sequel may lead to bigger success for the current (original) movie. Three studies demonstrate that a preadvertised sequel makes the original movie seem more interesting and produces higher levels of satisfaction and word of mouth. Results suggest that entertainment brands likely benefit from preannouncing sequels and follow-up concepts already at the time of launch of the original movie.
People increasingly are in motion when exposed to advertising, which begs the question, "Are movi... more People increasingly are in motion when exposed to advertising, which begs the question, "Are moving consumers more influenced by advertising?" This article builds on grounded cognition-the premise that the body influences the brain-to show that physical activity has positive effects on attitudes and intentions toward an advertisement and a brand. Prompted by movement (e.g., exercise), these effects are caused by an increased state of physical arousal. This phenomenon is accentuated when the advertisement is less related to the arousing context, because people are not reminded of the source of the arousal. Implications for researchers and advertisers are discussed. • Consumer movement increases the effectiveness of advertising. • Physical activity, in the form of walking around in a public space, walking up a set of stairs, or doing cardio exercise in a gym, positively affects attitudes and intentions toward an advertisement's sponsor. • The effect occurs because the heightened state of arousal from physical activity is transferred to the advertisement, hence leading to positive effects on the evaluation of the advertisement. • The findings suggest that companies should consider consumer movement when planning advertising and also that media spaces where consumer movement likely will occur can be more expensive than other venues.
This paper examines the effects of utilizing consumers' digital shopping traces when designing in... more This paper examines the effects of utilizing consumers' digital shopping traces when designing in-store promotions on purchase behavior and brand image. In two experimental studies with 526 and 550 espondents, the authors examine the effects of omnichannel-based promotions (e.g. using digital shopping trace to offer a promotion when the consumer enters the physical store) in two different product categories (utilitarian vs. hedonic), spontaneous/planned purchases and two different retail industries (durable good vs. travel). The results show that retailers benefit from using digital shopping traces as it increases purchases and enhances brand imagery. The effects are moderated by product category and type of purchase.
The common view of brand choice in consumer marketing is that brands compete against each other w... more The common view of brand choice in consumer marketing is that brands compete against each other within a specified product category. For example, different coffee brands are compared and evaluated by consumers and the most preferred brand is selected. Is this the only adequate way of demonstrating how consumers make brand choices?This thesis challenges the common view on brand choice and brand choice determinants in consumer markets on several accounts. First, brand choice is made in goal-derived categories (e.g., "foods to eat while on a diet"), and research on goal-derived categories and consumption goals suggests that consumers often choose between brands from different product categories. For example, a consumer may choose between brands of coffee, tea, and soft drinks to fulfill a consumption goal. Second, there is the question of complementarity. Are brands always chosen one by one? We argue in this thesis that consumers often choose brand constellations from complementary product categories in goal-derived categories (e.g., hamburgers and soft drinks when on a short lunch break). The thesis consists of four articles based on empirical studies. The articles cover single-brand choice and brand constellation choice in goal-derived categories, and the use of goal-derived categories by marketing practitioners. The general conclusion is that consumers evaluate more aspects than just brand-related ones when they choose brands in goal-derived categories. Product category associations (i.e., how typical a product category is perceived in a goal-derived category) are a more important determinant of brand (constellation) choice than brand associations. Also, in brand constellation choice, complementarity (i.e., perceived fit between brands) is more strongly related to brand choice than attitude towards individual brands.
In this study, we find that the addition of trivial attributes can improve product taste, brand a... more In this study, we find that the addition of trivial attributes can improve product taste, brand attitude, and purchase intention. That trivial attributes had significant influence on product taste, important in all food and beverage categories, adds to the complexity of sensory perception. In an experiment with berry liquorice pastilles, the effects of trivial attributes seem to be stronger if pastilles taste “intrinsically” bad and if they are introduced under a well-known brand. However, the addition of trivial attributes also have positive effects for an unknown (fictitious) brand.
Store windows offer an opportunity for retailers to influence consumers who are in the vicinity o... more Store windows offer an opportunity for retailers to influence consumers who are in the vicinity of their stores. However, little is known about the effects of store windows on shopper behavior. This study examines store window creativity and its effects on store entry. In line with advertising creativity research, the present study hypothesizes that window displays that are more creative will be more successful in attracting store visits and that this effect is mediated by store window attitude, product beliefs, and perceptions of retailer effort. The study proposes that shopping frequency moderates this effect. The study tests these hypotheses in two empirical studies: one large-scale field study (n=1,834) and one experimental online study (n=480). The results, which support all the hypotheses, contribute to a better understanding of the impact of (creative) store window displays.
Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising, 2005
... Fredrik Lange (Ph.D., Stockholm School of Economics) is an Assis-tant Professor at the Center... more ... Fredrik Lange (Ph.D., Stockholm School of Economics) is an Assis-tant Professor at the Center for Consumer Marketing, Stockholm ... Although its practical importance should be greatest in high-in-volvement and informational product categories (Rossiter and Percy 1997), ad ...
Based on goal-derived categorization, we examine the effects of brand-and product-level typicalit... more Based on goal-derived categorization, we examine the effects of brand-and product-level typicality in usage contexts. We vary the levels of typicality for brands and product categories and let the consumers choose between an atypical brand from a typical product category and a typical brand from an atypical product category. Our results indicate that typicality is more important on the product-level and that less attractive brands can indeed compete with typical brands. Typical brands can however offset the dominance of product-level typicality when the difference in typicality is smaller. Implications for marketing communications are discussed.
This paper examines the prevalent advertising practice of visually juxtaposing an anonymous, phys... more This paper examines the prevalent advertising practice of visually juxtaposing an anonymous, physically attractive ad model and a product in terms of its effects on the attitude toward the product. In this appeal, in which there are no explicit verbal claims about how the two objects are connected, we argue that the physically attractive model sets in motion a process in which emotions and the attitude toward the ad model serve as mediating variables, and that this process ultimately results in an impact on the attitude toward the product. Three empirical studies were made, with stimulus images from the fashion industry, and the findings indicate that emotions and the attitude toward the ad model indeed contributed to the product attitudes. The findings also indicate that images comprising physically attractive ad models produced higher product attitudes compared to a visual display of only the product.
ABSTRACT On a Friday night, you and your friends are standing at the local theater, choosing betw... more ABSTRACT On a Friday night, you and your friends are standing at the local theater, choosing between films. The ticketer asks you “Do you want the pervasive game with that, or just the film?” Later, you and your spouse stop at a coffee store to pick up two double low-lactose zero-fat decaf lattes, two chocolate bran muffins, and the coffee store’s own location-based pervasive game, and continue strolling through downtown, chasing locations, uploading pictures from your mobile, until the latte is finished and you head home. Neither scenario is available today. Yet both could be, and, in fact, could have been for a while now. This chapter takes a look at why they are not and presents possible ways forward by looking at consumer behavior science. It is safe to say that some of the more extreme pervasive games, such as Momentum (Case F), can never be mainstream hits. But some genres of pervasive games have very much potential to become highly profitable mass-market products – those are what this chapter is about.
This article deals with shopping on the Internet. On a basis of environmental psychology theory, ... more This article deals with shopping on the Internet. On a basis of environmental psychology theory, we examine the effects of this new retail interface on consumer shopping behaviour. In an empirical study, we contrast Web shopping with physical store shopping. The findings show discrepancies with regard to the amount and form of purchase planning. Internet shoppers plan their purchases better and seem to be less susceptible to marketing activities. However, these discrepancies can be attributed to differences in store stimuli, as the Web retail interface is not well designed in marketing terms. The mediating effect of shopping orientation was examined and found not to be significant. However, the distribution of shopping types has important implications.
ABSTRACT Retailers and manufacturers jointly do their best to influence in-store customer behavio... more ABSTRACT Retailers and manufacturers jointly do their best to influence in-store customer behavior. One promotional tool often used by the industry but rarely studied by academics is in-store demonstrations. In this article we look at when and how demonstrations work the best. Two large field experiments were run and the results indicate that in-store demonstrations are powerful tools to increase sales. Furthermore, the results from the experiments show that the effectiveness of the demonstrations vary widely depending on when they and how they are executed.
Reports on an experimental study where the effects of ad‐brand incongruency on a familiar brand a... more Reports on an experimental study where the effects of ad‐brand incongruency on a familiar brand and an unfamiliar brand, respectively, are measured. Building on theory on information incongruency, tests the notion that ads that are incongruent with the brand image may be more effective in raising brand interest and brand memorability. However, this depends on the familiarity of the brand: the incongruency reinforces the existing associations for a familiar brand by increasing elaboration of the brand message, whereas the incongruent associations may take the upper hand for an unfamiliar brand with weaker existing associations. The results show that ad‐brand incongruency enhances brand attitude and brand memorability and reduces ad memorability for the familiar brand. The only significant effect of ad‐brand incongruency for the unfamiliar brand is a reduced brand memorability.
When consumers fulfill consumption goals they make decisions on first, from which product categor... more When consumers fulfill consumption goals they make decisions on first, from which product category to buy, and second, which brand to purchase within the product category. In this article, the relative effects of product‐level typicality and brand‐level typicality on goal‐driven consumer choice are examined. Which level of typicality is more diagnostic of choice? Empirical results show that consumers are, in goal‐derived usage contexts, more likely to choose a less typical and less favored brand from a typical product category than a typical and more favored brand from a less typical product category. Consequently, brands that consumers perceive as inferior may be chosen over superior brands because of the link between product categories and usage contexts. Our results indicate that it may be fruitful for marketers to associate brands and product categories with usage contexts, and that they need to consider brand competitors from other product categories.
Twenty-eight studies were conducted for leading advertisers to measure the persuasion of sponsors... more Twenty-eight studies were conducted for leading advertisers to measure the persuasion of sponsorship without advertising on the internet. Experimental design maintained identical content except for the sponsorship message in the test group missing from the control group. The two groups were random replicates. Persuasion measures used were those accepted by the advertisers involved as being most predictive of sales. Average lift in purchase intent/brand consideration was 29 percent, which compares to an average lift of 4 percent across all ARS Persuasion tests. Across the 28 studies the results were consistent in 100 percent of cases, with the test group higher than the control group. Statistical significance was achieved in virtually all cases at 95 percent confidence. In a different study, the sponsored content was specifically courseware offered free on the internet by major advertisers. Here the measurement was ROI based on a questionnaire self-report of brand purchase and price paid. Sample size was over 196,000 intab questionnaires with a 65 percent response rate. ROI for sponsored educational content averaged 55:1, about 27 times the published average of all MMA ROI results. The latter study also obtained supplementary measures of satisfaction, increased brand perception, brand promoter, willingness to take future courses, etc., the results of which were highly positive and hence strongly supportive of the ROI results. These studies point strongly to a major role for classical "True" sponsorship in the future of advertising in all media, including internet, linear TV, VOD, mobile, etc.
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Papers by Fredrik Lange