Professor Vanessa Patrick

Inclusive design considers the needs and capabilities of the whole population to decrease the actual or perceived mismatch between the user and the design object. We review the inclusive design literature across multiple disciplines to conceptualize inclusive design, identify who should be included in the inclusive design process, present an overview of the evolution of design approaches, and summarize best practices on how organizations can facilitate inclusive design. We posit three levels of inclusive design based on the diminishing degree of mismatch between the user and the design object: providing accessibility (Level 1), engaging participation by creating equitable experiences (Level 2), and facilitating empowered success via flow experiences (Level 3). We introduce our Design, Appraisal, Response, Experience (DARE) framework to explain the complex cognitive appraisals and emotional responses that each of these three levels of inclusive design elicits and underscores the notion that inclusive design works best when it's not intended for a specific need, but rather benefits anyone who uses it. We conclude with a call for future research in this rich and important domain of investigation that seeks both to understand consumer response to inclusive design and to incorporate inclusive design into brand strategy, practice, and policy.

Consumers often observe how other consumers interact with brands to inform their own brand judgments. This research demonstrates that brand relationship quality-indicating cues, such as brand nicknames (e.g., Mickey D’s for McDonald’s and Wally World for Walmart), enhance perceived information authenticity in online communication. An analysis of historical Twitter data followed by six experiments (using both real and fictitious brands across different online platforms, e.g., online reviews and social media posts) show that brand nickname use in user-generated content signals a writer’s relationship quality with the target brand from the reader’s perspective, which the authors term inferred brand attachment (IBA). The authors demonstrate that IBA boosts perceived information authenticity and leads to positive downstream consequences, such as purchase willingness and information sharing. The authors also find that this effect is attenuated when brand nicknames are used in firm-generated content. How consumers’ relationships with brands are portrayed and perceived in a social context (e.g., via brand nickname use) serves as a novel context to examine user-generated content and provides valuable managerial insight regarding how to leverage consumers’ brand attachment cues in brand strategy and online information management.

A model’s eyes are a powerful and ubiquitous visual feature in virtually any advertisement depicting a person. But does where the ad model’s eyes look matter? Integrating insights from social psychology and performance and visual art theory, we demonstrate that when the ad model’s gaze is averted (looking away from the viewer), the viewer is more readily transported into the ad narrative and responds more favorably to the ad than when the ad model’s gaze is direct (looking directly at the viewer). Five multi-method experiments (field and lab studies) illustrate that averted gaze (direct gaze) enhances narrative transportation (spokesperson credibility) to boost the effectiveness of emotional (informative) ads. Study 1 is a Facebook field study that demonstrates the effect of averted (vs. direct) gaze direction on advertising effectiveness using a real brand. Studies 2a and 2b implicate enhanced narrative transportation as the underlying process mechanism by measuring (study 2a) and manipulating (study 2b) narrative transportation. Studies 3a and 3b examine ad contexts in which direct gaze can enhance ad effectiveness: when the ad has informational (vs. emotional) appeal (study 3a), and when the viewer prefers not to identify with the negative emotional content of the ad (study 3b).

In both personal and professional spheres, consumers decide when to initiate action on important tasks. Often, for important yet seemingly less-pressing tasks (e.g., saving for retirement), action initiation begins too late. This research is based on the novel insight that for purportedly non-pressing tasks, increasing perceived task complexity acts as a signal of urgency and prompts action, especially for novices. Studies 1 and 2 use a retirement savings context to demonstrate that, for novice investors (millennials, new job-market entrants, individuals with low financial literacy) who perceive retirement saving as non-pressing, framing the task as complex (versus simple) signals urgency and increases likelihood of action. In two additional studies, we replicate these effects to nudge individuals to take immediate online action (pilot) and protect online security (study 3). We discuss implications for corporations, policy makers, and consumers.

This research highlights the importance of retailer-consumer identity congruence – the match between the retail brand identity and the consumers’ identity. Retailers can leverage identity congruence to forge meaningful consumer-brand relationships which will result in enhanced engagement, brand loyalty, and willingness to pay. The paper discusses how creative merchandise offerings and innovative merchandising strategies contribute to the creation of a unique retail brand identity and facilitate communication of this identity to consumers. Based on interviews with retail practitioners, we formulate five ways in which retailers can establish and communicate their brand identity through creative merchandise offerings (by focusing on unique and original merchandise, leveraging local merchandise to reflect the area, making their merchandise akin to art, offering sustainable merchandise, and a high fashion product assortment). In addition, we focus on five innovative merchandising strategies which help the retailer connect the brand to the customer (creating themes, reflecting the brand story, being playful, signaling exclusivity, and virtual merchandising). We then discuss how retailers can utilize social and technological tools to amplify the retailer identity to consumers, thus increasing the likelihood that a consumer will view their identity congruent with the retail brand.

Retail spaces contain copious sensory information that can affect consumers’ shopping behavior. This research investigates a novel, yet ubiquitous, retail atmospheric variable: airflow direction. We examine how the sensory experience of frontal (vs. dorsal) airflow energizes consumers in retail spaces and influences creative engagement. Five studies demonstrate that frontal airflow (air blowing on the front of the body) boosts energetic activation and fuels enhanced performance on creative tasks, compared to dorsal airflow (air blowing on the back of the body). Study 1 establishes the link between frontal (vs. dorsal) airflow and energetic activation in a laboratory setting. Study 2 tests the full model in a laboratory setting to provide initial evidence that frontal (vs. dorsal) airflow enhances creativity and that energetic activation drives this effect. Using a visualization task and an online setting, study 3 conceptually replicates airflow direction’s effect on creativity and the mediating role of energetic activation, while study 4 shows evidence of the mediating role of energetic activation via a moderation design. Study 5, an outdoor field study, provides further support for the predicted relationship between airflow direction and creative engagement. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings for retailing are also discussed.

Ten studies examine package shape as a cue for brand status categorization. The authors show that products in tall, slender packages are more likely to be categorized as high-end products (high brand status) than those in short, wide packages (low brand status; studies 1a&b). This effect is driven by a Shape-SES lay theory (a person's body shape is associated with his or her socioeconomic status) that consumers apply to categorize products as high versus low in brand status (studies 2a–c), and this application process occurs spontaneously (studies 3a–b). The authors showcase the retailing implications of this work in two contexts—when consumers get free-sample products (study 4a) and when they engage in conspicuous consumption (study 4b). The theoretical contributions, retailing implications, and directions for future research are discussed.

Consumers are increasingly bombarded with merchandise and offers making clear the need for visually distinctive and sensorially engaging product packaging design (Krishna, Cian, & Aydinoglu, 2017; Hagtvedt & Patrick, 2014).  The current research demonstrates that the use of handwritten fonts on product packaging elicits an approach tendency and enhances haptic engagement, which influences product evaluation and choice likelihood. A pilot study quantifies the use of handwritten fonts in four grocery product categories to establish that the study of handwritten fonts as a packaging design element is a worthy one with managerial significance.  Four experiments are then presented. Studies 1 and 2 use real products to show that a product label with a handwritten (vs. typewritten) font elicits haptic engagement and, enhanced product evaluations (study 2). Study 3 identifies a boundary condition such that the focal effect is observed only for benign (safe and enjoyable) product categories, but not for risky (unsafe and dangerous) ones. Study 4 relies on a simulated store setup with actual products to illustrate the differential preference for products with a handwritten (versus typewritten) font when choosing between brands in a benign (versus risky) product category.

This research investigates the effect of individuals’ subjective perceptions of the overlap among different identities on their feelings of authenticity and the likelihood of engaging in unethical behavior. Across four studies we found that low (vs. high) identity integration led to greater feelings of inauthenticity and a higher likelihood of engaging in unethical behavior. Manipulation of low (vs. high or control) identity integration led to higher feelings of inauthenticity (Study 1) and greater cheating behavior (Study 2). Feelings of inauthenticity mediated the causal effect of low identity integration on dishonesty (Study 3). In a field survey, using supervisor–employee dyads, we replicated the results from the lab to show that employees who reported lower identity integration felt more inauthentic and were more likely to behave unethically as measured by their supervisors’ report of interpersonal and organizational deviance (Study 4). Our results demonstrate that the manner in which individuals view their multiple identities influences feelings of inauthenticity and unethical behavior.

Worldwide food waste amounts to 1.3 billion tons every year. The desire for perfection (fresh and unblemished) in produce has been identified as one of the key reasons underlying this immense waste. This paper identifies the need to shape consumer’s aesthetic preference for perfect produce to increase the acceptance of old and imperfect produce. We suggest that when old produce is humanized, it is evaluated more favorably, since it leads consumers to evaluate the old produce with a more compassionate lens. Three experiments show that (1) humanizing old produce enhances evaluation and purchase intent, and, (2) consumer lay beliefs about human aging (an “old is gold” vs. a “young is good” lay theory) can influence the effectiveness of humanizing old produce to enhance its appeal. The current work offers practical managerial implications for retailers and marketers about the transformative potential of aesthetics in helping reduce food waste.

This article provides a new perspective on collaborative art as a transformational force to strengthen community and enhance well-being. We outline a framework to foster communitybased, collaborative art such as co-created community murals. Specifically, we identify a strategic and successive process for collaborative art initiatives by integrating the academic literature on art, aesthetics, and community together with the practices of arts organizations working to transform communities through participatory, co-created art. The article highlights the contributions of this work to academic research, public policy, and community organizing efforts and outlines questions to encourage more researchers and practitioners to investigate the dynamics of collaborative art to transform communities.

Top managers tend to focus on strategy formulation and planning but fail to embrace the problem-solving complexity of strategy implementation. This can lead to implementation failures that are reflected in misaligned organizations that seem to know where they want to go but cannot seem to get there. We posit that one reason for the ineffective transition from strategy formulation to strategy implementation is that planning is associated with a different set of thought processes and emotional experiences than is required for strategy implementation. We integrate research from management (strategy implementation and change management) with that from psychology (self-regulation and nudges) to identify the transition from strategic planning to implementation as a roadblock that prevents effective strategy implementation. We then present six leadership nudges that aid this transition. The first set of nudges are willpower-enhancing nudges that rely on increasing willpower to help transition from planning to implementation: Remove the distraction to plan, develop implementation intentions, and use verbal framing. The second set are desire-reducing nudges that work to decrease the desirability of planning and in so doing facilitate the transition to implementation: Highlight the end game, leverage a crisis, and celebrate small wins.

Brand nicknames (e.g., Big Blue for IBM, Chevy for Chevrolet, Rollie for Rolex) are a common marketplace phenomenon. Marketers, however, hold polarized views about whether a brand should adopt or restrict the use of brand nicknames, yet little academic research has shed light on this debate. With three studies, the current research investigates the impact of brand nickname use in shaping the consumer-brand relationship. Drawing on the use of personal nicknames in interpersonal relationships, the current research proposes that brand nicknames elicit positive brand-related emotions (e.g., affection, love) and influence both the cognitive closeness (self-brand connection) and salience (brand prominence) components of brand attachment. This translates into downstream consequences of consumers’ brand relationship maintenance behaviors. The theoretical and managerial contributions of this research, its limitations, and future directions for research are discussed.

Policy makers and social agencies need novel insights to manage the major global challenge of encouraging prosocial and sustainable behaviors. This research identifies a positive aesthetic cue, “Kindchenschema cuteness,” that can reliably induce some people—specifically, those who exhibit high approach motivational orientation (per the behavioral approach system [BAS]; Carver and White 1994)—to engage in prosocial and conservation behaviors. Studies 1 and 2 show that consumers high (vs. low) in BAS (measured) react more favorably to conservation appeals featuring cuteness, an effect mediated by experienced feelings of tenderness. Study 3 replicates the effect using a prime of approach motivation (BAS) to assess donation intentions. Study 4, a large-scale field experiment conducted over eight weeks at multiple locations, shows that people recycle more at bins featuring cute visuals with active (high-BAS) messages compared with bins featuring cute visuals with passive (low-BAS) messages. The authors conclude with a discussion of practical implications for policy makers.

Different package designs call for different ways of revealing the product. In this research, we demonstrate that packaging that calls for unveiling—the removal of the cover of a concealed, stationary object—enhances the perceived value of the product compared to other forms of product revelation. Drawing on theories of grounded associations, shared meaning, and contagion, we theorize that the act of unveiling is associated with revealing a protected and thus pristine object, which is consequently perceived to be valuable. We begin the empirical investigation by exploring consumer associations with product unveiling across American and South Korean consumers (pilot study 1). We then demonstrate that the unveiling effect arises with both imagined (pilot study 2) and real objects and is mediated by beliefs about the pristine condition of the object (studies 1–3). We conclude with a discussion of the theoretical contributions, implications for managers, and directions for future research.

Despite the explosion of research on goal pursuit, relatively little is known about the shaping of goal progress by the simple experiences that characterize everyday life. Two literatures furnish competing predictions about the relationship between pleasant daily experiences (simple pleasures), unpleasant daily experiences (small annoyances), and day-to-day goal progress. A six-day experience-sampling study yielded support for an integrative account. On a given day, a relatively high number of simple pleasures offset the negative relationship between the number of small annoyances and goal progress through a restoration of daily happiness rather than through a reduction in daily stress. The current results suggest that simple pleasures were vital for daily goal progress, especially in the face of many daily irritations. Academics and practitioners can utilize the constructs of simple pleasures and small annoyances not only as natural precursors to positive and negative affect but also as predictors of important consumer outcomes.

This review introduces the notion of everyday consumer aesthetics. Everyday consumer aesthetics entails non-art, nonnature aesthetic experiences that are diverse and dynamic and result in specific consumer actions (e.g. purchasing) and consumption behaviors (e.g. recycling). Two broad trends observed in the recent literature are highlighted: a focus on the quantification of the use and impact of aesthetics, and, the study of specific new aesthetic features and their theoretical underpinnings. Recent insights and advances in consumer aesthetics research pertaining to elements of packaging, shape and surface appeal, color, dynamism and visual change, embodiment and individual differences are presented. Future research endeavors to expand the scope and impact of everyday aesthetics in consumer behavior are discussed.

The present investigation began with the conjecture that people may do better by saying “some other time” instead of “no, not ever” in response to temptations. Drawing from learning theories, we hypothesized that people interpret unspecific postponement (“I can have it some other time”) as a signal that they do not strongly value the postponed temptation. In this way, unspecific postponement may reduce desire for and consumption of postponed temptations, both in the present moment and over time. Four experiments tested those hypotheses. A multiphase study using the free-choice paradigm supported the learning account for the effects of postponement: unspecific postponement reduced immediate desire for a self-selected temptation which in turn statistically accounted for diminished consumption during the week after the manipulation—but only when postponement was induced, not when it was imposed (Experiment 1). Supporting the hypothesis that unspecific but not specific postponement connotes weak valuation, only unspecific postponement reduced attention to (Experiment 2) and consumption of (Experiment 3) the postponed temptation. Additionally, unspecific postponement delayed consumption primarily among those who were highly motivated to forgo consumption of the temptation (Experiment 3). A final multiphase experiment compared the effectiveness of unspecific postponement to the classic self-control mechanism of restraint, finding that unspecific postponement (vs. restraint) reduced consumption of the temptation in the heat of the moment and across 1 week postmanipulation (Experiment 4). The current research provides novel insight into self-control facilitation, the modification of desire, and the differential effects of unspecific and specific intentions for reducing unwanted behavior.

If luxury retail strategy aims to generate awe rather than community, while charities convey community rather than awe, should luxury and charity partner at the point of sale? This research suggests that an association with charity at the point of sale can increase choice of (Study 1) and purchase intent toward (Study 2) a luxury brand and can facilitate upselling to a luxury (vs. value) store brand (Study 3). Further, it implicates guilt reduction as the underlying process mechanism (Studies 2 and 3). Managerial and retailing implications for cause-related marketing of luxury (vs. value) brands are discussed.

This study investigates the identity transformation from mere survivor to heroic survivor of cancer. Utilizing a multi-method approach, interviews with seventeen female cancer survivors and five blog analyses, this research sheds light on the processes involved in the transformation from mere survivor to heroic survivor and the integral role of brands in this transformation process. Brands are used to signal heroism to the self (inward expression) and to others (outward expression) as well as to combat countervailing forces that deter the survivor's progress toward mastery of a heroic identity. The findings provide a rich understanding of the heroic archetype and its centrality to the mastery of survivorship. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications for brand managers, giving attention to the importance of consumer–brand relationships.

Human beings are attracted to glossy objects. However, the investigation of whether this preference for glossy is a systematic bias, and the rationale for why, has received little or no attention. Drawing on an evolutionary psychology framework, we propose and test the hypothesis that the preference for glossy stems from an innate preference for fresh water as a valuable resource. In a set of six studies we demonstrate the preference for glossy among both adults and young children (studies 1A, 1B and 2) ruling out a socialization explanation, investigate the hypothesis that the preference for glossy stems from an innate need for water as a resource (studies 3 and 5) and, in addition, rule out the more superficial account of glossy = pretty (study 4). The interplay between the different perspectives, implications of the findings and future research directions are discussed.

Aesthetic design, or styling, is an important product attribute in today’s retail environment, especially when functional demands have been met (Chitturi, Raghunathan, & Mahajan, 2007; Hoegg, Alba, & Dahl, 2010). This research note, however, focuses on consumer responses to products when perceived functionality is low. Ideally, high styling is combined with high functionality, but perceived trade-offs may arise when styling appears to conflict with functionality. This research highlights some implications of these trade-offs and emphasizes that they depend on usage context. Specifically, the authors demonstrate that styling can compensate for minor, but not major, flaws in functionality (Study 1). Further, the influence of styling on perceived functionality and product evaluation is less (vs. more) favorable in a utilitarian (vs. hedonic) context (Study 2). Key insights for managers based on this research are discussed.

Color carries meaning and can influence consumers’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Many disciplines, such as neuroscience, psychophysics, visual cognition, and biology have used new technologies to gain insights in understanding the complexities of color perception, yet there exists relatively little research in the field of marketing. This paper aims to reestablish the importance of color research in marketing, draw attention to the complex nature of this research, and to fuel further investigation and the development of new insights about color as it relates to marketing. The authors offer an integrated conceptual framework centered on the embodied and referential meanings of color and highlight the complexities and nuances that researchers must consider in order to develop this area. Insights from and gaps in the extant literature are highlighted to present a set of questions and propositions for future research in this area of investigation.

Across five studies, the authors demonstrate that warm (versus cool) temperatures deplete resources, increase System 1 processing, and influence performance on complex choice tasks. Real-world lottery data (Pilot Study) and a lab experiment (Study 1) demonstrate the effect of temperature on complex choice: individuals are less likely to make difficult gambles in warmer temperatures. Study 2 implicates resource depletion as the underlying process; warm temperatures lower cognitive performance for non-depleted individuals, but don’t affect the performance of depleted individuals. Study 3 illustrates the moderating role of task complexity to show that warm temperatures are depleting and decrease willingness to make a difficult product choice. Study 4 juxtaposes the effects of depletion and temperature to reveal that warm temperatures hamper performance on complex tasks because of the participants’ increased reliance on System 1 (heuristic) processing.

This research investigates the influence of refusal frames on persuasiveness in an interpersonal context. Specifically, the refusal frame “I don’t” is more persuasive than the refusal frame “I can’t” because the former connotes conviction to a higher degree. This perceived conviction is tied to the identity-signaling function of the refusal frame. Two studies demonstrate that 1) the “don’t” frame is more persuasive than the “can’t” frame, 2) perceived conviction mediates the influence of refusal frame on persuasiveness, and 3) attributions to the refuser’s identity explain perceived conviction.

This research is based on the insight that the language we use to describe our choices serves as a feedback mechanism that either enhances or impedes our goal-directed behavior. Specifically, we investigate the influence of a linguistic element of self-talk, in which a refusal may be framed as “I don’t” (vs. “I can’t”), on resisting temptation and motivating goal-directed behavior. We present a set of four studies to demonstrate the efficacy of the “don’t” (vs. “can’t”) framing (studies 1-3) when the source of the goal is internal (vs. external; studies 2a and 2b), as well as the mediating role of psychological empowerment (studies 1, 2a, and 2b). We demonstrate this novel and effective refusal strategy with actual choice (study 1) and with behavioral intent (studies 2a and 2b) and also illustrate its applicability in the real world in a longitudinal intervention-based field study (study 3).

Four studies demonstrate how consumers resolve the aesthetic incongruity that arises between a newly acquired product and the existing consumption environment. The novel insight on which this research is based is that the aesthetic incongruity involving products high in design salience is more likely than aesthetic incongruity involving products low in design salience to be resolved by accommodating the product within the consumption environment, often through additional purchases. Furthermore, the relative presence of frustration versus regret is shown to mediate the relationship between design salience and the decision to buy more.

Broadly speaking, artworks are accorded a special significance and are recognized as powerful communication tools. In the current research, the authors posit that the “specialness” of artworks may be diminished simply by emphasizing that which is depicted in them. This emphasis results in the artwork being viewed as a mere illustration rather than a work of art. Specifically, the influence of an “artwork as art” is context independent, but the influence of an “artwork as illustration” is context dependent. The authors demonstrate this phenomenon in two experiments, in the context of products associated with artworks. In a third experiment, they further demonstrate that an abstract (concrete) mind-set aligns with the influence of an artwork as art (illustration).

A recent study showed that people evaluate products more positively when they are physically associated with art images than similar non-art images. Neuroimaging studies of visual art have investigated artistic style and esthetic preference but not brain responses attributable specifically to the artistic status of images. Here we tested the hypothesis that the artistic status of images engages reward circuitry, using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during viewing of art and non-art images matched for content. Subjects made animacy judgments in response to each image. Relative to non-art images, art images activated, on both subject- and item-wise analyses, reward-related regions: the ventral striatum, hypothalamus and orbitofrontal cortex. Neither response times nor ratings of familiarity or esthetic preference for art images correlated significantly with activity that was selective for art images, suggesting that these variables were not responsible for the art-selective activations. Investigation of effective connectivity, using time-varying, wavelet-based, correlation-purged Granger causality analyses, further showed that the ventral striatum was driven by visual cortical regions when viewing art images but not non-art images, and was not driven by regions that correlated with esthetic preference for either art or non-art images. These findings are consistent with our hypothesis, leading us to propose that the appeal of visual art involves activation of reward circuitry based on artistic status alone and independently of its hedonic value.

We investigate the interfering influence of elevated arousal on the impact of positive mood on resistance to temptation. Three studies demonstrate that when a temptation activates long‐term health goals, baseline positive mood facilitates resistance to temptation in (1) the choice between two snack items, one of which is more unhealthy, sinful, and hard to resist (M&Ms) than the other (grapes) and (2) the monitoring of consumption when the sinful option is chosen. However, this influence is attenuated when positive mood is accompanied by elevated arousal. We demonstrate that the cognitive depletion that accompanies elevated arousal interferes with the self‐regulatory focus of positive mood, decreasing resistance to temptation.

No abstract available for this.

This research proposes a feelings-based account of brand extension evaluation and demonstrates that the promise of pleasure (hedonic potential) associated with luxury brands is a key driver of brand extendibility. In four studies, we contrast a luxury brand with a value brand. Both brand concepts lead to equally favorable brand evaluations, but the luxury brand concept results in more favorable brand extension evaluations due to the hedonic potential inherent in this concept. However, the luxury brand is shown to be sensitive to inconsistent brand cues, leading to diminished hedonic potential and consequently decreased brand and brand extension evaluations.

We demonstrate that anticipating pride from resisting temptation facilitates self control due to an enhanced focus on the self while anticipating shame from giving in to temptation results in self-control failure due to a focus on the tempting stimulus. In two studies we demonstrate the effects of anticipating pride (vs. shame) on self-control thoughts and behavior over time (Studies 1 and 2) and illustrate the process mechanism of self vs. stimulus focus underlying the differential influence of these emotions on self-control (Study 2). We present thought protocols, behavioral data (quantity consumed) and observational data (number/size of bites) to support our hypotheses.

This research presents a framework based on coping theory to explain the different ways of managing the stress of regret for inaction. We theorize that primary appraisals of goal-relevance and secondary appraisals of reversibility affect how consumers cope with the stress of inaction regret resulting in different behavioral outcomes. Prior research has focused on two outcomes of regret for inaction—inaction inertia and dissonance reduction—that result in the decreased intent to avail of a similar future opportunity. This research proposes that these are not inevitable outcomes, but rather coping responses. Further, if the forgone opportunity is appraised to be goal-relevant and reversible, consumers engage in active coping that results in increased behavioral intent.

Prior research has demonstrated that consumers who take an opportunity and are satisfied (satisfied takers) are likely to avail of a future opportunity when it is presented again but those who forsake an opportunity and experience regret (regretful forsakers) are less likely to do so, exhibiting inaction inertia. In this research we demonstrate when and why regret for inaction may result in the intent to avail of a future opportunity and compare this intent with that of satisfied consumers. Specifically, we demonstrate in two studies that (1) when consumers forgo an opportunity and experience regret, they are motivated to avail of a similar opportunity when it is presented in the future, and (2) this intent by regretful forsakers may be more intense than that experienced by satisfied customers due to the elicitation of mental imagery regarding the anticipated consumption episode.

We propose that a positive mood, by signaling that a situation is benign, might allow people to step back and take in the big picture. As a consequence, a positive mood might increase abstract construal and the adoption of abstract, future goals. In contrast, a negative mood, by signaling not only danger but also its imminence, might focus attention on immediate and proximal concerns and reduce the adoption of abstract, future goals.

We investigate a tool, namely visual art, which enables firms to increase the extendibility of their brands. Extant research proposes that successful brand extensions depend on favorable brand image and high perceived fit between the brand and the extension category. We propose that the presence of art has a positive influence on brand image (via a transfer of luxury perceptions from art onto the brand) and enhances perceived fit (via increased cognitive flexibility), resulting in more favorable brand extension evaluations. A pilot study and two experiments demonstrate that the presence of visual art favorably influences brand image perceptions and enhances perceptions of category fit. Mediation analysis reveals that together these factors explain the influence of visual art on brand extendibility.

Three studies demonstrate that the framing of redemption windows as expansive or restrictive, while keeping the actual length of the window constant, influences consumers' evaluations of sales promotions. When feasibility concerns are highlighted (e.g., in an implemental mindset), consumers prefer the expansive "anytime" (vs. the restrictive "only") frame. However, consumers in a deliberative mindset prefer the restrictive "only" (vs. the expansive "anytime") frame. Study 1 reveals that while the former attend more to their ability to redeem the offer, the latter are influenced more by the precision of the offer. Study 2 highlights the mediating role of these inferences on consumers' likelihood of availing the offer. Study 3 demonstrates the impact of these frames on real-world coupon redemption. The authors conclude with a discussion of the scope of this framing effect, the implications of the findings, and directions for future research.

Visual art is a complex stimulus. Drawing on extant theory that the interplay of affect and cognition evoked by a stimulus drives evaluations, we develop a generalizable model for the perception and evaluation of visual art. In three stages, we develop scaled measurements for the affective and cognitive components involved in the perception of visual art and present a structural equation model that integrates these components in art evaluation.

In this research, the authors investigate the phenomenon of “art infusion,” in which the presence of visual art has a favorable influence on the evaluation of consumer products through a content-independent spillover of luxury perceptions. In three studies, the authors demonstrate the art infusion phenomenon in both real-world and controlled environments using a variety of stimuli in the contexts of packaging, advertising, and product design.

The authors introduce the concept of affective misforecasting (AMF) and study its impact on product evaluations. Study one examines whether and when AMF affects evaluations, finding that AMF impacts evaluations when the affective experience is worse (but not when better) than forecasted. Study two tests a process model designed to understand how and why AMF influences evaluations. The extent of elaboration is shown to underlie the observed effects. The studies demonstrate the robustness of the findings by controlling for alternative factors, specifically experienced affect, expectancy-disconfirmation, and actual performance, which might impact these judgments

The authors propose an alternative conceptualization to the Strack,Werth, and Deutsch (2006) model. This alternative conceptualization considers howthe forecasting of emotional outcomes linked to controlling or failing to control impulses affects self-regulatory behavior. A set of future research questions is identified based on this conceptualization. The proposed model differs from that of Strack et al. (2006) by its focus on (a) affect, (b) impulse control (versus buying), and (c) deliberative processing linked to impulse control (or lack thereof).

Prior research on consumers’ preference for timing of payment suggests that consumers prefer to prepay for certain kinds of purchases (e.g., vacations) and postpay for others (e.g., washer dryers). This research extends this finding by first comparing preference for timing of payment for products that vary by type (hedonic vs. utilitarian) and durability (nondurable vs. durable) to reveal that it is only hedonic–nondurable products that elicit a preference for prepayment (study 1). The two studies that follow examine the robustness of the prepayment preference by (1) varying the favorability of the transaction (study 2), and, (2) by eliminating the choice of payment timing from the transaction (study 3). Results reveal that the preference for prepayment for hedonic–nondurable goods is robust when transaction characteristics are favorable but shifts when transaction characteristics are unfavorable. Furthermore, when the choice of payment timing is not offered, consumers become indifferent towards when they prefer to pay for hedonic–nondurable products. The implications of these findings for marketers and retailers are discussed.

This paper examines the concept of consumer hopefulness as an important driver of consumption. Hopefulness is defined as a positive feeling evoked in response to an outcome appraised as goal congruent and possible. This positively valenced emotion arises in everyday consumption as consumers evaluate their current state and try to determine ways in which consumption can make for a better, happier future self. The paper differentiates the construct of hopefulness from related constructs such as self-efficacy, expectations, and optimism. It also focuses on the consumption domains in which hopefulness arises. Most relevant to advertising and the internet, the paper identifies factors that affect hopefulness, as well as tactics that influence these factors (and hence the level of hopefulness that consumers experience). The marketing relevant outcomes of consumer hopefulness are also articulated, and directions for future research are specified.

A series of studies show converging evidence of a positivity effect in consumers’ inferences about service providers. When the consumer has little experience with a service, positive information about a single employee leads to inferences that the firm’s other service providers are similarly positive to a greater extent than negative information leads to inferences that the firm’s other service providers are similarly negative. Four studies were conducted that varied in the amount of information about the service provider, the firm, and the service. The positivity effect was supported despite differences across studies in methods as well as measures.

No abstract available for this.

No abstract available for this.

No abstract available for this.

We examine the differential effects of anticipating shame vs. guilt on choice likelihood of a hedonic product. The results demonstrate that when offered a hedonic snack (chocolate cake) consumers who anticipate shame are significantly less likely to choose to consume it compared to those who anticipate guilt. Anticipating guilt also has a more circumscribed effect, impacting choice likelihood only for those consumers who are not attitudinally inclined toward the hedonic product. The results also show that anticipating guilt versus shame has different effects on anticipated happiness after lapses in self-control.

Affective misforecasting (AMF) is defined as the gap between predicted and experienced affect. Based on prior research that examines AMF, the current study uses qualitative and quantitative data to examine the sources of AMF (i.e., why it occurs) in the consumption domain. The authors find evidence supporting some sources of AMF identified in the psychology literature, develop a fuller understanding of others, and, find evidence for novel sources of AMF not previously explored. Importantly, they find considerable differences in the sources of AMF depending on whether feelings are worse than or better than forecast.

A recent addition to the literature in psychology concerns individuals’ forecasts of the affective states they predict will arise in the future. Affective forecasts are extremely relevant to marketing and consumer behavior as they impact choice as well as a set of other marketing-relevant outcomes.  Interestingly, however, affective forecasts are often erroneous because they are susceptible to a variety of errors and biases that reduce their accuracy. As a result, experienced affect differs from forecasted affect, and affective misforecasting (hereafter AMF), occurs. This chapter reviews the literature on affective forecasting, indicates the importance and relevance of this area of research to consumer behavior and marketing, and identifies the factors that lead to errors in affective forecasting and hence result in affective misforecasting. Our review is designed to both illustrate the relevance of affective forecasting and misforecasting to marketing and consumer behavior and to identify novel research directions for future work in this research domain.

This paper examines the differences between regret for purchases and regret for non-purchases, through the use of both narratives and quantitative analysis. It was found that, although the regret experienced for purchases is greater than that felt for non-purchases, the latter is also significantly intense. The results also suggest that the reasons for regretting a purchase differ from those for regretting a non-purchase, even though the product types and prices were essentially the same. In addition, the coping mechanisms employed differed for the two types of regret, with regret for non-purchase requiring a greater variety of coping mechanisms.

Two experiments were conducted to examine consumers’ perceptions of blame in the Firestone Tire recall. The extent to which knowledge about Ford or Firestone’s role in the recall was accessible to consumers was manipulated. The results suggest that subtle cues can influence perceptions of blame of a company indirectly involved in a recall but only when consumers have considerable knowledge to draw on.

This paper explores the domains in which consumers possess hoped-for and feared selves and the role of products and services in approaching hoped-for and avoiding feared selves. The results from an exploratory study indicate that consumers are able to identify products, services and activities relevant to the approach or avoidance of these possible selves and that hoped-for and feared selves exist in a variety of life-domains and are balanced for relevant life-tasks. Interesting differences also exist between males and females in the domains of hoped-for and feared selves and their reliance on products and services to realize these possible selves.

A survey using a convenience sample examined the relationships among blame placed on Firestone, Ford and the drivers in accidents involving Firestone tires. The amount of blame placed on one entity was unrelated to perceptions of others’ blameworthiness. Blaming Ford for the accidents predicted consumers’ desire to fine Ford, but not for more industry regulation.