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This paper aims to examine the effectiveness of two types of hotel commercials [virtual reality (VR) versus traditional commercials] by proposing and testing a presence-mediated model along with gender effects.

An experimental design is used to test the proposed hypotheses. Data were collected in China, and the Shangri-La hotel brand was chosen. University students were randomly assigned to watch either a hotel VR commercial or a hotel traditional video commercial. One HTC Vive VR headset was provided to those participants in the hotel VR commercial group.

The study revealed that VR commercials generate a higher level of vividness and interactivity among customers, which positively influence attitudes toward the ad, brand attitude and booking intention. Moreover, the findings showed that in the virtual environment, women, as compared to men, are influenced more by VR.

This research is the first to bring the presence model and gender effects together to better understand the effectiveness of VR in hospitality advertising research.

本论文检验两种酒店广告类型的有效性（VR对比传统广告）, 通过构建和检验存在-中介模型和性别影响。

本论文使用实验设计方式来验证提供的模型。研究样本数据来自中国, 以香格里拉酒店品牌为例。本论文随机抽样大学学生, 一组看酒店VR广告, 另一组观看酒店传统视频广告。实验参与者使用HTC Vive VR头盔观看VR广告。

研究结果表明, VR广告引发酒店客人的生动和互动性, 对广告、品牌态度、和预定房间意图有着积极影响。此外, 研究结果还表明女性相对男性在虚拟环境中受到VR更多影响。

本论文是首个将存在模型和性别影响相结合, 更好地理解VR在酒店广告研究中的作用。

关键词 虚拟现实、酒店广告、广告有效性、存在、生动、互动性、性别影响

This paper aims to examine the effects of purchase environment, product type and need for touch (NFT) on cognitive response, affective response and overall product evaluation in the USA and India.

Two experiments were conducted in two different consumer markets. In Study 1, participants evaluated haptic and non-haptic products and gave responses on cognitive response, affective response and overall product evaluation measures in the US market. In Study 2, the authors replicate Study 1 in a culturally different market of India and extend Study 1 by examining the moderating role of instrumental and autotelic dimensions of NFT on the effect of purchase environment on cognitive and affective responses.

Research findings suggest that cognitive and affective responses are the underlying mechanism between the purchase environment and overall response only for haptic product among Indian consumers. In contrast, affective response is the underlying mechanism explaining this relationship among US consumers. Furthermore, the instrumental dimension of NFT moderates the impact of purchase environment on cognitive but the autotelic NFT moderates the effect of purchase environment on affective response only for the haptic product but not for the non-haptic product.

The study uses a relatively homogenous sample in the Indian market in contrast to the US market.

Results advance the understanding of the importance of haptic information processing in consumer decision-making across different purchase environments, product types and NFT using psychological distance (proximity) as a theoretical underpinning. With non-haptic shopping environments (i.e. online and mobile) growing rapidly, the results have critical implications for development of marketing strategies in Asian and US markets.

Empirical research examining the underlying mechanism by which purchase environment influences overall evaluation for haptic product is scarce. Additionally, understanding of the differential roles of instrumental and autotelic dimensions of NFT on cognitive and affective responses is very limited. This research fills this void and provides an understanding of the specific environment in evaluating haptic and non-haptic products in two distinct markets.

Dietary supplements have been subject to considerable criticism because of their lack of regulation and questionable claims; yet, research indicates that consumers who are more health conscious are more likely to use supplements because the products are associated with preventive health behaviors. This research aims to examine whether consumers’ familiarity with supplement advertising or their level of health consciousness significantly affects their attitudes toward three different types of dietary supplements. It also assesses whether advertising familiarity and health consciousness are related to perceptions of supplement price.

This paper used a point-of-purchase approach and collected data at a nationwide supplement retail store in a major metropolitan area in the southeast, resulting in a final sample of 136 consumers. In addition to the survey items, data were collected on a number of demographic factors, including gender, age, marital status, race and education.

Results suggest that health consciousness is significantly related to attitudes toward different supplement types and perceptions of supplement price, but familiarity with supplement advertising is not related.

The results suggest that health consciousness is a significant predictor of attitudes toward different nutritional supplements and the perceived price of supplements, but familiarity with advertising is not a predictor. Implications for marketers and public policy are provided.

While this research informs public policy, it is especially useful for marketers and advertisers of dietary supplements.

Examines differences in emotional and rational advertising appeal use across experiential and utilitarian services for 11 culturally diverse countries. Pooled across countries, rational appeals were found to be more dominant in utilitarian service advertising, while emotional appeals were used more heavily in experiential service advertising. On a country by country basis, utilitarian service advertisements consistently used a larger number of rational appeals, and experiential service advertisements contained more emotional appeals. Finally, culture appeared to influence the use of appeals more when the appeals were important to the service selling premise. That is, more variation across cultures was observed for emotional appeal use in experiential service advertising, and more variation was observed for rational appeal use in utilitarian service advertising.

There are many anecdotal accounts about industrial buyers’ perceptions of sellers, but little research exists empirically to determine these perceptions. This research generates a profile of industrial buyer perceptions of salespeople developed from a perceptual inventory gathered from a national sample of purchasing professionals. Both positive and negative profiles are identified, but means analysis generally supports the contention that industrial buyers have largely positive perceptions of salespeople. These profiles can be useful to both researchers and industry professionals in assessing the effects of buyer perceptions in industrial, business‐to‐business, and relationship marketing situations.

The growth of international business, combined with an increase in the number of service offerings, underscores the importance of understanding effective promotional strategies for services versus goods in international markets. The current study examines advertising appeals for services and goods across four different countries: Brazil, Taiwan, Mexico and the USA. Results of a content analysis indicate that the use of rational and emotional appeals differs across both product type and country. It is suggested that culture plays a role in the use of the appeals and that the product type × country interaction is strongly reflected in Taiwanese and US advertising.

The insurance industry has placed increased emphasis on service quality and customer satisfaction as companies seek to compete with generally undifferentiated products. This attention to customer service dictates that insurers understand exactly what elements individuals use to assess their providers’ performance. This study examines the most significant dimensions of service quality and customer satisfaction across four large companies in the auto casualty industry, using the familiar SERVQUAL instrument. Results indicate that reliability is consistently the most important determinant of both perceived service quality and feelings of satisfaction among customers engaged in auto insurance claims. Implications for auto insurance providers are discussed.

The purpose of this article is to question pharmaceutical companies in their efforts to define the problems for which they are providing solutions. It addresses the impact of DTC advertising in making drug companies one of the most profitable industries in the country and how these profits can influence marketing decisions that leave consumers vulnerable.

This article identifies some possible conflicts of interests in the pharmaceutical industry.

Marketing practices of the drug companies are shaping consumers' definitions of health through the expansion of medical definitions and potential markets followed by the mass advertising of these messages. Other conflicts of interests between academic medicine and the pharmaceutical industry also exist with for‐profit sponsorship of medical research compromising the impartiality of the researchers.

When discussing public policy issues related to DTC advertising, it is important to look beyond the characteristics of the messages themselves and understand the foundations on which they are built before determining the benefits or harm that result.

Questioning the intentions of the drug companies and the other players in pharmaceutical marketing is the only way to ensure that consumer interests are protected.

Spousal influence in the decision‐making process has been studied by marketing researchers for many years. Although the knowledge base has increased substantially on this topic, the empirical research has generally focussed on goods. As services continue to dominate the gross domestic product, understanding marital influence in the decision‐making process for services becomes critical. Reports an initial study of the relative influence of husbands and wives and the decision‐making process for four different services. Results suggest that for experiential services, joint decision making is the norm. However, for services higher in credence qualities, role specialization tends to occur during the decision‐making process.

Service quality continues to be a significant issue in the banking industry. Because money and other financial services are generally undifferentiated products, banks are continually striving for increased service quality in order to achieve and maintain a competitive edge. Critical to the improvement of service quality is the determination of those service quality characteristics considered important by consumers. Moreover, it is necessary to understand which of those elements of service quality are more important to different groups of customers. Reports a study that identifies distinct elements of bank service quality and ascertains which of those elements are most important to different demographic groups.