Editorial

Citation

Leventhal, R.C. (2007), "Editorial", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 24 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/jcm.2007.07724caa.001

Editorial

Over time, understanding the consumer has moved away from assuming that we, as marketers, could think that what we had to offer (be it a product or service) would satisfy the consumer in his/her quest for satisfaction to a more complex model of trying to weigh both the internal and external forces so as to create a positive buying experience. The study of consumer behavior literally encompasses the human condition from birth to death. And of course the necessity of understanding cultures, as we become a truly global marketplace, adds to this formula.

Herstein and Tifferet present us with a study that characterizes the new generic consumer and assess their willingness to purchase generic brands in non-generic product categories. The results of their study have significant implications for retailers specializing in selling generic brands, for manufacturers who market generic brands, as well as manufacturers of national brands. The authors also present the reader with an outline of the new generic consumer profile and their characteristics.

Akhter has developed an expectations model of what he considers to be economic nationalism. The model posits that economic nationalism is reflected in people’s expectations of their government, domestic firms, and the general public, in terms of restricting the activities of foreign firms. This information is of value to marketers who need to focus not only on the benefits that they will derive from entering a country, but also the benefits they will deliver to the domestic economy by entering the country.

Ahuja, Michels, Walker and Weissbuch investigate teenagers’ perceptions about a relatively new phenomenon referred to as buzz marketing, and the accompanying issue of disclosure. Because of the unique method involved in this recent marketing (communications) effort, industry sponsored guidelines may leads to more effective exchanges than those resulting from a disclosure requirement or other restrictions that may emerge if the issue (disclosure) is dealt with by legislators.

Tinson and Nancarrow note that kids are growing older younger and also becoming more involved in the final stages of purchase decisions, although in a limited number of product categories studied. The authors study the tweenager market across a number of product categories and the extent to which ten to 12 year olds are involved in the final stages of purchase decision making. The authors suggest that marketing communication approaches could be specifically tailored to different gender role orientation family types in order to make marketing campaigns more effective.

Kavadas, Prevel Katsanis and LeBel believe that it is necessary to account for varying levels of involvement between consumers in order to better appreciate their responses to direct-to-consumer advertisement claims as it concerns pharmaceuticals. Researchers cannot assume that consumers suffering from an advertised ailment would necessarily display a high ad involvement. Therefore, advertisement involvement is an important construct to include in the understanding of risk information processing.

In this issue you will also find our popular case section, as well as our regular feature of Misplaced marketing, Book reviews and Computer currency.

Richard C. Leventhal