Editorial

Citation

Leventhal, R.C. (2009), "Editorial", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 26 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/jcm.2009.07726baa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: Journal of Consumer Marketing, Volume 26, Issue 2

In today’s global marketplace, a company will go to great lengths to make sure that their products/brands are well received by the consumers that they are targeting. However, because of both internal and external influences upon the consumer, the opportunities to succeed are rapidly changing. If we consider that the consumer is more like a moving target, then we can begin to understand the complexity of this task. What may work for one company may not provide what is necessary to succeed for another company. Shakespeare has said that “all the world is a stage” and if this is true, then we need to carefully consider all of the actors.

Hu and Tsai examine drivers’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivations for using Mobil Digital Television (MDTV) while on the move. The authors studied the viewing habits of drivers who have a mobile digital television installed in their cars. This study focused exclusively on use of front-seat MDTV equipment by drivers and did not attempt to examine MDTV use by other passengers in the same vehicle. The authors also discuss the concept for potential legislative restrictions on the front-seat use of MDTV.

Lantieri and Chiagouris identify the influences of mistrust in the marketplace and identify eight themes that have created a climate of mistrust. The authors make several recommendations that can be used to address each of these eight identified themes. The identified themes are organized along the lines of those that are beyond the control of any one company, those that are within the control of management across the company and those within the purview of the brand management team.

Kaman examines how the gender differences in environmental attitude, environmental concern, perceived seriousness of environmental problems, perceived environmental responsibility, peer influence, self identity in environmental protection and green purchasing behavior affect Hong Kong adolescent consumers. Results indicate that Hong Kong female adolescents constitute a potentially good market for green products. Marketing communication messages targeting this group should incorporate emotional appeals, emphasize the individual’s responsibility to protect the environment and facilitate their peer networking to spread a positive word-of-mouth.

Souiden and Diagne investigate the attitude of males toward the consumption and purchase of men’s cosmetic products. The authors intend to clarify the impact of personal variables (i.e. self-image consciousness, ageing effects, physical attractiveness, state of health), socio-cultural variables (i.e. beliefs, lifestyle) and marketing variables (i.e. advertising, purchase situation) on the attitude of Canadian and French males toward the purchase and consumption of men’s cosmetics. The authors point out that men’s cosmetic products in both countries are at different stages of life cycle and accordingly consumers’ attitudes and motivations to buy cosmetics are found to vary between the two countries.

Cui, Bao and Chan examine the phenomenon that as accelerated technology innovations lead to shorter product lifestyles, consumers often face the dilemma of choosing between keeping the existing product and upgrading to a new version. Consumers may enact certain coping strategies to deal with the stress and uncertainty. The authors develop a set of these aforementioned coping strategies that may include refusal, delay, extended decision-making and pre-test. It would be beneficial to understand such coping strategies to help us to better understand consumers’ adoption of new technology products and furnish meaningful implications for marketing technology products to today’s tech-savvy consumers.

Fang and Mowen explore the functional motive and trait antecedents of four forms of gambling – slot machines, skilled card games, sports betting, and participating in marketing promotional games such as sweepstakes and contests. The author’s findings will help marketers better segment the market based on unique profiles of personality traits, functional motives, and demographic variables associated with each gambling type and design marketing communication strategies to reach the targeted consumer.

In this issue, you will also find a most interesting Misplaced Marketing section, as well as our Book Review and Computer Currency sections.

Richard C. Leventhal