1,720,994 research outputs found
The importance of individual difference : examining anthropomorphic tendency and responses to spokes-characters
No full textAnthropomorphism is a cognitive bias, which occurs when individuals see human characteristics in a non-human agent, object or animal. Anthropomorphism is especially interesting to marketers, because once anthropomorphic bias has been triggered, it can lead to a greater feeling of connectedness to a non-human agent (Tam, Lee and Chao, 2013), the emulation of behaviours (Aggarwal and McGill, 2012) or greater attribution of brand personality and brand liking (Delbaere, McQuarrie and Phillips, 2011). Importantly, research now shows that levels of this tendency vary between individuals (Waytz, Cacioppo and Epley, 2010), but research to date has failed to focus on how anthropomorphic tendency influences individual responses to marketing communications messages.\ud
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Spokes-characters present an ideal context through which to examine this gap, given that they function as personified brands, designed to trigger consumer anthropomorphic tendency. Further, little is understood about how spokes-characters operate and which consumers will prefer them to their human counterparts. Like anthropomorphic research, much empirical work to date has focused on design and outcomes, examining the sender’s encoding process and the feedback generated, but ignoring the individual decoding process that is so important to understanding individual differences and message effectiveness.\ud
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The current research employs three experiments using an online survey with stimulus exposure to show that anthropomorphic tendency, personality similarity and spokes-character type all have relevance to the understanding of this complex relationship. Study one and two indicate that while a human spokesperson is still preferred by many, higher levels of anthropomorphic tendency increase likeability of cartoon spokes characters. Study three highlights the importance of personality similarity, which further increases likability. Additional analyses provide key findings concerning the nature of anthropomorphic tendency as an individual difference and trait.\ud
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This research contributes to a greater understanding of anthropomorphism theory and fills existing gaps in the consumer psychology and marketing communications literature.\ud
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The importance of individual difference : examining anthropomorphic tendency and consumer responses to spokes-characters
No full textThis thesis comprised a series of online experiments to examine the influence of an individual's level of anthropomorphic tendency on responses to spokes-characters. It finds that an individual's level of anthropomorphic tendency does influence their responses to some types of spokes-characters. Further, those with high anthropomorphic tendency tend towards being younger and more creative in their thinking. This research contributes to anthropomorphic tendency theory; specifically it addresses how this tendency operates in a marketing context and thereby aids practitioners seeking to utilise such characters in achieving positive business outcomes
Robots don’t just take jobs, they can help a new business grow
No full textRobots and similar technologies are already in the workplace in a variety of forms. They appear in many places from manufacturing to remote-controlled police robots, even as sports reporters and surgery assistants. Most people assume that robotics is reserved for the large production lines of the automotive industry. But companies such as the European Robotics initiative SMERobotics support the integration of robots across EU-manufacturing. For the most part, robots are used for laborious work. The inability of robots to feel emotions (such as boredom) or physical sensations (fatigue or pain) make them ideal candidates for sifting through reams of data or even operating on a patient for hours without growing tired. These abilities make robots a perfect addition to any growing innovative or entrepreneurial firm
My robot Valentine: Could you fall in love with a robot?
No full textImagine it’s Valentine’s Day and you’re sitting in a restaurant across the table from your significant other, about to start a romantic dinner.\ud
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As you gaze into each other’s eyes, you wonder how it can possibly be true that as well as not eating, your sweetheart does not – cannot – love you. Impossible, you think, as you squeeze its synthetic hand..
Student self-assessment of performance : a useful learning tool for students and instructors?
No full textAssurance of Learning is a focus for many Business Schools to meet AACSB requirements. Prior research has examined student self-assessment as a measure of learning in this context, but we propose instead that this is a useful ‘learning tool’ for students and instructors that can help improve student performance and curricula. We examined self-assessment in a third year undergraduate e-marketing course and found a positive, though weak relationship between student self-assessment and instructor ratings on intended learning goals and criteria for a written assignment. Students who self-assessed tended to perform better in the assessment item and course than those who did not self-assess. But less competent students were more inaccurate in their self-assessment, suggesting a need to enhance understanding of marking criteria and performance standards within this group. Implications for educators are discussed
Pets join the family and business is booming
No full textThe recently proposed $338 million merger of Australian vet and pet products companies Greencross and Petbarn illustrates something that perhaps we have known for a while now: our pets are becoming more important to us than ever before.\ud
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Pets are no longer viewed simply as animals, but have become “humanised” to the point that they are considered by many to be members of the family. Indeed, nearly 90% of Australians polled in a recent survey said they thought of their dog or cat as a member of the family, and even admitted to treating them better than human family members, which has a substantial impact on purchasing behaviours..
Embracing the bots: How direct to consumer advertising is about to change forever
No full textThe tech revolution is coming to advertising. Chatbots are replacing humans, big data threatens our privacy, and the blockchain is linking it all together. In our series on <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/tech-and-advertising-36831">tech and advertising</a>, we’re taking a look at how the industry is being reshaped
I’m friends with Louie the Fly, not Mortein : Conceptualising the new brand relationships on social media
No full textSpokes-characters are ‘...animated beings or objects, created to promote a product, service or idea’ (Phillips 1996, p.155). They were first used in the late 1800s when they emerged as registered trademarks, but the use of spokes-characters for marketing communications has since grown, owing to their ability to remind consumers about a product, transfer positive associations to a brand, and give a corporate company a more ‘personal’ face (Callcott and Lee 1995). One example is the Michelin Man, who has served as spokes-character for Michelin tyres since 1898, after starting out in print advertising.\ud
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Spokes-characters have become important brand representatives, no longer seen as simply entertaining cartoons featured in television and magazine advertisements. Corporations have now extended their use to interactive, social media platforms, where a consumer can be ‘friends’ with a spokes-character via Facebook, read their comments on the latest iPhone release through Twitter, and watch their family histories being documented on YouTube (see Figure 1). The interactions that consumers once had with two-dimensional spokes-characters have undergone significant transformation in the digital space. \ud
With spokes-character Facebook pages achieving significant numbers of ‘likes’ and interactions with consumers, one\ud
question concerns whether this strategy is creating characters that are more engaging than the brands they represent, and what impact this has on brand outcomes
Effects of personification and anthropomorphic tendency on destination attitude and travel intentions
No full textThis research examined how individual differences in anthropomorphic tendency (the tendency to humanize non-human agents/objects) influence how people respond to destination marketing communications. Specifically, this study examined whether individual-level anthropomorphic tendency and text-personification of destination marketing communications interact to influence destination attitude and travel intentions. Results from a study involving 210 Australian participants revealed that destination attitude and travel intentions were most favorable for people with high levels of anthropomorphic tendency and who were exposed to personified tourism messages. These findings indicate that text-personification represents a new communication tactic for tourism – particularly for target consumers who are high in anthropomorphic tendency – and one that can humanize the destination leading to more favorable attitudes and higher intentions to travel. This effect is mediated by positive emotions. People with high anthropomorphic tendency who are exposed to a personified advertisement feel more positive emotions, which lead to positive tourism outcomes
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