Consumer behavior

When viewing advertisements, one could be exposed to new information about the product. During that time, one could construct ad hoc categories or simple attributes for the brand-name product. The current experiment used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure bilateral frontal and temporal cortices to understand the contribution of constructing ad hoc categories and simple attributes on purchase intentions. The current experiment also examined the feasibility of using the tensor decomposition method compared to the grand averaging method in multidimensional fNIRS signal analysis. This is to see if tensor decomposition can maintain the pattern of hemodynamic response without losing the temporal dynamics and spatial array to find a more optimized time and regions of interest to average across. The current experiments consisted of two parts: 1) participants studied brand-name products for various ad hoc categories (Experiment 1) or various simple attributes (Experiment 2) and 2) pick for purchase brand-name products in a two-alternative forced choice purchase intention test. Three methods were used to analyze the hemodynamic response data: the grand averaging method, the tensor decomposition method, and the revised grand averaging method. The revised grand averaging method is the same as the grand averaging method but uses information from the tensor decomposition method to inform what time and channel to average across. There were behavioral priming benefits compared to products that were not studied. However, there were no differences across the study conditions. Results revealed processing benefits, not purchasing benefits, for brand-name products studied for different simple attributes as marked by changes in the left prefrontal cortex. The results from tensor decomposition revealed more details on the time and channels of interest than the grand averaging method. Findings suggest that studying different simple attributes of a brand-name product produces benefits in the purchase intention process. Also, findings suggest tensor decomposition is a feasible method for fNIRS signal analysis.

The goal of this study is to determine how negative information affects purchasing decisions and what neurological processes are included in these purchasing decisions. Specifically, this study aims to explore the effect of consumers receiving the same negative attribute twice versus two different negative attributes for a product. The introduction of this study will discuss background concepts like the Controlled Semantic Cognition Framework from Lambon Ralph et al., (2017) and the neural processes behind selection as discussed in Thompson-Schill et al., (1997). The results indicated that there were differences in hemodynamic response between conditions where the same negative attribute was presented with a product twice versus conditions where two different negative attributes were presented with a product. Both behaviorally and hemodynamically, the results provide evidence supporting an inner conflict when dealing with two negative alternative choices. Future research could include realistic advertisements to better mimic everyday scenarios.

This experiment evaluated the effect of positively evaluative attributes on purchasing decisions by manipulating the Type of Repetition from a study phase to a test phase. Behavioral data and hemodynamic responses were measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in 38 participants during a study task, where brand-name products and product specific attributes were processed, and during a test phase, where participants chose to purchase either new or previously processed products that were presented with either the same attribute, a different attribute, or no attribute. Results at test showed that repeating the association produced the highest accuracy in selecting the previously processed product and the highest hemodynamic activation. In contrast, presenting a different attribute at test produced the lowest accuracy and least hemodynamic activation, much like baseline. This hemodynamic difference between the same and different conditions was especially prevalent in the left hemisphere during the later time windows. These findings suggest that repeating the association biases purchase intention and produces hemodynamic repetition enhancement. In contrast, changing the association leads to interference and reduced selection of the processed product.

Few experiments have examined the effects of attribute processing on purchase intentions. This experiment predicts a function of the left prefrontal cortex (PFC) is to process brand-name products for their attributes. Hemodynamic response was measured in bilateral PFC from 48 participants during a study task, where participants processed brand-name products using various attribute processing types (once using one attribute, twice using the same attribute, and twice using two different attributes), and during a purchase intention test, where participants chose to purchase novel or previously processed brand-name products. Analysis of variance compared differences in hemodynamic response as a function of cortical structure, Type of Processing, and task.
Results demonstrated repetition suppression in the left PFC for brand-name products that were previously processed for multiple attributes. Findings suggest processing different attributes of the same brand-name product bias purchase intentions, where participants were more likely to purchase brand-name products processed for multiple attributes.

Substantivism helps us appreciate two views on the meaning of the economy: the institutional view and the neoclassical view. This study analyzes the behaviors of producers and consumers in the supermarket industry and finds that the neoclassical school lacks a realistic behavioral theory. We observe that institutional behavioral theory is closer to reality because it recognizes that consumers are affected by their social environment through habit and emulation, and producers are survival maximizers. These social obstacles prevent humans from acting like homoeconomicus. We focus only on the supermarket industry, but this conclusion can be applied to all industries.

Online display advertising intends to find the best match between advertise-
ment (ad) campaigns and online users, conditioned by user specific contexts such as
geographic locations, and hobbies etc. During this matching process, user behavior
plays a crucial role in determining whether and when the user, who has been served
the ad, will result in a conversion event. Advertisers seek to understand how users
behave if they are continuously served impressions from the same campaign, as well
as any noticeable patterns between campaign categorization and user behavior. This
thesis carries out data analytics to investigate correlation between user behavior and
campaign conversion rates (CVR), including click-through conversion rates and view-
through conversion rates. We investigate campaign categorization based on both
IAB categories, and campaign dfficulty level defined by effective CPA (eCPA). We
carry out large scale analytics over billions of impressions from over 1000 campaigns,
observing consistent patterns and significant findings.

Each year over 300 million people visit theme parks, making them the major vacation destination worldwide. Theme parks are known for their elaborate spectacle, the creation of artificial realities through intricate immersive experiences including costumed characters, stage shows, and extravagant decor. Though many aspects of the theme park experience have been reviewed, little focus has been given to the role of food in the overall immersion, particularly how food extends the spectacle into a fantastical created reality. This study examined the function of food within a highly immersive theme park setting, and how it contributed to the overall illusion and immersion of the fantasy environment. Research was conducted from December 2014 to March 2015 at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Universal Orlando Resort themed food served three overarching functions: (1) it operated as an experience, (2) it functioned as a conduit to authenticity, and, (3) it extended sensory perceptions. Food immersed tourists in the themed experience, though visual cues remained the primary sensory stimulus. However, guests considered the location to be more authentic when coupled with a themed food item, as opposed to the generic food choices found in other parks. Themed food functions as an extension of the spectacle by maintaining the illusion and contributes to the overall exhibition of the themed space.

This is a comprehensive study of how Big Data and analytics will be the future of music marketing. There has been a recent trend of being able to turn metrics into quantifiable, real-word predictions. With an increase in online music consumption along with the use of social media there is now a clearer view than ever before about how this will happen. Instead of solely relying on big record companies for an artist to make it to
the big time, there is now a plethora of data and analytics available not just to a small number of big companies, but to anyone.

Personalized advertising represents an emerging trend in online advertising. Using
enhanced data collection techniques, marketers can craft seemingly made to order
advertisements tailored to specific individuals. In turn, this should lead to advertisements
that are more relevant for consumers and more effective for marketers. Therefore,
personalized advertising has the potential to benefit both consumers and firms alike.
However, consumer acceptance of the technique remains a huge hurdle, as many
consumers seem uncomfortable with the practice due in part to privacy concerns over the
vast amounts of data collected and analyzed when generating personalized
advertisements. Therefore, it is critical to garner a better understanding of consumers’
attitudes towards personalized advertising in order to be able to use those insights to
alleviate consumer privacy concerns. The purpose of this research is to work towards developing a more thorough understanding of consumers’ attitudes towards personalized advertising by exploring the antecedents and outcomes of those attitudes. In particular, we examine what factors
determine whether personalized advertising is perceived favorably vs. invasively by
consumers and what effects those perceptions have on consumers’ attitudes and
intentions. The research lends contributions to academicians, marketing practitioners, and
consumers by helping to achieve an increased understanding of personalized
advertising’s impact on consumers’ perceptions. The empirical study employed in this research utilizes a conceptual framework that integrates privacy calculus theory with previous research on invasiveness, advertising acceptance, and innovation adoption. In addition, this research contributes to the marketing and information privacy literatures by making a theoretical connection between perceived invasiveness and its relationship with privacy concerns, as well as its impact on consumers’ attitudes and behavioral intentions. The results from the empirical
research reveal that a number of constructs, such as perceived invasiveness, privacy
concerns, perceived usefulness, and consumer innovativeness demonstrate significant
relationships with consumers attitudes and behavioral intentions in the context of
personalized advertising. Implications for managers, researchers, and consumers are
discussed.

This dissertation investigates the nature of the relationship that exists between job satisfaction among temporary workers and general customer perceptions of service quality, customer-based appraisal of specific service provider performance, and customers' future behavioral intentions concerning doing business with the firm in the future (e.g., to increase business, to recommend the organization to others, etc.). The Job Descriptive Index (JDI) and its related Job-in-General scale were used to measure employee satisfaction. SERVQUAL was used to gauge general customer perceptions of service quality. A 13-item battery derived from marketing literature was used to measure customer future behavioral intentions. The customer appraisal of service provider performance was based on performance appraisal literature. Results indicated significant correlation between worker satisfaction and customer perceptions of service quality (r = .27; p < .01), customer-based appraisal of specific service provider performance (r = .30; p < .01), and customer intentions concerning doing business with the organization in the future (r = .20; p < .05). Customer quality perceptions were significantly associated with their future intentions (r = .71; p < .01) and with specific customer performance appraisal (r = .63; p < .01). However, when combined with general customer service perceptions (SERVQUAL), specific customer appraisal of service provider performance did not contribute unique predictive or explanatory capability. Unexpectedly, temporary workers' satisfaction with co-workers on their job assignment was significantly related to all customer outcome measures. The results are described and discussed in comparison with meta-analyses about job satisfaction, and in terms of other studies concerning contingent workers.