PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Consumer loyalty driven by aesthetics over functionality

2014-12-17
(Press-News.org) When designing a new car, manufacturers might try to attract consumers with more horsepower, increased fuel efficiency or a lower price point. But new research from San Francisco State University shows consumers' loyalty and passion for an automobile brand are driven more by appearance. Aesthetics that resonate on an emotional level are more responsible for brand loyalty than such factors as functionality and price, the study found. "In product design, if you focus more on the aesthetics of the product, the connections that you create with the consumer at the brand level will result in more loyalty and a more sustainable relationship," said Minu Kumar, associate professor of marketing at SF State, who co-authored the study. Kumar's research examined data from more than 700 consumers about their opinions of 30 small vehicles as related to such factors as styling, workmanship, safety and cost. While consumers of these types of vehicles are typically believed to have utilitarian priorities, the results showed that social and emotional values, such as the perception of sophistication of design and pride of ownership, had a more significant impact on brand affection than functional values, such as the vehicle's price or gas mileage. These results, Kumar said, support the idea that consumers' passion for brands with distinctive, aesthetically pleasing designs -- including Apple, the Volkswagen Beetle and Dyson vacuums -- leads to loyalty. "The more you invest in aesthetics, the stronger the relationship outcome," Kumar explained. "If you invest more in the functionality -- like providing extra buttons, another cup holder -- the result is a more transactional relationship." Kumar said that this way of thinking might be counterintuitive to some designers, especially those who design products at a lower price point. "You might think that segment [of consumers] wants more functionality, more bang for their buck," Kumar said. "That may not necessarily be true. The customer might forget the functional attributes of the product over time, but they will love the brand if it has beautiful products." One surprising finding of the study, Kumar said, was that altruistic value -- in this case, whether the car was perceived as being environmentally friendly -- was not a significant predictor of brand affection, ranking lower than economic value. "In the national sample, people don't seem to give a lot of importance to sustainability," he said. He noted, however, that there were regional differences in this phenomenon, with sustainability found to be more important to consumers on the West Coast. When developing a product, Kumar said, marketers and designers often find themselves at odds about what is most meaningful to consumers and how that should be reflected in product design, a problem he wants to help fix. "There is a classic fight between marketers and designers," he added. "This research is part of a stream of literature that is developing in the marketing field which is trying to bridge this gap."

INFORMATION:

"Enhancing Consumers' Affection for a Brand Using Product Design" was posted online in the Journal of Product Innovation Management in October 2014 and will be published in the journal in 2015. The co-authors of the study are Janell D. Townsend and Douglas W. Vorhies.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Weigh-in once a week or you'll gain weight

Weigh-in once a week or youll gain weight
2014-12-17
Stepping on the scale is common among dieters but how does the frequency of weigh-ins impact weight? A new study in PLOS ONE showed that the more frequently dieters weighed themselves the more weight they lost, and if participants went more than a week without weighing themselves, they gained weight. The researchers analyzed 2,838 weight measurements (up to a years' worth of weigh-ins) from 40 overweight individuals (with a body mass index of 25 and over) who indicated that weight loss was a personal goal or concern. The researchers found that weight loss was related ...

Targeted next-generation sequencing reveals a high number of genomic mutations in advanced malignant

2014-12-17
DENVER - Next generation sequencing in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) tumors shows a complex mutational setting with a high number of genetic alterations in genes involved in DNA repair, cell survival and cell proliferation pathways. Increased accumulation of mutations correlates with early progression of the tumor and decreased survival. MPM is a fatal cancer associated with asbestos exposure that develops on the outer linings of the lungs. The 3-year survival rate is only 8% and most MPM patients are diagnosed with late stage disease with limited therapeutic options. ...

A survey of the general population in France identifies knowledge gaps in the perception of lung cancer

2014-12-17
DENVER - A prospective nationwide survey on perceptions of lung cancer in the general population of France highlights a need for increased public education on the benefits of lung cancer screening, the good survival rates of early-stage disease and the improved outcomes with new therapeutic strategies, including targeted-therapies. Lung cancer management in recent years has improved patient outcomes because of screening, improved surgery and radiotherapy in early and locally-advanced stages of disease, new chemotherapies, validated maintenance therapy, and effective targeted ...

'Perfect storm' quenching star formation around a supermassive black hole

Perfect storm quenching star formation around a supermassive black hole
2014-12-17
High-energy jets powered by supermassive black holes can blast away a galaxy's star-forming fuel, resulting in so-called "red and dead" galaxies: those brimming with ancient red stars yet containing little or no hydrogen gas to create new ones. Now astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have discovered that black holes don't have to be nearly so powerful to shut down star formation. By observing the dust and gas at the center of NGC 1266, a nearby lenticular galaxy with a relatively modest central black hole, the astronomers have detected ...

Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems launch creates new forum

2014-12-17
BELLINGHAM, Washington, USA - The first issue of the new Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems (JATIS) has been launched by SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics. All articles will be freely available through the end of 2015 in the SPIE Digital Library. Mark Clampin, SPIE Fellow and James Webb Space Telescope Observatory Project Scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, is editor-in-chief. "A key motivation for the creation of this journal has been the continuing success of SPIE's Instrumentation in Astronomy conference ...

NASA satellites measure increase of Sun's energy absorbed in the Arctic

NASA satellites measure increase of Suns energy absorbed in the Arctic
2014-12-17
VIDEO: The Arctic Ocean is absorbing more of the sun's energy in recent years as white, reflective sea ice melts and darker ocean waters are exposed. The increased darker surface area... Click here for more information. NASA satellite instruments have observed a marked increase in solar radiation absorbed in the Arctic since the year 2000 - a trend that aligns with the steady decrease in Arctic sea ice during the same period. While sea ice is mostly white and reflects the ...

'Sugar-coated' microcapsule eliminates toxic punch of experimental anti-cancer drug

Sugar-coated microcapsule eliminates toxic punch of experimental anti-cancer drug
2014-12-17
Johns Hopkins researchers have developed a sugar-based molecular microcapsule that eliminates the toxicity of an anticancer agent developed a decade ago at Johns Hopkins, called 3-bromopyruvate, or 3BrPA, in studies of mice with implants of human pancreatic cancer tissue. The encapsulated drug packed a potent anticancer punch, stopping the progression of tumors in the mice, but without the usual toxic effects. "We developed 3BrPA to target a hallmark of cancer cells, namely their increased dependency on glucose compared with normal cells. But the nonencapsulated drug ...

Switching to spintronics

Switching to spintronics
2014-12-17
In a development that holds promise for future magnetic memory and logic devices, researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and Cornell University successfully used an electric field to reverse the magnetization direction in a multiferroic spintronic device at room temperature. This demonstration, which runs counter to conventional scientific wisdom, points a new way towards spintronics and smaller, faster and cheaper ways of storing and processing data. "Our work shows that 180-degree magnetization switching ...

Genetic mutation found to cause ovarian failure

2014-12-17
Premature ovarian failure, also known as primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), affects 1% of all women worldwide. In most cases, the exact cause of the condition, which is often associated with infertility, is difficult to determine. A new Tel Aviv University study throws a spotlight on a previously-unidentified cause of POI: a unique mutation in a gene called SYCE1 that has not been previously associated with POI in humans. The research, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, was led by Dr. Liat de Vries and Prof. Lina Basel-Vanagaite of TAU's ...

Short-necked Triassic marine reptile discovered in China

Short-necked Triassic marine reptile discovered in China
2014-12-17
A new species of short-necked marine reptile from the Triassic period has been discovered in China, according to a study published December 17, 2014 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Xiao-hong Chen from Wuhan Centre of China Geological Survey and colleagues. Hupehsuchia is a group of mysterious Triassic marine reptiles which have, so far, only been found in two counties in Hubei Province, China. The group is known by its modestly long neck, with nine to ten cervical vertebrae, but the authors of this study recently discovered a new species of Hupehsuchia that may ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Breakthrough in noninvasive monitoring of molecular processes in deep tissue

BU researcher named rising star in endocrinology

Stressed New Yorkers can now seek care at Mount Sinai’s new resilience-focused medical practice

BU researchers uncover links between metabolism and aggressive breast cancer

Engineers took apart batteries from Tesla and China’s leading EV manufacturer to see what’s inside

Paralyzed man moves robotic arm with his thoughts

Planetary science: More potential locations for ice on Moon

Injectable Therapy is 'magic' for those who can’t take HIV pills

siRNA-AGO2 complex inhibits bacterial gene translation: a novel therapeutic strategy for superbug infection

Memory is impaired in aged rats after 3 days of high-fat eating

Artificial muscles for tremor suppression

A new way to engineer composite materials

AERA selects 29 exemplary scholars as 2025 Fellows

Touchless tech: Control fabrics with a wave of your finger

JMIR aging invites submissions on the social and cultural drivers of health in aging adults

New research sheds light on why scleroderma affects mostly women and how to treat it

Lack of appropriate mental health care impacts quality of life for people with COPD

Yawn! Many people are bored by spiritual practice

A new algorithm sheds light on ‘disordered’ proteins

How’s the weather on Mars?

Plants struggled for millions of years after the world’s worst climate catastrophe

Clinical trial opens to study groundbreaking 3D printed device for babies with rare respiratory disease

Effects of shenfu decoction on neutrophil chemotactic function in septic mice

ESMT Berlin offers scholarships in executive leadership

New WSU study shows how scarcity pricing helps 'cult wineries' drive demand

New discovery and grant to accelerate Strep A vaccine efforts

Novel enzyme found in gut bacteria could revolutionize prebiotic research

Study reveals exposure to wildlife and forest walks helps ease symptoms of PTSD in US war veterans

Urban highways cut opportunities for social relationships, says study

Alzheimer’s treatment may lie in the brain’s own cleanup crew

[Press-News.org] Consumer loyalty driven by aesthetics over functionality