(Press-News.org) Product benefits that occur later in time are more likely to appeal to more independent consumers than to those who are more group or family oriented, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.
"More independent consumers think of the future in abstract terms and perceive future events as happening in the more distant future, whereas consumers who are less independent think of the future in concrete terms and perceive future events as happening sooner," write authors Gerri Spassova (Monash University) and Angela Y. Lee (Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University).
Perceptions of time are subjective and variable. One day can feel like an eternity, while at other times a day flashes by in an instant. Similarly, a future event can seem really far away, but at other times it's just around the corner.
Our perceptions of time are influenced by whether we view ourselves as independent or more group or family oriented. Consumers who view themselves as independent place high value on self-reliance and autonomy, and strive towards being unique, different, and separate from others. In contrast, those who view themselves as less independent see themselves as part of a social group, and strive toward blending and fitting in.
In one study, consumers were shown advertisements for a Lean Cuisine product. More independent consumers found the ad more persuasive when it was targeted at an individual and its benefits were presented as taking place in the more distant future, while consumers who thought of themselves as less independent found the same ad more persuasive when it was targeted at a family and its benefits were presented as taking place sooner.
"Advertising targeted at consumers who see themselves as more independent would be more effective when presented in more abstract terms, with product benefits occurring in the more distant future. But ads targeting consumers who see themselves as less independent would be more effective when framed in more concrete terms, with benefits occurring sooner," the authors conclude.
###
Gerri Spassova and Angela Y. Lee. "Looking Into the Future: A Match between Self-View and Temporal Distance." Journal of Consumer Research: June 2013. For more information, contact Gerri Spassova or visit http://ejcr.org/.
Targeting diet products: Why are more independent consumers better at delaying gratification?
2013-03-05
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Texas A&M research contributes to improved ultrasound imaging
2013-03-05
Ultrasound technology could soon experience a significant upgrade that would enable it to produce high-quality, high-resolution images, thanks to the development of a new key material by a team of researchers that includes a professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University.
The material, which converts ultrasound waves into optical signals that can be used to produce an image, is the result of a collaborative effort by Texas A&M Professor Vladislav Yakovlev and researchers from King's College London, The Queen's University of Belfast and ...
On the trail of mucus-eaters in the gut
2013-03-05
This press release is available in German.
The microbiology team of David Berry, Alexander Loy and Michael Wagner from the Faculty of Life Sciences, in collaboration with scientists at the Max F. Perutz Laboratories (University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna) and with the help of NanoSIMS technology, has for the first time succeeded in directly observing microorganisms feeding on the intestinal mucosa. The results of this research project appear in the current issue of the prestigious journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences" (PNAS).
To ...
Homes in neighborhoods with protected open space bringing higher sale prices
2013-03-05
Homes in neighborhoods that incorporate protected open space command prices 20 to 29 percent higher than those without open space, according to a new study by a Colorado State University multidisciplinary research team that included Wildlife Conservation Society scientist, Sarah Reed.
Conservation development is an approach to the design, construction, and stewardship of a development that protects natural resources while also providing social and economic benefits to people. The properties in this study specifically incorporated protected open space into the design of ...
A window into Europa's ocean lies right at the surface
2013-03-05
PASADENA, Calif.—If you could lick the surface of Jupiter's icy moon Europa, you would actually be sampling a bit of the ocean beneath. So says Mike Brown, an astronomer at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Brown—known as the Pluto killer for discovering a Kuiper-belt object that led to the demotion of Pluto from planetary status—and Kevin Hand from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have found the strongest evidence yet that salty water from the vast liquid ocean beneath Europa's frozen exterior actually makes its way to the surface.
The finding, based ...
U of M researchers find wide variation in cesarean delivery rates among US hospitals
2013-03-05
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (March 4, 2013) – Cesarean delivery is the most common surgery in the United States, performed on 1.67 million American women annually. Yet hospital cesarean rates vary widely according to new research from the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health.
The latest study, appearing today in Health Affairs, shows that cesarean delivery rates varied tenfold across U.S. hospitals, from 7.1 percent to 69.9 percent.
To arrive at their results, School of Public Health researchers examined hospital discharge data from a representative sample ...
Survey of clinicians: User satisfaction with electronic health records has decreased since 2010
2013-03-05
March 5. 2013 -- Survey results released today indicate that satisfaction and usability ratings for certified electronic health records (EHRs) have decreased since 2010 among clinicians across a range of indicators. Overall, user satisfaction fell 12 percent from 2010 to 2012. Users who are "very dissatisfied" increased 10 percent during the same time period.
The American College of Physicians (ACP) and AmericanEHR Partners revealed the findings in a presentation, "Challenges with Meaningful Use: EHR Satisfaction & Usability Diminishing," at the 2013 HIMSS Conference ...
Hope in stopping melanoma from spreading: Inhibiting protein prevents metastasis to lungs in mice
2013-03-05
SALT LAKE CITY – Researchers have identified a critical protein role in the metastasis of melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. Inhibition of the protein known as adenosine diphosphate ribosylation factor 6 (ARF6) reduces the spread of melanoma to the lungs in mice, according to a study published in the March 5 issue of Science Signaling online, suggesting that targeting ARF6 may be an effective approach to preventing melanoma metastasis.
Melanoma is the sixth most common cancer in the United States. Approximately one in 50 people will develop melanoma in their ...
Researchers discover gene that causes obesity in mice
2013-03-05
AURORA, Colo. (March 5, 2013) – Researchers have discovered that deleting a specific gene in mice prevents them from becoming obese even on a high fat diet, a finding they believe may be replicated in humans.
"When fed a diet that induces obesity these mice don't get fat," said Prof. James McManaman, Ph.D., lead author of the study and vice-chairman of research for Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. "It may be possible to duplicate this in humans using existing technology that targets this specific gene."
The two-year study, ...
New method for greenhouse gas predictions
2013-03-05
This press release is available in French.
Montreal, March 5, 2013 – Pulp and paper producers are among Canada's most important industries and also one of the largest producers of wastewater. Estimating the greenhouse gas emissions in this wastewater has become a priority for the industry.
Until now, greenhouse gas emission estimates have been limited by the mathematical models used to predict them. Researchers at Concordia University have recently developed a new dynamic method to better predict the emission content of these gases. Their findings, published in Environmental ...
Novel storage mechanism allows command, control of memory
2013-03-05
HOUSTON -- (March 4, 2013) – Introductions at a party seemingly go in one ear and out the other. However, if you meet someone two or three times during the party, you are more likely to remember his or her name. Your brain has taken a short-term memory – the introduction – and converted it into a long-term one. The molecular key to this activity is mTORC2 (mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2), according to researchers at Baylor College of Medicine (http://www.bcm.edu) in an article that appeared online in the journal Nature Neuroscience (http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nn.3351.html).
"Memory ...