Takes a humorous look at the relationship between the consumer and the product since the 1920s. Asserts that marketing consists of the conscious effort to invade, inveigle and influence the relationship between “me and my stuff”. Concludes that the new millennium is here and it belongs to...

Previous research has rarely considered purchase acceleration as a measure of consumer deal‐proneness. Also recent studies have found that the effect of demographics either on brand choice or purchase timing is marginal. Examines the effects of demographics on household propensity to...

Factors such as retirement and declining health may trigger older Americans to move into retirement housing. Most mature consumers make this decision in consultation with their family. Understanding the timing and decision‐making process is necessary to properly position and promote retirement...

The conflicting research on the elderly has led many to question the wisdom of using age alone to segment the market. Psychographics, or lifestyle groupings, has emerged as a more robust technique of identifying distinct categories of the 65 and older market. An activities, interests, and...

A conjoint analysis study of consumers’ choice of a popular product examined whether consumption situation and involvement influenced significantly the importance allocated by consumers to a number of key attributes determined by a sample of experts and product users. A large sample drawn from...

The paper summarizes predictions about the use of franchising as an expansion strategy and examines them through an empirical investigation of a sample of restaurant franchisors. The restaurant industry is an appropriate field for such an investigation as franchising is extensively used in this...

Asserts that since there are new competitors in almost every industry, businesses are needing to adapt their systems to more effectively meet the needs of customers. Argues that in this climate customer‐centric marketing is more effective than product‐oriented marketing. Decribes the...

Asserts that there are two approaches to successful database marketing: cognitive and behavioral analysis. In this way, marketers can garner a clear understanding of what customers and prospects “look like”. Reviews the processes involved in database marketing. Suggests to marketers the best...

Develops and refines a new way to generate and identify opportunities for really new product functions. Considers that the role played by marketing research in really new products is limited. Traditional marketing research methods here are largely confined to asking people about problems with...

The importance of fit between the endorser and the endorsed product has been described as the “match‐up hypothesis”. Much “match‐up hypothesis” research has focused on physical attraction. We present two studies which collectively suggest that, while attractive endorsers do...