http://hdl.handle.net/1957/14777 Sat, 15 Jun 2013 09:56:21 GMT 2013-06-15T09:56:21Z http://hdl.handle.net/1957/38566 Building brand equity for unfamiliar Asian brands' entry into global markets Song, Sarah Sungsook The purpose of this study is to fill a critical gap in brand equity literature by proposing and empirically testing a brand equity process model for unfamiliar Asian brands. Cue utilization theory (Easterbrook, 1959) and impression formation theory (Asch, 1946) were integrated to explain how extrinsic and intrinsic cues shown on a website can be used to build consumer's quality perceptions of an unfamiliar brand. The Theory of Reasoned Action (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1980) and existing brand equity models was used to progressively build the key components of brand equity including the consumers' brand association (trust), and brand loyalty (attitude and their patronage intentions). These theoretical frameworks were used to develop a brand equity process model for unfamiliar Asian companies designed to meet two challenges: 1) salvaging some of the negative stereotypes associated with Asian brands today, and 2) utilizing a more sustainable brand equity building method which requires relatively less financial and time investment. In order to salvage the negative reputation regarding quality perception, the study specifically examined how extrinsic and intrinsic brand cues can be used to create consumer's positive quality perception of an unfamiliar brand. In order to cater to a more sustainable method instead of heavily investing in brick and mortar stores, these brand cues were presented in online webpages to effectively introduce unfamiliar Asian brands and build their brand equity. Furthermore, this study observed the influence of generational cohorts towards Asian brands. Because American consumers' attitudes towards Asian product origins have been changing in the last few decades, examining the level of exposure to Asian brands based on generational cohorts can also provide valuable marketing implications for these Asian companies expanding specifically into the U.S. market. The study was divided into three sections. In study 1 (n=283; college students), the influence of extrinsic cues (store name and brand origin) on consumer's quality perception were examined. In study 2 (n=209; college students), a combined effect of the extrinsic (brand origin) and intrinsic cues such as bottle design (Unique: Asian aesthetic influence vs. Generic: non-Asian aesthetic influence) were observed to examine their interaction effect on consumer's quality perception. In study 3 (n=328; Generation X and Y: ages 19-48 and Baby boomer and Swings: 49-83), the moderating effect of age cohorts on extrinsic and intrinsic cues and consumers' quality perception was examined to measure the generational changes in American consumers' attitudes towards Asian brands. This study employed a Web experiment simulating specifically cosmetic homepages. The design of study 1 was a 2 (brand origin: Japan vs. China) by 2 (store name: Nordstrom vs. Amazon) between-subjects factorial design. The design of study 2 was a 2 (brand origin: Japan vs. China) by 2 (bottle design: Unique: Asian aesthetic influence vs. Generic: non-Asian aesthetic influence) between-subjects factorial design. In study 3, the same design from study 2 was used, where additional data from different generational cohorts were collected in order to test for the moderating effect of age cohort for brand cues on quality perception. SEM was used to analyze study 1 and 2, and ANOVA for study 3. The findings provided empirical evidence for the efficacy of the proposed brand equity process model for unfamiliar Asian companies. For study 1 and 2, store name and bottle design had an influence on quality perception, but brand origin did not dictate quality. However, results from study 3 showed contrasting results from study 1 and 2. Although brand origin did not influence quality perception for younger generations, it influenced quality perception for the older generational group. Furthermore, bottle design did not influence quality perception anymore as it did in study 2 when the data was combined with the two age groups. These findings demonstrate that that brand cues specific to Asian brands help improve quality perception, but their effectiveness is dependent on the age of the audience. Further results confirmed that improving quality perception is an effective method in introducing and building other brand equity components such as brand association (trust) and brand loyalty (brand attitude and patronage intentions). Future studies may include testing the effect of other extrinsic cues like price on brand quality, or exploring the moderating effect of durable goods on brand cues and quality perception. In addition, further empirical validation of the proposed brand equity process model for unfamiliar companies is recommended. Graduation date: 2013; Access restricted to the OSU Community at author's request from May 14, 2013 - May 14, 2015 Fri, 03 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1957/38566 2013-05-03T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1957/38563 A comparison of proposed and archival college women styles at Oregon State College from 1949-1957 Sullivan, Rachel M. (Rachel Marie) The purpose of this study was to compare the proposed women's college styles for day and evening in selected magazines to the documented apparel of college women from Oregon State College in the 1949-1957 time period. The historic method and visual analysis methods were used to complete this study. An instrument was developed to collect garment details and characteristics from the "Harper's Junior Bazaar" section of Harper's Bazaar, Mademoiselle and the OSC Beaver Yearbooks. The frequencies of each garment characteristic were counted and then compared. The Co-ed Codes from the OSU archives, young women's apparel styles in film and television of the period and theoretical perspectives related to fashion change were examined to help interpret the results. Similarities between proposed magazine styles and styles shown in yearbooks were found. The styles from the yearbooks were seen in the magazines, but not all the proposed magazine styles were adopted in the yearbooks. The findings support the Trickle-Across or Mass Market theory which proposes that styles will be adopted at the same time across social groups and that there may be variations in styles depending on the group's needs. Additionally, fear and conformity have been identified as characteristics of the 1950s (Clarke, 2004; Francesetti, 2007; Miller & Nowak, 1977). Conformity could be said to be part of the Zeitgeist for the period (Brannon, 2005, p. 13). Since the spirit of the times was one of conformity, this could help explain why the yearbook styles appeared so uniform in contrast with the more varied styles of the magazines. Graduation date: 2013 Thu, 02 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1957/38563 2013-05-02T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1957/36720 Furniture Forms and Their Influence on Our Emotional Responses towards Interior Environments Dazkir, Sibel S.; Read, Marilyn A. The existing body of literature suggests that evoking emotions through design provides rich interactions. We tested Pleasure and Approach reactions of 111 participants towards two curvilinear and two rectilinear simulated interior settings. The curvilinear forms resulted in significantly stronger Pleasure ratings than the rectilinear forms. The circumplexes of emotions indicated that the curvilinear settings elicited higher amounts of pleasant-unarousing emotions (such as feeling relaxed, peaceful, and calm) than the rectilinear settings. The respondents desired to approach those settings more compared to the settings with only rectilinear lines. This research extends the empirical findings for study of emotions and forms by focusing specifically on furniture forms in the interior environment. This is the author's peer-reviewed final manuscript, as accepted by the publisher. The published article is copyrighted by Sage Publications Inc. and can be found at: http://eab.sagepub.com/. Sat, 01 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1957/36720 2012-09-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1957/33790 Understanding historical events through dress and costume displays in Titanic museum attractions Reeves-DeArmond, Genna F. The sinking of the RMS Titanic has achieved a difficult feat – it has remained culturally relevant. The dedication of the general public to understanding Titanic is evident in many avenues of popular and consumer culture. For those individuals who did not get enough of the 1997 Titanic movie, there are numerous Titanic museums and attractions to visit. What interests me as a scholar of historic dress is that the 1997 film is often used as a lens through which the historical events are interpreted and understood. More specifically the character of Rose (from the 1997 Titanic movie) has been translated from a film character to a living history character. Rose has become an integral part of the marketing and exhibiting techniques at some Titanic museum attractions. The purpose of this research was to conduct an introductory exploration of the role of film costume iconography in learning about a historical event and the development of a personal connection with an iconic character in the context of that event. Four permanent Titanic museum attractions were selected as sites of study: museum attractions in Branson, Missouri; Pigeon Forge, Tennessee; Orlando, Florida; and Las Vegas, Nevada. A total of 32 participants were included. Both museum attraction visitors and staff participated in this study; twenty-nine participants were classified as visitors and three participants were classified as staff. Phenomenological and inductive approaches were undertaken. Qualitative (personal phenomenology, phenomenological interviews, and brief participant observation) data collection techniques were employed. Both descriptive and experiential phenomenological and narrative approaches were combined to analyze the resulting data. I utilized a descriptive phenomenological method outlined by Giorgi and Giorgi (2003), and I made modifications to the procedure to fit the unique needs of my data. Data collection occurred in two phases at each location. In phase one, I participated in personal phenomenology during a visit to each museum attraction. In phase two, I collected data with participants. Data collection with visitor participants occurred in three stages: (1) pre-museum attraction visit interview, (2) the participant visited a Titanic museum attraction, and (3) post-museum attraction visit interview. I collected data with each staff participant during one interview. The findings of this study revealed that there are many perspectives from which to tell the story of Titanic and help museum attraction visitors learn the history of the ill-fated ship. I found that Rose did not factor into the decision of the participants to visit a Titanic museum attraction. If a participant learned from or about Rose, she did not factor into the learning or personal meaning-making process until he or she was inside the museum attraction. It was more common for participants to relate to the historical events of Titanic through the movie as a whole, as opposed to the specific character of Rose. The scenario of including a Rose living history interpreter as part of the lived experience of a museum visit elicited a wide range of reactions from participants. It was more common for participants to oppose the presence of a Rose living history interpreter than favor her presence. Several participants reported instances when they drew a spontaneous connection to the movie or were reminded of the movie in their own mind. Several participants used the movie as a foundation to build further historical understanding about Titanic. Some participants used the movie as a source of comparison to explore or confirm the accuracy of the movie. The primary difference in the museum attraction experience for visitors who had not seen the movie was that they encountered difficulty in relating and paying attention to any content or reference to the movie. A general phenomenological structure was formed from the data. As part of this study, I sought to further expand the body of literature that applies visual rhetorical theory and semiotic theory to dress and costume. A discussion of the resulting theoretical implications is included. An outcome of the phenomenological data collection and analysis was a list of recommendations for future practice specifically related to the display of dress and costume in both Titanic museum attractions and museums in general. I conclude with recommendations for future research and a reflective summary. Graduation date: 2013 Thu, 13 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1957/33790 2012-09-13T00:00:00Z