Abstract The terms "soft sell" and "hard sell" are well known to advertising scholars and practitioners. Despite wide-spread use of these terms, generally accepted definitions do not exist. Attempts to measure soft-sell and hard-sell appeals have typically been unsophisticated, relying on a single item that classifies an ad into one category or the other. This study is designed to provide a deeper understanding of the concepts "soft sell" and "hard sell," and to examine whether they are better measured on a single dimension than on two distinct dimensions. The main objective of the study is to develop and validate a method for measuring soft-sell and hard-sell appeals. To this end, candidate items were generated via a review of prior literature, supplemented by content analysis, a free-association task, expert judgment, and focus groups. The measurement instruments were then purified and validated using a pretest with a sample of student participants, and further validated using a general consumer sample. Results indicate that soft-sell appeals can be measured using a 12-item, 3-factor index, whereas hard-sell appeals can be measured using a 15-item, 3-factor index. Show
Journal Information As the premier journal devoted to the development of advertising theory and its relationship to practice, The Journal of Advertising serves as a public forum where ideas about advertising can be expressed and debated. The journal covers all research related to the various types of advertising, giving special attention to research dealing with the economic, political, social, and environmental aspects of advertising, and methodological advances in advertising research. Other topics of interest recently covered include the assessment of advertising effectiveness, advertising ethics, and global issues surrounding advertising. Publisher Information Building on two centuries' experience, Taylor & Francis has grown rapidlyover the last two decades to become a leading international academic publisher.The Group publishes over 800 journals and over 1,800 new books each year, coveringa wide variety of subject areas and incorporating the journal imprints of Routledge,Carfax, Spon Press, Psychology Press, Martin Dunitz, and Taylor & Francis.Taylor & Francis is fully committed to the publication and dissemination of scholarly information of the highest quality, and today this remains the primary goal. Rights & Usage This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. What is buzz marketing?Buzz marketing is a viral marketing technique focused on maximizing the word-of-mouth potential of a campaign or product. These strategies can spur conversations among consumers' family and friends or larger-scale discussions on social media platforms. By getting consumers talking about their products and services, companies that employ buzz marketing hope to grow awareness through more online traffic and increase sales and profits. A buzz marketing example would be if a company promoted its product through a show or stunt where consumers can try the product and share their experiences through everyday conversation or online. Another term for buzz marketing is astroturfing. Online buzz marketing is typically driven by "influencers." These are early adopters of a product, who are eager to share their thoughts on the product and proactively start conversations about it. These people typically have established online presences and large followings as social media influencers on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. They possess power and influence over their followers. Influencers' opinions get noticed more readily and can have a positive effect on product awareness and sales. Marketers aim to rally these influencers to build buzz for their products. Some marketers target people known as connectors. They are big-name personalities and celebrities who can lend instant credibility and exposure to a product. Marketers looking for a large jump in awareness will seek out connectors. How does buzz marketing work?Social media marketing is a main component of buzz marketing. Facebook and Twitter are two of the leading social media platforms where companies seek to maintain a presence. Using these and other social media sites, companies can do the following:
Cultivating a rich set of shareable content and amassing a strong following on these sites helps companies get information to existing and potential customers. These approaches also facilitate a real-time dialogue where customers feel valued and informed. Other online buzz marketing strategies include the following:
Buzz marketing is a different approach to content marketing than traditional outbound marketing and the mass marketing tactics of TV, radio and print advertising. In outbound marketing, companies aim to get their messages to as many people as possible with the hope that a few will become interested. Buzz marketing depends on the power of one-on-one personal messages more than broadcast messaging. It assumes that word-of-mouth marketing holds more weight with consumers because it is perceived as unbiased, coming from people they trust and not simply directly from the company. One of the challenges of buzz marketing is maintaining the element of surprise as part of the marketing strategy. For example, tweeting absurd, snarky quips from a corporate twitter account catches Twitter users by surprise when that's not what they are used to from that account. As consumers get better at identifying buzz marketing, marketers must use it sparingly to be effective. This development is similar to early forms of online marketing, such as pop-up and banner ads, which some audiences now consider annoying. However, they still have a role in marketing but also must be used creatively to be effective. With buzz marketing, companies also run the risk of not being able to connect their campaigns with the brand or product itself. Merely creating content that gets people talking is meaningless if people don't identify it with the company that created it.
Examples of buzz marketingExamples of buzz marketing include companies creating online videos, centered around something humorous, controversial, unusual or outrageous. In doing this, they hope to cause a sensation and get people talking about the video, sharing it via social media and driving up views on websites such as YouTube. Companies will then try to capitalize on the content's popularity by promoting the product on social media, either by creating a hashtag in the hopes of becoming a "trending topic," or encouraging consumers to download other pieces of content to further foster customer engagement. Some examples of buzz marketing include the following:
What are the different types of buzz marketing?Each buzz marketing tactic focuses on a different trigger to get an audience talking. Mark Hughes, who is credited with coining the term buzz marketing, identifies six ways to go about a buzz marketing campaign. Hughes recommends focusing on the following tactics:
Best practices for creating a buzz marketing campaignBuzz marketing is an effective type of marketing in part because people in social settings are perceived to be more trustworthy than companies, which are trying to sell their products. Someone talking about a product or service appears to be doing so because they like it, not because they are trying to sell it. Best practices to achieve successful buzz marketing include the following:
Getting and keeping the attention of millennials and Generation Zers is important for modern brands. Learn some best practices for influencer marketing to those generations. This was last updated in December 2021 Continue Reading About buzz marketing
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Which type of appeal involves informing the consumer of one or more functional benefits that are important to the target market?Value-expressive appeals involve informing the consumers of one or more functional benefits that are important to the target market.
Which approach to attitudes posits there are three components to attitudes affect behavior and cognitions?Every attitude has three components that are represented in what is called the ABC model of attitudes: A for affective, B for behavioral, and C for cognitive. Although every attitude has these three components, any particular attitude can be based on one component more than another.
Which type of appeal uses the threat of negative?A fear appeal is a persuasive message that attempts to arouse fear in order to divert behavior through the threat of impending danger or harm. It presents a risk, presents the vulnerability to the risk, and then may, or may not suggest a form of protective action.
Which component of attitudes represents a positive or negative evaluation of the attitude object?Typically, attitudes are favorable or unfavorable: positive or negative (Eagly & Chaiken, 1993). And, they have three components: an affective component (feelings), a behavioral component (the effect of the attitude on behavior), and a cognitive component (belief and knowledge) (Rosenberg & Hovland, 1960).
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