Marketing Theses and Dissertations

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2790

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Start date: 2005End date: 2009

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Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    Effects of Performance Schedules on Event Ticket Sales
    (2009) Tseng, Peggy Hui-Hsing; Moe, Wendy W.; Business and Management: Marketing; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Event scheduling is one of many important decisions facing event marketers in the entertainment industry (i.e., how should multiple performances be scheduled across markets, across venues, and over time?). While there is ample research examining the issues of costs and constraints associated with such a decision, virtually no research exists to examine the impact of these decisions on consumer demand. Hence, the objective of this dissertation is to examine how consumers respond to event marketers' scheduling decisions. First, a scheduling effect may arise from performances within a market. When performances are scheduled closely in distance or time, their similarity in venue locations or performance dates may result in a stronger relationship and influence ticket sales. This relationship may have a positive effect on ticket sales because the similarity could signal the quality of an event and suggest the desirability of these performances. Thus, these performances attract more consumers and sell more tickets. However, the relationship could be negative. When performances are close in distance or time, they become direct substitutes and compete for consumer patronage. Another effect arises from an event distribution across markets. When an event travels from one market to another and each market has a different performance schedule, the word of mouth of this event may accumulate and carry over to later markets. If so, market sales may be a good proxy of word of mouth. How well (or poorly) an event sells in preceding markets may affect ticket sales in following markets. This dissertation consists of three essays to examine the abovementioned scheduling effects. We contact a national ticket seller to acquire a dataset containing ticket sales of a family event traveling across 42 markets. The first essay analyzes a performance schedule in one metropolitan market and investigates the scheduling effect on ticket sales. The second essay employs all performance schedules in 42 markets to study heterogeneous market responses and propose explanatory factors. Finally, the third essay incorporates the distribution sequence of this event and examines whether ticket sales in preceding markets have a carryover effect to influence ticket sales in later markets.
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    THE INFLUENCE OF CONSUMER MOTIVATIONS ON CONSUMPTION INTENTIONS AND BEHAVIOR
    (2009) Espinoza, Francine; Hamilton, Rebecca W; Srivastava, Joydeep; Business and Management: Marketing; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This Dissertation comprises two essays that investigate how consumers' different motivations affect their cognitive responses and consumption behavior. Essay 1 shows that consumers' motivation to rely on their own opinion and correct their judgments for the influence of a product recommendation moderates source credibility effects on judgment certainty and behavioral intentions. Building upon earlier research showing that correction may decrease judgment certainty, we propose that, contrary to this unidirectional effect, correction has an asymmetric effect on judgment certainty and behavioral intentions, depending on the initial recommendation credibility. In a series of three studies, we provide support for the asymmetric effect of correction and show that when consumers correct for the influence of a high credibility recommendation, their judgment certainty and behavioral intentions decrease, but when they correct for the influence of a low credibility recommendation, their judgment certainty and behavioral intentions increase. Essay 2 examines the influence of consumers' motivations on product valuation and proposes that while buyers are intrinsically motivated to minimize what they are giving up, sellers are intrinsically motivated to maximize what they are getting. These differential goals lead to a discrepancy in product valuation of buyers relative to sellers. In a series of five studies, we provide support for the motivated valuation explanation for the disparity between buying and selling prices and show that when the goal pursuit of buyers and sellers is altered, buyers may be willing to buy for a higher price and sellers may be willing to buy for a lower price.
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    My Mobile Music: An Adaptive Personalization System For Digital Audio Players
    (2007-07-30) Chung, Tuck Siong; Rust, Roland T.; Wedel, Michel; Business and Management: Marketing; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This paper develops a music recommendation system that automates the downloading of songs into a mobile digital audio device. The system tailors the composition of the songs to the preferences of individuals based on past behaviors. By assuming that an individual will listen longer to a song that provides a higher utility, we describe and predict individual listening behavior using a lognormal hazard function. Our recommendation system is the first to accomplish this and there is no viable alternative. Yet, our proposed approach provides an improvement over naïve methods that could be used for product recommendations. Our system has a number of distinct features. First, we use of a Sequential Monte Carlo algorithm that enables the system to deal with massive historic datasets on listening behavior of individuals. Second, we apply a variable selection procedure that helps to reduce the dimensionality of the problem, because in many applications the collection of songs need to be described by a very large number of explanatory variables (in particular music genres variables). Third, our system recommends a batch of products rather than a single product, taking into account the predicted utility and the uncertainty in the parameter estimates, and applying experimental design methods. The simulation section of this paper demonstrated that our model does achieve it objectives in handling massive data and improving predictions through model averaging. By using simulated data in the simulation, and thus knowing the true parameters, the Sequential Monte Carlo and variable selection procedures were shown to provide good estimates of an individual's preferences. Experimental results show that variable selection does simplify estimation and prediction as different individuals differ in the number of variables need to definite their listening behaviors. The results also show that for some individuals, model averaging does in fact help to improve predictions. The results of the experiment show that our model provides 23 - 35% improvement in recommendations. This improvement is achieved in a single wave and in a natural experimental setting in which the subjects have a choice or when, where and how they want to listen to the songs.
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    Essays on Making Interdependent Decisions and Their Evaluations
    (2007-04-30) Oza, Shweta S; Srivastava, Joydeep; Business and Management: Marketing; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This dissertation comprises of two essays that investigate factors influencing interdependent decision-making and the evaluations of such decision outcomes. In the first essay, we examine the influence of time taken by a bargaining opponent to respond to an offer on bargainers' perceptions of their own bargaining outcomes. Extending previous research in several important ways, we propose and test a conceptualization where inferences of opponent's reservation price lie at the core of the underlying explanation. Second, we provide additional insight into the underlying process by showing that delay influences perceptions of bargaining outcomes only when it is related to the bargaining. Third, unlike previous work that examined the effect of delay when an offer was accepted, we extend the inquiry to situations where an offer is rejected. Fourth, we identify and test two factors - knowledge of opponent's best alternative to negotiated agreement and persuasion knowledge - that moderate the influence of response time on perceptions of bargaining outcomes. Results of five studies provide insight into the underlying process by identifying and testing boundary conditions for the effect of delay. In the second essay, we focus on generic campaigns that are funded voluntarily (rather than mandatory contributions), and examine the influence of situational factors (e.g., market trends) and solicitation appeals on voluntary contributions to a generic campaign. Viewing generic advertising campaigns as a public goods problem, a conceptual framework based on goal systems theory is developed to suggest that situational factors such as market trends induce different goals, which in turn, influence voluntary contributions. The conceptual framework also suggests that a solicitation appeal that is more congruent with the induced goal is likely to be more effective in increasing voluntary contributions relative to incongruent appeals. Consistent with the framework, three studies show that voluntary contributions to generic campaigns are higher when the market trend is declining versus increasing. Further, solicitations that make the induced goal and the means to achieve that goal salient are more effective in increasing contributions. The implications of the findings are discussed along with directions for future research.
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    Advances in Mathematical Models in Marketing
    (2007-04-18) Aravindakshan, Ashwin; Rust, Roland T; Business and Management: Marketing; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This dissertation comprises a series of three essays that relate advances made to both theoretical and empirical issues in marketing. The first essay discusses the issue of endogeneity of market share and price in logit models and provides a theoretical procedure to solve this problem. The inseparability of demand and price make the possibility of drawing definite conclusions about either almost impossible. We employ a recently rediscovered mathematical function called the 'LambertW' to solve this problem of endogeneity and in turn yield logit models more conducive to theoretical study. We also employ this methodology to the problem studied by Basuroy and Nguyen (1998). The second essay deals with the issue of pricing implicit bundling. Implicit bundles are products that are sold separately but provide an enhanced level of satisfaction if purchased together. We develop a model that would account for the possible relationships of the products across the different product lines. We show that accounting for these relationships would decrease the amount of price competition in the market and also allow the Firm to enjoy higher profits. We also account for the endogeneity of price and market share when deriving the optimal solutions. We show that optimal prices first increase as the relationship between the firm's two products become stronger and then decrease as the two products become more exclusive to each other. Finally, we also find that a firm's prices increase as the competitor's contingent valuations increase. The third essay helps improve the efficacy of CRM interventions by analyzing the latent psychological loyalty states of the customer. We use state space models to predict these latent loyalty states using observed data. We then use the predicted values of loyalty to derive the probability of repurchase of the customer. We also identify the types of CRM interventions that play a role in improving the loyalty of the customer to the firm and those interventions that have no effect. We compare our model's predictions to those derived from two other estimation methods. We find that our predictions are better than those computed from the other methods discussed.
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    Influencing Consumers' Preferences: The Effects of Mental Construal and Mode of Information Processing
    (2006-03-27) Thompson, Debora Viana; Rust, Roland T.; Hamilton, Rebecca W.; Marketing; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This dissertation comprises a series of three essays that investigate the influence of consumers' mental construal and information processing on product evaluations. In the first essay, we examine shifts in consumers' preferences for products before and after a direct product use experience. This essay investigates how consumers balance their desire for product capability and product usability when they evaluate products with different numbers of features, before and after use. Three studies show that consumers understand that there are usability costs and capability benefits when features are added to products. However, consumers tend to give more weight to capability and less weight to usability in their product evaluations before use relative to after use, which results in choices that do not maximize satisfaction after use - an effect we refer to as "feature fatigue." In the second essay, we investigate a theoretical explanation for this discrepancy between product evaluations before and after use. Based on construal level theory, we predict that changes in product preferences before and after can be explained by changes in consumers' level of mental representation before and after a direct product experience. Results indicate that when consumers evaluate products before use, they tend to adopt a higher-level, more abstract mental representation of the product, which favors desirability aspects (such as capability) over feasibility aspects (such as usability). However, after product use, consumers tend to adopt a lower-level, more concrete mental representation of the product and are more influenced by feasibility aspects than desirability aspects. In the third essay, we investigate the influence of two modes of information processing, analytical and imagery processing, on consumers' evaluations of products that are advertised through comparative and noncomparative ads. We propose that matching ad format and consumers' mode of information processing improves ad effectiveness by enhancing information processability. Results show that when consumers are exposed to comparative ads, evaluations of the sponsor product are enhanced when consumers use analytical processing as opposed to imagery processing. In contrast, when consumers are exposed to noncomparative ads, evaluations of the sponsor product are more favorable when they use imagery processing rather than analytical processing.
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    Essays on New Product Development
    (2005-05-17) Luo, Lan; Ratchford, Brian T.; Kannan, Pallassana K.; Marketing; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    My dissertation comprises three essays that theoretically and empirically investigate three managerial relevant issues in new product development. In the first essay, our focus is to develop a methodology that allows manufacturers to account for the impact of channel acceptance in new product development. We have developed a model to incorporate the retailer's acceptance criteria, retailer's product assortment, and competing manufacturers' potential reactions directly in the design of the new product, thereby maximizing the product's success probabilities. Our model merges a game-theoretical model with micro-level data on individual consumer preferences. Therefore, this method provides a rigorous, yet practical, solution to the problems that manufacturers face regarding channel acceptance. In the second essay, we examine the impact of subjective characteristics (such as aesthetics and ergonomics) on consumer's preferences for products. Existing studies of consumer preferences such as conjoint models are limited in incorporating the influence of these subjective characteristics into product design. We have developed a model to determine whether the subjective characteristics (such as comfort) are connected with the objective product attributes (such as switch type), and whether both the objective product attributes and the subjective characteristics jointly affect consumer's evaluations towards products. We show that our model outperforms the conjoint model in understanding and designing appealing products for consumers. In the third essay, our goal is to account for variations in product performance across different usage situations and conditions and to design robust new products. Consumer durables such as appliances and power tools tend to be used in various usage situations and conditions, in which their performance can vary depending on the operating conditions. We apply a Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm (MOGA) to incorporate multi-function criteria in the generation and comparison of product design alternatives. Our approach will be particularly useful for product development teams that want to obtain customers' buy-in as well as internal buy-in early on in the product development cycle. We illustrate the approaches described above in the context of a new power tool development project undertaken by a US manufacturer.
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    Marketing of Digital Products
    (2005-04-20) Koukova, Nevena Taneva; Ratchford, Brian T.; Kannan, P.K.; Marketing; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    My dissertation comprises of three essays that theoretically and empirically investigate the marketing of digital products, which are information products such as newspapers and books sold in both physical and electronic form. In the first essay, we study product form bundling, defined as marketing two or more forms of the same product as a package. We show experimentally that, regarding information products, the usage situations communicated to consumers moderate the effect of the availability of bundle discount on the purchase likelihood for the product form bundle. We also compare the effect of different pricing strategies for information products. When no bundle discount is offered, the likelihood of buying both forms of an information product, holding the sum of their prices constant, can be increased by pricing the electronic form lower than the print form rather then pricing both at the same level. In the second essay we compare two product strategies that can be used in marketing digital products. Under standard mixed bundling companies offer full content in print and electronic form and the bundle of the two, while under content unbundled mixed bundling companies offer full content in print form, unbundled content in electronic form, and the bundle of the two. Which strategy is more attractive for a company to pursue? We model the profits under these two strategies and outline conditions in which one or the other leads to higher profit. We apply our analytical framework to data from a field experiment implemented on the website of a book publisher. The third essay investigates the attractiveness of complete product lines of items such as books and newspapers. We employ a choice experiment in which a sample of consumers is presented with hypothetical product scenarios asked to make a choice. The data is used to develop a profit-maximizing configuration of products and prices. Similar approaches to the product line pricing problem have been employed for conventional products, but not when bundling of different forms of a product is an option, and not when the different products may be complements rather than substitutes.