The use of non-animal alternatives in the safety evaluations of cosmetics ingredients by the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS)

In Europe, the safety evaluation of cosmetics is based on the safety evaluation of each individual ingredient. Article 3 of the Cosmetics Regulation specifies that a cosmetic product made available on the market is to be safe for human health when used normally or under reasonably foreseeable conditions. For substances that cause some concern with respect to human health (e.g. colorants, preservatives, UV-filters), safety is evaluated at the Commission level by a scientific committee, presently called the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS). According to the Cosmetics Regulations, in the EU, the marketing of cosmetics products and their ingredients that have been tested on animals for most of their human health effects, including acute toxicity, is prohibited. Nevertheless, any study dating from before this prohibition took effect is accepted for the safety assessment of cosmetics ingredients. The in vitro methods reported in the dossiers summited to the SCCS are here evaluated from the published reports issued by the scientific committee of the Directorate General of Health and Consumers (DG SANCO); responsible for the safety of cosmetics ingredients. The number of studies submitted to the SCCS that do not involve animals is still low and in general the safety of cosmetics ingredients is based on in vivo studies performed before the prohibition.

Branding and Marketing Communications of Lifestyle Prescription Drugs in a Strict Legislative Environment

This thesis discusses the different possibilities to brand and promote a patented prescription lifestyle drug through different marketing communications practices. This thesis aims in explaining how branding procedures can be built in circumstances, where the legislative environment is strickt and furthermore, the environment consists of both B-to-B and B-to-C market characteristics simultaneously.

Effects of Country of Origin on Consumer Product Evaluations: Finnish clothing products in the minds of Russian tourists

Companies operating in today’s highly internationalized markets consider product differentiation the key priority in pursue to attain a constant competitive advantage in challenging global environment (Baker and Ballington 2002, 158). The main driver affecting companies’ differentiation actions was described as early as 1912 by one of the marketing pioneers A. W. Shaw (1912, 710) as meeting human wants more accurate than the competition, and thus increasing customers’ perceived value and satisfaction. Dickson and Ginter (1987, 2) point out in their study based on earlier research by Chamberlin (1965) and Porter (1976) that differentiation can be based on either tangible characteristics of a product such as design or intangible characteristics such as a brand name and country of origin (hereafter referred to as COO). The concept of COO and its impact on consumers’ evaluation of a product as an extrinsic product cue has been one of the most noteworthy topics in international marketing, having been voluminously examined by over 780 authors in more than 750 academic publications in the past 40 years (Papadopoulos and Heslop 2002, 294). Many of these studies accentuate the significant effect the COO has on consumers’ product attribute evaluations. People routinely associate country images with products and services in order to judge and categorize them based on perceived quality and risk levels; thereby COO can influence the likelihood of a purchase (Peterson and Jolibert 1995, 883-884; Verlegh and Steenkamp 1999, 523). Based on the vast research related to COO in the field of international business, it is widely recognized that the country associated with a product can act in a similar way as the name of a brand and even become a part of product’s total image. Thereby depending on customer’s values and perceptions, the product-country image can either increase or decrease perceived value.

Developing a Brand Positioning Model for International Strategic Marketing

The target of this thesis is to develop a brand positioning process model for the case company’s international operations. The model will make the process more effective and decrease the risk of relevant aspects being forgotten. The focus is on the international operations although generally the brand positioning can be seen as a standardized subject and, thus, there is no need to distinguish market areas. Constructive research approach is chosen as a research method. Internal interviews are done in order to give the much needed insight about the case company’s current processes and circumstances. Based on theory, interviews as well as internal and external material the model is built. The most difficult part in building the model is to determine the order of each phase. Also, deciding the number of each phase can be problematic. The model should be brief and assertive in order to reduce the risk of misunderstanding between employees from different units. Based on the analysis of the interviews and the theory the brand positioning process model is presented with indication of the order of each phase. The model is divided to three main groups: Analyzing the Environment, Determining the Brand Position, and Documenting the BPS. The benefits of the model are that overlapping work can be reduced, too similar brands can be noticed and it is easier to train new employees.

The Role of Non-Coercive Influence Tactics in Online Marketing

This thesis examines the effectiveness of non-coercive influence tactics in the context of consumer online behaviour. The objective of this study is to develop a comprehensive understanding of consumer online behaviour and the role of information types in affecting the consumer’s cognitive responses and behavioural outcomes. The theoretical part of the study examines the academic literature on consumer online behaviour and influence tactics used both in traditional buyer/seller relationships as well as in relationships mediated by online technologies. The empirical part of the study is carried out with four experiments that utilise non-coercive influence tactics to affect online consumer behaviour. The consumers included in this study are 18-28 year-old structural and civil engineering students in Finland, United Kingdom, United States and India. The findings suggest that non-coercive influence tactics are applicable in the online marketing context and generate cognitive responses of site awareness, site involvement and exploratory behaviour which subsequently results in behavioural outcomes of compliance, eWOM and site abandonment.

Target audience and message alignment for integrated marketing communication of luxury products: entering the Chinese market

The purpose of this study is to identify opportunities to match marketing communication message strategies with the target audience characteristics in the Chinese luxury market entry context. Therefore, consumer behaviour and psychographic marketing segmentation fields are being reviewed in a holistic view in order to identify the similarities and connection points. Through the analysis of the messages in advertisements placed in a certain luxury and fine living magazine, message creation strategies are being anticipated.

Consumers' opinions on scent marketing usage in retail environment

Tutkielman tarkoituksena on tutkia suomalaisten kuluttajien mielipiteitä ja käsityksiä tuoksumarkkinoinnin käytöstä vähittäistavarakauppa olosuhteissa. Tutkielma keskittyy tuoksumarkkinoinnin kahteen pääasialliseen osa-alueeseen vähittäistavarakaupassa; tuoksumarkkinointiin osana brändäystä ja tuoksumarkkinoinnin alitajuntaiseen käyttöön. Tutkielma on laadullinen tutkimus. Aineisto kerättiin viideltä suomalaiselta kuluttajalta ja aineistonkeruumenetelmänä toimi haastattelu. Tutkimuksen tulokset osoittavat kuluttajien mielipiteiden olevan positiivisia tuoksumarkkinoinnin käyttöä kohtaan. Tuloksien mukaan kuluttajat suosivat tuoksumarkkinoinnin käyttöä ennemmin brändäyksessä kuin tuoksumarkkinoinnin alitajuista käyttöä. Tuoksumarkkinoinnin alitajuista käyttöä ei kuitenkaan todettu täysin negatiiviseksi, sillä kuluttajat uskovat, että ostopäätös tehdään perustuen tärkeämpiin asioihin kuin tuoksuun, kuten esimerkiksi tuotteen hintaan perustuen. Kuluttajat uskovat, että alitajuisella käytöllä ei ole suurta vaikutusta asiakkaan ostopäätökseen muulloin kuin joissakin yksittäisissä heräteostoksissa.

Contemporary marketing in the high-tech industry: Perceptions of Finnish IT marketing professionals

Over the last 30 years, new technologies and globalization have radically changed the way in which marketing is conducted. However, whereas their effects on business in general have been widely discussed, the focus of the effects on marketing remains without clear recognition. Global research has been made to shed light onto the issue, but it has widely concentrated on the views of executives as well as the consumer markets. In addition, a research gap is existent in applying the concept of marketing change in a specific business-to-business (B2B) industry. Therefore, the main research question this study seeks to answer is: “How is contemporary marketing conducted in the high-technology industry?” In this research, the researcher considers the specific industry of high-technology. However, as the industry is comprised of differing markets, the focus will be given to one of the industry’s prime sectors – the information technology (IT) markets, where companies offer other firms products or services manufactured with advanced technology. The growing IT-market is considered of critical importance in the economies of technologically ready countries such as Finland, where this research is also conducted. Through multiple case studies the researcher aims to describe how the changes in technology, customer engagement and future trends have shaped the way in which successful high-tech marketing is conducted in today’s marketplace. Then, results derived from the empirical research are presented to the reader with links to existing literature. As a conclusion, a generalized framework is constructed to depict and ideal marketer-customer relationship, with emphasis on dynamic, two-way communication and its supporting elements of customer analytics, change adaptation, strategic customer communication and organizational support. From a managerial point of view, the research may provide beneficial information as contemporary marketing can yield profitable outcomes if managed correctly. As a new way to grasp competitive advantage, strategic marketing is much more data-driven and customer-focused than ever before. The study can also prove to be relevant for the academic communities, while its results may act as inspiring for new focus on the education trends of future marketers. This study was limited to the internal activities done at the high-tech industry, leaving out the considerations for co-marketing, marketing via business partners or marketing at other B2B-industries.

THE ROLE OF CULTURAL AWARENESS IN BUILDING CHINESE HEALTH FOOD BRANDS Using Netnography in Searching Cultural Arguments to Be Used for Marketing Health Foods in China

Despite the complexity of the Chinese culture consumer product businesses should apply them in building brands for Chinese markets. There are reasons to believe that cultural values and attitudes affect the buying behavior of Chinese consumers. Companies that wish to create brands in China should therefore be aware of the prevailing cultural values and consumer attitudes. This thesis will examine which values and attitudes mostly affect Chinese consumers of health food products. The study will be done by conducting a netnography. Because netnography is actually a collection methods rather than a single method, other auxiliary methods will also be applied. These methods are emotion, language and sentiment analysis (ELS analysis). Emotion analysis will be conducted because cultural values are mostly built on emotional basis. Sentiment analysis will assist in recognizing the key factors that help to locate values and attitudes. Because the netnography will be conducted in Chinese web forums by a non-native researcher, linguistic aspects should also be analyzed in parallel with emotions and sentiment analysis. The study shows that the Chinese consumers of health food products put much importance on functional, analytical and collectivistic attitudes as well as social and psychological values. Of all the twelve cultural values defined, the role of family rose above all. Also perseverance, frugality, guanxi and harmony were highly presented. The attitudes were found by recognizing certain attitude factors. Of all the factors, health foods’ functional benefits and aesthetic content together with consumers’ value consciousness surpassed other factors. Besides these results that can be applied by foreign health food companies willing to enter Chinese consumer markets, also academia can benefit this new approach for conducting ethnographies online.

Cajá-flavored drinks: a proposal for mixed flavor beverages and a study of the consumer profile

Mixed flavor beverages represent a trend that is gaining the allegiance of potential fruit juice consumers. The present study proposed to prepare mixed flavor beverages and verify their consumer acceptance. Cajá beverage (sample A) was used as the standard. The other beverages were prepared by mixing the cajá-flavored product with other flavors: strawberry (B), pineapple (C), jabuticaba (D), mango (E) and cashew (F). The consumer profiles in the two regions studied were similar. Overall beverages B, A and F were the most accepted, with scores of 7.7, 6.4 and 6.2, respectively. Internal Preference Mapping showed that most of the consumers were located near beverages A, B and F, confirming the acceptance results. The consumers indicated appearance and flavor as the most appreciated characteristics in beverages A, B and F. Beverages A, B and F presented higher total soluble solids contents and viscosities than the other beverages. Consumer segmentation did not depend on the different levels of familiarity with the cajá flavor. Thus the preparation of mixed flavor beverages of cajá-strawberry and cajá-cashew is an excellent proposal because it presents flavors with good potential for marketing in different regions of Brazil.

Impact of Word-of-Mouth on consumer decision-making: An information processing perspective in the context of a high-involvement service

This doctoral study conducts an empirical analysis of the impact of Word-of-Mouth (WOM) on marketing-relevant outcomes such as attitudes and consumer choice, during a high-involvement and complex service decision. Due to its importance to decisionmaking, WOM has attracted interest from academia and practitioners for decades. Consumers are known to discuss products and services with one another. These discussions help consumers to form an evaluative opinion, as WOM reduces perceived risk, simplifies complexity, and increases the confidence of consumers in decisionmaking. These discussions are also highly impactful as WOM is a trustworthy source of information, since it is independent from the company or brand. In responding to the calls for more research on what happens after WOM information is received, and how it affects marketing-relevant outcomes, this dissertation extends prior WOM literature by investigating how consumers process information in a highinvolvement service domain, in particular higher-education. Further, the dissertation studies how the form of WOM influences consumer choice. The research contributes to WOM and services marketing literature by developing and empirically testing a framework for information processing and studying the long-term effects of WOM. The results of the dissertation are presented in five research publications. The publications are based on longitudinal data. The research leads to the development of a proposed theoretical framework for the processing of WOM, based on theories from social psychology. The framework is specifically focused on service decisions, as it takes into account evaluation difficulty through the complex nature of choice criteria associated with service purchase decisions. Further, other gaps in current WOM literature are taken into account by, for example, examining how the source of WOM and service values affects the processing mechanism. The research also provides implications for managers aiming to trigger favorable WOM through marketing efforts, such as advertising and testimonials. The results provide suggestions on how to design these marketing efforts by taking into account the mechanism through which information is processed, or the form of social influence.

The Legal Implications of Internet Marketing : Exploiting the Digital Marketplace Within the Boundaries of the Law

Au cours des dernières années, le domaine de la consommation a grandement évolué. Les agents de marketing ont commencé à utiliser l’Internet pour influencer les consommateurs en employant des tactiques originales et imaginatives qui ont rendus possible l’atteinte d'un niveau de communication interpersonnelle qui avait précédemment été insondable. Leurs interactions avec les consommateurs, en utilisant la technologie moderne, se manifeste sous plusieurs formes différentes qui sont toutes accompagnés de leur propre assortiment de problèmes juridiques. D’abord, il n'est pas rare pour les agents de marketing d’utiliser des outils qui leur permettent de suivre les actions des consommateurs dans le monde virtuel ainsi que dans le monde physique. Les renseignements personnels recueillis d'une telle manière sont souvent utilisés à des fins de publicité comportementale en ligne – une utilisation qui ne respecte pas toujours les limites du droit à la vie privée. Il est également devenu assez commun pour les agents de marketing d’utiliser les médias sociaux afin de converser avec les consommateurs. Ces forums ont aussi servi à la commission d’actes anticoncurrentiels, ainsi qu’à la diffusion de publicités fausses et trompeuses – deux pratiques qui sont interdites tant par la loi sur la concurrence que la loi sur la protection des consommateurs. Enfin, les agents de marketing utilisent diverses tactiques afin de joindre les consommateurs plus efficacement en utilisant diverses tactiques qui les rendent plus visible dans les moteurs de recherche sur Internet, dont certaines sont considérés comme malhonnêtes et pourraient présenter des problèmes dans les domaines du droit de la concurrence et du droit des marques de commerce. Ce mémoire offre une description détaillée des outils utilisés à des fins de marketing sur Internet, ainsi que de la manière dont ils sont utilisés. Il illustre par ailleurs les problèmes juridiques qui peuvent survenir à la suite de leur utilisation et définit le cadre législatif régissant l’utilisation de ces outils par les agents de marketing, pour enfin démontrer que les lois qui entrent en jeu dans de telles circonstances peuvent, en effet, se révéler bénéfiques pour ces derniers d'un point de vue économique.

Prospects of Marketing the Indigenous Ornamental Fishes of Kerala

In this study prospects of marketing the indigenous ornamental fishes of kerala, point out that the export market, consumer preferences in the domestic ornamental fishes, SWOT (strength weakness opportunities and threats) analysis etc. The study notes that the product indigenous ornamental fishes are mostely marketed by exporters and suppliers rather than the retail aquarium shopkeepers. The research findings on the attributes of indigenous ornamental fishes that matches customers preference in aquarium fish.SWOT analysis was carried out to classify the results of the study into strengths,weakness,opportunities and threats faced by the ornamental fish industry in kerala. The marketers in the study show less market perception compaired to the exporters of India. Rather than market survey, interest and experience and raw materials availability inspires them. The developments for large scale marketing have to be carried out, ensuring the sustainable exploitation of the wild fish population by adopting conservation measures such as breeding programmes, quota implementation, setting up of natural sanctuaries to protect the natural resource of ornamental fishes.

Social Stratification and Consumer Behaviour in Kerala-A Study with Special Reference to Consumer Durables

Department of Applied Economics, Cochin University of Science and Technology

Determinants of Consumer Purchase Decisions of Health Insurance in Kerala

This research work was to study the level of awareness of consumers about health insurance concept and market, consumer perceptions about health insurance providers, schemes and various factors that influence buying decision of health insurance. There is need to bring entire age group – high risk and low risk under health insurance cover. Widening the cover of health insurance calls for indepth understanding of consumer thinking and extensive marketing efforts based on that. Hence the study of consumer perceptions and the impact of different contributing factors on consumer purchase decision assume significance to the marketer. Understanding the consumer thinking on health insurance will also be of relevance to governmental/non governmental agencies, as affordable health care to all is a policy objective of the government and new schemes are being launched in this area.