Really New Products Research Articles

Optimizing positive goal framing in advertising: differential consumer responses to new product categories

PurposeThis research delves into the nuanced effects of positive goal framing quantity in advertising on consumer reactions towards new products, categorizing them into incrementally new products (INPs) and really new products (RNPs). It moves beyond the traditional binary evaluation of advertising effectiveness, offering a more intricate analysis of consumer engagement based on product novelty.Design/methodology/approachEmploying a comprehensive dataset encompassing 461 digital video advertisements from six leading technology-centric firms, this study employs content analysis alongside hierarchical polynomial regression to dissect the dynamics between the volume of positive goal framings and consumer engagements. This examination is contextualized within the spectrum of product innovation, offering insights into the differential consumer behaviors elicited by INPs and RNPs.FindingsThe investigation uncovers a non-linear, inverted U-shaped correlation between the volume of positive goal framings and consumer responses. This relationship exhibits variability in its intensity between INPs and RNPs, with INPs demonstrating a more pronounced response variability around a higher inflection point on the curve. This pattern underscores the complex interplay between goal framing and product novelty in shaping consumer perceptions and actions.Originality/valueThis study pioneers the exploration of goal framing within the realm of product advertising, shifting the analytical lens from its traditional roots in health and medicine to the intricacies of consumer behavior in response to advertising. By introducing a distinctive classification of product newness through INPs and RNPs, the research augments current understanding of effective advertising strategies, delivering profound insights for marketers and advertisers in tailoring their campaigns to align with consumer expectations and product characteristics.

The chameleon in consumers: Development and validation of a scale to measure Consumers' Cognitive Flexibility

AbstractThis paper introduces a new scale, the Consumers' Cognitive Flexibility Scale (CCF‐Scale). Consumers' Cognitive Flexibility (CCF) is conceptualized as the adaptation to changes in the environment and to product options by exhibiting flexible thoughts, feelings, and actions. This scale is a new measure of consumers' mental capabilities to understand and evaluate unknown products. Especially, really new products (RNPs) are highly innovative and different from well‐known products in the market. A flexible mindset can help integrate RNPs into existing knowledge structures. The CCF‐Scale was developed and tested with four prestudies and four representative studies with 1057, 696, 494 German, and 506 US consumers. The prestudies were used to ensure face and content validity and to select products for criterion validity. The findings demonstrate a reliable and valid scale in both countries consisting of 14 items with three CCF‐facets: Coping (with consumption problems), Perspective (change for product/information evaluation), and Alignment (to changes in the environment). Results show that the CCF‐facets help explain RNP‐acceptance across different categories (e.g., food, furniture, and digital services). One limitation is the article's focus on RNPs. Still, marketers can use these findings to adjust instructions on how to use RNPs and to communicate more effectively, for example by using analogies.

More Is Not Better: An Inverted U-Shaped Relationship Between Advertising Creative Strategies and Consumer Review Valence

Since many companies choose to publish digital video advertisements with creative features on the Internet to promote new products. This study aims to examine the impact of the number of creative strategies (NCS) in adverting messages on consumer review valence and explore whether this impact varies by new product type (incrementally new products vs. really new products). Based on the method of content analysis and empirical analysis on 564 digital video advertisements published by six world-renowned electronic product brands from 2018 to 2019 on YouTube, this study draws three main conclusions: (1) whether new products belong to incremental new products (INPs) or really new products (RNPs), there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between NCS and consumer review valence; (2) the inflection point of NCS (INP) is greater than the inflection point of NCS (RNP) and (3) the maximum value of consumer response for INP is greater than that for RNP. This study not only provides a new theoretical perspective for NCS, but also contributes valuable guiding principles for designing the effective advertising creative strategies for new products.

More is not necessarily better: an inverted U-shaped relationship between positively framed attributes and advertising effectiveness

PurposeMany companies must choose a marketing strategy to promote new products. This includes publishing digital video advertising with interactive features on the Internet. Guided by the attribute-framing theory, this study investigates the impact of the number of positive attribute framings (NPAF) in advertising messages on consumer responses. This study aims to check whether new products are incrementally new products (INPs) or really new products (RNPs).Design/methodology/approachContent analysis was conducted to identify the forms and components of attribute framing used in advertisements and consumer responses (i.e. review valence). Furthermore, this study followed an expert scoring procedure to identify product newness (INP vs. RNP). Hierarchical polynomial regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between the NPAF, customer response and product newness.FindingsThis study has three main findings: (1) regardless of whether the new product is INP or RNP, there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between NPAF and consumer responses; (2) the inflection point of NPAF (INP) is greater than the inflection point of NPAF (RNP) and (3) the maximum value of consumer response for INP is greater than that for RNP.Originality/valueThis study sheds light on the effectiveness of attribute framing in new product advertising. Compared to previous research on attribute framing of advertising, this study is based on a realistic scenario in which multiple attributes are framed within a given advertisement copy. Furthermore, secondary data were used to test the impact of NPAF on consumer responses and further explore the effects of product newness.

CONSUMERS’ RESPONSE TO REALLY NEW PRODUCTS: A COHESIVE SYNTHESIS OF CURRENT RESEARCH AND FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS

The past decades have witnessed an abundance of research on how consumers learn about, evaluate, and adopt really new products (RNPs)—products that are hard to define using existing product categories and require behavioural changes. Yet, every year, RNPs fail to garner consumer enthusiasm despite promising interesting new features and benefits. The goal of this research is to synthesise extant RNP knowledge with a focus on consumer behaviour and identify future research opportunities. To that end, we screened 587 papers published in marketing journals related to new products and focused on all those that specifically examine consumers’ reaction to new products (53 core papers). We build their findings into a cohesive framework illuminating how consumers learn about RNPs and evaluate their novel benefits considering the uncertainty surrounding these benefits. We also derive recommendations for managers to communicate the utility of a RNP more effectively. We conclude by identifying under-researched aspects and offering suggestions for future research.

The impact of online review variance of new products on consumer adoption intentions

Contributing to the literature on online review variance, we investigate consumer adoption intentions in three studies looking at various perspectives regarding new products. Study 1 demonstrates that really new products (RNPs) with low review variance lead to higher adoption intentions, while incrementally new products (INPs) with high review variance lead to higher adoption intentions. Study 2 shows that risk perceptions and uniqueness perceptions are the mechanisms underlying the interaction effect between product newness and online review variance. Study 3 considers cultural values to explore the premise’s boundary, finding that indulgent consumers tend to prefer INPs with high variance reviews while restrained consumers are more likely to adopt RNPs with low variance. These findings offer theoretical and managerial implications for managing the online review variance of new products.

'Complexity in simplicity': the effects of visual complexity on consumers' comprehension of product innovations

Designers are frequently involved in embodying product innovations. It is challenging to embody really new products (RNPs) because consumers often have difficulty comprehending them. This study exp...

Strategies for Marketing Really New Products to the Mass Market: A Text Mining-Based Case Study of Virtual Reality Games

This paper reports on a text mining-based case study aimed at determining how virtual reality (VR) games, as examples of really new products (RNPs), market themselves when they are introduced to the mass market. The goal was to examine the marketing foci of RNPs and any subsequent changes over time when the RNPs survive. VR games are a type of RNP offering several unique benefits, such as immersive gameplay and storytelling, which are advanced compared with their earlier counterparts. To examine the marketing foci of VR games, we collected 17,000 pieces of promotional text from a major online gaming marketplace, Steam Store, published from the beginning of the second quarter of 2016 to the third quarter of 2018. We performed text analysis (topic modeling) and found that game marketers paid particular attention to the VR nature of VR games when they first entered the marketplace. However, game content increasingly was emphasized in subsequent quarters. In addition, the marketing foci for VR games seemed to go through an exploratory process, which was not observed among non-VR games in the same period. The results offer insights into how the focus of RNPs’ marketing evolves as their newness fades.

A smart home system is like a “Mother”!

Really new products (RNPs) are often difficult to comprehend, which may hinder consumers’ adoption. It is generally believed that designers can stimulate consumers’ comprehension by embodying RNPs in the form of product metaphors. However, empirical evidence for this is lacking. This study empirically examines the effects of product metaphors on consumers’ comprehension of RNPs. The findings of an experiment (N= 114) demonstrated an interaction effect of the presence of a product metaphor and a textual clue that explains the product metaphor on consumers’ comprehension of RNPs. Specifically, embodying a RNP in the form of a product metaphor will confuse consumers and reduce comprehension, unless the product metaphor is also explained through a textual clue.

Is love really blind? The effect of emotional brand attachment on the perceived risk of really new products

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of emotional brand attachment in consumers’ evaluation of new products that represent technological innovation.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative study was conducted using survey data from a nationally representative probability sample of US consumers (n= 624) to understand the role of emotional brand attachment in the context of consumers’ evaluation of really new products (RNPs). A framework was developed and tested using structural equation modeling that included emotional brand attachment, brand trust, product incongruity, product familiarity, perceived risk, willingness to try, product evaluation and word-of-mouth intentions.FindingsThe results support the role of emotional brand attachment in the diffusion of RNPs. Specifically, results indicated that increased brand attachment reduces consumers’ perceived risk associated with a RNP and increases brand trust. Both constructs played a key role in shaping willingness to try the innovation, word-of-mouth intentions and product evaluation. Findings of this paper add explanatory power to demand-prediction models that more accurately describe the mechanism of the innovation adoption process. For marketing managers, the results emphasize the importance of consumer–brand emotional connections.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper used a cross-sectional design; it would be interesting to use a longitudinal design to examine if the role of emotional brand attachment changes over time and how the changes might impact consumers’ perceptions and behaviors in the context of RNPs.Originality/valueThis is the first paper to explore the role of emotional brand attachment in the context of RNPs and consumers’ potential behavioral outcomes.

Mental simulation and category knowledge affect really new product evaluation through transportation.

We propose that when consumers encounter really new products (RNPs), defined as products that allow consumers to do something they have never been able to do before and whose benefits are often ambiguous at first, they spontaneously generate mental simulations in an attempt to assess the value of these products. When these self-generated simulations are in the form of sufficiently engrossing and vivid narratives, they can evoke transportation, a phenomenological experience of being "lost" in a story. We also assert that consumers with extensive experience in a related product category are most likely to produce vivid and absorbing simulations that lead to narrative transportation. When consumers are transported within their simulations, it ultimately enhances their overall evaluations of the RNP. Thus, we find that those with more product category knowledge evaluate RNPs more favorably than those with less knowledge, due to the extent to which they are transported by their thoughts. (PsycINFO Database Record

Of clouds and zombies: How and when analogical learning improves evaluations of really new products

Really new products (RNPs) defy classification within existing categories while challenging consumers' prior knowledge and thus are often difficult to fully appreciate. Using analogies to help consumers learn about novel features and benefits is one approach proposed in the new product literature. We examine the impact of revealing more stages of an analogy (access, mapping/transfer, and inference) and the proximity of the base domain of the analogy on evaluations of an RNP. When the base domain is similar to the new product, adding mapping/transfer information leads to more favorable evaluations, while adding the desired inference reduces evaluations. However, when the base domain is distant from the new product, revealing more information on the analogy leads to higher evaluations of RNPs. The enjoyment that arises from solving the analogy mediates the relationship between analogy completeness and product evaluations.

Information acceleration to improve strategic management decisions

Purpose – Really new products (RNP) run the risk not only of technical problems in the development process, but also of problems with customer acceptance. Because market uncertainty in particular is frequently high, many top management teams defer essential management decisions on these products until sufficient information is available to be able to make a sound decision. In many cases, however, the market is already been divided up by that time. The purpose of this paper is to examine how better information about customers can be acquired by providing them with a better offering of information which has been prepared in a variety of forms (“information acceleration”) and how management decisions can be improved as a result. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on modern models for decision making under uncertainty that incorporate group decisions, and shows how the measurement of purchasing behavior can be improved by information acceleration in a test studio. This is needed because customers generally cannot draw on mentally established analogies in the case of RNP, so that they are virtually unable to make meaningful statements that would improve strategic management decisions when completing standard customer surveys. A test studio was set up in the form of a Car Clinic for the example of a future electric vehicle as a RNP. 121 customers were to be offered a wide variety of information (about the future urban environment, the design of the vehicle concept and the driver’s experience), partly in order to acquire information about the customers. In particular, the extent to which customers could better evaluate their purchasing probability and willingness to pay certain prices and the extent to which the variance of customer opinions was reduced after attending the Car Clinic were examined, because these factors make it easier to forecast future sales revenue and management decisions can be made more easily. Findings – The results reveal that information acceleration in a test studio can improve the estimation of sales revenue in an early decision-making phase and can have a positive influence on decision-making behavior under uncertainty. Originality/value – This study provides an empirical, valuable step toward an investigation of management decisions on RNP under uncertainty.

The Moderating Role of Personal Need for Structure on the Evaluation of Incrementally New Products versus Really New Products

ABSTRACTPrevious literature about the impacts of product newness on consumers’ acceptance of new products pointed out that consumers are more prone to purchase incrementally new products (INPs) than really new products (RNPs). This study investigated the moderating role of individual difference in personal need for structure (PNS) on consumers’ evaluation of INP versus RNP. The inverted‐U evaluation pattern of the schema congruity effect was predicted to be left‐skewed for high‐PNS consumers and right‐skewed for low‐PNS consumers as regards their evaluations of INP versus RNP. The results of Study 1 showed that low‐PNS consumers evaluated RNPs higher than INPs. High‐PNS consumers evaluated INPs higher than RNPs consistent with the prediction; however, the result was not significant. Relative to this issue, the moderating role of PNS on consumers’ evaluation of INP versus RNP may have been affected by consumers’ product category knowledge. The results of Study 2 verified the left‐ and right‐skewed inverted‐U hypotheses and showed that the moderating effect of PNS was evident only for novice consumers. Theoretical contributions and managerial implications from the results of the studies are discussed.

Is a Picture Always Worth a Thousand Words? The Impact of Presentation Formats in Consumers' Early Evaluations of Really New Products (RNPs)

Really new products (RNPs) enable consumers to do things they have never been able to do before. However, research has shown that consumers have difficulties understanding the benefits of such novel products, and therefore, adoption intentions remain low. Mental simulations and analogies have been identified as effective framing strategies to convey the benefits of RNPs. However, existing research has focused solely on the use of mental simulations and analogies conveyed using words, whereas these can also be conveyed using pictures. Although the general consumer research literature points to a superiority effect of pictures, because the underlying mechanisms that individuals use to understand RNPs differ entirely from those used for traditional products, there is a need to study the impact of pictures for RNPs. Moreover, prior work has not examined differences in RNP type. The present research argues that RNPs can be utilitarian, hedonic, or hybrid and that the optimal presentation format (words versus pictures) is contingent upon the type of RNP considered. Consequently, failure to acknowledge this distinction could lead to negative consequences. The present study aims to identify the impact of alternative presentation formats (i.e., words versus pictures) presented using different framing strategies (i.e., analogies versus mental simulations) on individual responses (i.e., product comprehension and attitude to the product) to three types of RNPs (i.e., utilitarian versus hedonic versus hybrid). Hypotheses are tested by means of an experimental study. The results of the study show that the effectiveness of alternative combinations of framing strategies and presentation formats in enhancing comprehension and attitude for RNPs depends on product type (utilitarian versus hedonic versus hybrid). The empirical findings presented not only extend prior work on consumer responses to mental simulations and analogies for RNPs, but also establish connections between this literature and an underdeveloped stream of research on hybrid products, as well as a broader stream of research on utilitarian versus hedonic product benefits. The findings suggest that practitioners may not have been using optimal marketing communications strategies to convey the benefits of RNPs. Strategies that may help enhance consumer responses to RNPs by taking into consideration product type (utilitarian versus hedonic versus hybrid) are put forward.

A Moderating Role of Personal Need for Structure on the Effects of Process versus Outcome Simulations on the Evaluation of Really New Products

Really new products (RNPs) provide novel benefits yet many consumers are reluctant to accept these highly innovative new products. Previous literature has shown that mental simulation is an ef-fective method for enhancing the evaluation of RNPs. However. Castano et al. (2008) and Zhao, Hoeffler, and Zauberman (2011) demonstrate conflicting results as to which type of mental simu-lation (i.e ., process versus outcome) is more effective for the enhancement of RNP evaluation. The authors try to reconcile these results by incorporating a moderating variable which is personal need for structure (PNS). PNS is an individual difference variable that taps the differences in people`s propensity to cognitively structure and simplify their environment (Neuberg and Newsom 1993). From the analysis of the previous two works, the authors point out that consumers` susceptibility to uncertainty may contribute to the different results, and suggest that this susceptibility is dependent on consumers` PNS. To test the hypotheses established an experiment was conducted. Waterless washing machine was presented as a RNP and PNS was measured by using the 12-item PNS Scale (Thompson et al. 2001). The results of the study show that for high-PNS consumers, process sim-ulation is more effective than outcome simulation for enhancing the evaluation of a RNP. whereas for low-PNS consumers, outcome simulation is more effective than process simulation. This research contributes to the mental simulation and new product literature by suggesting and ver-ifying that PNS moderates the effects of process versus outcome simulations for enhancing the evalu-ation of RNPs. This research provides important managerial implications for marketing managers of RNPs. indicating that they should take account of the target consumers` PNS in planning marketing communications. Specifically, when targeting high-PNS consumers, marketing communications that en-courage process simulation may be more effective than those that encourage outcome simulation. In contrast, when targeting Iow-PNS consumers, marketing communications that encourage outcome simulation may be more effective than those that encourage process simulation.

Imagination Difficulty and New Product Evaluation

This research examines the role of imagination difficulty on the evaluation of really new products (RNPs) in comparison with incrementally new products (INPs). We extend past research on accessibility utilizing an anticipatory approach where consumers look forward and generate mental images for future product usage. We found that the role of imagination changes based on the newness of the product. Specifically, for RNPs, imagination difficulty is perceived to be diagnostic in product assessment, and thus, higher imagination difficulty leads to lower product evaluations. However, for INPs, which are shown to be less susceptible to context effects, imagination difficulty has a limited impact on product evaluations. In addition, we show that the effect of imagination difficulty on the evaluation of RNPs is moderated by the level of involvement of the consumer. Research and managerial implications are discussed.

The Role of Imagination-Focused Visualization on New Product Evaluation

In this research, the authors examine the impact of imagination-focused visualization on the evaluation of really new products (RNPs)—that is, products that provide novel benefits but involve high learning costs. They compare imagination-focused visualization with memory-focused visualization and demonstrate that an imaginative focus leads to higher evaluations of an RNP but has no effect on the evaluation of incrementally new products, which involve continuous innovations that are easier to understand. They find that the underlying mechanism for this effect is imagination's impact on the perceived value of new benefits rather than on the learning costs. Furthermore, they show that the advantage of an imaginative focus is not simply due to the increased focus on product benefits, because imagination still leads to higher product evaluation than memory-focused visualization, even if participants in both conditions are asked to think about product benefits exclusively. Finally, an explicit focus on learning costs while using an imaginative approach draws attention away from product benefits and attenuates the advantage of imagination on product evaluation.

Analogies and Mental Simulations in Learning for Really New Products: The Role of Visual Attention

Really new products (RNPs) create new product categories or at least significantly expand existing ones. The development of RNPs is a strategic priority for most companies. However, 40% to 90% of new products fail, often due to consumers' lack of understanding of product features and benefits. Learning strategies, such as analogical learning and mental simulation, can help consumers understand the benefits of RNPs and thus may contribute to the successful development of marketing campaigns. Moreover, the presentation format of marketing communications is likely to influence consumers' understanding of the product. Pictorials have the potential to convey novel information without overloading the decision maker and thus may be a more efficient way to present information about RNPs than words. This paper contributes to a better understanding of consumer information processing in learning for RNPs. Study 1 examined the impact of (1) learning strategies (analogical learning vs. mental simulation) and (2) presentation formats (words vs. pictures) on product comprehension. Study 2 used an eye‐tracking experiment to assess how respondents' visual attention patterns may affect product comprehension. Study 1 showed that the use of words in marketing communications for RNPs is generally more effective to enhance product comprehension than the use of pictorials. However, the video glasses were a notable exception as the combination of mental simulation and pictures yielded a high comprehension level for this product. This suggests that the use of pictorials may be appropriate to convey information for products of a more hedonic as opposed to utilitarian nature. Study 2 used a combination of eye‐tracking measures and self‐reports to help illuminate the cognitive processes at work when consumers learn new product information. The results suggest that an increase in attention to an element of the advert can account for one of two underlying processes: (1) an increase in comprehension; or (2) a difficulty to understand product information which may result in consumer confusion. This study adds evidence to a growing body of literature that demonstrates the power of learning strategies such as mental simulation and analogical learning in preparing consumers for new product acceptance. The use of visual stimuli contributes to the debate on the effectiveness of words versus pictures, seldom applied in a new product development (NPD) context. These findings are integrated into a discussion of the managerial implications and the potential avenues for future research in the area.

As Time Goes By: Do Cold Feet Follow Warm Intentions for Really New versus Incrementally New Products?

Combining prior theory about really new products (RNPs) with temporal construal theory, the authors show in four field studies that consumers follow through less often on positive purchase intentions to buy RNPs than on intentions to buy incrementally new products (INPs), and the decrement grows over time. Compared with consumers of INPs, consumers of RNPs are less likely to think concretely about the circumstances of buying and using the products and are more poorly calibrated in their expectations of initial product use. The authors discuss implications for both the marketing of and the market research on RNPs.