This research examines whether and how temporal landmarks influence consumer preference for high-arousing products. Across four experiments, we demonstrate that consumers primed with the starting (vs. neural) temporal landmark generate a higher preference for high-arousing products, regardless whether the products induce positive or negative emotional experiences. We also demonstrate that this effect is mediated by consumers’ desire for subjective vitality and that this effect will be attenuated when consumers can increase subjective vitality in other ways. Our findings extend the current literature on temporal landmark and arousal, and highlight the importance of timing to a successful promotion for high-arousing products.

There is a deviation of entrepreneurs’ public morality and private morality, in which entrepreneurs invest unequal resource in public and private morality field. Through second data analyses and empirical tests, we demonstrate that entrepreneurs’ public morality deviations (public moral behavior is much better than private moral behavior) negatively influence consumers’ market legitimacy perception toward entrepreneurs because consumers perceive it doesn’t conform with the norm ‘Li’; while entrepreneurs’ private morality deviations (private moral behavior is much better than public moral behavior) can negatively influence consumers’ social legitimacy perception toward entrepreneurs because consumers perceive it doesn’t conform with the norm ‘Qing’. Moreover, companies can help attenuate the negative impact on entrepreneurs by choosing companies’ matching values. Specifically, for entrepreneurs’ public morality deviation behavior, companies may put forward value rationality to enhance consumers’ market legitimacy perception toward entrepreneurs; for entrepreneurs’ private morality deviation behavior, companies may put forward instrumental rationality to enhance consumers’ social legitimacy perception toward entrepreneurs.

When charitable organizations conduct charitable advertising, they need to use different advertising appeals to improve the donation effect. Based on self-construction theory, Elaboration Likelihood Model and information framework theory, this study verifies the matching effect of charity advertising appeal and self-construction through four experiments. The research results show that the advertising appeals that highlight the information of charitable organizations can make independent donors have higher willingness to donate; the advertising appeals that highlight the information of the recipients can make dependent donors have higher willingness to donate. In addition, the information framework of charitable advertising (promoting framework vs. defense framework) has a regulatory effect on the matching effect of charity advertising appeal and self-construction. Adopting a promotion framework can improve the matching effect between charity appeals and independent donors; using a defensive framework can improve the matching effect of grantee appeals and dependent donors. This study provides theoretical support for charity organizations to design charity advertisements for different types of donors, and has certain theoretical significance and practical value.

According to the Mere Exposure Effect Model, the current study explores the effect of relative vertical location of Chinese-English Brand Name on consumers’ brand evaluation, and the impacts of visual attention, L2 proficiency on this relationship. Study 1 demonstrates that dual-name where English name placed above Chinese name is rated higher than reverse one. Study 2 further explores the mediation effect of visual attention between dual-name and consumers’ brand evaluation. In the study of 3, the moderating role of L2 proficiency is examined. Specifically, for bilinguals of high proficiency in non-dominant language (English), placing the English name above the Chinese will be higher evaluated; for bilinguals of low proficiency in non-dominant language, placing the English name high or low is unlikely to affect consumers’ brand evaluation.

This research examines the effect of success and failure results on consumers’ risk preference. Using different manipulations of success and failure and different measurements of risk preference tendency, five experiments were conducted to demonstrate that a clear success increases consumers’ sense of power, which in turn raises their subsequent risk preference; a clear failure, however, decreases consumers’ sense of power, which in turn reduces their subsequent risk preference. Furthermore, a close result can moderate this effect; that is, the difference between narrow-winners and narrow-losers’ risk preference is weakened. This study further enriches the research about the impact of success or failure on individual’s behavior, and provides suggestions on how to use the results of online and offline competitions to carry out marketing activities.

This paper examines the influence of the gig economy on a monopoly's optimal product line design. We consider a service monopoly facing demand uncertainty, trade-offs between advantages and disadvantages of the gig economy and suggest an optimal product line design. We find that under the gig economy optimal employment strategies can be categorized as Pure Flexibility, Mixed Flexibility and No Flexibility according to the relative working efficiency and the unit labor cost in the gig economy. Furthermore, the optimal service level depends on the final demand realization and the relative efficient cost of flexible hiring. When the final demand realization is good or the relative efficient cost of flexible hirng is low, the gig economy will drive up service levels. If the final demand realization is bad and the relative efficient cost of flexible hirng is high, the gig economy will drive down service levels. Finally, the firm invests more in human resources under the gig economy, but it may drive down consumer surplus and social welfare.

The current research examined how posted pictures of online consumer reviews (consumer picture vs. product picture vs. no picture) influenced consumers’ product evaluation. Results showed that consumer pictures enhanced product evaluation. Study 1 testified that persuasive effect was the mechanism behind the main effect. Study 2 showed that for problem-solving product, consumer pictures increased product evaluation significantly; for enhancing product, there was no significant difference of product evaluation for consumer picture, product picture and no picture. Results of Study 3 showed that for unfamiliar brand, consumer pictures significantly enhanced product evaluation; for highly familiar brand, there was no significant difference for three experimental conditions. The present research used persuasive effect to examine the mechanism behind the interaction effects.

“Service with a smile” has become a golden rule in service industry. Employees' smile intensity will bring different perceptions to consumers. Through four experiments, this research finds that effects of employees’ smile intensity (slight smile vs. broad smile) on social judgment (warmth perceptions vs. competence perceptions) is moderated by consumers’ sense of power (low power vs. high power). There is an interaction between employees’ smile intensity and consumers’ sense of power. In particular, A broad smile (vs. slight smile) enhances warmth perceptions when consumers are in low power, whereas undermines competence perceptions when consumers are in high power. Further, this interaction effect on consumers' purchase intention is mediated by warmth perceptions and competence perceptions. Our research contributes to the literature of power and facial cues, and practical implication is also discussed lastly based on our findings.