Cultural Meaning, Advertising, and National Culture: A Four-Country Study

This document is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Global Marketing on 9 October 2017. Under embargo. Embargo end date: 9 April 2019. The final, published version is available online at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08911762.2017.1376364.Cultural meaning transfer theory and GLOBE dimensions were employed in this comparative study to examine the extent to which cultural meaning presented in advertisements reflected national cultures of the target countries. Content analysis was applied to advertisements from four countries to investigate whether the use of advertising appeals presented in these advertisements mirrored variations in cultures as described by GLOBE Society Values. Results revealed that, in line with the hypotheses, there were similarities and differences in the use of appeals, and only some of them mirrored the cultural variations. GLOBE Society Values were more likely to predict the use of appeals than GLOBE Society Practices, but not for all appeals. Advertisers can draw on national cultures for cultural meanings to be used in advertisements only to a limited extent. It may be that advertisements mold rather than mirror societal values, or that only certain cultural traits are important for advertisers.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Interleukin 1-β, Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist, and Interleukin 18 in Children with Acute Spontaneous Urticaria

Very little is known about the role of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-18 (IL-18) in urticaria. Material and Methods. Serum levels of IL-1β, IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA), and IL-18 were measured in 56 children with urticaria and in 41 healthy subjects. Results. Serum IL-1β did not differ between children with acute urticaria and controls. Children with single episode of urticaria had higher levels of IL-1RA and IL-18 than healthy subjects. In children with single episode of urticaria, level of IL-1RA correlated with C-reactive protein (CRP), D-dimer, and IL-1β levels. In subjects with recurrence of urticaria IL-1RA was positively correlated with WBC and D-dimer levels. No correlation of cytokine levels and urticaria severity scores (UAS) in all children with urticaria was observed. In children with single episode of urticaria UAS correlated with CRP level. In the group with single episode of urticaria and in children with symptoms of upper respiratory infection, IL-1RA and IL-18 levels were higher than in controls. The former was higher than in noninfected children with urticaria. In conclusion, this preliminary study documents that serum IL-1RA and IL-18 levels are increased in some children with acute urticaria. However further studies are necessary to define a pathogenic role of IL-1β, IL-1RA, and IL-18 in urticaria

Brands: culture, leadership and differentiation: testing the effectiveness of highly performance-oriented appeal in four European countries.

This study examined the effectiveness of global consumer culture positioning strategy executed via highly performance-oriented appeal across four European countries. An advertising appeal that is favourably perceived in different markets should be a suitable candidate for use as part of a standardised strategy. The results indicate homogeneous acceptance of examined appeal. This is an Accepted Manuscript of a book chapter published by Routledge in Contemporary issues in branding on 04/12/2019, available online: https://www.routledge.com/Contemporary-Issues-in-Branding-1st-Edition/Foroudi-Palazzo/p/book/978113836854

Global consumer culture positioning: the use of global consumer culture positioning appeals across four European countries

This study proposes a framework of advertising appeals which could be used to express global consumer culture positioning (GCCP) strategy in advertising. The paper examines the use of such appeals in print advertising from four European countries comparing 847 advertisements for durable and non-durable goods from Poland, Hungary, Ireland and the UK. Contrary to expectations, GCCP appeals were more often used in advertisements for non-durable goods than durable goods. The study confirmed the expectation that GCCP appeals would be more frequently used in advertising in less developed markets than in more developed markets. The proposed framework of GCCP appeals may be useful to practitioners wishing to use this positioning strategy

How are we tempted into debt? Emotional appeals in loan advertisements in UK newspapers

Purpose: This study examined the use of emotional appeals in advertisements for loans and explored consumers’ perceptions of advertisements featuring such appeals in order to explore how emotional meanings are transferred to consumers via advertising. Design/methodology/approach: Study 1 employed content analysis to examine the use of emotional appeals in loan advertisements. Over 2900 editions of eight British newspapers were monitored for advertisements for loans containing emotional appeals. Study 2 employed 33 semi-structured interviews to explore consumers’ perceptions of emotional appeals in loan advertisements. Findings: Loans were positioned as services providing relief, security, and excitement. The use of negative emotional appeals such as guilt, fear, and sorrow was sporadic. Loans that carried the most risk were advertised with positive emotional appeals the most frequently. Five dimensions of perceptions of emotional loan advertisements were conceptualised from the reported data in Study 2. Originality: This is the first study in the UK to examine the use of emotional appeals in loan advertising and to explore consumers’ perceptions of loan advertisements featuring emotional appeals. The study identified five dimensions of perceptions of emotional appeals

How well does GLOBE predict values in advertising? A content analysis of print advertising from the UK, Ireland, Poland amd Hungary.

This cross-cultural comparative study investigated differences in the frequency and types of value appeals used in print advertising from Poland, the UK, Hungary and Ireland. The methodological approach was content analysis; Pollay‟s (1983) value appeals were linked to the GLOBE dimensions (House et al 2004). While there were some consistent value appeals across the four countries, there were also marked differences. The differences did not vary consistently with, and could not be explained by, the GLOBE cultural dimensions. Further research is needed to determine how the differences and similarities between the four countries may be explained

How are we tempted into debt? Emotional appeals in loan advertisements in UK newspapers

Purpose: This study examined the use of emotional appeals in advertisements for loans and explored consumers’ perceptions of advertisements featuring such appeals in order to explore how emotional meanings are transferred to consumers via advertising. Design/methodology/approach: Study 1 employed content analysis to examine the use of emotional appeals in loan advertisements. Over 2900 editions of eight British newspapers were monitored for advertisements for loans containing emotional appeals. Study 2 employed 33 semi-structured interviews to explore consumers’ perceptions of emotional appeals in loan advertisements. Findings: Loans were positioned as services providing relief, security, and excitement. The use of negative emotional appeals such as guilt, fear, and sorrow was sporadic. Loans that carried the most risk were advertised with positive emotional appeals the most frequently. Five dimensions of perceptions of emotional loan advertisements were conceptualised from the reported data in Study 2. Originality: This is the first study in the UK to examine the use of emotional appeals in loan advertising and to explore consumers’ perceptions of loan advertisements featuring emotional appeals. The study identified five dimensions of perceptions of emotional appeals

Edible High Town: Assessing the value of urban community gardens.

This report is the joint product of evaluation by a London South Bank University academic (Dr Barbara Czarnecka) and Edible High Town coordinator (Konni Deppe). This report presents an evaluation of an urban community gardening initiative, Edible High Town. Community gardens, including urban community gardens such as Edible High Town, involve: “the communal cultivation of plants, varying in form according to local contexts and the needs and desires of gardening spaces and local residents. It includes collective gardening undertaken for community development, food production, health promotion, horticultural therapy, collective action, and environmental and permaculture education.” In the past, urban community gardens have been identified as providing a model for promoting sustainable urban living. At present, community gardens, especially those located in deprived urban areas such as High Town in Luton, have been used as a public health tool to foster particular health outcomes related to healthy eating, mental health and physical exercise. Moreover, such gardens are also seen as initiatives that contribute to community cohesion by cultivating connections between neighbours and contributing to the regeneration of deprived areas and hence improving the well-being of residents. Hence, this evaluation focuses on assessing the social, health, economic, and environmental benefits of Edible High Town initiative. The report is divided into the following sections: 1) What is Edible High Town? 2) How did we evaluate Edible High Town? Evaluation framework and evaluation methodology; 3) Evaluation results; and 4) Recommendations and conclusion

How values of individualism and collectivism influence impulsive buying and money budgeting: the mediating role of acculturation to global consumer culture

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Czarnecka, B, Schiviniski, B and Keles, S (2020) How values of individualism and collectivism influence impulsive buying and money budgeting: the mediating role of acculturation to global consumer culture. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, which will be published in final form at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14791838. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions This study examined the effects of individual-level cultural values of individualism and collectivism on impulsive buying and money budgeting, and the mediating role of acculturation to global consumer culture. By applying the person-environment fit theory and acculturation theory, we argue that people who hold cultural values congruent with the culture they come into contact with are more likely to acculturate to it, and that those who acculturate to global consumer culture (GCC) are more likely to display consumption behaviors stimulated by GCC, namely impulsive buying and poor money budgeting. The findings show that consumers acculturated to GCC report higher impulsive buying and lower money budgeting, and that it is not the distinction between individualism and collectivism, but rather between the vertical and horizontal values that determines the acceptance of GCC and the studied consumption behaviors. Results revealed that vertical individualists (those who believe in competition between individuals and who prioritize their needs over the needs of others) and vertical collectivists (those who believe in the subordination of individuals to groups) were more likely to be acculturated to GCC. Thus, the acceptance of inequality between individuals amongst other individuals, or within groups, is related to the acceptance of GCC and impulsive buying and money budgeting. The level of acculturation to GCC mediates the relations between vertical individualism and collectivism values and impulsive buying and money budgeting. Theoretical contributions to the research on horizontal/vertical individualism/collectivism, acculturation to GCC, and person-environment fit theory, as well as practical implications for marketers are discussed

Blood pressure response to renal denervation is correlated with baseline blood pressure variability: a patient-level meta-analysis

Background: Sympathetic tone is one of the main determinants of blood pressure (BP) variability and treatment-resistant hypertension. The aim of our study was to assess changes in BP variability after renal denervation (RDN). In addition, on an exploratory basis, we investigated whether baseline BP variability predicted the BP changes after RDN. Methods: We analyzed 24-h BP recordings obtained at baseline and 6 months after RDN in 167 treatmentresistant hypertension patients (40% women; age, 56.7 years; mean 24-h BP, 152/90 mmHg) recruited at 11 expert centers. BP variability was assessed by weighted SD [SD over time weighted for the time interval between consecutive readings (SDiw)], average real variability (ARV), coefficient of variation, and variability independent of the mean (VIM). Results: Mean office and 24-h BP fell by 15.4/6.6 and 5.5/ 3.7 mmHg, respectively (P < 0.001). In multivariable-adjusted analyses, systolic/diastolic SDiw and VIM for 24-h SBP/DBP decreased by 1.18/0.63 mmHg (P 0.01) and 0.86/0.42 mmHg (P 0.05), respectively, whereas no significant changes in ARV or coefficient of variation occurred. Furthermore, baseline SDiw (P ¼ 0.0006), ARV (P ¼ 0.01), and VIM (P ¼ 0.04) predicted the decrease in 24-h DBP but not 24-h SBP after RDN. Conclusion: RDN was associated with a decrease in BP variability independent of the BP level, suggesting that responders may derive benefits from the reduction in BP variability as well. Furthermore, baseline DBP variability estimates significantly correlated with mean DBP decrease after RDN. If confirmed in younger patients with less arterial damage, in the absence of the confounding effect of drugs and drug adherence, baseline BP variability may prove a good predictor of BP response to RDN