Relationship advertising: Investigating the strategic

157 Pages·2015·2.22 MB·English

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USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations USF Graduate Theses and Dissertations
10-6-2004
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Andrea Diahann Gaye Scott
University of South Florida
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Scott, Andrea Diahann Gaye, "Relationship Advertising: Investigating the Strategic Appeal of Intimacy
(Disclosure) in Services Marketing" (2004). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
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Relationship Advertising:
Investigating the Strategic Appeal of Intimacy (Disclosure) in Services Marketing

by

Andrea Diahann Gaye Scott

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
Department of Marketing
College of Business
University of South Florida

Major Professor: Paul J. Solomon, Ph.D.
Karen O. Brandon, Ph.D.
Barbara Lafferty, Ph.D.
William B. Locander, Ph.D.
Miriam Stamps, Ph.D.

Date of Approval:
October 6, 2004

Keywords: television, experiment, psychology, interpersonal, communication, qualitative

© Copyright 2004, Andrea D. G. Scott
Dedication

I dedicate this work to my wonderful parents Del and Jasper Scott, who have been
my greatest cheerleaders and role models since day one. I thank you for instilling a
genuine and enthusiastic love of learning, for cultivating a healthy sense of both purpose
and obligation, and most importantly, for fostering a keen understanding that the fear of
the Lord is indeed the beginning of wisdom. It is an honor to be your daughter and I am
humbled by your unconditional love.
Acknowledgments

I am grateful for the numerous individuals who helped me complete this task and
for organizations such as Keswick Christian School, Honeywell, Inc., and other
welcoming groups in Pinellas County and the Tampa Bay area. My parents offered both
practical and emotional insight that was invaluable. I offer thanks to my super-supportive
brothers Shane and Quentin, who never lost faith in what I could accomplish. I am
appreciative of my many friends, colleagues, and family members who kept rooting me
on—empathizing with me during the set-backs, and celebrating the mini-victories along
the way. I extend a special thank you to Rudy Oswald, Ph.D., who helped me get this
degree started and to Robert Williams, who helped me finish well. Finally, I thank my
committee for their guidance and input during this process and for their confidence in the
value of my work.

1
TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS.....................................................................................................I
LIST OF TABLES............................................................................................................IV
LIST OF FIGURES...........................................................................................................V
ABSTRACT......................................................................................................................VI
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION................................................................................1
ORIGIN AND GOALS OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH............................................................1
IMPORT AND RELEVANCE OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH...................................................3
DEFINING INTIMACY...........................................................................................................5
KEY OBSERVATIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES IN STERN (1997).............................................5
RESEARCH STAGES.............................................................................................................6
CURRENT LITERATURE.......................................................................................................7
1) Intimacy.............................................................................................................8
2) Creative Strategy: Use of Appeals.....................................................................8
3) Individual Differences: Involvement, Desire for Intimacy, and..........................
Gender....................................................................................................................9
4) Relationship Marketing: Stage-Based Relationship Development....................9
STUDY CONTEXT.................................................................................................................9
METHODOLOGY................................................................................................................10
Stage 1: Descriptive Checklist Construction.......................................................10
Stage 2: TV Advertising Experiment...................................................................12
DISCIPLINARY CONTRIBUTION.........................................................................................12
ORGANIZATION OF DISSERTATION...................................................................................13
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW...................................................................14
PARALLELS BETWEEN STERN (1997) AND PROPOSED RESEARCH....................................15
Theoretical support for intimacy..........................................................................16
Advertising the attributes of intimate relationship...............................................16
Stage-based relationship development.................................................................17
Intimacy skills......................................................................................................17
Individual differences..........................................................................................17
RELEVANT VARIABLES AND PRELIMINARY MODEL.........................................................18
INTIMACY IN PSYCHOLOGY..............................................................................................20
Defining Intimacy................................................................................................20
Analyzing Intimacy: The nature and components of intimacy............................23
Measuring intimacy.............................................................................................29
INTIMACY AND MARKETING..............................................................................................35
Adapting the Reis and Shaver (1988) Intimacy Process Model..........................36
Model Components.................................................................................38
i
Parallels between Desired Consumer Response and Tenants
of Intimate Relationships........................................................................39
CREATIVE STRATEGY.......................................................................................................43
Contrasting appeals: Sex, Warmth, and Emotions in Advertising.......................43
Sexy Advertising....................................................................................44
Warm Advertising..................................................................................45
Rational advertising: contrasting the role of emotions...........................47
The challenges of communicating intimate relationship.....................................51
The impact of visual imagery..............................................................................52
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES: INVOLVEMENT, DESIRE FOR INTIMACY,
AND GENDER.....................................................................................................................54
Involvement.........................................................................................................54
Conceptualizing Involvement.................................................................54
Measuring Involvement..........................................................................57
Applying Involvement............................................................................58
Desire for Intimacy..............................................................................................58
Social intimacy.......................................................................................59
Gender Differences in Advertisement Processing and Interpretation..................60
RELATIONSHIP MARKETING: STAGE-BASED RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPMENT..................62
The nature of services relationships: commercial friendships.............................62
Themes and tangibility in services advertising....................................................63
Stage-based of relationship development............................................................65
CHAPTER TWO SUMMARY................................................................................................68
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY.........................................................................70
STUDY CONTEXT...............................................................................................................71
STAGE 1: QUALITATIVE METHODOLOGY / CHECKLIST CONSTRUCTION........................72
Emergent Inquiry.................................................................................................72
Study #1: Descriptive Checklist Construction....................................................73
Scoring the Checklist..............................................................................74
Creating the Ads.....................................................................................75
Scripts for DIAMOND FINANCIAL SERVICES:................................76
Scripts for CLOVER HEALTHCARE SERVICES:..............................77
STAGE 2: QUANTITATIVE METHODOLOGY......................................................................78
Goals of Quantitative Testing..............................................................................78
Study #2: TV Advertising Experiment................................................................79
Sampling Frame...................................................................................................80
Procedures............................................................................................................83
Involvement.........................................................................................................84
Independent Variables.........................................................................................85
Dependent Variables............................................................................................86
Evaluation...............................................................................................86
Bonding...................................................................................................87
Data Analysis, Anticipated Outcome, and Research Contribution......................88
CHAPTER THREE SUMMARY.............................................................................................91
CHAPTER FOUR: ANALYSIS AND RESULTS...........................................................92
STUDY #1: DESCRIPTIVE CHECKLIST CONSTRUCTION....................................................92
SCALE RELIABILITY AND VALIDATION.............................................................................93
Evaluation and Bonding.......................................................................................94
Involvement.........................................................................................................94
ii
Desire for Intimacy..............................................................................................95
STUDY #2: TV ADVERTISING EXPERIMENT.....................................................................96
Overall Results.....................................................................................................96
Results for Hypotheses........................................................................................99
CHAPTER FOUR SUMMARY.............................................................................................104
CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION, IMPLICATIONS &
RECOMMENDATIONS................................................................................................105
ANSWERING THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS.......................................................................106
LIMITATIONS...................................................................................................................110
FUTURE ANALYSIS..........................................................................................................111
DISCIPLINARY CONTRIBUTIONS......................................................................................113
MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS..........................................................................................114
CONCLUDING REMARKS.................................................................................................115
REFERENCES...............................................................................................................117
APPENDICES................................................................................................................130
ABOUT THE AUTHOR.......................................................................................End Page

iii
LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Operationalizing an Intimacy Appeal: Multi-method Research Design............................7
Table 2: Parallels Between Stern (1997) and Proposed Research.................................................18
Table 3: Proposed Variables..........................................................................................................19
Table 4: Definitions of Intimacy....................................................................................................22
Table 5: Analyzing Intimacy.........................................................................................................27
Table 6: Measuring Intimacy.........................................................................................................32
Table 7: Components of Reis & Shaver (1988) Intimacy Process Model...........................................41
Table 8: Comparison of Warmth and Intimacy’s Characteristics..................................................47
Table 9: Descriptive Comparison of Rational, Warmth, and Intimacy Appeals............................50
Table 10: Adaptation of Levinger and Snoek’s (1972) Relationship Developmental
Cycle......................................................................................................................................67
Table 11: Operationalizing an Intimacy Appeal: Multi-method Research Design........................71
Table 12: Descriptive Statements for Rational, Warmth, and Intimacy Appeals..........................75
Table 13: Participant Demographics..............................................................................................82
Table 14: Sample Size by Treatment and Gender..........................................................................82
Table 15: Modified PII Scale Items to measure Involvement........................................................84
Table 16: Scale Items for Evaluation Measures.............................................................................87
Table 17: Scale Items for Bonding Measure..................................................................................88
Table 18: Anticipated Score Distribution for Appeal on DVs.......................................................89
Table 19: Summary of Research Questions, Hypotheses, & Measures.........................................90
Table 20: ANOVA Comparison of Means for Descriptive Checklist...........................................93
Table 21: Scale Reliability Measures............................................................................................95
Table 22: Means and Standard Deviations for DVs-.....................................................................97
Table 23: Univariate F-values for the Dependent Variables..........................................................98
Table 24: Multiple Comparisons of Appeal on DVs: Mean Differences [H1-H3]......................100
Table 25: Regression analysis of MSIS on DVs..........................................................................102
iv
LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Preliminary ANOVA Model for Relationship Advertising in Services
Marketing...............................................................................................................................19
Figure 2: Ogden’s (1974) Basic Dialectical Points of Intimate Relationships..............................25
Figure 3: Relationship Advertising Adaptation.............................................................................37
Figure 4: Experimental Design: 3 (appeal) x 2 (gender) x 2 (service type)..................................81

v
Relationship Advertising: Investigating the Strategic Appeal of Intimacy
(Disclosure) in Services Marketing
Andrea Diahann Gaye Scott

ABSTRACT

One approach to communicating and thereby building a close relationship with
consumers is via advertising. In other words, if service providers can invoke feelings of
connection and intimacy—where consumers feel understood, cared for, and validated—
through advertising, a stronger bond and sense of loyalty is likely to follow. When
intimacy is conceived as knowing and being known by another, which incorporates
mutual and reciprocal (though not necessarily equal) liking and vulnerability, its
application extends beyond romantic relationships to the current context of relationship
and services marketing. This research provides empirical support for the use of intimacy
as an appeal in services marketing advertising by operationalizing the concepts presented
in Stern’s (1997) article “Advertising Intimacy: Relationship Marketing and the Services
Consumer.” The methods employed range from exploratory focus groups and in-depth
interviews to the generation of a ratings scale and experimental testing of intimacy
appeals that account for individual differences (i.e., gender, need for affiliation and felt
involvement).
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