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Prior research has investigated a number of drivers of consumers' perceived product attractiveness, such as a product's shape and color. The context, in which a product is presented, has so far been largely neglected in examining consumers' aesthetic appraisal of products. Drawing on social cognition theory, this research investigates how the attractiveness of the visual context (e.g., websites, advertisements) influences consumers' perceptions of product attractiveness and product quality for familiar versus unfamiliar products. Results of two experimental studies show that consumers perceive unfamiliar products as more attractive and, consequently, of higher quality when products are placed in an attractive context than when they are placed in an unattractive context. No differences in consumers' perceived product attractiveness and perceived product quality exist for familiar products. The findings extend our theoretical knowledge of product aesthetics and provide managers with insights into the effective communication of their offerings' attractiveness.

This study investigates the impact of place perception on tourist well-being to provide an understanding of how destination attributes influence tourists’ response behaviors. Data were collected in a self-administered survey from 631 respondents in three Austrian tourism destinations. Factor analysis and structural equation modeling (Mplus 7.0) were employed to test the hypothesized relationships. Results provide empirical evidence that tourists perceive destination settings holistically and will report higher levels of psychological well-being if a destination provides an adequate combination of sensemaking (i.e. access and amenities) and exploratory attributes (i.e. attractions and activities, entertainment options, and local community). Findings also show that tourists’ well-being has a significant, positive impact on their intention to return and their desire to engage in positive word of mouth about the destination. Most importantly, an indirect-only mediation of well-being on the relationship between both sense-making and exploratory attributes and behavioral outcomes was found. An integrated view of the results can provide important considerations for tourism research and fruitful suggestions for destination management organizations.