When new products and brands are introduced into other cultures, the speed and extent of the product's acceptance are important concerns for marketers. The spread of positive word of mouth (WOM) and the lack of negative WOM about the product or brand by early adopter groups are critical to the product's successful diffusion in a population. This is the first study to investigate the effects of consumers’ cultural values on their WOM behavior. Data analysis from two samples indicates that the pattern, type, and target receivers of consumers’ WOM activity depend on their cultural values. The authors use Hofstede's four cultural dimensions to test the effects of cultural values on WOM behavior to social in- and out-groups. They find that all four dimensions have significant effects on WOM engagement to those groups. Although the authors could not determine the causal nature of the relationships because of the sample design used, they argue that marketers should monitor the cultural values of their market to anticipate in- and out-group discussions and the choice of appropriate brand communication strategies in other countries.

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As consumers and business increasingly use the Internet, understanding how and why users choose website links or email links becomes correspondingly important. Two recent articles report a monotonic effect of link order and clicking on a link; this means that the higher a link's position in a list of links, the greater the probability that visitors will click on that link. The difference in probability of clicking has important implications for designing webpage navigation for visitors.We report on two field experiments that confirm and extend these studies, showing the efficacy of the first link, a primacy effect. Visitors to a site, however, also show an increased tendency to click on links at the end of the list, a recency effect that previous studies failed to note. This article discusses the potential reasons for recency effects, and the implications of serial position effects more generally.

The author reviews and tests the effect of cartoon trade characters on product recognition and attitude on a sample of children three to six years of age. High levels of product and trade character recognition were found, including that of Joe Camel and the Marlboro Man with cigarettes. The recognition of select trade characters tended to increase with the age of the child. The level of recognition and favorable attitude toward the product were positively associated with age except for cigarettes. The attitude for cigarettes and matches were negatively associated with age. Because the possibility of demand artifacts cannot be ruled out, these findings must be interpreted with caution.

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