IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jbrese/v132y2021icp884-896.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The danger of flavor: E-cigarettes, social media, and the interplay of generations

Author

Listed:
  • Krishen, Anjala S.
  • Hu, Han-fen
  • Spivak, Andrew L.
  • Venger, Olesya

Abstract

This study evaluates the effects of social media advertisements of e-cigarettes on consumer perceptions. We first use netnographic data to explore e-cigarette comments (n = 1900) and next conduct an experimental study on a randomized sample of cigarette consumers (n = 525) to assess the effects of e-cigarette features (i.e., flavor) and social influence (i.e., social tie and popularity of the advertisement) on consumer beliefs. Our findings show that the influence of e-cigarette flavor on perceived relative risk and negative beliefs has an opposite pattern for generation X consumers versus millennials. Millennials perceive cherry-flavored e-cigarettes as less risky, and perceive tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes as less risky when they are associated with close social ties. Our mixed methods study contributes to the marketing and public health disciplines by uncovering health-related perceptions and beliefs as outcomes of e-cigarette flavor and social influence. It also contributes empirically by showing the differential influences of close and far social ties.

Suggested Citation

  • Krishen, Anjala S. & Hu, Han-fen & Spivak, Andrew L. & Venger, Olesya, 2021. "The danger of flavor: E-cigarettes, social media, and the interplay of generations," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 884-896.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:132:y:2021:i:c:p:884-896
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.11.021
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296320307761
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.11.021?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Arifine, Ghizlane & Felix, Reto & Furrer, Olivier, 2019. "Multi-Brand Loyalty in Consumer Markets: A Qualitatively-Driven Mixed Methods Approach," FSES Working Papers 501, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, University of Freiburg/Fribourg Switzerland.
    2. Karine Gallopel†Morvan & Janet Hoek & Sophie Rieunier, 2018. "Do Plain Packaging and Pictorial Warnings Affect Smokers' and Non†Smokers' Behavioral Intentions?," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(1), pages 5-34, March.
    3. Raghuram Iyengar & Christophe Van den Bulte & Thomas W. Valente, 2011. "Opinion Leadership and Social Contagion in New Product Diffusion," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(2), pages 195-212, 03-04.
    4. Krishen, Anjala S. & Berezan, Orie & Agarwal, Shaurya & Kachroo, Pushkin, 2016. "The generation of virtual needs: Recipes for satisfaction in social media networking," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(11), pages 5248-5254.
    5. B. Saju & K. Harikrishnan & S. Joseph Jeya Anand, 2018. "Modeling brand immunity: the moderating role of generational cohort membership," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 25(2), pages 133-146, March.
    6. Noble, Stephanie M. & Haytko, Diana L. & Phillips, Joanna, 2009. "What drives college-age Generation Y consumers?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 62(6), pages 617-628, June.
    7. Harrison, Robert L., 2013. "Using mixed methods designs in the Journal of Business Research, 1990–2010," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 66(11), pages 2153-2162.
    8. Thrasher, James F. & Rousu, Matthew C. & Hammond, David & Navarro, Ashley & Corrigan, Jay R., 2011. "Estimating the impact of pictorial health warnings and "plain" cigarette packaging: Evidence from experimental auctions among adult smokers in the United States," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(1), pages 41-48, September.
    9. Johnson, Eric J & Russo, J Edward, 1984. "Product Familiarity and Learning New Information," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 11(1), pages 542-550, June.
    10. de Vries, Lisette & Gensler, Sonja & Leeflang, Peter S.H., 2012. "Popularity of Brand Posts on Brand Fan Pages: An Investigation of the Effects of Social Media Marketing," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 26(2), pages 83-91.
    11. Noble, Stephanie M. & Schewe, Charles D. & Kuhr, Michelle, 2004. "Preferences in health care service and treatment: A generational perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 57(9), pages 1033-1041, September.
    12. Yuchi Zhang & David Godes, 2018. "Learning from Online Social Ties," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 37(3), pages 425-444, May.
    13. Michael L. Capella & Charles R. Taylor & Jeremy Kees, 2012. "Tobacco Harm Reduction Advertising in the Presence of a Government-Mandated Warning," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(2), pages 235-259, June.
    14. Wang, Xia & Yu, Chunling & Wei, Yujie, 2012. "Social Media Peer Communication and Impacts on Purchase Intentions: A Consumer Socialization Framework," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 26(4), pages 198-208.
    15. Berezan, Orie & Krishen, Anjala S. & Agarwal, Shaurya & Kachroo, Pushkin, 2018. "The pursuit of virtual happiness: Exploring the social media experience across generations," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 455-461.
    16. Sinan Aral & Dylan Walker, 2014. "Tie Strength, Embeddedness, and Social Influence: A Large-Scale Networked Experiment," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 60(6), pages 1352-1370, June.
    17. Noble, Stephanie M. & Schewe, Charles D., 2003. "Cohort segmentation: An exploration of its validity," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 56(12), pages 979-987, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wang, Le & Luo, Xin (Robert) & Li, Han, 2022. "Envy or conformity? An empirical investigation of peer influence on the purchase of non-functional items in mobile free-to-play games," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 308-324.
    2. Yuho Chung & Yiwei Li & Jianmin Jia, 2021. "Exploring embeddedness, centrality, and social influence on backer behavior: the role of backer networks in crowdfunding," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 49(5), pages 925-946, September.
    3. Anne-Marie Lebrun & Roxane Corbel & Patrick Bouchet, 2022. "Impacts of Covid-19 on travel intention for summer 2020: a trend in proximity tourism mediated by an attitude towards Covid-19," Service Business, Springer;Pan-Pacific Business Association, vol. 16(3), pages 469-501, September.
    4. Matthias Bogaert & Michel Ballings & Dirk Van den Poel, 2018. "Evaluating the importance of different communication types in romantic tie prediction on social media," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 263(1), pages 501-527, April.
    5. Tianshu Sun & Sean J. Taylor, 2020. "Displaying things in common to encourage friendship formation: A large randomized field experiment," Quantitative Marketing and Economics (QME), Springer, vol. 18(3), pages 237-271, September.
    6. Krishen, Anjala S. & Berezan, Orie & Agarwal, Shaurya & Kachroo, Pushkin & Raschke, Robyn, 2021. "The digital self and virtual satisfaction: A cross-cultural perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 254-263.
    7. Stachowiak-Krzyżan Magda, 2021. "Involvement of Generation Z in the Communication Activities of Clothing Brands in Social Media — The Case of Poland," Marketing of Scientific and Research Organizations, Sciendo, vol. 41(3), pages 115-136, September.
    8. Kizgin, Hatice & Jamal, Ahmad & Dwivedi, Yogesh K. & Rana, Nripendra P., 2021. "The impact of online vs. offline acculturation on purchase intentions: A multigroup analysis of the role of education," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 724-735.
    9. Omar SALEM, 2020. "Social Media Marketing In Higher Education Institutions," SEA - Practical Application of Science, Romanian Foundation for Business Intelligence, Editorial Department, issue 23, pages 191-196, August.
    10. Sheng, Jie, 2019. "Being Active in Online Communications: Firm Responsiveness and Customer Engagement Behaviour," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 40-51.
    11. Krishen, Anjala S. & Dwivedi, Yogesh K. & Bindu, N. & Kumar, K. Satheesh, 2021. "A broad overview of interactive digital marketing: A bibliometric network analysis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 183-195.
    12. Sarah Gelper & Ralf van der Lans & Gerrit van Bruggen, 2021. "Competition for Attention in Online Social Networks: Implications for Seeding Strategies," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(2), pages 1026-1047, February.
    13. Janarthanan Balakrishnan & Pantea Foroudi, 2020. "Does Corporate Reputation Matter? Role of Social Media in Consumer Intention to Purchase Innovative Food Product," Corporate Reputation Review, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 23(3), pages 181-200, August.
    14. Kosuke Uetake & Nathan Yang, 2020. "Inspiration from the “Biggest Loser”: Social Interactions in a Weight Loss Program," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 39(3), pages 487-499, May.
    15. Peters, Kay & Chen, Yubo & Kaplan, Andreas M. & Ognibeni, Björn & Pauwels, Koen, 2013. "Social Media Metrics — A Framework and Guidelines for Managing Social Media," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 27(4), pages 281-298.
    16. Gilboa, Shaked & Vilnai-Yavetz, Iris, 2010. "Four generations of mall visitors in Israel: A study of mall activities, visiting patterns, and products purchased," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 17(6), pages 501-511.
    17. Lianren Wu & Jinjie Li & Jiayin Qi & Deli Kong & Xu Li, 2021. "The Role of Opinion Leaders in the Sustainable Development of Corporate-Led Consumer Advice Networks: Evidence from a Chinese Travel Content Community," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-20, October.
    18. Berezan, Orie & Krishen, Anjala S. & Agarwal, Shaurya & Kachroo, Pushkin, 2018. "The pursuit of virtual happiness: Exploring the social media experience across generations," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 455-461.
    19. Alex Chin & Dean Eckles & Johan Ugander, 2022. "Evaluating Stochastic Seeding Strategies in Networks," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(3), pages 1714-1736, March.
    20. Paolo Franco, 2023. "Older consumers and technology: A critical systematic literature review," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 13(1), pages 92-121, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:132:y:2021:i:c:p:884-896. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jbusres .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.