Laurel-Cook.com

Why Do We Twitch? Vicarious Consumption in Video-Game Livestreaming (link) Journal of Consumer Marketing Using a mixed-method approach, this research examines vicarious consumption (VC) via the video-game streaming platform Twitch. We empirically show how VC leads to unique outcomes that differ from active consumption (AC). In VC, negative outcomes experienced by Person 1 (i.e., someone who is engaging in AC) may be attenuated for Person 2 (i.e., someone who is engaging in VC). For example, riding a roller coaster can cause greater fear than watching. Additionally, unfavorable outcomes for Person 1 may become favorable for Person 2 (e.g., watching someone lose a game may cause mirthful enjoyment), thus enhancing positive outcomes. We also demonstrate the moderating effect of familiarity on mood change. Sharenting in an Evolving Digital World: Increasing Online Connection and Consumer Vulnerability (link) Journal of Consumer Affairs Sharenting (using social media to share content about one’s child) is a progressively common phenomenon enabled by society’s increased connection to digital technology. Although it can encourage positive connections to others, it also creates concerns related to children’s privacy and well-being. In this paper, we conceptualize a modern sharenting ecosystem involving key stakeholders (parents, children, community, commercial institutions, and policymakers). We also expand the characterization of sharenting by introducing a spectrum of sharenting awareness that categorizes three types of sharenting (active, passive, and invisible). Consumer Effort in Service Encounters: Effort as Formative Construct and the Overlooked Impact of Emotional Posing (link) Journal of Services Marketing This paper cautions marketers about the potential negative implications of shadow work. Service marketers should provide a choice between face-to-face (F2F) and self- service technologies (SSTs) whenever possible. In addition, marketers should develop and implement strategies for reducing consumer surface acting. Reducing Referral Leakage: An Analysis of Health Care Referrals in a Service Ecosystem (link) Journal of Services Marketing In this research, we address a critical problem for health care organizations: patient referral leakage. This paper explores the nature of patient referrals by examining how health care providers’ breadth and depth of connectivity within a hospital network and identification with each other influence the likelihood of future patient referrals. Intercollegiate Social Media Education Ecosystem (link) Journal of Marketing Education The popularity of social media among students and practitioners has encouraged marketing educators to find ways to incorporate it into their classrooms. We offer results from an intercollegiate collaboration (#ICMKTG) that provides an innovative learning environment through a social media education ecosystem (SMEE). Consumer Perceptions of Genetically Modified Foods: A Mixed-Method Approach (link) Journal of Consumer Marketing This research examines consumers’ opinions and behavioral intentions toward foods labeled as containing genetically modified (transgenic) ingredients across plant and animal-based categories. In light of marketplace changes (i.e., labeling requirements) we explore behavioral measures based on labeling options. Conceptualizing the Multiple Dimensions of Consumer Financial Vulnerability (link) Journal of Business Research This review draws across disciplines to consolidate extant knowledge on financial vulnerability. First, we propose a novel definition of financial vulnerability that includes both its subjective and objective dimensions. Next, we create a framework to assess a consumer's financial vulnerability. We then identify interventions for varying degrees of financial vulnerability that are tailored to the individual's fiscal situation. Finally, we present a research agenda to guide future research on financial vulnerability. Product Knowledge and Information Processing of Organic Foods (link) Journal of Consumer Marketing This research examines how product knowledge influences consumers to consider available information before choosing between organic and non-organic options. Since “certified organic” is based on a complex standard in the United States, many consumers have only partial understanding of the term. Our research shows how that knowledge influences consumer evaluation of the options presented in the market. Making Inconsistent Worlds: A Conceptual Framework for Co-Competition in Service Dominant Logic (link) Journal of Consumer Marketing This research addresses the conflict that occurs when segmentation does not play a strategic role in the new product development (NPD) process. Self-segregated groups of consumers are co-creatively involved in NPD, but may have contradictory product goals. We explore the outcome, co-competition, here. Effects of Perceived Scarcity on Financial Decision-Making (link) Journal of Public Policy & Marketing Internal influences (including perceived consequences) and external influences (including decreased lending options) lead to results described in this article as the “triple scarcity effect.” Experimental results show how perceived financial scarcity undermines loan decisions, particularly for consumers at the greatest financial risk. Next, qualitative data collected from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are used for a between-method triangulation of the earlier findings. Understanding the multidimensionality of perceived financial scarcity is important for designing preventive measures that improve decisions (e.g., not reborrowing) and decision making (e.g., accurately calculating cost). Results from two interventions demonstrate how these improvements are made when consumers' perceptions of scarcity are reduced. Nutrition Labeling Research in the United States: Consumer Processing, Message Structure & Moderating Conditions (link) Oxford Encyclopedia of Health and Risk Message Design and Processing Several unanswered research questions remain regarding how the proposed changes to the nutrition fact panels (NFPs)—beef, poultry, and seafood labeling; restaurant chain calorie labeling; alternative FOP formats; and regulated and unregulated health and nutrient content claims—will affect consumers. Health Belief Model and Healthy Consumption: Toward an Integrated Model (link) Journal of Food Products Marketing Even before food consumption takes place, the human brain can be persuaded by the body’s senses in an extremely dramatic and influential way. Contextual cues in a variety of settings can then motivate consumers to engage in non- homeostatic appetitive behavior. Recognizing and understanding the role of these secondary reinforcers in behavior, therefore, is essential in creating new solutions for consumers most vulnerable to these influences. The Credibility of ‘Locally Grown’ Community-Supported Agriculture: Priorities and Perspectives of Consumers Institute of Food Products Marketing The “alternative” food marketplace that has emerged in response is populated by labels such as certified organic, free- range, Kosher, natural, GMO-free, nitrate free, and, increasingly, locally grown. Our focus, then, is to examine “locally grown” through the lens of community-supported agriculture. We evaluate the extent to which consumers who join CSAs expect that they are part of a locally grown culture, and how perceptions of locally grown influence the credibility of CSAs. Broken Halos and Shattered Horns: Overcoming the Biasing Effects of Prior Expectations through Objective Information Disclosure (link) Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science The relationship between health halos and potential increases in unhealthy food consumption has received considerable attention from consumer health and welfare researchers. We suggest the inverse effect also deserves broader consideration. We label this understudied contrasting bias the “health horn” effect, an erroneous negative inference that occurs when a product is mistakenly perceived to be unhealthy. Overview of the Job Market Process (link) AMA Transitions Guide: Navigating the Progression from Doctoral Student to Marketing Professor The process of applying for a job as an assistant professor of marketing is as exciting as it is nerve-wracking. In response, this guide is offered to help prepare you and to provide the perspective of others who have gone through the process. In this section, we provide an overview of the job market to illustrate how the process typically begins, develops, and concludes. Leaner Choices? The Potential Influence of the Inclusion of Nutrition Facts Panels on Consumer Evaluations and Choices of Ground Beef Products (link) Journal of Public Policy & Marketing Results of three studies (a cross-sectional survey and two between-subjects experiments) indicate that the inclusion of a Nutrition Facts panel (NFP) on ground beef packaging moderates the effects of the lean-to-fat ratio on consumers’ product evaluations. The authors offer potential implications of the findings for policy and consumer welfare. Health Risk Factors and Their Effect on Consumers’ Use of Nutrition Facts Panels (link) Journal of Consumer Affairs The authors present results with more than 2,600 participants aged 45 or older that show the following: 1) consumers diagnosed with both high blood pressure and high cholesterol are significantly more likely to access sodium and cholesterol NFP information than consumers with either only one of these conditions or neither condition, and 2) there are few differences in attention to somewhat less well-publicized, but relevant nutrients. The results show a greater need for at-risk consumers to attend to the somewhat less familiar, or perhaps less understood, negative (e.g. trans fat) and positive nutrients (fiber) associated with their specific health condition.

Articles and Book Chapters

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HEALTH CARE REFERRALS We offer a novel view of referral relationships using hard-to-access proprietary data. Moreover, this research responds to the need for transformative service research by offering researchers a means to enhance consumer well- being. We offer a framework to better understanding patient referral relationships between health care providers in an organization, thereby affording an opportunity to bolster operational efficiencies, improve clinical outcomes, and strengthen referral pathways. By viewing health care networks through a service ecosystems perspective, contextual boundaries and the relative power of relationships are also identified. The novel use of rarely available hospital data in this setting helps explain how patient leakage compromises the health of the ecosystem and its members.

INTERCOLLEGIATE TWEETS One of the most successful applications of Twitter in the classroom involves using the platform to reinforce material learned within the course. we offer results from an intercollegiate collaboration that provides an innovative learning environment through a Twitter-based marketing education ecosystem (MEE). Participating students discuss current marketing topics with peers, marketing practitioners, and faculty to reinforce concepts, improve learning perceptions, and increase professional communication skills and networking opportunities. Results from (A) Twitter analytics, (B) student data, and (C) Linguistic analysis suggest that students improved their professional communication skills while using language that provokes greater cognitive processes. Wanna join us? Let me know :)

FINANCIAL VULNERABILITY Financial vulnerability (FV) is often considered a problem affecting the poor or uneducated, though in reality, even the wealthy can be financially vulnerable. In many cases, consumers don’t know they are financially vulnerable. For example, 74% of Americans report that they are financially stable (Federal Reserve, 2018); yet most households do not have sufficient savings to handle an unexpected emergency and maintain their living standards (Pew Charitable Trusts, 2017). There is a clear disconnect between an individual's perception (i.e., subjective) of their financial situation and their actual (i.e., objective) state. In contrast with extant research, we offer a more inclusive conceptualization of FV by taking on a holistic perspective comprising both subjective and objective dimensions.

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Training & Certifications

Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Social & Behavioral Responsible Conduct of Research (No Expiry; certificate) CITI Human Research Refresher Training (Expires October 2026; certificate) CITI Conflicts of Interest Training (Expires February 2024; certificate) CITI Human Research Basic Training (Expires January 2025; certificate) Mediation, Moderation, and Conditional Process Analysis: 5-day course taught by Dr. Andrew F. Hayes with an emphasis on the use of PROCESS for SPSS and SAS (July 2015 Completion; Course Link) Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling: Workshop taught by Dr. Barry J. Babin (November 2017 Completion) Grant Proposal Writing: Workshop taught by Dr. John D. Robertson (June 2017 Completion) Amazon MTurk “Trusted Academic Requesters and Researchers” listing, managed by Niloufar Salehi (Social Computing Ph.D. Candidate at Stanford University).

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EMPATHY APPEALS IN PSAs A recent trend in public service advertising suggests that empathy tactics are more effective than fear appeals in reaching communicative goals. This strategy seems counter to the academic literature that posits that respondents pay more attention to and more easily process negative rather than positive events and messages. This study addresses the question of whether a low-fear appeal is sufficient when employing empathy coupled with a fear appeal; the study investigates the moderating effect of fear appeals—low versus high—on public service announcements with empathy in their messaging. Results suggest that high-fear appeals have a stronger effect on ad claim beliefs’ influence on conative outcomes. Practical implications of the findings are discussed.

MISLEADING LABELS? “No Antibiotics” or “Antibiotic Free” labeling on a milk carton may suggest different things to a consumer. One inference may suggest that some milk contains antibiotics. Alternatively, another inference may suggest that antibiotics in milk is unfavorable and products without them are superior. However, such labels can be deceiving since all milk currently sold in U.S. grocery stores is technically antibiotic-free. Here, we specifically examine a situation that breeds information asymmetry, misinformation, and creates a significant burden to producers. With marketplace practices outpacing regulatory intent, consumers who rely on product labels to inform their choices may be unknowingly vulnerable.

MESSAGING INEFFECTIVENESS STD rates in the U.S. are at a record high (31.4%) for the eighth consecutive year (CDC 2018a). The Director of the CDC’s Division of STD Prevention, Dr. Gail Bolan, says it is now “…a critical time for STD prevention. We need bold ideas” (CDC 2018b). My coauthors and I have responded to the CDC’s call for more research in this area with an agenda designed to address health messaging ineffectiveness. Importantly, our research will specifically examine effects for the “special focus profiles” that the CDC has highlighted as populations who are particularly vulnerable to the nation’s changing health landscape. These groups include (A) adolescents, (B) racial minorities, and (C) the LGBTQ community. The CDC has also identified (D) people aged 55 and older as a unique at-risk group.

Designed and built by Laurel Aynne Cook © Laurel Aynne Cook 2024

Articles and Book Chapters

Select Research in Progress

MESSAGING INEFFECTIVENESS STD rates in the U.S. are at a record high (31.4%) for the eighth consecutive year (CDC 2018a). The Director of the CDC’s Division of STD Prevention, Dr. Gail Bolan, says it is now “…a critical time for STD prevention. We need bold ideas” (CDC 2018b). My coauthors and I have responded to the CDC’s call for more research in this area with an agenda designed to address health messaging ineffectiveness. Importantly, our research will specifically examine effects for the “special focus profiles” that the CDC has highlighted as populations who are particularly vulnerable to the nation’s changing health landscape. These groups include (A) adolescents, (B) racial minorities, (C) the LGBTQ community, and (D) people aged 55 and older.

HEALTH CARE REFERRALS We offer a novel view of referral relationships using hard-to-access proprietary data. Moreover, this study responds to the need for transformative service research by offering researchers a means to enhance consumer well- being. The main contribution of this study is a framework to gain a better understanding of patient referral relationships between employees (i.e., health care providers) in an organization, thereby affording an opportunity to bolster operational efficiencies, improve clinical outcomes, and strengthen referral pathways. By viewing health care networks through a service ecosystems perspective, contextual boundaries and the relative power of relationships are also identified. The novel use of rarely available hospital data in this setting helps explain how patient leakage compromises the health of the ecosystem and its members.

FINANCIAL VULNERABILITY Financial vulnerability (FV) is often considered a problem affecting the poor or uneducated, though in reality, even the wealthy can be financially vulnerable. In many cases, consumers do not even know they are financially vulnerable. For example, 74% of Americans report that they are financially stable (Federal Reserve, 2018); yet most households do not have sufficient savings to handle an unexpected emergency and maintain their living standards (Pew Charitable Trusts, 2017). There is a clear disconnect between an individual's perception (i.e., subjective) of their financial situation and their actual (i.e., objective) state. In contrast with extant research, we offer a more inclusive conceptualization of FV by taking on a holistic perspective comprising both subjective and objective dimensions. This inclusive conceptualization is a much-needed addition to the consumer finance literature

Full list of publications included on my CV