PurposeThe aim of this paper is to identify consumers' attitudes and behaviour towards organic products in Greece.Design/methodology/approachThis paper draws on a non‐probability quota sample of 660 respondents to explore the attitudes and behaviour of Greek consumers towards organic food products.FindingsGreek consumers seem to be informed about environmental and health issues. They seek information about the nutritional value of food and demand more products free from chemical residues. The results show that most consumers associate organic consumption mainly with fruit and vegetables. Although demographics seem to affect attitudes towards organics, their value in explaining actual behaviour is minimal.Research limitations/implicationsIt is recognized that the data gathered in this study focus on the metropolitan area of Thessaloniki, Greece. The specific area though, is considered to be representative of the total Greek population. The results confirm that health, concern for the environment, animal welfare and support of the local economy are drivers of organic consumption. However, there is an indication that the importance of motives and barriers may vary for different product categories and perhaps future research should focus on product segmentation.Practical implicationsAlthough certain similarities in consumers' attitudes towards organic food products have been identified, this paper records the variation in behaviour towards organics among the various consumer groups examined in Greece, and highlights the gap between attitudes and actual behaviour. Given the complexity of consumer decision making, future research should explore the other value trade‐offs that consumers make.Originality/valueThis paper attempts to provide evidence on the relatively under researched area of organics attitudes and behaviour in Greece.

PurposeThe present study aims to discuss the role of Hofstede's cultural dimensions, uncertainty avoidance and individualism/collectivism, on the use of various humor types in print advertising, across culturally diverse countries.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 12,351 ads (3,828 humorous) from the largest circulated UK and Greek magazines was content‐analyzed in light of Speck's humorous message taxonomy, emphasizing humor types and intentional relatedness.FindingsThe results indicate that cultural diversity is reflected in the types of humorous devices that tend to be used in the UK and Greece. British advertisements incorporate not only sentimental but also disparaging humor types such as sentimental humor and full comedy, providing a great deal of pure entertainment. On the contrary, Greek print ads emphasize cognitive humorous appeals, in an attempt to provide credible information to the uncertainty‐avoiding Greek audience.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study highlight some key aspects of UK and Greek print advertising that can be extended in other homogeneous cultures. In individualistic countries with low uncertainty avoidance, it seems that consumers prefer humor‐dominant messages. On the contrary, in collectivistic countries with high uncertainty‐aversion attitudes, humor can be used as a Trojan horse to convey the required information to the target group.Originality/valueThe present study points out how advertisers' intentions to entertain or to inform the target audience are expressed in the use of various humor types in advertising, underlining, also, the effect of cultural values on these communication decisions.

Although the prevalence of gender stereotypes in advertising is well established, relatively little research has examined gender stereotypes in the context of Super Bowl that is arguably the most important event in US television advertising. This study systematically examines gender representations across various product categories in Super Bowl commercials over a 20-year period (1990À2009). Our findings detect and discuss shifts in the cultural notions of gender constructed in advertising messages targeting the largest and the most demographically diverse audience in US television. The paper concludes with a discussion of the theoretical and managerial implications of our findings.

Purpose Clustering is a highly popular and widely used tool for identifying data-based market segments. The purpose of this paper is to apply cluster analysis to identify homogeneous subgroups among impulse buyers based on their demographic characteristics and their preference of atmospheric elements. Design/methodology/approach Based on a survey approach with 480 fashion consumers, the study discusses impulse purchases during financial crisis. SPSS process is used to determine the effect of atmospherics on impulse purchases as well as the moderating role of demographics. Cluster analysis (k-means method) is used to determine specific segments of impulsive consumption. Findings Despite a significant effect of atmospherics on consumers’ impulsiveness, the frequency of purchases is not significantly affected indicating that the economic environment may shape impulsive behavior. Gender, age and education seem to moderate the above relationship. Demographics and store atmospherics define specific segments of impulse buyers. Research limitations/implications The study identifies the clusters formed through the interaction of atmospherics with demographics. It further identifies the impact of atmospheric factors in the case of an economy in crisis. In times of financial hardship, store atmospherics, although appealing, do not seem to adequately promote impulse buying behavior. Understanding consumer’s impulsive behavior based on distinctive profiles is of outmost importance to retailers seeking to increase consumption, in particular under conditions of financial hardship. Originality/value The present study explores the role of environmental characteristics on consumers’ impulse behavior amidst a financial crisis and identifies the characteristics of specific segments of consumption.

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