Trust has long been recognized as an important component of marketing systems. However, while macromarketing researchers argue that a lack of trust in business can impact other components of marketing systems, very few empirical studies in marketing investigate the determinants or outcomes associated with this type of trust. Accordingly, we begin with the premise that trust in major corporations is a critical, micro-level attitude that affects the performance of a marketing system. Then, we investigate the factors that influence trust in major corporations by analyzing how perceptions of government involvement in business, political ideology, and other attitudinal and demographic variables affect trust. Using hierarchical linear modeling, we find that trust has a curvilinear relationship with perceptions of free-market competition, in which too much trust, or too little, leads to negative perceptions - trust plays a critical mediating role in constructing beliefs about free markets. Additionally, we show that macroeconomic variables influence the first stage of attitude formation toward major corporations, with gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and foreign direct investment (FDI) acting as moderators in our analysis. Overall, the multi-level moderated-mediation model used in this research embodies a true systems approach to the analysis of marketing systems by demonstrating how the economic outcomes of marketing systems (e.g., GDP and FDI) can also have feedback effects on participants within a marketing system.

Although the consequences of product recalls are well-documented in the literature, literature on the antecedents of recalls is lacking. This study investigates the effects of innovation practices on the likelihood of product recalls in the automotive industry. In doing so, we assess if pushing too hard on innovation can increase the risks that trigger recalls. We assess this potential by leveraging 284 make-year observations. The results demonstrate that innovation radicalness and product line breadth are positively associated with recalls. Furthermore, previous recall magnitude moderates the relationship between innovation radicalness and subsequent recalls. The authors find that the interaction of innovation radicalness and previous recall magnitude increases subsequent recalls, suggesting that firms that are already struggling with recalls can fall further behind by taking risks with their innovation strategy. The managerial and theoretical implications are discussed.

Perceived authenticity of publicly owned natural parks is an important yet often overlooked driver of consumer experience, enjoyment, and well-being. Given the U.S. National Park Service's charge to operate parks for the enjoyment of the public while conserving them for the future, it is important for park agencies to understand how visitors perceive the authenticity of parks and how they can increase perceived authenticity of the spaces they manage. The authors use the construct of brand authenticity as the foundation of a natural space authenticity framework and draw on attention restoration theory to highlight the importance of viewing the marketing of natural spaces as a form of brand management. In a survey of 2,646 visitors to state parks and a series of three experiments, the authors examine the impact of natural space authenticity (perceived continuity, credibility, and symbolism) on consumer outcomes. Findings indicate that these three dimensions of natural space authenticity improve outcomes of return visit intentions, recommendation intentions, decreased stress, and perceived health for prior and potential visitors of state parks. The authors present managerial and policy implications to assist park managers and guide future research.

While antecedents of a rival’s exit have been extensively investigated, how a rival’s exit affects the market has been barely examined. Drawing on the contestable market theory, and utilizing a rich dataset of market exits in the airline industry, the authors investigate how incumbents respond to a rival’s exit by adjusting their prices. Contrary to widespread expectations, incumbents cut prices by 7% as soon as the rival leaves the market and keep their prices lower than the pre-exit level up to eight quarters afterward. The authors discuss the contributions to the marketing literature and provide actionable insights to managers and policymakers.

The purpose of this study is to bring more clarity to the complex discussion of religiosity and its effects on consumer attitudes toward corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives and socially responsible shopping. Drawing on the Hunt-Vitell theory of marketing ethics, we investigate how intrinsic religiosity indirectly affects retail selection through the mediating variable of attitudes toward CSR. We also investigate whether a retailer's corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate social irresponsibility (CSI) moderate the relationship between consumer attitudes toward CSR and retail selection. We find that intrinsic religiosity indirectly affects where consumers shop for groceries, clothing, shoes, electronics, and home goods, and we find that only CSI impacts the retail selection decision. Implications for macromarketing theory, marketing strategy, and public policy are discussed.

Research on entrepreneurial marketing is now fairly common, and macromarketing is an established field. However, studies that incorporate variables of interest to both entrepreneurial marketing and macromarketing scholars are scarce. In the spirit of the special issue, this study crosses disciplinary boundaries in order to investigate how a macro-level policy variable (i.e., excise taxes) affects a key marketing variable (i.e., product quality) in a sample of small firms (i.e., microbreweries). The results of the study support Barzel's "flight to quality" hypothesis. We conclude that high excise taxes invite quality-based competition. Furthermore, entrepreneurial microbreweries appear to recognize the flight to quality, and they capitalize on the opportunity to bring relatively high quality products to market. Implications for entrepreneurial marketing researchers, macromarketing researchers, and public policy are discussed.

The typical firm invests 20% of its promotional budget on sales promotions in an effort to drive short-term sales, Limited insight into the differential impacts of various sales promotions as well as the conditions under which they are most effective in lifting the sales of new products remain despite the rich body of research on sales promotions in the marketing literature. This research seeks to address these gaps by demonstrating the effects of two types of sales promotions on high-value consumer durable goods. Specifically, we investigate the effects of cash rebates and financing incentives on consumer perceptions of value and sales across luxury and mass goods in the automobile industry. Our findings suggest that although both categories of promotional strategies are effective sales booster, cash rebates are more effective in the mass market while financing rates offer significant new product sales benefits in the luxury market.