Advances in Advertising Research Vol VII Bridging The Gap Between Advertising Academia and Practice 1st Edition George Christodoulides

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Bridging the Gap between Advertising Academia
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European Advertising Academy

George Christodoulides
Anastasia Stathopoulou
Martin Eisend Editors

Advances in
Advertising
Research (Vol. VII)
Bridging the Gap between Advertising
Academia and Practice
European Advertising Academy

Executive Board Members:


S. Okazaki, London, United Kingdom
P. De Pelsmacker, Antwerp, Belgium
H. Voorveld, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
M. Eisend, Frankfurt an der Oder, Germany
S. Diehl, Klagenfurt, Austria
T. Langner, Wuppertal, Germany
S. Rosengren, Stockholm, Sweden
S. Boerman, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
The objective of the European Advertising Academy (EAA) is to provide a profes­
sional association to academics and practitioners interested in advertising and its
applications that will promote, disseminate and stimulate high quality research in
the field.

Executive Board Members:


Prof. Shintaro Okazaki Prof. Tobias Langner
King’s College, United Kingdom Bergische Universität Wuppertal
Germany
Prof. Patrick De Pelsmacker
University of Antwerp, Belgium Prof. Sara Rosengren
Stockholm School of Economics
Prof. Hilde Voorveld Sweden
University of Amsterdam
The Netherlands Dr. Sophie Boerman
University of Amsterdam
Prof. Martin Eisend The Netherlands
Europa-Universität Viadrina
Frankfurt an der Oder, Germany

Prof. Sandra Diehl


Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt
Austria
George Christodoulides
Anastasia ­Stathopoulou · Martin Eisend
(Eds.)

Advances in
Advertising
Research (Vol. VII)
Bridging the Gap between Advertising
Academia and Practice
Editors
George Christodoulides Martin Eisend
London, UK Frankfurt (Oder), Germany

Anastasia Stathopoulou
London, UK

European Advertising Academy


ISBN 978-3-658-15219-2 ISBN 978-3-658-15220-8 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-658-15220-8

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016948296

Springer Gabler
© Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden 2017
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part
of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations,
recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission
or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or
dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this
publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt
from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this
book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the
authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained
herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made.

Printed on acid-free paper

This Springer Gabler imprint is published by Springer Nature


The registered company is Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH
The registered company address is: Abraham-Lincoln-Strasse 46, 65189 Wiesbaden, Germany
Advances in Advertising Research: Bridging the Gap between
Advertising Academia and Practice

George Christodoulides, Anastasia Stathopoulou, and Martin Eisend

This collection of selected papers is associated with 14 th ICORIA conference


that took place at Birkbeck, University in London between July 2-4, 2015.
ICORIA is the annual meeting of the European Advertising Academy. All the
papers submitted to the conference were subject to a double blind reviewing
process. A total of 115 papers from a truly international pool of researchers
were accepted for presentation in London. From those the best papers were
invited to be developed further and be submitted to Advances in Advertising
Research Vol. VII: Bridging the Gap between Advertising Academia and
Practice.
This year’s theme is aligned with the theme of the conference and focuses on
the need to bridge the gap between advertising research and practice. It is for
this reason that all the authors were encouraged to discuss in detail the
managerial implications of their work.
We have grouped the papers in this collection in three main categories:
Online Advertising/Social Networks, Consumer Responses to Advertising and
Culture and Advertising.
Online Advertising/Social Networks is the largest section of the book
consisting of nine chapters. This reflects the huge interest from researchers in
digital, social media and mobile technologies which have undoubtedly
revolutionized the way organizations and brands communicate with consumers
(and vice versa). The first four chapters focus specifically on social networking
sites and their value in consumers’ information-seeking and content sharing
behaviors as well as collaborative consumption (e.g. with regard to New Product
Development). The next two chapters focus on corporate websites by examining
the interactivity and branding potential of websites. The subsequent two
chapters examine electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) by investigating the
characteristics of eWOM diffusers and the effect of specific features of the
message on sales. The last chapter examines consumer’s privacy concerns in the
context of mobile apps.
Consumer Responses to Advertising
This section comprises eight chapters looking at various consumer responses
to various advertising formats and appeals. The first four chapters examine
emotional and rational appeals in marketing communications. The next three
chapters focus on consumer attitudes and behaviors instigated by various stimuli
in the advertising message or environment. The last chapter in this section deals
VI Preface

with the hot topic of engagement by putting forward a new framework to


conceptually enlighten consumer engagement with brands.
Culture and Advertising
The last section of the book consists of four chapters focusing on cultural
issues in advertising research. The first chapter provides an assessment of
Hofstede’s cultural framework in advertising research. The next chapter
examines appeals in a cross-national context. The penultimate chapter examines
‘adhocracy’ culture in the context of integrated marketing communications
whilst the last chapter profiles leading researchers in advertising by examining
their productivity in top international journals.

These three sections contain a total of 21 chapters representing the latest


cutting-edge research on advertising globally – research that covers a wide range
of topics in advertising with significant implications for managerial practice. The
chapters also provide new and innovative ideas for future research in this
exciting and fast-evolving field of study. We would like to take this opportunity
to thank the steering committee of the 14th ICORIA and everyone else at
Birkbeck, University of London and the EAA who has contributed to making
this conference a big success. We hope that you find the contents of this volume
interesting and thought-provoking in a way that will help you shape your ideas
for future research.
The objective of the association is to provide a professional association to
academics and practitioners interested in advertising and its applications that
will promote, disseminate and stimulate high quality research in the field.
The association particularly serves as a meeting and communication forum
for its members. It offers a network for the exchange of knowledge on an
international level and constitutes a framework allowing for a better
dissemination of information on research and teaching.
The association also aims at the development of relations with all other
professional and research-oriented associations which are active in the field, as
well as with European or international committees and authorities concerned
with political decision making, active in this field.
The EAA is closely related to the yearly International Conference on
Research in Advertising (ICORIA). The purpose of the conference is to create a
forum where people studying advertising in the academic world could exchange
ideas, and where they could meet with practitioners who have experience with
advertising in the commercial world.
Every natural person that is professionally concerned with or interested in
research or teaching in the field of advertising is, irrespective of nationality,
eligible to become a full member of the association.

For further information please visit our website: www.icoria.org


Table of Contents

Preface V

I. Online Advertising/Social Networks

Ofrit Kol, Shalom Levy, and Israel D. Nebenzahl


Consumer Values as Mediators in Social Network Information Search 3

Fabian A. Geise
Integration of Consumers into New Product Development by Social
Media-Based Crowdsourcing – Findings from the Consumer Goods
Industry in Germany 15

Vanessa Apaolaza, Patrick Hartmann, Jiaxun He, Jose M. Barrutia, and


Carmen Echebarria
The Relationship between Gratifications from Social Networking Site
Use and Adolescents’ Brand Interactions 29

Johanna Schwenk and Verena Hüttl-Maack


Promoting the Shareconomy: Effects of Beneficial Appeals and Personal
Characteristics on the Attractiveness of Renting and Reselling Platforms 43

Mototaka Sakashita
Communicating through Brand Websites to Create Unique Brands 57

Polyxeni (Jenny) Palla and Yorgos Zotos


Gaining Attention Online: Do the Levels of Product Involvement and
Website Interactivity Matter? An Eye-Tracking Approach 65

Anik St-Onge, Sylvain Senecal, Marc Fredette, and Jacques Nantel


Is Targeting Online Information Diffusers Based on Their Pesrsonality
Traits and Influencer Types Misleading? 79

Ewa Maslowska, Edward C. Malthouse, and Stefan F. Bernritter


The Effect of Online Customer Reviews’ Characteristics on Sales 87
X Table of Contents

Morikazu Hirose, Kei Mineo, and Keiya Tabe


The Influence of Personal Data Usage on Mobile Apps 101

II. Consumer Responses to Advertising

Stefan Thomas and Heribert Gierl


The Effect of Eroticism in Couple Depictions in Advertisements on Brand
Evaluations 117

Corinne Chevalier and Marie-Christine Lichtlé


Model’s Age and Target’s Age: Effects on Emotions towards and Beliefs
about an Ad 133

Gül Şener, Hasan Kemal Suher, and Ali Atıf Bir


Being Hooked by the Archetypal Characters in Drama TV Ads:
A Structural Equation Modeling Approach 151

Eeva-Liisa Oikarinen
The Moderating Role of Congruence between Humor and Fun
Climate of the Company on the Effects of Humor in Internet Job Ads 167

Tanja Schneider and Heribert Gierl


Put It on the Right Side: The Effect of Print Advertisement Location
on Product Evaluation 183

Franziska Oefele and Heribert Gierl


The Influence of Majority Agreements on Attitudes 199

Kang Li and Nora Rifon


The Effects of Message Framing and Reference Points of Public
Service Announcements on Bystander Intervention in College
Students’ Binge-Drinking 215

Ewa Maslowska, Edward C. Malthouse, and Tom Collinger


How Customers Engage with Brands: A New Framework 231
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Table of Contents XI

III. Culture and Advertising

Salman Saleem and Jorma Larimo


Hofstede Cultural Framework and Advertising Research:
An Assessment of the Literature 247

Isabell Koinig, Sandra Diehl, and Barbara Mueller


The Effects of Different Ad Appeals in Non-Prescription
Drug Advertising: A Cross-Cultural Investigation 265

Lucia Porcu, Salvador del Barrio-García, Juan Miguel Alcántara-Pilar,


and Esmeralda Crespo-Almendros
Examining the Mediating Role of Integrated Marketing Communication
on the Relationship between Adhocracy Culture and Brand Advantage 281

Terri H. Chan and Caleb H. Tse


Profiling Lead Researchers in Advertising Research 297
Part I. Online Advertising/Social Networks
Consumer Values as Mediators in Social Network Information
Search

Ofrit Kol, Shalom Levy, and Israel D. Nebenzahl

1 Introduction

Social network sites (SNS) provide their users with new online information
sources. The information is actively created and distributed by consumers for
consumers, with the intention to inform, enrich and enlighten one another about
products, brands, services and more (Liu et. al., 2013; Deighton and Kornfeld,
2009). This information has been perceived to be trustworthy (Foux, 2006),
personal and with minimum cost, allowing the decision-making process to be
more effective (Chai et al., 2010) and improve the consumers' decision-making
process (Wang et Al., 2012; Constantinides et al., 2013).
Consumers, search for information on SNS, confront two types of information
sources: Non-commercial sources which are based on information created by
consumers on a personal profile or groups of interest and Commercial sources,
which are business originated and delivered through brand page or social
advertising tools. These diverse sources raise some important questions. What
influences consumer's choice? Why in some cases do consumers turn to non-
commercial sources, while in other cases the consumers turn to commercial
sources? This study attempts to answer these questions and enhance our
understanding of what motivates consumers' search behavior on SNS. The study
focuses on values the consumer receives from the information as motivating
factors in her / his information source selection.
The literature offers various studies on user information seeking behavior on
SNS in general (Lampe et al, 2012; Gray et al., 2013; Morris et al., 2010);
However, only few studies were conducted in the context of consumer’s search
behavior (Mikalef et al., 2013; Xiang and Gretzel, 2010). Furthermore, to the
best of our knowledge, there are no studies that integrate information values as
mediating factors in consumer’s selection of information sources on SNS. Thus,
there is a need for academic attention here and empirical evidence is needed to
enhance our understanding of the subject.
The current study goals are twofold. First, to apply and check the UTAUT
model (Venkatesh et al., 2003; Gefen et al., 2003; Shin and Kim, 2008) as a
theoretical base for consumer adoption of SNS as a tool for information search.
Second, to verify the suggestion that the values the consumer receives from the
information affect the consumer's search behavior and are mediating factors
influencing the consumer's choice of information sources on SNS. The suggested

© Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden 2017


G. Christodoulides et al. (Hrsg.), Advances in Advertising Research (Vol. VII),
European Advertising Academy, DOI 10.1007/978-3-658-15220-8_1
4 Kol, Levy, and Nebenzahl

values are: Economic Value (EV), Psychological Value (PV) and Social Value
(SV). In the current study, we propose a conceptual framework, test it
empirically, and present related conclusions and managerial implications.

2 Literature Review

SNS is perceived by consumers to be an efficient source of information


(Lampe et al, 2012; Gray et al., 2013). Consumers frequently turn to various
types of SNS to search for information during their process of making purchase
decisions (Mangold and Faulds, 2009). The adoption of SNS as a legitimate
source of information is in the concern of the Technology Acceptance Model
(TAM). Davis (Davis, 1989; Davis et. al, 1989) introduced the TAM in order to
explain the acceptance of information technology (IT). The model was variously
extended by many researchers. Venkatesh et al. (2003) extended the two TAM
constructs and suggested the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of
Technology (UTAUT). Venkatesh et al. (2012) further extended the UTAUT to
predict the acceptance and use of technology in a consumer context. TAM and
UTAUT models have been studied in variety of technologies and their
effectiveness in predicting the adoption of technology in general and the Internet
in particular was supported (Venkatesh et al., 2003; Gefen et al., 2003; Shin and
Kim, 2008). In this study, we use the UTAUT model to explain consumer
adoption of SNS as a source of information search tool. Due to the handful
studies of UTAUT on SNS technologies (Constantinides et al., 2013; Willis,
2008), testing the UTAUT model’s prediction will be one of this study’s goals.
The UTAUT model suggests some antecedents (Performance Expectancy, Effort
Expectancy, Social Influence and Facilitating Conditions) leading towards
behavioral Intention which further leads to use behavior. In SNS consumer’s use
behavior is comprised of the engagement in consumer information sources.

2.1 Sources of Consumer Information on SNS

In SNS there are several different information sources, available to the


consumer who is looking for consumer related information. These channels can
be divided into two types: Non-commercial sources and Commercial sources.
Non-commercial information sources include information received from
personal profile (Boyd and Ellison, 2007; Muniz and O'Guinn, 2001) and groups
of shared interest. A SNS user can post a status message question asking
(SMQA) on these platforms in order to get consumer information (Oeldorf-
Hirsch et al., 2014, Morris et al, 2010). On the other hand, there are commercial
sources which include business or brand page (Lin and Lu, 2011; Kane et al.,
2009) and social advertising tools (Pate and Adams, 2013; Goyal, 2013).
Consumer Values as Mediators in Social Network Information Search 5

Consumers are exposed to ads and brand pages on SNS. By "Liking" a brand
page, the consumers can be exposed to information and special offers created by
a business company. In addition, a consumer can directly post SMQA and get a
personal response from the company.

2.2 SNS’s Information Search Motivators

What motivates consumer search behavior on SNS? The literature indicates


that by searching for information, consumers expect to receive some benefit or
value, which will help them make better purchasing decisions (Keeney, 1999).
Accordingly, this study suggests that the values consumers receive from their
information search effect their search behavior on SNS. The study suggests three
types of relevant consumer values: Economic Value (EV), Psychological Value
(PV) and Social Value (SV), and assumes they act as mediating factors in
consumer selection of information sources on SNS.
The economic value leans on the economics of information theory (Stigler,
1961; Nelson, 1974) and refers to the benefits of saving time, effort and money.
The interactive nature of the Internet in general and the SNS in particular
improves the access to information while reducing the cost of the search (Chai et
al, 2010; Lampe el al, 2012). Saving money comes from the special offers the
consumer receives from marketers, in the form of special offers, coupons and
discounts, which help the consumer, increase the economic benefit of his or her
decision. Following this perspective, we assume that in order to receive EV the
consumer will turn to both commercial and non-commercial sources of
information on SNS. Therefore, the hypothesis:

H1: To the extent that consumers are interested in increasing their EV they will
turn to both commercial information sources and non-commercial information
sources on SNS.

Psychological value refers to psychological benefits reached from the


reduced uncertainty involved in purchase decision. It is derived from the theory
of perceived risk, the two-dimensional construct, which includes the uncertainty
in a purchase decision and the results of a less than satisfactory decision
(Bettman, 1973; Cunningham, 1967; Mitra et al, 1999). The uncertainty can
result from one or more of six types of risks (monetary, performance, physical,
security, social and psychological (Jacoby and Kaplan, 1972) and time
(Roselius, 1971) which are involved in a purchase process and stem from a lack
of information. Information reduces uncertainty and thereby reduces the
perceived risk (Murray, 1991; Newman, 1977). Furthermore, according to a
study conducted by Nielsen (2013), people rely on information they get from
personal sources. According to this study, 92% rely on recommendations from
6 Kol, Levy, and Nebenzahl

people they know, and 70% rely on the opinions of persons writing on the
Internet, while only 33% rely on Internet ads. The non-commercial sources on
SNS provide reliable information on products and services (Mangold and Folds,
2009) as they are based on recommendations and opinions of friends and
acquaintances (Oeldorf-Hirsch et al, 2014; Morris et al, 2010). Following their
suggestions, consumers will look for various information sources to reduce
uncertainty and thereby reduce their perceived risk. Hereby, the hypothesis:

H2: To the extent that consumers are interested in increasing their PV they will
turn to both commercial information sources and non-commercial information
sources on SNS.

Social value refers to the social benefits users receive when connecting to
others via SNS (Deng et al., 2010).This value is located in the feeling of
belonging to a certain group (Deng et. al., 2010) and the need for a cognition
with those who share the same norms, values and interests (Giao et. al., 2015).
SNS offer SV by providing services that enable conversations and information
sharing, along with the possibility of gaining social approval, expressing
opinions, and influencing others (Gangadharbatla, 2008). Many researchers have
examined different aspects of the values a person gets from using Facebook,
including the desire to meet new people (Ellison et al., 2011), self-expression
(Lin and Lu, 2011; Hart et al., 2008), entertainment and even having fun
(Venkatesh et. al, 2012; Sledgianowski and Kulviwat, 2009). Accordingly, we
assume that consumers can reach SV via non-commercial information sources
and not via commercial sources on SNS. Therefore the following hypothesis:

H3: To the extent that consumers are interested in increasing their SV, they will
turn to non-commercial information sources and not to commercial information
sources on SNS.

3 Methodology

3.1 Sample

Data were collected through a web-based survey and a convenience sample.


The subjects were sent an invitation, including a short introduction and a request
to participate in a survey. The study was restricted to Facebook users (a
worldwide leading SNS). Overall, 214 usable responses were analyzed in this
study. The participants were highly experienced users of Facebook, with an
average of 653 friends. Participants were mostly females (70%), with an average
Consumer Values as Mediators in Social Network Information Search 7

age of 33. The education level of the majority of the participants was above high
school (94%), with an average or above-average income (68%).

3.2 Measurement

The survey instrument consisted of multiple items that were partly gathered
from prior studies and partly designed to measure the study's new constructs.
The items for the UTAUT model’s variables (including Performance
expectancy, Hedonic motivation, Social Influence, Facilitating conditions, Effort
Expectancy, Habit, and Behavioral intention) were adopted from Venkatesh et
al. (2012). Use behavior item scales were phrased to capture the commercial
(advertisement and Brand page) and non-commercial (personal profile and
groups) sources of consumer’s information search in SNS. Typical items in the
scales were “I am interesting in coupons and marketing suggestion, I receive
from brand pages in my personal profile” for commercial sources scale, and “I
am posting a question or asking for opinion from friends in my personal profile”
for non-commercial sources scale. For consumer’s values, the EV items were
gathered from Deng et al. (2010), Ailawadi et al. (2003) and Sweeney and
Soutar (2001). SV items were gathered from Deng et al. (2010) and Sweeney
and Soutar (2001). PV items were gathered from Ailawadi et al. (2003) and
Sweeney and Soutar (2001). All scales’ items were modified to suit the SNS
environment. Respondents were asked to indicate their level of agreement with
different statements. A seven-point Likert scale was used, ranging from 1 =
strongly disagree, to 7 = strongly agree. Demographic data were also collected.

4 Results

4.1 Validity and Reliability

The UTAUT model variables’ items were subjected to confirmatory factor


analysis (CFA) for constructs validity and reliability. The results confirm the
constructs (χ2 value (172) = 332.01, p < .05 (χ2/df, less than 2); Comparative Fit
Index (CFI) = .963; Normed Fit Index (NFI) = .927; and Root Mean Square
Error of Approximation (RMSEA) = .067). The CFA shows that all scale items
loaded satisfactorily (β’s > .5) on the relevant latent variables.
The values’ items and sources’ of information search items were subjected
first to exploratory factor analysis and next were subjected to CFA. The results
confirm the constructs (χ2 value (245) = 456.64, p < .05 (χ2/df, less than 2); CFI
= .953; NFI = .905; and RMSEA = .065). The CFA shows that scale items
loaded satisfactorily on the relevant latent variables. Convergent validity,
discriminant validity and internal consistency were examined using the following
8 Kol, Levy, and Nebenzahl

measurements: Average Variance Extracted (AVE), Composite Reliability (CR)


and Cronbach's alpha, displaying acceptable validity and reliability of the
measurements. Means were then calculated and examined for each factor. The
correlation pattern is provided in Table 1.

Table 1: Descriptive statistics and correlations

Variable Mean SD 2 3 4 5 6
1. BI 4.36 1.21 .535** .529** .563** .771** .616**
2. Commercial Sources 3.35 1.12 1.00 .556** .595** .638** .516**
3. Non Commercial Sources 4.21 1.20 -- 1.00 .606** .642** .543**
4. PV 3.76 1.62 -- -- 1.00 .768** .647**
5. EV 3.75 1.69 -- -- -- 1.00 .664**
6. SV 3.14 1.73 -- -- -- -- 1.00
Notes: N = 212; ** < .01

4.2 Model Testing

To examine the relationships among the constructs, two path analyses were
conducted using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). First, the UTAUT model
was tested on SNS’ information search. The overall fit statistics (goodness of fit
measures) exhibit an acceptable level of fit (χ2 value (2) = 4.24, p = .12 (χ2/df,
less than 3); CFI = .998; NFI = .996; RMSEA = .073), indicating that the path
model is valid. This fit indicates an adequate application of UTAUT model to
SNS’ information search environment. Next, the suggested framework was
tested, while the two sources (Commercial and Non-commercial) were put
together as dependent variables. The overall fit statistics (goodness of fit
measures) exhibit an acceptable level of fit (χ2 value (33) = 49.01, p = .04
(χ2/df, less than 2); CFI = .991; NFI = .974; RMSEA = .048), indicating that the
path model is valid. The path model, regression standardized coefficients, and
their significance are illustrated in Figure 1.
The model depicts the direct and indirect paths toward the dependent
variables (The sources). As seen in Figure 1, Behavioral Intention (BI) has no
direct relationships, neither with the commercial sources nor with the non-
commercial sources. The relationships (β=.48 with Commercial sources and
β=.47 with Non-commercial sources) are indirect through the mediation of the
values. BI has a direct and positive effect on PV (β=.26), a direct effect on EV
(β=.58) and direct effect on SV (β=.59). Further, PV has direct and positive
effect on Commercial sources (β=.26) and on Non-commercial sources (β=.24).
EV has direct and positive effect on Commercial sources (β=.44) and on Non-
commercial sources (β=.33). However, SV has direct and positive effect only on
Non-commercial sources (β=.15), while the relationship with Commercial
Consumer Values as Mediators in Social Network Information Search 9

sources is indirect (β=.26) and through the relationships with PV (β=.49) and
EV (β=.31). Accordingly, hypotheses H1, H2 and H3 are accepted. Table 2
summarizes the relationships among variables.

Figure 1: Consumer’s values as mediators in consumer’s information search in SNS: A


path model a
a
Path parameters are standardized parameter estimates and only significant paths are
shown. Curved arrows indicate correlations. R2 are in the right corner. * p< .05; ** p<
.01.

Table 2: Study’s model’s relationships between variables: Direct and indirect


Relationships Standardized Effect Regression Weights (direct)
Total Direct Indirect Estimate C.R. p
BI  Comm.* .475 .000 .487
BI  Non Comm.** .468 .000 .468
BI  PV .550 .264 .286 .230 4.11 <.001
BI  EV .760 .580 .180 .525 11.14 <.001
BI  SV .587 .587 .000 .545 10.74 <.001
PV  Comm. .258 .258 .000 .250 3.15 <.01
PV  Non Comm. .236 .236 .000 .225 2.87 <.01
EV  Comm. .438 .438 .000 .410 5.36 <.001
EV  Non Comm. .328 .328 .000 .301 3.90 <.001
SV  Comm. .260 .000 .260
SV  Non Comm. .366 .151 .215 .134 2.18 <.05
SV  PV .487 .487 .000 .456 7.57 <.001
SV  EV .306 .306 .000 .298 5.88 <.001
* Comm. = Commercial Sources; ** Non Comm. = Non Commercial Sources.
10 Kol, Levy, and Nebenzahl

5. Discussion and Implications

The goals of this study were first, to empirically test the UTAUT model in the
context of consumer information search behavior on SNS. And second, to
suggest a theoretical framework integrating three types of values, EV, PV and
SV, as mediators towards information sources on SNS.
The results indicate that the UTAUT model (Venkatesh et al., 2003) is
applicable to the SNS information search context. Furthermore, the findings
show that the consumer’s expected values mediate information search behavior
in SNS and this mediation differs according to the information sources.
Commercial sources of information are mediated by EV and PV. This means
that the consumer applies to commercial sources, since he / she expects to
receive some deal or special marketing offer, or reduce uncertainty in buying
decision process. Nevertheless, non-commercial sources are mediated through
all values. This means the consumer applies to non-commercial sources for
different reasons, including SV such as philanthropy, self-expression and social
approval.

5.1 Theoretical and Managerial Implications

This study has several important theoretical and managerial implications.


From a theoretical perspective, the study supports the notion that consumer
values are mediators in information search behavior in SNS. This study suggests
three values, namely, EV, PV and SV. These consumer’s values affect the
consumer's search behavior and mediate the selection of information sources in
SNS. Second, the study suggests a conceptual framework for consumer’s
adoption of SNS as a tool for information search. It applies the UTAUT model
(Venkatesh et al., 2003; Venkatesh et al., 2012) in the context of SNS and
provides theoretical and empirical support for the conceptual framework.
The study has also significant implications for practitioners. Marketing
communication practitioners should note that consumer’s values and expected
benefits mediate the selection of information sources in SNS. The study
indicates that consumers turn to both channels, commercial and non-commercial,
while searching for information. However, the selection of the channels depends
on the potential benefits they pursue. First, in commercial channels, posting an
ad or a brand page on SNS must follow beneficial information, imparting
potential economic profit or psychological utility to the consumer. Messages
should contain rational appeal rather than emotional appeal and be more hard-
sell than soft-sell. Second, all values: social, psychological and economic, are
relevant in non-commercial sources of information. In order to provide social
value, it is important for marketing practitioners to develop a brand community
around consumers’ interests and common values. With this in mind, brands
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Consumer Values as Mediators in Social Network Information Search 11

should provide added value supporting the interests and the community’s
common values, e.g. "Nike" developed an application that helps consumers keep
track of their sports activities and share their progress and activity with their
community. In addition, the brand should cultivate its loyal customers, turning
them into ambassadors who will share brand knowledge and experiences with
their community and warmly recommend the brand. This type of information
provides consumers psychological value, it is perceived to be more credible and
helps reduce their perceived risk. Furthermore, it gives economic value by
saving consumers time and money. Additionally, it will be highly beneficial to
integrate these values by distributing brand benefits via opinion leaders.

5.2 Limitations and Future Research

The current study has limitations that should be addressed in future research.
First, this study has limited the empirical testing to one SNS channel
(Facebook). Future research should further examine the current study’s
framework on varied digital SNS channels, such as Twitter and WhatsApp, to
enhance generalization possibilities. Second, though it is a common practice, the
convenience sample of the current study’s web-based survey could be another
limitation which needs to be addressed in future research. For increased
generalization, the study framework should be further tested under more
representative sample settings.

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Integration of Consumers into New Product Development by
Social Media-Based Crowdsourcing – Findings from the
Consumer Goods Industry in Germany

Fabian A. Geise

1 Introduction
Successful new products are crucial for growth and the strengthening of a
company’s competitiveness. However, not every new product launch succeeds
on the market, i.e. the potential economic success is set against the risk of a new
product failure. The flop rates are up to 90 percent depending on the industry
(Gourville, 2006; Cooper, 2001; Crawford, 1987). The main reason for new
products failing to establish themselves is often that new offers do not fit the
needs of the customers (Reichwald and Piller, 2009, 128f.). This has been
proven in many empirical studies (Gruner and Homburg, 2000; Hanna et al.,
1995; von Hippel, 1986). These studies also show another relevant issue, that it
is necessary to integrate customers’ needs as early as possible into the process of
new product development (NPD), i.e. into the stages “search for new product
ideas” and “evaluation of ideas” (Kotler and Keller, 2012, 597; Bogers et al.,
2010). The question here is how customers can be deeply integrated into the
early stages of the development process of new products.
An effective strategy for integrating customers is the so-called open
innovation approach. The key assumption for open innovation is the fact that
innovation-related knowledge is omnipresent in the company’s environment, i.e.
this knowledge is held by various actors – in particular by suppliers and buyers
in the case of industrial goods and consumers in the case of consumer goods
(Spithoven et al., 2012; Gassmann et. al., 2010; Chesbrough, 2006; Prahalad and
Ramaswamy, 2004). Therefore, companies who work with an open innovation
strategy view customers as a valuable resource for new product ideas. Hence, the
challenging task is to integrate this knowledge systematically into the company’s
innovation management process.
The expansion of the internet to Web 2.0 offers companies the ideal
opportunity to realize open innovation strategies with customers on a new level
of collaboration (Chakravorti, 2010). This applies in particular for companies in
the consumer goods industry. A promising procedure is to use social media like
Facebook, blogs, brand communities, etc. On these virtual platforms you can
typically access many people outside the company cost-efficiently and quickly.
In doing so, innovation processes are outsourced to a crowd, thus to a plurality

© Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden 2017


G. Christodoulides et al. (Hrsg.), Advances in Advertising Research (Vol. VII),
European Advertising Academy, DOI 10.1007/978-3-658-15220-8_2
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And islands that were the Hesperides
Of all my boyish dreams.
And the burden of that old song,
It murmurs and whispers still:
“A boy’s will is the wind’s will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.”

I remember the black wharves and the slips,


And the sea-tides tossing free;
And Spanish sailors with bearded lips,
And the beauty and mystery of the ships,
And the magic of the sea.
And the voice of that wayward song
Is singing and saying still:
“A boy’s will is the wind’s will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.”

I remember the bulwarks by the shore,


And the fort upon the hill;
The sunrise gun, with its hollow roar,
The drum-beat repeated o’er and o’er,
And the bugle wild and shrill.
And the music of that old song
Throbs in my memory still:
“A boy’s will is the wind’s will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.”

I remember the sea-fight far away,


How it thundered o’er the tide!
And the dead captains, as they lay
In their graves, o’erlooking the tranquil bay,
Where they in battle died.
And the sound of that mournful song
Goes through me with a thrill:
“A boy’s will is the wind’s will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.”

I can see the breezy dome of groves,


The shadows of Deering’s Woods;
And the friendships old and the early loves
Come back with a sabbath sound, as of doves
In quiet neighborhoods.
And the verse of that sweet old song,
It flutters and murmurs still:
“A boy’s will is the wind’s will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.”

I remember the gleams and glooms that dart


Across the school-boy’s brain;
The song and the silence in the heart,
That in part are prophecies, and in part
Are longings wild and vain.
And the voice of that fitful song
Sings on, and is never still:
“A boy’s will is the wind’s will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.”

There are things of which I may not speak;


There are dreams that cannot die;
There are thoughts that make the strong heart weak,
And bring a pallor into the cheek,
And a mist before the eye.
And the words of that fatal song
Come over me like a chill:
“A boy’s will is the wind’s will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.”

Strange to me now are the forms I meet


When I visit the dear old town;
But the native air is pure and sweet,
And the trees that o’ershadow each well-known street,
As they balance up and down,
Are singing the beautiful song,
Are sighing and whispering still:
“A boy’s will is the wind’s will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.”

And Deering’s Woods are fresh and fair,


And with joy that is almost pain
My heart goes back to wander there,
And among the dreams of the days that were
I find my lost youth again.
And the strange and beautiful song,
The groves are repeating it still:
“A boy’s will is the wind’s will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.”
SUBLIME SELECTIONS IN POETRY

SONG OF THE MYSTIC


By Abram J. Ryan

I walk down the Valley of Silence—


Down the dim, voiceless valley—alone!
And I hear not the fall of a footstep
Around me, save God’s and my own;
And the hush of my heart is as holy
As hovers where angels have flown!

Long ago was I weary of voices


Whose music my heart could not win;
Long ago was I weary of noises
That fretted my soul with their din;
Long ago was I weary of places
Where I met but the human—and sin.

I walked in the world with the worldly;


I craved what the world never gave;
And I said: “In the world each Ideal,
That shines like a star on life’s wave,
Is wrecked on the shores of the Real,
And sleeps like a dream in a grave.”

And still did I pine for the Perfect,


And still found the False with the True;
I sought ’mid the Human for Heaven,
But caught a mere glimpse of its Blue:
And I wept when the clouds of the Mortal
Veiled even that glimpse from my view.

And I toiled on, heart-tired of the Human,


And I moaned ’mid the mazes of men,
Till I knelt, long ago, at an altar
And I heard a voice call me. Since then
I walk down the Valley of Silence
That lies far beyond mortal ken.

Do you ask what I found in the Valley?


’Tis my Trysting-Place with the Divine.
And I fell at the feet of the Holy,
And above me a voice said: “Be mine.”
And there rose from the depths of my spirit
An echo—“My heart shall be thine.”

Do you ask how I live in the Valley?


I weep—and I dream—and I pray.
But my tears are as sweet as the dew-drops
That fall on the roses in May;
And my prayer, like a perfume from Censers,
Ascendeth to God night and day.

In the hush of the Valley of Silence


I dream all the songs that I sing;
And the music floats down the dim Valley,
Till each finds a word for a wing,
That to hearts, like the Dove of the Deluge,
A message of Peace they may bring.

But far on the deep there are billows


That never shall break on the beach;
And I have heard songs in the Silence
That never shall float into speech;
And I have had dreams in the Valley
Too lofty for language to reach.

And I have seen Thoughts in the Valley—


Ah me! how my spirit was stirred!
And they wear holy veils on their faces,
Their footsteps can scarcely be heard;
They pass through the Valley like Virgins,
Too pure for the touch of a word!

Do you ask me the place of the Valley,


Ye hearts that are harrowed by Care?
It lieth afar between mountains,
And God and His angels are there:
And one is the dark mount of Sorrow,
And one the bright mountain of Prayer.

THE SEA
By Barry Cornwall

The sea! the sea! the open sea!


The blue, the fresh, the ever free!
Without a mark, without a bound,
It runneth the earth’s wide regions round;
It plays with the clouds, it mocks the skies,
Or like a cradled creature lies.

I’m on the sea, I’m on the sea,


I am where I would ever be,
With the blue above and the blue below,
And silence wheresoe’er I go.
If a storm should come and awake the deep,
What matter? I shall ride and sleep.

I love, oh! how I love to ride


On the fierce, foaming, bursting tide,
Where every mad wave drowns the moon,
And whistles aloft its tempest tune,
And tells how goeth the world below,
And why the southwest wind doth blow!

I never was on the dull, tame shore


But I loved the great sea more and more,
And backward flew to her billowy breast,
Like a bird that seeketh her mother’s nest,—
And a mother she was and is to me,
For I was born on the open sea.

The waves were white, and red the morn,


In the noisy hour when I was born;
The whale it whistled, the porpoise rolled,
And the dolphins bared their backs of gold;
And never was heard such an outcry wild,
As welcomed to life the ocean child.

I have lived since then, in calm and strife,


Full fifty summers a rover’s life,
With wealth to spend, and a power to range,
But never have sought or sighed for change,
And death, whenever he comes to me,
Shall come on the wide, unbounded sea!

THE GREAT ADVANCE


By Thomas Walsh

In my heart is the sound of drums


And the sweep of the bugles calling;
The day of the Great Adventure comes,
And the tramp of feet is falling, falling,
Ominous falling, everywhere,
By street and lane, by field and square—
To answer the Voice appealing!

One by one they have put down


The tool, the pen, and the racquet;
One by one they have donned the brown
And the blue, the knapsack and jacket;
With a smile for the friend of a happier day,
With a kiss for the love that would bid them stay—
They are off by the train and packet.

What fate, what star, what sun, what field,


What sea shall know their daring?
Shall the battle reek or the dead calm yield
Their wreaths that are preparing?
Shall they merely stand and wait the call?
Shall they hear it, rush and slay and fall?—
What matter?—their swords are baring!

We stand in the crowds that see them go—


We who are old and weak, unready;
We see the red blood destined to flow
Flushing their cheeks, as with footstep steady
With a tramp and a tramp, they file along,
Our brave, our true, our young, our strong—
And the fever burns us fierce and heady.

With God, then forth, by sea and land,


To your Adventure beyond story,
No Argonaut, no Crusader band
Ere passed with such exceeding glory!
Though ye seek fields both strange and far,
Ye are at home where heroes are!
Such is the prayer we send your star—
We who are weak and old and hoary.

WHEN THE GRASS SHALL COVER ME


By Ina Coolbrith

When the grass shall cover me,


Head to foot where I am lying,—
When not any wind that blows,
Summer-blooms nor winter-snows,
Shall awake me to your sighing:
Close above me as you pass,
You will say, “How kind she was,”
You will say, “How true she was,”
When the grass grows over me.
When the grass shall cover me,
Holden close to earth’s warm bosom,—
While I laugh, or weep, or sing,
Nevermore for anything,
You will find in blade and blossom,
Sweet small voices, odorous,
Tender pleaders in my cause,
That shall speak me as I was—
When the grass grows over me.

When the grass shall cover me!


Ah, beloved, in my sorrow
Very patient, I can wait,
Knowing that, or soon or late,
There will dawn a clearer morrow:
When your heart will moan: “Alas!
Now I know how true she was;
Now I know how dear she was”—
When the grass grows over me!

—Copyright by Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston, Mass., and used


by kind permission of author and publisher.

RIGHTEOUS WRATH
By Henry Van Dyke

There are many kinds of hate, as many kinds of fire;


And some are fierce and fatal with murderous desire;
And some are mean and craven, revengeful, selfish, slow,
They hurt the man that holds them more than they hurt his foe.

And yet there is a hatred that purifies the heart.


The anger of the better against the baser part,
Against the false and wicked, against the tyrant’s sword,
Against the enemies of love, and all that hate the Lord.

O cleansing indignation, O flame of righteous wrath,


Give me a soul to see thee and follow in thy path!
Save me from selfish virtue, arm me for fearless fight,
And give me strength to carry on, a soldier of the Right!

—Outlook.

APOSTROPHE TO THE OCEAN


By Lord Byron

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,


There is rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more,
From these our interviews, in which I steal
From all I may be, or have been before,
To mingle with the universe, and feel
What I can ne’er express, yet cannot all conceal.

Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean, roll!


Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain;
Man marks the earth with ruin,—his control
Stops with the shore: upon the watery plain,
The wrecks are all thy deed, nor doth remain
A shadow of man’s ravage, save his own,
When for a moment, like a drop of rain,
He sinks into thy depths with bubbling groan,
Without a grave, unknell’d, uncoffin’d, and unknown.

TO THE SIERRAS
By J. J. Owen

Ye snow-capped mountains, basking in the sun,


Like fleecy clouds that deck the summer skies,
On you I gaze, when day’s dull task is done,
Till night shuts out your glories from my eyes.

For stormy turmoil, and ambition’s strife,


I find in you a solace and a balm,—
Derive a higher purpose, truer life,
From your pale splendor, passionless and calm.

Mellowed by distance, all your rugged cliffs,


And deep ravines, in graceful outlines lie;
Each giant form in silent grandeur lifts
Its hoary summit to the evening sky.

I reck not of the wealth untold, concealed


Beneath your glorious coronal of snows,
Whose budding treasure yet but scarce revealed,
Shall blossom into trade—a golden rose.

A mighty realm is waking at your feet


To life and beauty, from the lap of Time,
With cities vast, where millions yet shall meet,
And Peace shall reign in majesty sublime.

Rock-ribbed Sierras, with your crests of snow,


A type of manhood, ever strong and true,
Whose heart with golden wealth should ever glow,
Whose thoughts in purity should symbol you.

SUNSET
By Ina Coolbrith

Along yon purple rim of hills,


How bright the sunset glory lies!
Its radiance spans the western skies,
And all the slumbrous valley fills:

Broad shafts of lurid crimson, blent


With lustrous pearl in massed white;
And one great spear of amber light
That flames o’er half the firmament!

Vague, murmurous sounds the breezes bear;


A thousand subtle breaths of balm,
From some far isle of tropic calm,
Are borne upon the tranced air.

And, muffling all its giant-roar,


The restless waste of waters, rolled
To one broad sea of liquid gold,
Goes singing up the shining shore!

SOMETHING TO LOVE
By William Bansman

There are beautiful thoughts in the day-dreams of life,


When youth and ambition join hands for the strife;
There are joys for the gay, which come crowding apace,
And hang out the rainbow of hope for the race;
There are prizes to gain, which ascend as we climb,
But the struggle to win them makes effort sublime.
Each cloud that arises has fingers of gold,
Inviting the timid and nerving the bold;
Each sorrow is tempered with something of sweet,
And the crag, while it frowns, shows a niche for the feet.
There are charms in the verdure which nature has spread,
And the sky shows a glory of stars overhead,
And the zephyrs of summer have voices to woo,
As well as to bear the perfumes from the dew;
There are gushes of transport in dreams of the night,
When memory garners its thoughts of delight,
And the soul seeks its kindred, and noiselessly speaks,
In the smiles and the blushes of health-blooming cheeks.
There are rapturous melodies filling the heart,
With emotions which nothing beside could impart;
And yet, though this cumulous picture may show
The brightest of joys which ambition would know—
Though the heaven it opens is one of surprise,
All gorgeous with hope, and prismatic with dyes,
Satiety follows these transports of bliss,
And the heart asks a lodgment more real than this;
Like the dove, it will wander, and still, like the dove,
Come back, till it rests upon something to love.

OUT IN THE FIELDS WITH GOD


By Elizabeth Barrett Browning

The little cares that fretted me,


I lost them yesterday
Among the fields above the sea,
Among the winds at play,
Among the lowing of the herds,
The rustling of the trees,
Among the singing of the birds,
The humming of the bees.
The foolish fears of what may happen,
I cast them all away
Among the clover-scented grass,
Among the new-mown hay,
Among the husking of the corn
Where drowsy poppies nod,
Where ill thoughts die and good are born,
Out in the fields with God.

BROTHERHOOD
By Edwin Markham

The crest and crowning of all good,


Life’s final star, is Brotherhood;
For it will bring again to Earth
Her long-lost Poesy and Mirth;
Will send new light on every face,
A kingly power upon the race.
And till it come, we men are slaves,
And travel downward to the dust of graves.

Come, clear the way, then, clear the way:


Blind creeds and kings have had their day.
Break the dead branches from the path:
Our hope is in the aftermath—
Our hope is in heroic men,
Star-led to build the world again.
To this Event the ages ran:
Make way for Brotherhood—make way for Man.

—Copyright by Doubleday, Page & Co., New York, and used by


kind permission of author and publisher.

MORNING
By Edward Rowland Sill

I entered once, at break of day,


A chapel, lichen-stained and gray,
Where a congregation dozed and heard
An old monk read from a written Word.
No light through the window-panes could pass,
For shutters were closed on the rich stained glass,
And in a gloom like the nether night,
The monk read on by a taper’s light,
Ghostly with shadows that shrunk and grew
As the dim light flared on aisle and pew;
And the congregation that dozed around
Listened without a stir or sound—
Save one, who rose with wistful face,
And shifted a shutter from its place.
Then light flashed in like a flashing gem—
For dawn had come unknown to them—
And a slender beam, like a lance of gold,
Shot to the crimson curtain-fold,
Over the bended head of him
Who pored and pored by the taper dim;
And I wondered that, under the morning ray,
When night and shadow were scattered away,
The monk should bow his locks of white
By a taper’s feebly flickering light—
Should pore and pore, and never seem
To notice the golden morning beam.

THE PETRIFIED FERN


Anonymous

In a valley, centuries ago,


Grew a little fern leaf, green and slender,
Veining delicate and fibers tender;
Waving when the wind crept down so low.
Rushes tall, and moss, and grass grew ’round it,
Playful sunbeams darted in and found it,
Drops of dew stole in by night, and crown’d it;
But no foot of man e’er trod that way;
Earth was young and keeping holiday.

Monster fishes swam the silent main,


Stately forests waved their giant branches,
Mountains hurled their snowy avalanches,
Mammoth creatures stalked across the plain;
Nature reveled in grand mysteries:
But the little fern was not of these,
Did not number with the hills and trees;
Only grew and waved its wild sweet way,
None ever came to note it day by day.

Earth one time put on a frolic mood,


Heaved the rocks and changed the mighty motion
Of the deep, strong currents of the ocean,
Moved the plain and shook the haughty wood,
Crushed the little fern in soft moist clay,—
Covered it, and hid it safe away.
Oh, the long, long centuries since that day!
Oh, the agony! Oh, life’s bitter cost,
Since that useless little fern was lost!

Useless? Lost? There came a thoughtful man,


Searching Nature’s secrets, far and deep;
From a fissure in a rocky steep
He withdrew a stone, o’er which there ran
Fairy pencilings, a quaint design,
Veinings, leafage, fibers clear and fine!
So, I think God hides some souls away,
Sweetly to surprise us, the last day.

SLEEP
By Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Of all the thoughts of God that are


Borne inward unto souls afar,
Among the Psalmist’s music deep,
Now tell me if that any is
For gift or grace surpassing this,—
“He giveth his beloved sleep”?

What would we give to our beloved?


The hero’s heart, to be unmoved,—
The poet’s star-tuned harp, to sweep,—
The patriot’s voice, to teach and rouse,—
The monarch’s crown, to light the brows?
“He giveth his beloved sleep.”

What do we give to our beloved?


A little faith, all undisproved,—
A little dust to over weep,—
And bitter memories, to make
The whole earth blasted for our sake,
“He giveth his beloved sleep.”

“Sleep soft, beloved!” we sometimes say,


But have no tune to charm away
Sad dreams that through the eyelids creep;
But never doleful dream again
Shall break the happy slumber when
“He giveth his beloved sleep.”

O earth so full of dreary noises!


O men with wailing in your voices!
O delved gold the wailers heap!
O strife, O curse, that o’er it fall!
God strikes a silence through you all,
And “giveth his beloved sleep.”

His dews drop mutely on the hill,


His cloud above it saileth still,
Though on its slope men sow and reap;
More softly than the dew is shed,
Or cloud is floated over head,
“He giveth his beloved sleep.”

For me, my heart, that erst did go


Most like a tired child at a show,
That sees through tears the mummers leap,
Would now its wearied vision close,
Would child-like on His love repose
Who “giveth his beloved sleep.”

LABOR
By Frank Soule
Despise not labor! God did not despise
The handicraft which wrought this gorgeous globe,
That crowned its glories with yon jeweled skies,
And clad the earth in nature’s queenly robe.
He dug the first canal—the river’s bed,
Built the first fountain in the gushing spring,
Wove the first carpet for man’s haughty tread,
The warp and woof of his first covering.
He made the pictures painters imitate,
The statuary’s first grand model made,
Taught human intellect to re-create,
And human ingenuity its trade.
Ere great Daguerre had harnessed up the sun,
Apprenticeship at his new art to serve,
A greater artist greater things had done,
The wondrous pictures of the optic nerve.
There is no deed of honest labor born
That is not Godlike; in the toiling limbs
Howe’er the lazy scoff, the brainless scorn,
God labored first; toil likens us to Him.
Ashamed of work! mechanic, with thy tools,
The tree thy ax cut from its native sod,
And turns to useful things—go tell to fools,
Was fashioned in the factory of God.
Go build your ships, go build your lofty dome,
Your granite temple, that through time endures,
Your humble cot, or that proud pile of Rome,
His arm has toiled there in advance of yours.
He made the flowers your learned florists scan,
And crystallized the atoms of each gem,
Ennobled labor in great nature’s plan,
And made it virtue’s brightest diadem.
Whatever thing is worthy to be had,
Is worthy of the toil by which ’tis won,
Just as the grain by which the field is clad
Pays back the warming labor of the sun.
’Tis not profession that ennobles men,
’Tis not the calling that can e’er degrade,
The trowel is as worthy as the pen,
The pen more mighty than the hero’s blade.
The merchant, with his ledger and his wares,
The lawyer with his cases and his books,
The toiling farmer, with his wheat and tares,
The poet by the shaded streams and nooks,
The man, whate’er his work, wherever done,
If intellect and honor guide his hand,
Is peer to him who greatest state has won,
And rich as any Rothschild of the land.
All mere distinctions based upon pretense,
Are merely laughing themes for manly hearts.
The miner’s cradle claims from men of sense
More honor than the youngling Bonaparte’s.
Let fops and fools the sons of toil deride,
On false pretensions brainless dunces live;
Let carpet heroes strut with parlor pride,
Supreme in all that indolence can give,
But be not like them, and pray envy not
These fancy tom-tit burlesques of mankind,
The witless snobs in idleness who rot,
Hermaphrodite ’twixt vanity and mind.
O son of toil, be proud, look up, arise,
And disregard opinion’s hollow test,
A false society’s decrees despise,
He is most worthy who has labored best.
The scepter is less royal than the hoe,
The sword, beneath whose rule whole nations writhe,
And curse the wearer, while they fear the blow,
Is far less noble than the plow and scythe.
There’s more true honor on one tan-browned hand,
Rough with the honest work of busy men,
Than all the soft-skinned punies of the land,
The nice, white-kiddery of upper ten.
Blow bright the forge—the sturdy anvil ring,
It sings the anthem of king Labor’s courts,
And sweeter sounds the clattering hammers bring,
Than half a thousand thumped piano-fortes.
Fair are the ribbons from the rabbet-plane,
As those which grace my lady’s hat or cape,
Nor does the joiner’s honor blush or wane
Beside the lawyer, with his brief and tape.
Pride thee, mechanic, on thine honest trade,
’Tis nobler than the snob’s much vaunted pelf.
Man’s soulless pride his test of worth has made,
But thine is based on that of God himself.

LINCOLN, THE MAN OF THE PEOPLE


By Edwin Markham

When the Norn-Mother saw the Whirlwind Hour,


Greatening and darkening as it hurried on,
She bent the strenuous Heavens and came down
To make a man to meet the mortal need.
She took the tried clay of the common road—
Clay warm yet with the genial heat of Earth,
Dashed through it all a strain of prophecy;
Then mixed a laughter with the serious stuff.
It was a stuff to wear for centuries,
A man that matched the mountains, and compelled
The stars to look our way and honor us.

The color of the ground was in him, the red earth;


The tang and odor of the primal things—
The rectitude and patience of the rocks;
The gladness of the wind that shakes the corn;
The courage of the bird that dares the sea;
The justice of the rain that loves all leaves;
The pity of the snow that hides all scars;
The loving-kindness of the wayside well;
The tolerance and equity of light
That gives as freely to the shrinking weed

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