IIMB MARKETING AREA WEBINAR

on
(i) Get Your Science Out of Here: When Does Invoking Science in
Marketing Consumer Products Backfire?

(ii) Writing for and publishing in top journals

11 February 2022 @ 7.30 PM – 8.30 PM (IST)

REBECCA WALKER RECZEK

The Berry Chair of New Technologies in Marketing and Professor of Marketing

Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University

Associate Editor – Journal of Marketing; Journal of Consumer Research

Abstract: In this research, we propose that although consumers view the scientific process as
competent, they also perceive it as cold. Across ten experimental studies, including incentive
compatible study designs, we demonstrate that these lay beliefs impact consumers’ reactions
to marketers touting the science behind their brands. Specifically, since hedonic attributes are
associated with warmth, the coldness associated with the scientific process is conceptually
disfluent with the anticipated warmth of hedonic products and attributes, reducing product
valuation. In contrast, when products are positioned as utilitarian, invoking science in
marketing appeals has a positive effect, as the perceived competence of the scientific process
is compatible with the competence associated with utilitarian products. We further

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demonstrate that when the necessity of science to create a hedonic product is made salient
and thus more fluent, this backfire effect is attenuated. Finally, we identify three theoretically
and practically relevant individual differences (i.e., endorsement of the lay belief, trust in
scientists, and whether the consumer works in a STEM field) that moderate the backfire
effect of pairing science with hedonically positioned products.
In the second phase, Rebecca will share her experiences about writing for and publishing in
top journals.

Profile of the speaker: Rebecca Walker Reczek is the Berry Chair of New Technologies in
Marketing and Professor of Marketing at the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State
University. She received her Ph.D. in marketing from The University of Texas at Austin. Dr.
Reczek’s research focuses on the area of consumer behavior. Specifically, her research has
explored consumer lay theories and inference making, self-perceptions, and ethical decision
making. Given her interest in consumer well-being, she has explored these theoretical
interests in the substantive domains of food and health decision making and sustainability.
Current projects continue to explore these areas, as well as online consumer behavior and
consumer response to promotions.

Dr. Reczek’s research has appeared in leading marketing journals, including the Journal of
Consumer Research, the Journal of Marketing Research, the Journal of Marketing, Marketing
Science, the Journal of Consumer Psychology, and the Journal of the Association for
Consumer Research. She is currently serving as an Associate Editor at the Journal of
Consumer Research, the Journal of Marketing, and the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing.

Dr. Reczek’s research has appeared in numerous national and international media outlets,
including NPR, CNN, Harvard Business Review, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic.
She has received multiple awards for her research, including the Early Career Award from
the Society for Consumer Psychology, the annual Kinnear Award for the best article in
the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, and the inaugural AMA-EBSCO Annual Award
for Responsible Research in Marketing. She has also been recognized by the Marketing
Science Institute (MSI) as both an MSI Young Scholar (recognizing leading early career
researchers) and an MSI Scholar (recognizing leading mid-career researchers) and was a
finalist for the annual Shelby D. Hunt/Harold H. Maynard Award recognizing the article
published in the Journal of Marketing that made the most significant contribution to
marketing theory.

Dr. Reczek has taught in all of Fisher’s academic programs, including the undergraduate,
MBA, and Ph.D. programs. She is also a recipient of the Fisher Pace Setters Faculty Research
Award.

For more details about the speaker: https://fisher.osu.edu/people/reczek.3

Registration:

https://forms.gle/qpTCP9aeYeFQth7Y9

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Note:

1. Please register for this webinar by 10 February 2022. You will be sent a zoom link by
11 February (morning), 2022.
2. There is no certificate offered for participation in this webinar.