Archive / Volume 9, Issue 2, April 2019

Consumer Perceptions towards Dairy Products: Effects of Mass Media

Gülseren Şendur Atabek 1, Ümit Atabek 2 *

More Detail

Full Text (PDF)

Abstract

Using the information from mass media, consumers develop their perceptions towards dairy products. This article examines how these perceptions are developed. Based on a mixed design, our research has three consecutive data collection phases. The first phase is a quantitative content analysis of four major Turkish newspapers, three popular Turkish television health shows and Turkish internet content on dairy products. Second phase is designed to collect qualitative data from three focus groups in order to reveal what kinds of perceptions are developed about milk, cheese and yogurt and how the consumers verbally express them. Findings from these two phases are used to develop a questionnaire, which is applied to a sample of 733 urban consumers, for the quantitative measurement of these perceptions. Findings reveal that mass media disseminates huge amount of information to which consumers are exposed. Consumers admit that their decisions were usually affected by such information. Survey results showed that dairy consumers tend to trust more in the positive claims than the negative ones. Consumers mostly develop perceptions regardless of their socio-demographic differences due to the mainstreaming effect of mass media. However, a cluster analysis showed that younger, more educated, wealthier and regular diary consumers have lower levels of negative perceptions about milk, cheese and yogurt. On the other hand, consumers with more trust in media and readiness to share media information have higher levels of positive perceptions about milk and yogurt.

Keywords

mass media effects trust in media consumer perceptions dairy products

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

https://doi.org/10.29333/ojcmt/5762

Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, Volume 9, Issue 2, Article No: e201908

Published Online: 08 May 2019

Article Views: 729

Article Downloads: 605

Open Access References How to Cite This Article

References

  • ADA. (2011). Nutrition and You: Trends 2011. Retrieved on 2.2.2015 from http://www.eatrightpro.org/~/media/eatrightpro%20filesmedia/trends%20and%20reviews/nutrition%20and%20you/where_did_you_hear_that_ada_trends_2011.ashx
  • Atabek, G., Atabek, U., & Bilge, D. (2011). Sağlık Haberlerinde Dönüşüm: 1970-2010 Yılları Arasında Hürriyet Gazetesinde Sağlık Haberleri [Transformation of health news: Health news in Hürriyet newspaper between 1970-2010]. In: Elbek O. (ed.) Kapitalizm Sağlığa Zararlıdır [Capitalism is harmful to your health] (pp. 113-33). HayyKitap, İstanbul.
  • Ates, H. C., & Ceylan, M. (2010). Effects of socio-economic factors on the consumption of milk, yoghurt, and cheese: Insights from Turkey. British Food Journal, 112(3), 234-250. https://doi.org/10.1108/00070701011029110
  • Barker, M. E., McNeir, K., Sameer, S., & Russle, J. (2014). Food, nutrition and slimming messages in British women’s magazines, 1950–1998. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 27( 2), 124–134. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12076
  • Batmaz, M. V. (2011). More coverage, less gain: The effects of “political journalism on politics and elections: The Turkish case. Conference on Media, Ekaterinburg, Russian Federation, 14-15 April 2011, 1(1), 263-269.
  • Bor, Ö. (2014). Economics of Dairy Farming In Turkey. International Journal of Food and Agricultural Economics, 2(4), 49-62.
  • Bordens, K. S., & Horowitz, I. A. (2000). Social Psychology. Lawrence Erlbaum, Mahwah NJ.
  • Bus, A. E. M., & Worsley, A. (2002). Consumers’ sensory and nutritional perceptions of three types of milk. Public Health Nutrition, 6(2), 201–208. https://doi.org/10.1079/PHN2002417
  • Courtis, J. K. (2002). Preface: Communication, corporate annual reports and perception engineering. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal Special Issue, 15(4), 444-449.
  • Fallows S. J. (1986). Consumer attitudes to foods and nutrition. Nutrition & Food Science. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb059416
  • Fishbein M., & Ajzen I. (2010). Predicting and Changing Behavior: The Reasoned Action Approach. Psychology Press, New York. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203838020
  • Gerbner, G., Gross, L., Morgan, M., & Signorielli, N. (1980). The “mainstreaming’’ of America: Violence profile no. 11. Joumal of Communication, 30(3), 10-29. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1980.tb01987.x
  • Gezmen-Karadağ, M., & Türközü, D. (2018) Consumers’ Opinions and Use of Food Labels, Nutrition, and Health Claims: Results from Turkey. Journal of Food Products Marketing, 24(3), 280-296. https://doi.org/10.1080/10454446.2017.1266558
  • Glaser, B. G. (2004). Remodeling grounded theory. The Grounded Theory Review: An International Journal, 4(1), 1-24.
  • Gracia, A., & Albisu, L. M. (2001). Food consumption in the European Union: Main determinants and country differences. Agribusiness, 17(4), 469–488. https://doi.org/10.1002/agr.1030
  • Günden, C., Bilgic, A., Miran, B., & Karli, B. (2011). A censored system of demand analysis to unpacked and prepackaged milk consumption in Turkey. Qual Quant, 45, 1273–1290. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-011-9501-6
  • Hatirli, S. A., Ozkan, B., & Aktas A. R. (2004). Factors affecting fluid milk purchasing sources in Turkey. Food Quality and Preference, 15, 509–515. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2003.11.002
  • Howard, J. A., & Sheth, J. N. (1969). The Theory of Buying Behavior. John Willey, New York.
  • Hruschka D. J., Schwartz, D., Cobb St. John, D., Picone-Decaro, E., Jenkins, R. A., & Carey, J. W. (2004). Reliability in coding open-ended data: Lessons learned from HIV behavioral research. Field Methods, 16(3), 307–331. https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X04266540
  • Hsu, J. L., & Liu G. S. (2000). Consumer perceptions of fluid milk advertising in Taiwan. International Journal of Advertising, 19, 471–486 https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2000.11104815
  • Hundekar, S. G., Appannaiah, H. R., & Reddy, P. N. (2010). Principles of Marketing. Himalaya Publishing House, Mumbai.
  • Irvan, S. (1997). Dış Politika ve Basın: Türk Basınındaki Dış Politika Haberlerinin Gündem Belirleme Yaklaşımı Açısından Çözümlenmesi [Foreign policy and the press: Analysis of foreign policy news in the Turkish press from agenda-setting perspective], Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, Ankara University.
  • Koç, B., & Ceylan, M. (2009). Consumer‐awareness and information sources on food safety: A case study of Eastern Turkey. Nutrition & Food Science, 39(6), 643-654. https://doi.org/10.1108/00346650911002977
  • Konar, N., Haspolat Kaya, I., Dalabasmaz, S., Poyrazoğlu, E. S., & Artık, N. (2014). Street milk and urban consumers in Turkey: a descriptive study. Journal of Consumer Protection and Food Safety, 9, 23–35. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00003-013-0854-8
  • Kortge, G. D., & Okonkwo, P. A. (1993). Perceived value approach to pricing. Industrial Marketing Management, 22(2), 67-160. https://doi.org/10.1016/0019-8501(93)90039-A
  • Kumar, B., & Gogoi, M. (2009). Consumers’ perception and satisfaction with regard to ‘Purabi’ in Guwahati: A case study. Journal of Marketing & Communication, 5(1), 52-68.
  • Lowe, W. (2015). Yoshikoder: Cross-platform multilingual content analysis. Java software version 0.6.5. Retrieved on 10.1.2017 from http://conjugateprior.org/software/yoshikoder/
  • McCombs, M. E., & Shaw, D. L. (1972). The agenda-setting function of mass media. Public Opinion Quarterly, 36(2), 176–187. https://doi.org/10.1086/267990
  • Millar, K. M., Tomkins, S. M, White, R. P., & Mepham, T. B. (2002). Consumer attitudes to the use of two dairy technologies. British Food Journal, 104(1), 31-44. https://doi.org/10.1108/00070700210418721
  • Monroe, K. B. (2012). Price and customer’s perceptions of value. In: Smith G. E. (ed.), Advances in Business Marketing and Purchasing, Volume 19: Visionary Pricing: Reflections and Advances in Honor of Dan Nimer (pp. 129-152). Emerald Insight, Bradford. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1069-0964(2012)0000019012
  • Morrison, J. (2008). International Business: Challenges in a Changing World. Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Ophuis, P. A. M. O., & Van Trijp, H. C. M. (1995). Perceived quality: A market driven and consumer oriented approach. Food Quality and Preference, 6, 177-183. https://doi.org/10.1016/0950-3293(94)00028-T
  • Paraffin, A. S., Zindove, T. J., & Chimonyo, M. (2017). Household consumption preferences of dairy products and their perceptions of milk safety. Journal of Food Safety, 38(2), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfs.12428
  • Peng, Y., West, G. E., & Wang, C. (2006). Consumer attitudes and acceptance of CLA-enriched dairy products. Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics, 54, 663–684. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7976.2006.00072.x
  • Ramachandra, K., Chandrashekara, B., & Shivakumar, S. (2010). Marketing Management. Himalaya Publishing House, Mumbai.
  • Schacter, D. L., Gilbert, D. T., & Wegner, D. M. (2011). Psychology (2nd Edition). Worth, New York.
  • Shanahan, J., & Morgan, M. (2003). Television and its Viewers: Cultivation Theory and Research. Cambridge University Press.
  • Sherlekar, S. A., Prasad, K. N., & Victor, S. J. S. (2010). Principles of Marketing. Himalaya Publishing House, Mumbai.
  • Tekgüç, H. (2013). Oligopoly and Price Transmission in Turkey’s Fluid Milk Market. Agribusiness, 29(3), 293–305. https://doi.org/10.1002/agr.21333
  • Terin, M, Bilgiç, A., Güler, I. O., & Yavuz, F. (2014). Türkiye’de Süt Ürünleri Tüketim Harcamalarına Etki Eden Faktörlerin Analizi: Çoklu Heckman Örneklem Seçicilik Sistem Yaklaşımı [Analyzing Factors Affecting Household Milk Products’ Expenditures in Turkey: A Multivariate Heckman Sample Selection System Approach]. Tarım Bilimleri Dergisi – Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 21(4), 500-515. https://doi.org/10.1501/Tarimbil_0000001353
  • Tian, Y., & Robinson, J. D. (2008). Media Use and Health Information Seeking: An Empirical Test of Complementarity Theory. Health Communication, 23(2), 184-190. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410230801968260
  • Tiryaki, G. Y., & Akbay, C. (2010). Consumers’ fluid milk consumption behaviors in Turkey: an application of multinomial logit model. Qual Quant, 44, 87–98. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-008-9182-y
  • TÜİK. (2018a). Hayvansal Üretim İstatistikleri: 2017 [Animal Products Statistics: 2017]. Retrieved on 11.1.2018 from http://www.tuik.gov.tr/PdfGetir.do?id=27704
  • TÜİK. (2018b). İllere Göre Süt Üretimi Dağılımı: 2016 [Milk Production Distribution in Provinces: 2016]. Retrieved on 11.1.2018 from http://www.tuik.gov.tr/HbGetir.do?id=24655&tb_id=9
  • Uçar, A., Özdoğan, Y. & Özfer Özçelik, A. (2012). Consumer Attitudes toward Food Consumption and Purchase in Turkey. Ecology of Food and Nutrition, 51(6), 492-504. https://doi.org/10.1080/03670244.2012.705736
  • Uysal, Ö. K., Miran, B., Bektaş, Z. K., & Günden, C. (2006). İzmir İlinde Gıda Güvenliğine İlişkin Tüketici Davranışlarının Belirlenmesi Üzerine Bir Araştırma [A study on determining the consumer attitudes to food security: Evidence from Izmir Province]. TÜBİTAK Projesi: 103K002.
  • Walgrave S., Soroka, S., & Nuytemans, M. (2008) Analysis of media, parliament, and government in Belgium (1993 to 2000). Comparative Political Studies, 41(6), 814-836. https://doi.org/10.1177/0010414006299098
  • Weatherell, C., Tregear, A., & Allinson, J. (2003). In search of the concerned consumer: UK public perceptions of food, farming and buying local. Journal of Rural Studies, 19(2), 233-244. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0743-0167(02)00083-9
  • Wu, J. (2012). Advances in K-means Clustering: A Data Mining Thinking. Heidelberg: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29807-3
  • Yadavalli, A., & Jones, K. (2014). Does media influence consumer demand? The case of lean finely textured beef in the United States. Food Policy, 49 Part 1, 219–227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2014.08.002
  • Yüksel, E. (1999). Türkiye’deki Ekonomi Basını Gündemi ve Siyasal Gündem İlişkisi: Özelleştirme Örneğinde Bir Gündem Belirleme Çalışması [The Relationship between economy pages agenda and policy agenda in Turkey: An agenda setting study on privatization issue], Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, Anadolu University, Eskişehir, Turkey.
  • Yüksel, E., Kaya, A. Y., Koçak, A., & Aydın, S. (2013). Türkiye’de Sağlık Konulu Yayıncılık İlkelerinin Belirlenmesi: Kaynak, İleti ve Hedef Kitle Bağlamında Sağlık Konulu Yayınların Analizi [Determination of the principles of publication of health issues in Turkey: The Analysis of publication of health issues in the name of source, message, and target audience]. TÜBİTAK Projesi: 109K534.
  • Zimmerman, W. (2008). Perception of a Difference: The Power in Buying, Marketing and Selling Customer Care. WZA Incorporated, Scottsdale AZ.