Effects of Multipart Media Framing on Consumer Attitudes Toward Biotechnology

Authors

  • Tuğçe Özgen Genç Pepsi Co.
  • Berna Tarı Kasnakoğlu TOBB University of Economics and Technology

Keywords:

biotechnology, GM food, framing, medium, food safety, health marketing

Abstract

This study explores whether and how people with a negative biotechnology-related perception can change their attitudes when they are exposed to a positive message in two different frames. The two frames differ in terms of the medium, the language used, and the general tone. A frame is thus conceptualized as unified symbolic entities, rather than just words or positioning in terms of valence (positive/negative). An exploratory stage was conducted through in-depth interviews, which resulted in three audience categories. Results of the experimental study indicated that it is, in fact, possible to turn negative attitudes into positive attitudes for people with intuitive perceptions. People with analytical and ideological perceptions change their attitudes only when the frame is scientific.

Author Biographies

Tuğçe Özgen Genç, Pepsi Co.

First Author: Tuğçe Özgen Genç, is now working for Pepsi Co. as food safety supervisor. She has been a research assistant at TOBB University of Economics and Technology, Institute of Social Sciences, at the time of this study. Her undergraduate degree on Food Engineering has made especially sensitive to issues involving food marketing and health perceptions of consumers.

Berna Tarı Kasnakoğlu, TOBB University of Economics and Technology

Second Author: Berna Tarı Kasnakoğlu, is an assistant professor of Marketing at TOBB University of Economics and Technology, Department of Business Administration. She is mainly interested in issues such as health marketing, medical marketing, risk perceptions, vulnerable consumers, and globalization. She prefers to use both qualitative and quantitative methodologies as the topic requires.

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Published

2015-01-30

Issue

Vol. 9 (2015)

Section

Articles

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