SPECIAL ISSUES

This special section arose as a result of a session held at the 2009 Marketing & Public Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. Because it was the twentieth anniversary of this conference, as cochairs (with Janis Pappalardo) we arranged a series of special sessions to examine the “past, present, and future” of key issues and developments in our field. One of these sessions was devoted to the history and evolution of Journal of Public Policy & Marketing (JPP&M), featuring the personalized reflections and accounts of each of the seven editors of this journal. Afterward, several audience members approached us to offer their enthusiastic reactions: “Terrific” and “riveting” were among the terms we recall, and it was suggested that the contents be memorialized in a form that everyone interested in this field of study could access. We believe that you will find these essays both informative and interesting.

The authors propose a restructuring of the “food as health” paradigm to “food as well-being.” This requires shifting from an emphasis on restraint and restrictions to a more positive, holistic understanding of the role of food in overall well-being. The authors propose the concept of food well-being (FWB), defined as a positive psychological, physical, emotional, and social relationship with food at both individual and societal levels. The authors define and explain the five primary domains of FWB: food socialization, food literacy, food marketing, food availability, and food policy. The FWB framework employs a richer definition of food and highlights the need for research that bridges other disciplines and paradigms outside and within marketing. Further research should develop and refine the understanding of each domain with the ultimate goal of moving the field toward this embodiment of food as well-being.

A key aspect of the public policy development process in the United States is marketing-laden competition among interest groups aiming to influence policy in their respective favors. Lobbying, the principal means by which this competition transpires, has vast potential to significantly affect marketplace law and practice—including marketers and consumers—in a widespread way. The purpose of this essay is to stimulate scholarly discussion on lobbying and its role in the public policy development process. Toward this end, the authors (1) discuss the nature of lobbying practice in the United States, (2) consider regulatory control and protection of lobbying activity, (3) formulate a theoretical framework from within which to understand lobbying from a public policy and marketing perspective, and (4) provide suggestions for the direction of further research.

This study examines credit card penalty pricing using data from the Survey of Consumer Finances. In particular, the author uses a flag in the data set for the first time to analyze bias in reported credit card interest rate. He also uses this flag to estimate how frequently people mistakenly believe they are not at a penalty interest rate. The results imply that, on average, consumers underestimate their credit card interest rate by 30%–33%. Penalty rates seem to compound this bias. There is also some evidence that consumers who are more optimistic using other measures derived from the survey tend to underestimate their rate by a larger amount.

A Middle Eastern tradition, hookah smoking involves burning flavored tobacco heated by charcoal, creating smoke that is filtered through water and ingested through the mouth using a hose. Hookah lounges are increasingly locating around college campuses in the United States, and websites offering hookah paraphernalia target U.S. high school and college students. In two studies involving interviews with college-age hookah smokers and analysis of website marketing practices, the authors investigate consumer beliefs and attitudes toward hookah smoking and the way it is portrayed online. The findings indicate that it is a social phenomenon, with young people introducing peers to the practice and websites promoting shared consumption experiences. Contrary to medical evidence, young people believe smoking sweetened tobacco through a hookah is nonaddictive and safer than cigarettes. Hookah lounges often are exempt from age restriction laws because many double as cafés and other eating establishments. Traditional tobacco warnings are not present in lounges or on websites. The findings highlight potential health dangers of hookah smoking and the need for education regarding this practice and demonstrate that regulatory oversight is needed.

The essays in this special issue originated from the second Transformative Consumer Research Conference held at Villanova University in 2009 that Ron Hill, Madhu Viswanathan, and I organized. Transformative consumer research (TCR) is a new academic movement that aims to advance the well-being of consumers through research that employs rigorous theories and methods (Mick 2006). Transformative researchers study the problems most relevant and pressing for consumers and society and then disseminate usable research findings to stakeholders who are best poised for constructive action (Mick et al. 2012). Thus, it is unsurprising that a natural affinity exists between TCR and Journal of Public Policy & Marketing. This journal is one of the finest academic homes for research that aims to advance consumer well-being because of its special relationship to public policy makers who are important agents of social change

Several organizations have made efforts in their marketing communications to encourage consumers to make decisions about death care and other end-of-life alternatives before these services are needed. The purpose of this research is to compare persuasive communication strategies derived from the approach–avoidance conflict model to encourage end-of-life planning behavior. This research addresses the psychological resistance consumers may have toward planning, including factors that may impede message processing. Results provide evidence that planning may be influenced by the use of specific messages that reduce resistance and perceptions of invulnerability. The authors conclude with implications for social marketing programs that encourage end-of-life planning.

As Thomas Kinnear describes in his opening essay, the first issue of Journal of Public Policy & Marketing (JPP&M) was published in 1982, with Kinnear as editor, the University of Michigan as publisher, and an editorial board of 14 people accomplished in this area. Recognizing the crucial role of rigor in academia, the plan for this launch was carefully developed and tested; it was intended that this journal would be first-rate right from the beginning. For example, among the institutions represented on the small original editorial board were Berkeley, Yale, Harvard (two members), Michigan, Florida, the Federal Trade Commission, Texas, American, North Carolina, Wisconsin (two members), and two Canadian universities. The focus was clearly and narrowly delineated as directed only to the intersection of marketing and public policy; for example, papers on social marketing and not-for-profits were excluded from consideration. The creators planned to publish only one issue per year, but it would be strong and, in addition to competitively submitted papers, would also include invited work from leading experts in this specialized area of the marketing field.