The assistant professor of marketing’s research appears in Marketing Management Journal.
Prachi Gala, assistant professor of marketing in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, recently co-authored an article exploring if images or calorie information on a menu influence Millennials’ meal purchasing decisions.
Gala and co-authors Cindy B. Rippé, Flagler College; Alan Dubinsky, Purdue University; and Monica J. Favia, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania; studied the effect of visual and written cues on Millennials’ intention to purchase healthy and unhealthy food offerings.
The article, “Effects of Menu Calorie Information and Product Image on Millennials’ Purchase Intention,” was published in the fall 2018 issue of Marketing Management Journal.
The article’s abstract: “Does the presence or absence of an image or calorie information with a food item’s description on a menu influence Millennials’ purchasing decision? A 2 (image: presence vs. absence of image) x 2 (calories: presence vs. absence of calorie information) x 2 (food item: healthy versus unhealthy) between subjects’ design was utilized. Based on work grounded in cohort generation theory, the presence of images is predicted to influence Millennials’ intention to purchase restaurant menu food offerings. Findings showed that the presence of images has a negative influence on Millennials’ purchase intention, whereas inclusion solely of calories had b oth a positive and negative effect. The study includes a discussion of the unexpected results and implications for industry and policy for promoting healthful items to Millennials, as well as study limitations and suggestions for future research.”
Gala joined Elon in 2018 after earning her doctorate in business administration with a concentration in marketing from the University of Mississippi. Her primary research interests include the impact of corporate governance (compensation and composition) of upper echelons on marketing strategy. Prior to her academic career, she worked as a business technology analyst and as a marketing strategist.