Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine two key dimensions of instore marketing, namely instore promotions and price markdowns. These seem to be the two most important aspects of instore marketing, though other dimensions such as retail personal service are also worthy of study. Design/methodology/approach – A sample of 287 New Zealand clothing and shoe retailers was studied. Survey questions included the perceived importance of instore promotions and price markdowns. The aim was to explain these perceptions in terms of marketing strategies, threat of competition and environmental uncertainty. Findings – The results indicate that a discount marketing strategy, environmental uncertainty and emphasis on pricepromotions are key to explaining retailers' perceptions and use of specific instore marketing activities. In addition, seven key marketing activities were found to distinguish high and lowperformance retailers with respect to instore promotions. Practical implications – The study has highlighted strategic aspects of instore marketing, by focusing on two key components of instore marketing, namely instore promotion and price markdowns. The findings should provide much needed advice to retailers on the use of sales promotion tools in different environmental settings. Originality/value – This paper should prove valuable to academic researchers and retailing managers (particularly to those in smaller countries), owneroperated retail outlets, and chain stores. © 2011, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Purpose: This paper aims to examine metropolitan Chinese Generation Xers' attitude toward advertising and to determine whether the ranking for ad likeability and dislikeability attributes are the same across Hong Kong and Shanghai. Design/methodology/approach: A telephone interview of 200 respondents in each city was conducted using a strategy of matched samples. Generation Xers residing in Hong Kong and Shanghai were selected as these two segments are politically more uniform now than before, share similar economic and business structures, and are exposed to the same goods and services. Respondents were first asked to recall three television advertisements they liked/disliked and give as many reasons as possible to explain why they liked/disliked them. They were also asked about their beliefs in advertising. Findings: The results show that the respondents from both cities find advertising "interesting and entertaining", but "devious". In terms of likeable attributes, they like "entertaining", while "style" is the most disliked attribute. The main difference between the two groups was found in attribute rating. The study concludes by offering several explanations for these variations. Originality/value: In this study, instead of requesting respondents to interpret what had appeared in the prints or commercials, it examines respondents' verbal descriptions of how they perceived television commercials. This method affords an opportunity to have respondents more freely express their thoughts and feelings about the topic under investigation. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.