“The Effects of Genre and Competition on New Entertainment Product Sales Performance"
January 10, 2006
A Presentation by Janell D. Townsend

This study examines empirical evidence of the effects of categorical product competition and release scale
on the sales performance of new entertainment product introductions. A latent variable growth curve
model is tested using a sample of 4,374 movies introduced in the U.S. market from 1990 to 2001. The
focus is the identification of direct and indirect effects of competition on sales performance, mediated by
release scale, and moderated by the genre of the focal movie. Analysis of box office receipts from the
initial release, and several subsequent weeks after the release date indicates complex, selectively
moderated and non-linear responses to categorical competition.

Janell D. Townsend is an Assistant Professor of Marketing and International Business in the School of
Business Administration at Oakland University. She recently earned her Ph.D. from Michigan State
University, completing her dissertation research is related to the sources and consequences of brand
equity in the U.S. automotive market. Janell’s current research can be broadly group into the nexus of
branding, innovation, and globalization.






Karry Roberts giving Janell Townsend a Certificate of Appreciation from the Detroit Chapter