Search results

The purpose of this paper is to analyze how brand love is built in the context of brand pages by proposing a model in which brand love depends on relationships ties with other brand consumers (sense of brand community) and with the brand itself (self–brand connection).

Information was collected from a sample of 559 members of the community of a well-known baby food brand on Facebook. Data were collected through an online questionnaire sent by the company.

Results suggest that both sense of brand community and self–brand connection foster brand love and that self–brand connection exerts a mediating role between sense of brand community and brand love. Furthermore, the effect of brand community on brand love is conditioned by a personal trait of individuals such as brand engagement in self-concept. In addition, this study identifies a new consequence of brand love not previously analyzed in the literature: brand equity.

A potential shortcoming is the product category analyzed and that the length of membership was not controlled and it may be a moderator between participation and community consequences.

The key implications are the importance of nurturing relationship ties among brand users and building self–brand connections on brand pages as precursors of brand love.

The study offers empirical evidence about the mechanism through which brand love is formed on social-media platforms such as Facebook. Furthermore, the authors have demonstrated the relationship between brand love and brand equity, which had not been examined yet in the literature.

This paper analyzes the effect of company response style and complaint source on silent observers' reactions to a service failure episode vented on Twitter.

In a 2 × 2 experimental design, company response style (personalized vs automatic) and complaint source (ordinary Twitter user vs influencer) were manipulated to test the hypotheses.

Complaint source moderates the effect of company response style on brand image, purchase intention and electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). Thus, the authors found that a personalized response to a complaint, compared to an automatic response, leads to a more favorable brand image as well as purchase intention and eWOM intention when the complainant is an ordinary Twitter user. However, the automatic response, compared to the personalized one, is better perceived when the complainant is an influencer. The authors also found that service failure response attribution and the emotions elicited during the firm–complainant interaction mediate the previous effects.

This paper deals with the company's initial reaction after a complaint is posted on Twitter; however, the complaint-handling process is longer, and both the customer and silent observers await a resolution. Future research could tackle subsequent stages of the process and different recovery strategies.

The study offers meaningful insights regarding complaint handling on Twitter and how the effectiveness of the company response style depends on the complaint source. Marketers should offer adapted personalized responses to prompt positive behavioral intentions for ordinary Twitter users, who represent prospective consumers. However, a personalized response given to an influencer may be perceived more negatively, as silent observers may interpret that the company offers such a response just because the complaint comes from a well-known person who can reach many users and not because of an honest interest in serving consumers.

This research focuses on the underresearched area of the impact of online complaints on silent observers, a large group of prospective consumers quietly exposed to complaints aired on Twitter. The underlying mechanisms are also identified.

This study analyzes what type of influencer – microcelebrity or microinfluencer – is best suited to promoting healthy food brands and how that influence depends on consumers’ healthy lifestyles.

An empirical study with a real healthy food brand was developed in which three real influencers from Instagram collaborated and posted a story showing the company’s products. A total of 148 individuals participated in the study. The proposed model was tested using the PROCESS macro.

Drawing on the celebrity endorsement literature and the meaning transfer model, this study proposes that microcelebrities’ and microinfluencers’ influence on consumers’ perception and behavior in terms of post relevance, brand attitude and purchase intention toward healthy food brands depends on the consumers’ healthy lifestyle. Thus, microcelebrities have more influence on individuals with unhealthy lifestyles, while microinfluencers have more influence on individuals that pursue a healthy lifestyle.

It is one of the first studies to examine the different roles of microinfluencers versus microcelebrities in promoting consumers’ attitudes and behaviors toward healthy food brands. In addition, this is one of the few studies to show a higher effect of microcelebrities over microinfluencers.

本研究擬探討是哪類型的網絡名人 - 微名人或微素人- 最為適合去推廣健康食品商標; 研究亦擬探討這些網絡名人的影響會如何取決於消費者健康的生活方式。

研究人員設計了一個觀察研究, 他們安排三位真實的即時電報(lnstagram) 網路紅人一起合作, 各人分別在自己的平台上發帖, 內容是關於一間公司產品的故事。研究參與者共148人, 研究人員使用 PROCESS macro 來測試他們建議的模型。

研究人員使用有關名人代言的文獻和意義遷移模型, 並以此提出一個建議: 消費者健康的生活方式會決定微名人和微素人會如何影響消費者的看法和行為, 這是就帖子相關性、品牌態度和購買保健食品品牌的打算而言的。研究人員從而發現, 微名人對選擇過不良生活方式的人的影響會較大, 而微素人則對追求健康生活方式的人的影響會較大。

本研究為首個研究, 去探討微素人在推動消費者對保健食品品牌的態度和行為上所扮演不同的角色; 而且, 本研究證實了微名人的影響比微素人的更大, 而找到這研究結果的學術研究為數不多。

This research analyses how dialogical communication on social media enhances the effectiveness of sustainability messages in terms of brand engagement and purchase intention. Dialogical messages generate social media engagement, which helps improve consumer responses.

Two experimental studies (2 × 2) were conducted, in which two factors were manipulated: the dialogical potential of the message (dialogical versus monological) and message orientation (sustainability versus commercial).

The dialogical potential of the message moderates the effect of sustainability messages on brand engagement and purchase intention. Results indicate that sustainability messages featuring dialogical elements generate greater brand engagement and purchase intention than commercial messages. Furthermore, social media engagement mediates these effects.

This study offers valuable insights into applying dialogical principles to sustainability communication on social media. Marketers should design dialogical messages to foster dialogue with customers and enhance engagement.

Few studies have focused on analysing the effects of applying dialogical strategies on social media to communicate sustainability. Thus, this study highlights the importance of dialogical communication beyond the inclusion of interactive elements when communicating sustainability on social media. The inclusion of dialogical features specifically benefits sustainability messages, given the transparency and honesty they demand.

This study aims to understand how integration efforts at both communication and channel levels can foster customer engagement behavior in the retail sector from the perspective of employees.

Data were collected through 231 face-to-face questionnaires completed by frontline employees in shopping centers. A structural equation modeling approach was applied to test the proposed hypotheses.

The results highlight the importance of integration efforts as external stimuli for enhancing employees’ perceptions about customer engagement behavior. Findings extend the stimulus-organism-response model by predicting responses that go beyond employees’ behavior to predict customer engagement behavior. Results also confirm the mediating role of attitudes toward marketing communications and synergy realization in the proposed model.

Retailers should integrate their multiple channels and operate consistently and in coordination through them to develop employees’ perceptions about customer engagement behavior. Managers should regularly collect information from their employees as they represent an important touchpoint in omnichannel retailing.

There is a gap in the omnichannel retailing literature regarding how integration efforts at a communication level may complement integration efforts at a channel level for developing customer engagement. This study addresses this gap by adopting a novel perspective using frontline employees as a source of information for assessing customer engagement behavior. It extends knowledge about how customer engagement behavior may be developed and strengthened from the employees’ point of view.

Este estudio analiza, desde la perspectiva del empleado, cómo la integración de la comunicación y la coordinación de los canales de distribución fomenta el engagement de los clientes en el sector minorista.

Los datos fueron recogidos a través de 231 cuestionarios personales realizados a empleados de centros comerciales. Las hipótesis se contrastaron mediante un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales.

Los resultados destacan la importancia de la integración para fomentar la percepción de los empleados acerca del engagement del cliente. Estos resultados extienden la aplicación del Modelo de Estimulo-Organismo-Respuesta para predecir no sólo el comportamiento de los empleados si no el engagement del cliente. Los resultados también corroboran el rol mediador de la actitud hacia las comunicaciones de marketing y la obtención de sinergias.

Los distribuidores deben integrar todos los canales y actuar de forma coordinada y consistente para mejorar la percepción de los empleados acerca del engagement del cliente. Se debe recabar información periódica sobre las percepciones de los empleados ya que constituyen un importante punto de contacto en la gestión omnicanal de los establecimientos comerciales.

Este estudio aborda un gap existente en la literatura acerca de cómo los esfuerzos de integración a nivel de comunicación complementan los esfuerzos a nivel de canal para fomentar el engagement del cliente. La novedad de este estudio reside en estudiar estos aspectos desde la perspectiva de los empleados.

本研究旨在从员工的角度了解沟通和渠道层面的整合工作如何促进零售部门的顾客参与行为。

数据收集于购物中心一线员工所填写的231份面对面问卷。应用结构方程建模方法来检验所提出的假设。

本文结果强调了整合工作作为外部激励对于提高员工对顾客参与行为的认知的重要性。研究结果通过预测超越员工行为的反应来预测客户参与行为, 从而扩展了刺激-机体-反应模型。结果还证实了对营销传播和协同实现的态度在所提出的模型中的中介作用。

零售商应该整合其多种渠道, 并通过这些渠道持续协调地运作, 以培养员工对顾客参与行为的认知。管理者应该定期从员工那里收集信息, 因为他们是全渠道零售的一个重要接触点。

在全渠道零售业的文献中, 关于沟通层面的整合工作如何补充渠道层面的整合工作以发展顾客参与的问题, 存在研究差距。本研究通过采用新颖的视角, 将一线员工作为评估顾客参与行为的信息来源来解决这一差距。它扩展了关于如何从员工的角度发展和加强顾客参与行为的知识。

The purpose of this paper is to deal with the role of the human metaphor (anthropomorphism) and consumers’ liking for the humanized version of the brand as antecedents of three key components of brand love: self-brand integration, positive emotional connection and feelings of anticipated separation distress.

A sample of 399 consumers provided information about a brand from a stated list of 16 brands of clothing.

Both anthropomorphism and consumers’ liking for the humanized brand have positive effects on specific components of brand love. The results confirm that brand anthropomorphism is only desirable when the humanized version of the brand is attractive for consumers.

A potential shortcoming is the qualitative technique employed to observe anthropomorphic thought. Collecting ratings of anthropomorphic and non-anthropomorphic traits could be viewed as a method more easily applied in market research surveys.

Managers have to control how consumers imagine the brand as a human entity because it affects brand love. For example, by tracking consumers’ opinions and traits of those people associated with the brand and brand user stereotypes can condition consumers’ imagination of the humanized brand.

Compared to the limited number of studies about the relationship between anthropomorphism and brand love, this study focuses on the effects of anthropomorphism as a process, and not as a personal trait, on brand love. It also relies on consumers’ imagination instead of brand personification strategies to stimulate anthropomorphism.

This study aims to analyze consumer motivations to share information about corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities through electronic word of mouth. It examines the roles of self-enhancement, identity signaling and social bonding as antecedents of consumers’ CSR engagement on social media.

A quantitative approach is used with a single-factor between-subjects experimental design in which the presence vs absence of CSR information on a company website is manipulated. The hypotheses are tested through structural equation modeling.

Results show that after viewing the company’s CSR message on its website, consumers who generated more CSR associations were more motivated to engage with the CSR information to satisfy fundamental personality traits (need for self-enhancement) and social relationship motivations (social bonding), which increased their intention to share the information.

This study is restricted to CSR information on websites. Further research should consider what happens if such information is shared on social media, as consumers are more likely to spread CSR messages when they are shared by other public social network sites.

The study highlights the relevance of including CSR information on websites and offers insights into the importance of considering consumers in disseminating CSR information. Consumers share information when they have personal motivation for doing so.

This study put the focus on the role of consumers in the diffusion of corporate information.

The results show the importance of personal motivations such as self-enhancement and social bonding in sharing CSR information on social media.

El estudio analiza las motivaciones que tiene el consumidor para compartir información sobre acciones de responsabilidad social corporativa (RSC) a través de boca oído electrónico (eWOM). En particular, las motivaciones de mejora del auto-concepto, necesidad de mostrar una identidad deseada y la vinculación social.

Se utiliza un diseño experimental entre sujetos donde se manipuló la presencia vs ausencia de información sobre la RSC de la empresa. Las hipótesis se contrastaron mediante un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales.

Los resultados muestran que los consumidores con más asociaciones de RSC comparten más la información de RSC motivados por satisfacer la mejora del auto-concepto y vinculación social.

El estudio destaca la importancia de generar contenido de RSC en el sitio web de la empresa, y la importancia de los consumidores en la difusión de información de dicha información.

El estudio está restringido a la presencia de información de RSC en el sitio web de la empresa. Sería interesante evaluar lo que sucede si dicha información se comparte en redes sociales, en la medida en que los consumidores tienen mayor tendencia a compartir la información procedente de redes sociales.

Los resultados muestran la importancia de las motivaciones personales como la mejora del auto-concepto y la vinculación social a la hora compartir información de RSC en las redes sociales.

本研究分析了消费者通过电子口碑分享企业社会责任（CSR）活动信息的动机。它研究了自我提升、身份信号和社会联系作为消费者在社交媒体上参与企业社会责任的前因的作用。

采用单因素主体间实验设计的定量方法, 对公司网站上企业社会责任信息的存在与否进行操纵。假设通过使用R软件包lavaan的结构方程模型进行检验。

结果显示, 在观看公司网站上的企业社会责任信息后, 产生更多企业社会责任联想的消费者更有动力参与到企业社会责任信息中, 以满足基本的人格特征（自我提升的需要）和社会关系动机（社会纽带）, 这增加了他们分享信息的意向。

该研究强调了将企业社会责任信息纳入网站的相关性, 并对在传播企业社会责任信息时考虑消费者的重要性提出了见解。消费者在有个人动机的情况下会分享信息。

本研究仅限于网站上的企业社会责任信息。进一步的研究应该考虑到社交媒体, 因为当消费者在其他公共社交网站上分享企业社会责任信息时, 他们更有可能进行传播。

研究结果表明, 在社交媒体上分享企业社会责任信息时, 自我提升和社会联系等个人动机的重要性。

Brand pages are a very popular tool for companies to communicate with consumers in SNSs. Although brand pages could be considered virtual brand communities, they differ in several aspects. Thus, this chapter reviews the literature on brand pages attending to the main differences with other virtual communities, the motivations to join brand pages and its consequences for consumers and brands.

The studies reviewed have allowed us to identify the main characteristics of brand pages as a communication tool, as well as the definition of an important research agenda for this topic.

We have identified the main unique aspects that characterize brand pages as a virtual brand community. The motivations to become members of brand pages are analyzed as well as the positive consequences of these pages on the marketing variables. We also identified the research needs on brand pages.

This chapter can be useful to both, marketers, by showing them how brand pages work and what motivate consumers to join it; and researchers, by showing them the main gaps on brand pages that should be addressed in future studies.

This chapter highlights the role of brand pages as a communication tool. It constitutes an attempt to review the literature and organize knowledge on brand pages. The characteristics of brand pages and virtual brand communities, the motivations to participate, the consequences for the brand and an important research agenda are developed.

This study aims to integrate price consciousness into the promotional effectiveness framework. Specifically, it aims to analyse whether price consciousness affects the evaluation of price discounts and premiums at two different benefit levels (moderate vs high).

An experiment was conducted with two promotional benefit level (moderate, high) × two promotion type (price discount, premium) between subjects design. A sample of 229 undergraduate students was randomly assigned to a specific product‐promotion combination.

The results obtained indicate that at moderate benefit level, price discounts and premiums are equally effective for high price conscious consumers. However, price discounts are more effective than premiums for low price conscious consumers. At high benefit level price discounts are more effective than premiums, but this effect is more apparent for high price conscious consumers.

The limitations of the study are those typically applied to the experimental methodology. Specifically, only two product categories and two types of sales promotions were used which limits the generalization of the results. Another potential limitation is the use of students' respondents.

It is recommended that managers should know how price conscious their consumer segment is before taking any decisions regarding the promotional strategy. To be more effective, it is recommended to offer premiums instead of moderate price discounts if the target segment is high price conscious. However, such a recommendation should only be followed when the target is not low price conscious, because for this consumer segment a moderate discount is preferred.

To analyze the effectiveness of a promotion, most of the present research has focused on the benefit provided, and the promotional framework used. However, lacking in this research are insights into how consumer personal characteristics may affect that effectiveness. The current research is to fill this gap in knowledge about consumer responses to sales promotions incorporating price consciousness in the analysis.

The purpose of this study is to provide a better understanding of the virtual communities' phenomenon.

This paper reports a case study. It explains one of the most successful online strategies developed by a global brand, Coca‐Cola, in Spain.

This study has shown that a web site can act as a marketing tool to develop a group of loyal consumers around the brand. The strength of the Spanish strategy relies on the creation of a virtual community, which provides functional, social, and experiential values.

The paper analyses the evolution from off‐line communities to virtual communities. A uses and gratification approach is used to explain consumer participation in virtual communities. The paper offers some useful guidelines for the creation and maintenance of a virtual community.