How citizen influencers persuade their followers

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Martensen ◽  
Sofia Brockenhuus-Schack ◽  
Anastasia Lauritsen Zahid
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Relative Weight ◽  
Product Placement ◽  
Opinion Leaders ◽  
User Generated Content ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Source Characteristics ◽  
New Type ◽  
Key Driver ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how today’s new type of opinion leaders, “Citizen Influencers” (CIs), persuade their followers by exploring which characteristics contribute to their persuasiveness. Design/methodology/approach Combining theories within opinion leadership, celebrity endorsement, product placement and user-generated content (UGC) five source characteristics – namely, expertise, trustworthiness, likeability, similarity and familiarity – are investigated using fashion as an example. A longitudinal netnographic study of ten CIs and their UGC and six focus groups with followers of specific CIs on Instagram are conducted. Findings All five characteristics contribute to the persuasiveness of CIs with trustworthiness as the main contributor. CIs persuasiveness lies in their unique ability to encompass two opposing qualities simultaneously: being attainable and relatable like ordinary consumers; being taste leaders with superior, celebrity-like status. Research limitations/implications Only qualitative studies within the fashion category have been conducted, wherefore the relative weight between the two qualities cannot be quantified. Practical implications When choosing a CI, managers may consider: the amount of followers per CI as an indicator of influence; similarity between follower and CI as it provides the basis for trust; and the CIs personal universe on their Instagram profile as it leverage the meanings associated with the brand. Originality/value The key driver of CIs persuasiveness is their trustworthiness which mediates and amplifies the effect of the other four characteristics. CIs’ persuasive power rests upon the balancing act of being relatable and aspirational.

scholarly journals Product placement by social media homefluencers during new normal

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mollika Ghosh
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Product Placement ◽  
The Body ◽  
User Generated Content ◽  
New Normal ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Thematic Content Analysis ◽  
Negative Comments ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to analyze how product placement through social media influencers (SMIs) during “new normal” can generate user-generated content (UGC) and determine the manners of product placement by SMIs who have become “homefluencers” by their skills.Design/methodology/approachThis research applies a qualitative approach of thematic content analysis of a total of 49 micro and nano-homefluencer's contents in beauty fashion, clothing, workout-yoga, food and lifestyle sectors on Instagram.FindingsThe findings of this study identify the main five themes of homefluencers by analyzing UGC in the new normal portraying both positive and negative comments incorporating four manners of product placement as a framework backed by two identified skills: relevance and relationship.Research limitations/implicationsThis research pioneers the study on how SMIs as “homefluencers” can adapt product placement skills in crises strengthening UGC by proposing a framework in the existing influencer marketing literature, where research is scarce.Practical implicationsThe findings of this research represent a guideline for effective SMI marketing development in the new normal and post-COVID. Based on the findings, recommendations are provided for the brand managers and influencers uplifting UGC blending skill of relevancy and relationship in product placement.Originality/valueThe author has contributed to the body of research by qualitatively analyzing how “homefluencer's” product placement in a crisis period can manage consistency and humanitarian association amplifying UGC and the practical implications in post-COVID.

The importance of user-generated photos in restaurant selection

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Oliveira ◽  
Beatriz Casais
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
User Generated Content ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Online Platforms ◽  
Photo Sharing ◽  
Restaurant Managers ◽  
Marketing Activities ◽  
Hospitality Sector ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose User-generated content and online reviews are highly relevant in purchase decision in the hospitality sector, including restaurants, but there is a lack of knowledge about the effect of sharing pictures in this context. This study aims to focus on the relevance of user-generated photos in online platforms for restaurants’ selection. Design/methodology/approach A research was conducted with a sample of 319 residents of Porto region, who had at least one meal in a restaurant over the 30 days before the answer of the survey and had searched online to select the restaurant. Findings The results show that while doing online research about restaurants, it is important for potential consumers to find pictures of food and physical evidences of restaurants generated by other users. Findings also show that consumers find user-generated photos especially at websites of reviews, although the importance of restaurant owned platforms, such as official social media pages and websites. Practical implications The research results appeal restaurant managers to understand the importance of user-generated photos in online platforms by promoting photo sharing in their restaurants with appropriate marketing activities for that purpose. Originality/value This paper expands the state-of-the-art about the importance of user-generated content, focusing on the importance of photos from restaurants shared by consumers in online platforms.

Fraud and counterfeit wines in France: an overview and perspectives

2017 ◽  
Vol 119 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benoit Lecat ◽  
Joelle Brouard ◽  
Claude Chapuis
Keyword(s):  
Media Coverage ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Modern Technology ◽  
Wine Industry ◽  
Technological Changes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Type ◽  
Technical Solutions ◽  
Official Data ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the specificities of wine forgery today and to show the perspectives offered to the different stakeholders in the wine industry. Design/methodology/approach Owing to the technical aspects of this paper, a literature review based on academic papers (history) and articles coming from the professional press, internet websites and public organizations was made. Findings It was found that frauds have always existed. Forgers are constantly in search of new ways of counterfeiting wines. Producers have had to adapt to the various forms of counterfeiting, mainly by resorting to modern technology. As the traceability of great wines is becoming crucial, a new type of relationships between producers anxious to offer genuine estate wines and consumers anxious to drink the bottles they ordered has developed. This new constraint became a marketing opportunity for producers. Research limitations/implications It was difficult to obtain official data (interviews or surveys) because of the sensitiveness of the topic. Practical implications This paper, which offers an inventory of the methods used by forgers to deceive customers, makes both producers and consumers aware of the extent of the problem. The counterfeiting phenomenon is dangerous for producers’ image and the technological changes are a tool allowing producers to protect their wine and reinforce their relationships with consumers. Originality/value This paper gives an overview of forgers’ ploys in France. It opens a discussion about perspectives for the different stakeholders while most of the research tends to focus on technical solutions and the analysis of specific affairs which received media coverage.

Local on-demand fabrication: microfactories and online manufacturing platforms

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-41
Author(s):  
Jose Orlando Montes ◽  
F. Xavier Olleros
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
On Demand ◽  
Online Platforms ◽  
Machine Shops ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
New Type ◽  
Experiential Research ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThis article explores a particular on-demand fabrication unit, the microfactory (MF). It identifies and contrasts several MFs and proposes a taxonomy. This research also explores online manufacturing platforms (OMP) that complement certain MFs.Design/methodology/approachThis research implements a multiple case study (71 cases in 21 countries), triangulating data available on the web with interviews, virtual/physical tours and experiential research.FindingsThe results suggest that automation and openness are the main dimensions that differentiate the MFs. Using these dimensions, a taxonomy of MFs is created. MFs with relatively low automation and high openness tend to be innovation-driven microfactories (IDMFs). MFs with high automation and low openness levels tend to be customization-driven microfactories (CDMFs). And MFs with relatively low automation and low openness tend to be classic machine shops (MSs). There are two types of OMP: closed (COMPs) and multisided (MOMPs). MOMPs can be low-end or high-end.Practical implicationsIn a world where online platforms are becoming central to the reinvention of manufacturing, multisided online platforms and small fabricators will become strongly symbiotic.Originality/valueThis paper offers a clearer conceptualization of MFs and OMPs, which may help to better understand the reality of local on-demand fabrication. Moreover, it explores a new type of experiential research, which tries to describe and interpret firms through transactional activities. Many details of a firm that are difficult to capture via interviews and netnography can be revealed this way.

m-WOM in a brand’s Facebook fan page

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (7) ◽  
pp. 936-953 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Sanz-Blas ◽  
Enrique Bigné ◽  
Daniela Buzova
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Active Participation ◽  
Parasocial Interaction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Equation Modelling ◽  
Key Driver ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of the following variables: brand fan page dependency; parasocial interaction; attitude towards brand fan pages in enhancing users’ participation in Facebook as a mobile social network (m-WOM). Design/methodology/approach An empirical study was carried out by means of online interviews with structured questionnaires. To analyse the data, and estimate the hypothesised relationships in the theoretical model, the partial least squares equation modelling was used. Findings The results of the study indicate that accessing brands’ mobile Facebook fan pages can satisfy the needs of understanding, orientation and play. These needs, in turn, influence users’ attitude, as well as their active and passive participation. Besides, users’ active participation in brands’ fan pages is enhanced by the direct and positive influence of attitude and passive participation. Practical implications This research enables brands to know which aspects to highlight in their communication strategies in order to increase the user’s active participation and generate m-WOM. Brands need to post information which is not only relevant, but also entertaining and visually attractive. Furthermore, they should foster the user-brand interaction to achieve users’ engagement with the brand. Originality/value The contribution of the present research is threefold. First, it offers a new perspective in explaining eWOM participation in mobile settings based on social networks. Second, it is argued that dependency is a key driver in explaining m-WOM. Lastly, integrating parasocial integration in the authors’ model highlights the communication nature of the word-of-mouth process.

Heterotopian selfies: how social media destabilizes brand assemblages

2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 1789-1813 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joonas Rokka ◽  
Robin Canniford
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Brand Management ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
User Generated Content ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Attention Economy ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Digital technologies are changing the ways in which the meanings and identity of both consumers and brands are constructed. This research aims to extend knowledge of how consumer-made “selfie” images shared in social media might contribute to the destabilization of brands as assemblages. Design/methodology/approach Insights are drawn from a critical visual content analysis of three popular champagne brand accounts and consumer-made selfies featuring these brands in Instagram. Findings This study shows how brands and branded selves intersect through “heterotopian selfie practices”. Accentuated by the rise of attention economy and “consumer microcelebrity”, the authors argue that these proliferating selfie images can destabilize spatial, temporal, symbolic and material properties of brand assemblages. Practical implications The implications include a consideration of how selfie practices engender new challenges for brand design and brand management. Originality/value This study illustrates how a brand assemblage approach can guide investigations of brands at multiple scales of analysis. In particular, this paper extends knowledge of visual brand-related user-generated content in terms of how consumers express, visualize and share selfies and how the heterotopian quality of this sharing consequently shapes brand assemblages.

IKEA's attempts to smoothly achieve corporate sustainability consistency

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 31-33
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Business Model ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Reading Time ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Change Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Key Driver ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings This research paper addresses retailer IKEA's strategic challenges surrounding corporate sustainability activity and branding across their diverse markets. The employee respondents' sustainability perceptions of IKEA included its organizational personality, the presence of competing forces in-store, and IKEA leading by example as a sustainability enabler. Varying perceptions on sustainability caused uncertainty and instability in IKEA's business model; for example, some store managers felt uncomfortable funneling sustainable messaging onto in-store customers. Therefore individual manager approaches to sustainability are a key driver in IKEA's sustainable delivery. Three change implementation phases were identified in an attempt to remedy these location-based inconsistencies. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Police and crime commissioners: the first twelve months

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Brain
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
The Other ◽  
Added Value ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Type ◽  
Positive Impression ◽  
The Government ◽  
Principal Method ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review the establishment of this new type of elected official and the conduct of those in office during the first twelve months of their official existence, and to consider whether a compelling case has yet been made for its retention as the principal method of police governance. Design/methodology/approach – The paper will review policy papers and data which preceded and followed the establishment of the office of police and crime commissioner (PCC) in November 2012; review the 2012 elections and their implications, review conduct since, particularly in respect of formal duties, principally setting budgets and police and crime plans; consider the potential for politicisation; and consider whether a case has been made for the retention of the office in future. Findings – The paper concludes that the government has succeeded with PCCs in implementing a major plank of the Conservative party's 2010 manifesto. It can reasonably be anticipated that the Conservatives will promote this record at the next election. However, it is simply too early to tell if PCCs are individually or collectively adding value to the sum of policing in England and Wales. A compelling case for their retention as a means of police governance is therefore yet to be made. On the other hand, Labour has still to determine whether it will offer the electorate an alternative in 2015. Research limitations/implications – With only ten months having elapsed since the first elections, it is early to draw firm conclusions about the effectiveness or, more pertinently, the added value that PCCs have brought to policing. Conversely, the first twelve months was an opportunity for PCCs to make a positive impression and this has not occurred. Practical implications – PCCs ought to be subject to a rigorous appraisal of effectiveness. This is unlikely, for political reasons, to occur. Originality/value – First rigorous review of PCCs based on a review of available data.

Proposition of the relational boycott

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 315-333
Author(s):  
Breno de Paula Andrade Cruz ◽  
Delane Botelho
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
New Classification ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Depth Interview ◽  
New Type ◽  
A Company ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Future Test

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to identify, in the context of virtual social networks (VSNs), other types of boycott which have not yet been addressed in the literature. We relate the boycott(s) emerged on the VSNs with those found in the literature (economic, religious, of minorities, ecological and labor boycott), and verify the motivation that must be unique to such context. Design/methodology/approach – Grounded theory was used in triangulation with netnography (interacting with 183 customers), non-participant observation (68 postings/47 complaints, from 2009 to 2012) and in-depth interview (15 consumers). Findings – A new classification of boycott was proposed, which emerged on the basis of company service quality, named “relational boycott”, which can generate additional acts of repudiation, such as interaction, unity of the group and encouragement of third parties. Research limitations/implications – The model of relational boycott proposed was not empirically tested, but insights for future test are provided. Practical implications – A model of how the relational boycott is structured is provided, being a deliberate, primary act of the consumer resulting from the management problems of a company generating backlash actions. Social implications – Since boycott represents a mechanism of protesting, it is a way that consumers pressure companies to provide better services and products, which may improve consumer’s wellbeing in the long range. Originality/value – A new type of boycott emerges in the research, named relational boycott, structured in a model that can be tested empirically.

Communities of co-commenting in the Russian LiveJournal and their topical coherence

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 710-732 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olessia Koltsova ◽  
Sergei Koltcov ◽  
Sergey Nikolenko
Keyword(s):  
Social Studies ◽  
Topic Modeling ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Latent Dirichlet Allocation ◽  
Opinion Leaders ◽  
Reliability Of Results ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The paper addresses the problem of what drives the formation of latent discussion communities, if any, in the blogosphere: topical composition of posts or their authorship? The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the knowledge about structure of co-commenting. Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on a dataset of 17,386 full text posts written by top 2,000 LiveJournal bloggers and over 520,000 comments that result in about 4.5 million edges in the network of co-commenting, where posts are vertices. The Louvain algorithm is used to detect communities of co-commenting. Cosine similarity and topic modeling based on latent Dirichlet allocation are applied to study topical coherence within these communities. Findings – Bloggers unite into moderately manifest communities by commenting roughly the same sets of posts. The graph of co-commenting is sparse and connected by a minority of active non-top commenters. Communities are centered mainly around blog authors as opinion leaders and, to a lesser extent, around a shared topic or topics. Research limitations/implications – The research has to be replicated on other datasets with more thorough hand coding to ensure the reliability of results and to reveal average proportions of topic-centered communities. Practical implications – Knowledge about factors around which co-commenting communities emerge, in particular clustered opinion leaders that often attract such communities, can be used by policy makers in marketing and/or political campaigning when individual leadership is not enough or not applicable. Originality/value – The research contributes to the social studies of online communities. It is the first study of communities based on co-commenting that combines examination of the content of commented posts and their topics.

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