How do internet memes affect brand image?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsuju Teng ◽  
Chi-Feng Lo ◽  
Hsin-Hui Lee

PurposeThis study aims to investigate how Internet memes affect brand image.Design/methodology/approachThe authors first used the Delphi method to refine Internet memes' constructs and dimensions and developed a scale for Internet memes. Second, the authors used a questionnaire to collect data from 348 valid Internet consumers.FindingsThe authors proposed four significant characteristics of Internet memes: humour, high positive emotional intensity, brand interactions and prestige, and high spreadability to prompt consumers to remake, share and spread memes. The study results indicate that Internet memes positively influence the brand image. However, not all meme characteristics were correlated with the brand image; only brand prestige, interaction and humour enhanced brand image.Originality/valueFor scholars in online marketing communication research, this study shifts the current paradigm of brand-generated and customer-passive to user-generated and customer-active. It also addresses the importance of pandemic effects of Internet memes on brand image. To be specific, this study presents the important symbolic values that Internet memes need to include to affect consumers' behaviour in response to perceived brand image by applying both mind infection and symbolic value perspectives. Finally, this study redefines the dimensions and measurements of Internet memes to address the lack of consensus and concrete scales regarding meme transmission characteristics and extending into online marketing communication strategies.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-11-2019-0364

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunhui Huo ◽  
Javaria Hameed ◽  
Muhammad Waqas Sadiq ◽  
Gadah Albasher ◽  
Wedad Alqahtani

PurposeThis paper aims to provide a valid insight into consumers' minds while considering word of mouth (WOM), brand image and uniqueness as independent variables while considering the tourism industry as the primary stakeholder.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopts qualitative research methods and data collected from 1,033 respondents using convenience sampling methodology. The data are collected from different tourists spots in China and Pakistan. The PROCESS macro was utilized in this study using SPSS version 25.0 to inspect the impacts by using Model 4 and the conditional effects indirectly by utilizing Model 14.FindingsCustomer's intimacy, search for novel and unexplored destinations highlight WOM interactions and perceived service value. Service value, interactional justice and professional attitude of hotel management mediated all the given relationships significantly. The brand image does not mediate any significant associations. Perceived service value and brand image predict customer's loyalty, and WOM is the direct measure of their intentions, and these variables are market trend indicators. A tourist's response toward different destinations is described in this study with comparative analysis of Chinese and Pakistani tourists. The study results showed a significantly positive relationship between hotel management professional behavior, customer's loyalty, customer's intimacy and WOM.Research limitations/implicationsThe recruited population might not be represented as the broader and larger visitor population, resulting in restricting establishing tactics. Moreover, this study's results provide significant insight into a tourism industry, hence providing a chance to manage customer loyalty better.Social, managerial and theoretical implicationsThis study contributes significantly to the body of knowledge and provides remarkable insight from the managerial perspective. Interactional justice results in significant value for hotel management directors and top management, front desk staff and operatives and front level employees and managers. Consumer sensitivity of fairness in interpersonal dealings calls for behavioral changes in frontline employees, especially those directly dealing with hotel visitors. Hotel staff and management should formulate a system to deal with the demands and needs of visitors. It should describe the rights and obligations of visitors and ensure that each customer is treated equally and with respect. Customers should be motivated to read the survey questionnaires kept in their rooms and offer their views on the services provided. This strategy might increase the customers' sense of empowerment and leading to notions of fairness in individual encounters.Originality/valueThis study provides an insight into the customer's minds while considering essential variables that include WOM, brand image, perceived service value and uniqueness.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 291-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soon-Ho Kim ◽  
Seonjeong Ally Lee

PurposeThis study investigates relationships among components of the marketing communication mix, brand identification, brand image, brand love and brand loyalty. The focus of this study is advertisement spending, customers' attitudes toward the advertisement, monetary promotion and non-monetary promotion as marketing communication mix elements.Design/methodology/approachProposed relationships are investigated with 683 previous coffee shop customers, based on a cross-section, online, self-administered survey in South Korea.FindingsResults identify advertising spending, attitude toward the advertisement, monetary promotion, and non-monetary promotion play key roles in influencing brand identification; however, they do not influence brand image. Both brand identification and brand image further influence brand love on brand loyalty.Originality/valueThis study is the first to investigate the marketing communication mix elements in a coffee shop context.


2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 151-169
Author(s):  
Md. Abdul Momen ◽  
Seyama Sultana ◽  
A.K.M. Ahasanul Haque

Purpose Internet-based marketing communication has been an important element for organizations to build brand image and brand equity. Higher education is not an exception. However, configuring the right mix in the age of social networking sites and various online displays and constantly changing algorithm in search engine optimization have become major challenges today. Hence, the purpose of this study is to configure integrated online marketing communication for the development of brand image and brand equity for higher educational institutions. Design/methodology/approach The study is quantitative in nature. A responsive group of 370 students was chosen from different educational institutions in Malaysia via stratified random sampling techniques. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used for interpreting the data. To test the derived hypotheses, structural equation modelling was used. Findings In line with contemporary literature, the study revealed positive relationships between brand image and brand equity, between search engine and brand image and between social media and brand image. The relationship between online display and brand image was not found significant. Research limitations/implications Future research can be done considering both online and conventional marketing communications for the same purpose. This approach can also be used for private and public institutions separately, considering their differences in nature. Practical implications Because history and tradition are no more a single tool to attain and retain the positive image and customer-based brand equity, this study can help higher educational institutions to configure integrated online communication for their target groups, such as students and industry, in the age of the internet. Originality/value This study generates a comprehensive understanding of the impact of Web-based marketing communication to develop brand image and brand equity of higher educational institutions.


2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (10) ◽  
pp. 2514-2534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eunha Jeong ◽  
SooCheong (Shawn) Jang

Purpose This study aims to investigate how restaurant customers’ heuristic judgment, originating from their perceived level of congruity between restaurant brand image regarding healthfulness and healthy menu products, can affect their information processing in terms of their perceived nutritional information credibility and, furthermore, how these effects influence customers’ attitude toward the menu in terms of healthiness. Design/methodology/approach A Web-based survey was developed and distributed to randomly selected respondents in the USA, and in total, 320 responses were used for the data analyses. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the relationship among three constructs: perceived brand–product congruity, perceived nutritional information credibility and nutrition attitude toward the healthy menu item being promoted. To assess the mediating role of perceived information credibility, an analytical procedure proposed by (Baron and Kenny 1986) was used. Finally, to investigate the moderating effect of the health involvement, multiple group analyses were executed. Findings The study results suggested that the synchronization between healthful brand image of the restaurant and the promoted menu item is important for ensuring customers’ perceptions of information credibility regarding the menu item healthiness and for eliciting customers’ positive nutrition attitudes toward the menu item. Also, positive nutrition attitudes toward a menu item can be increased by improving perceived information credibility. Depending on an individual’s level of health involvement, the relationships between the three proposed constructs vary. Originality/value This paper includes a theoretical model that explains customers’ heuristic evaluation of a healthy menu product by assessing the influence of brand image congruity in terms of healthy menu promotion.


2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 190-206
Author(s):  
Gerard Bikorimana ◽  
Sun Shengmin

Purpose Upgraded water and better sanitation are essential for human health, but it is still a challenge to get admittance to these facilities and the concerns of public health becomes most victims. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the socioeconomic and demographic forecaster linked with admittance to safer water and upgraded sanitation facilities in Rwanda. The study uses the cross-sectional data from the 2014 to 2015 Rwanda Demographic Health Survey and uses linear generalized models for the analysis. Design/methodology/approach The logit and probit regressions were used to analyze whether or not any forecaster variables influenced the predicted variable. Findings The findings showed that the households with the highest education background were 11.55 times more probable to have admittance to upgraded water sources compared to those who had none level of education. Likewise, the respondents with secondary and higher education were, respectively, 9.55 times and 4.09 times more probable to have admittance to upgraded latrine facilities. The authors found the increase of household size as significantly associated with admittance to the upgraded water source and latrine facilities compared to those families with fewer household members. The results also found that wealthier households had a larger odds ratio significance in getting admittance to upgraded water sources and sanitation facilities compared to poorer households. The study results found the greatest gap in access to upgraded water sources and sanitation facilities in rural areas compared to urban areas. Research limitations/implications The implications of the study results call for water policy formulation and implementation in Rwanda, as well as generally for other developing countries. Originality/value In Rwanda, this is the first study that empirically inspected the relationship between socioeconomic and demographic forecasters on admittance to upgraded water and sanitation facilities. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-07-2019-0452


2019 ◽  
pp. 149-168
Author(s):  
Maria Antonietta Raimondo ◽  
Maria Vernuccio ◽  
Gaetano “Nino” Miceli

Native advertising is rapidly establishing itself in the field of online marketing communication strategies. This paper aims at analyzing consumer responses to native ads varying upon the concreteness versus abstractness of content under specific brand awareness conditions. The conceptual model proposes that brand awareness moderates the relationships between the type of content (concrete vs. abstract) andconsumers evaluations of and dispositions toward native ad, product/service and brand. The results of an experimental study provide empirical support to the idea that consumer responses to concrete vs. abstract native content change for wellknown and less known brands and suggest implications for theory and practice.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-36
Author(s):  
Youngjoo Na ◽  
Jisu Kim

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the post type of the official account of the Korean fashion brands on Instagram and to analyze the images and keywords according to the use of the hashtag in it. This study also will provide data of how fashion brands use the new media of Instagram and how they promote it. Design/methodology/approach This study investigated the types of postings and keywords of hashtag(#) of fashion brand’s official Instagram account in order to analyze the post type and keyword. In total, six apparel brand companies were selected, with two in each of three categories (classic casual brand, outdoor sports brand and designer character brand), and seven types of postings were classified (lookbook and product, collection, broadcasting ads, brand issue, sensibility pictures, sponsorship and event). The frequencies were collected according to their types that were confirmed by four fashion major specialists. Findings First, the proportion of the types of postings varied according to the characteristics of the brand. Second, the six brands used keywords of a symbol because it is important to convey brand identity. Third, the sensibility keywords of each brand were investigated, and one of the designer character brands used only practical keywords without sensibility keywords. Fourth, this study examined the number of Instagram hashtags and hearts to determine if the reaction was in alignment with the marketing trends of the company’s official Instagram account and consumers. One of the classic casual brands, one of the outdoor sports brands and both designer character brands showed a high proportion of types of posts on Instagram that well matched with consumer response. As a hypothesis of this study, it was supported that the posting types of images and hashtags will be different according to the characteristics of brand. Originality/value Instagram is the fastest growing social network service (SNS) globally, especially among young adults. Instagram is noted for its strong SNS marketing but it has not been well researched in the apparel industry. The study results will help improve the brand image and promotion by using official Instagram account in the apparel industry.


2020 ◽  
Vol 72 (10) ◽  
pp. 1153-1158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yafei Deng ◽  
Xiaotao Pan ◽  
Guoxun Zeng ◽  
Jie Liu ◽  
Sinong Xiao ◽  
...  

Purpose This paper aims to improve the tribological properties of aluminum alloys and reduce their wear rate. Design/methodology/approach Carbon is placed in the model at room temperature, pour 680°C of molten aluminum into the pressure chamber, and then pressed it into the mold containing carbon felt through a die casting machine, and waited for it to cool, which used an injection pressure of 52.8 MPa and held the same pressure for 15 s. Findings The result indicated that the mechanical properties of matrix and composite are similar, and the compressive strength of the composite is only 95% of the matrix alloy. However, the composite showed a low friction coefficient, the friction coefficient of Gr/Al composite is only 0.15, which just is two-third than that of the matrix alloy. Similarly, the wear rate of the composite is less than 4% of the matrix. In addition, the composite can avoid severe wear before 200°C, but the matrix alloy only 100°C. Originality/value This material has excellent friction properties and is able to maintain this excellent performance at high temperatures. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-10-2019-0454/


2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 599-617
Author(s):  
Fernando Bermejo ◽  
Eladio Febrero ◽  
Andre Fernandes Tomon Avelino

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to provide broader understanding of the significant role that the pension system has in the Spanish economy by estimating the sectoral production, employment and income sustained by pensioners' consumption.Design/methodology/approachBased on input–output tables by the World Input–Output Database and consumption data from the Household Budget Survey by the Spanish Statistical Office, a demoeconomic model is applied to quantify the direct impacts, indirect impacts from interindustry links and induced impacts from income–consumption connections over a nine-year period (2006–2014). Then, the factors driving the evolution of total output, employment and value added during such period have been examined by using structural decomposition analysis.FindingsThe growing participation of consumption by pensioner households in final demand had proven crucial during the 2008 crisis to alleviate the negative trend in production and employment derived from the collapse in consumption suffered by the rest of households.Practical implicationsDetermining the underlying factors driving changes in both employment and income during the 2008 crisis can be of interest in political decision-making on the sustainability of the Spanish pension system.Social implicationsThe results of estimating both the employment and income supported by pensioners' consumption reveal the significant stabilizing effect of the public spending on pensions, particularly during the 2008 crisis.Originality/valueThe current Spanish approach of attaining the pension system sustainability by merely reducing social protection costs ignores the adverse consequences of a lower pensioners' demand. This paper addresses an alternative view in which pension spending is not considered a burden on economic growth but rather a means of improving the level of production and employment.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-01-2019-0047


2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 787-807 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lan Archer ◽  
Parmendra Sharma ◽  
Jen-Je Su

PurposeA review of literature has documented that accessing formal credit and other banking services has always been a crucial challenge for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The alternative, therefore, tends to be informal channels. However, the credit constraint vis-à-vis informal channel link does not appear to be well documented in the literature. This study aims to investigate whether credit constraints significantly affect the probability of accessing informal credit, as well as the credit values of Vietnamese SMEs.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a trinary approach and correlated random-effects Probit and Tobit techniques to avoid the incidental coefficients problem.FindingsThe results suggest that relative to unconstrained and partially constrained firms, fully constrained firms tend to be more active in the informal credit markets, shown by their higher probability of informal credit access and larger credit values.Originality/valueTo the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first study on Vietnam that takes a different approach to credit constraints and examines their impact on informal credit access. Policy implications arise and are discussed.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-11-2017-0543


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