Motivating Exercise Through Social Media: Is a Picture Always Worth a Thousand Words?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlyn Johnston ◽  
William E. Davis

In the present study, we examined how the influence of exercise-related social media content on exercise motivation might differ across content type (with images vs. without images) and account type (individual vs. corporate). Using a 2 × 2 within-subjects experimental design, 229 participants viewed a series of 40 actual social media posts across the four conditions (individual posts with images, corporate posts with images, individual posts without images, and corporate posts without images) in a randomized order. Participants rated the extent to which they felt each social media post motivated them to exercise, would motivate others to exercise, and was posted for extrinsic reasons. Participants also completed other measures of individual differences including their own exercise motivation. Posts with images from individuals were more motivating than posts with images from corporations; however, corporate posts without images were more motivating than posts without images from individuals. Participants expected others to be similarly motivated by the stimuli, and perceived corporate posts as having been posted for more extrinsic reasons than individuals’ posts. These findings enhance our understanding of how social media may be used to promote positive health behaviors.

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 483-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Orpha de Lenne ◽  
Laura Vandenbosch

Purpose Using the theory of planned behavior, the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between different types of media and the intention to buy sustainable apparel and test whether attitudes, social norms, and self-efficacy beliefs may explain these relationships. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional survey study was conducted among 681 young adults (18-26 years old). Findings Exposure to social media content of sustainable organizations, eco-activists, and sustainable apparel brands, and social media content of fashion bloggers and fast fashion brands predicted respondents’ attitudes, descriptive and subjective norms, and self-efficacy beliefs regarding buying sustainable apparel. In turn, attitudes, descriptive norms, and self-efficacy beliefs predicted the intention to buy sustainable apparel. Fashion magazines predicted the intention through self-efficacy. Specialized magazines did not predict the intention to buy sustainable apparel. Research limitations/implications Results should be generalized with caution as the current study relied on a convenience sample of young adults. The cross-sectional study design limits the ability to draw conclusions regarding causality. Actual behavior was not addressed and needs to be included in further research. Practical implications The present study hints at the importance of social media to affect young consumers’ intentions to buy sustainable apparel. Sustainable apparel brands should consider attracting more young social media users to their social media pages. Originality/value This study is one of the first to examine the potential of different media to promote sustainable apparel buying intention.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuela López ◽  
Maria Sicilia ◽  
Peeter W.J. Verlegh

PurposeOpinion leaders are increasingly important as a source of information, with consumers judging them to be more credible than other media and more influential than other consumers. Thus, companies have an interest in engaging opinion leaders to post about products and brands, and the authors analyse different incentives for encouraging them to spread the word on social media (via electronic word-of-mouth [e-WoM]).Design/methodology/approachA 2 × 3 between-subjects experimental design was developed in which 359 technological opinion leaders (bloggers) participated. The authors manipulated the monetary incentive (money vs no money) and non-monetary incentives (information only vs return product vs keep product) offered in exchange for a brand post.FindingsVarious techniques for approaching opinion leaders are effective, but to differing degrees. Providing a product free of charge increases the likelihood that opinion leaders will post about it, and the highest intention to post is observed when they are allowed to keep the product. In contrast, giving money to opinion leaders could have an indirect negative impact on their intention to post through the expected negative reaction of followers.Originality/valueIt remains unclear how opinion leaders can best be encouraged to spread e-WoM, as incentives used for consumers may work differently for opinion leaders, who have followers that they want to maintain. The main contribution of this paper lies in its explanation of why opinion leaders react differently to monetary versus non-monetary incentives.


2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashish K. Rathore ◽  
P. Vigneswara Ilavarasan ◽  
Yogesh K. Dwivedi

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to conceptualise and discuss the possible insights that can be generated for product development by analysing the user-generated content available from various social media platforms. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews the role of user generated content in developing products and its features (e.g. appearance and shape). It delineates the directions in which the relationship between social media content and customer oriented concepts evolve while developing successful new products. Findings – The review and arguments presented in this paper suggest that the social media approach adds more value than the traditional approaches for obtaining insights about the products. Availability of users’ opinions and information about existing products provide insights for the improvement in the product design process. Co-creation and self-construal are important components that are based on customer engagement and customer behaviour, respectively, in the product design and development. Practical implications – As social media creates new ways of communication with users, businesses can include users into the product development process to improve and refine their products or for making the next generation of products. Originality/value – This paper suggests a new approach in getting useful insights about the products from user-generated contents. This way of using social media helps businesses to move forward from the traditional product development paradigms.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 513-534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bekir Bora Dedeoglu

Purpose This paper aims to first examine tourists’ perceptions of the source credibility and information quality of social media content to see whether they would have an impact on their perceptions of the importance of shared content on social media. The moderating role of gender in this relationship was then examined. Design/methodology/approach The research sample was composed of domestic and foreign tourists in Alanya, an important tourist destination in Turkey. The data in the current study were collected by the questionnaire method. The structural relationships in the research were examined using the partial least squares structural equation modeling, and the moderating effect of gender was examined via the partial least squares multiple group analysis. Findings According to the research findings, tourists’ perceptions of source credibility regarding social media content had a positive impact on the importance attached to non-participant shared content, whereas their perceptions of information quality had a positive impact on the importance attached to participant shared content. Furthermore, it was also observed that gender had a moderating effect on the relationship between information quality and source credibility perceptions and the importance of shared content on social media. Originality/value Two important predictive variables have been examined in the current research in term of customer-generated contents. It has been demonstrated that the effects of these predictive variables on different customer-generated types could be different. Furthermore, it has been determined that the effects of these influences differ according to the gender of the individuals following the content. Thus, the current study provides significant findings to understand the impacts of these variables on the basis of gender.


2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 761-770 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauri Huotari ◽  
Pauliina Ulkuniemi ◽  
Saila Saraniemi ◽  
Minna Mäläskä

Purpose – The present study aims to examine how business-to-business (B2B) marketers can influence content creation in social media. Social media tools are becoming an interesting component of B2B marketing because of the roles of personal relationships and interactions in these markets. However, research has not approached social media content creation from a B2B marketing perspective. Design/methodology/approach – Social media tools are becoming an interesting component of B2B marketing because of the roles of personal relationships and interactions in these markets. However, research has not approached social media content creation from a B2B marketing perspective. The present study examines how B2B marketers can influence content creation in social media. Findings – The paper proposes that B2B firms engaging in social media as part of their marketing efforts should carefully consider the roles and activities of various users, which are directed to and by different internal and external users. B2B companies can influence content creation in social media directly by adding new content, participating in discussions and removing content through corporate user accounts and controlling employee social media behavior or indirectly by training employees to create desired content and performing marketing activities that influence other users to create content that is favorable for the company. Originality/value – The study contributes to the theoretical discussion over B2B marketing communication and the role of social media in it.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ai-Zhong He ◽  
Yi Cai ◽  
Ling Cai ◽  
Yu Zhang

PurposeThis paper studies the relationships among consumers’ perceptions of brand personality, consumers’ brand attitudes and brand-owned social media content marketing (SMCM). The moderating effect of the brand content relevancy was also assessed.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual model was established and examined using two experiments with a total of 363 participants. Hierarchical regression analysis and an analysis of variance were performed to test seven research hypotheses.FindingsResults show that the three forms of brand-owned SMCM, namely: conversation, storytelling and customer interaction and participation, are positively correlated with consumers’ brand personality perceptions and brand attitudes. Also, consumers’ perceptions of brand personality can partially mediate the relationship between brand-owned content marketing and consumers’ brand attitudes. Furthermore, the brand content relevancy does not show a moderating effect on the relationship between content marketing and consumers’ brand personality perceptions or brand attitudes.Originality/valueFirst, a framework was established to delineate those paths by which owned social media content marketing (OSMCM) influences consumers’ attitudes towards a brand. Second, the study demonstrates the importance of conversation as a powerful method of OSMCM. Third, with respect to content in marketing strategies, firms do not need to confine themselves to a narrow scope of content or information that is closely related to the brands alone.


2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 110-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
William F. Humphrey Jr ◽  
Debra A. Laverie ◽  
Shannon B. Rinaldo

Purpose The paper seeks to establish the effectiveness of social media advertising and participation by brands through incidental exposure. Using experimental design, in a social media environment, this paper aims to extend incidental exposure research in the context of social media. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses an experimental design with controlled image durations using MediaLab and DirectRT, allowing for precise image display times and randomization of screens. Participants were split between high-involvement and low-involvement product categories, and the brand choice exercise was administered in an on-screen experiment. Findings The paper provides support that incidental exposure influences brand choice. Further, it indicates that for low-involvement product categories, the type of social media exposure does not influence brand choice significantly between types. For high-involvement product categories, ads perform better than sponsored story executions; consumer-generated brand messages perform better than brand-generated messages; and the influence of reference group affects brand choice. Research limitations/implications This paper tests one social media environment using a desktop Web environment. Additional studies would be needed to test other social media environments and mobile technology. Practical implications The paper provides evidence that brands benefit by simply participating and advertising in social media, but the execution style matters to a greater extent for high-involvement product categories in influencing brand choice. Social implications Mere exposure to a brand message may influence consumers unknowingly. Repeated exposure as short as 5 s per viewing is related to increases in brand choice. Originality/value This paper extends research on incidental exposure and establishes a key positive brand outcome for practice and research, and it provides the first exploration on the outcome of incident exposure to brand messages in social media. The results suggest that social media and advertising by brands have positive impacts beyond traditional measures of success online.


2021 ◽  
pp. 009365022110185
Author(s):  
Kate Keib ◽  
Bartosz W. Wojdynski ◽  
Camila Espina ◽  
Jennifer Malson ◽  
Brittany Jefferson ◽  
...  

A growing body of research suggests that differences between smartphones and desktop computers influence information processing outcomes. A within-subjects ( N = 64) smartphone eye-tracking experiment replicates a 2018 desktop-based study of users’ visual attention to and engagement with social media news posts. The results show that users spend less time viewing social media news posts on smartphones than desktop, and report lower levels of pleasure and arousal in response to the posts. However, the study found no significant difference between devices in intent to click to read the story and intent to share the post. The findings are discussed with regard to implications for the role of device and attention in communication theory, as well as practical implications for news organizations and other social media content producers.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cornelia Sindermann ◽  
Haibo Yang ◽  
Shixin Yang ◽  
Jon D. Elhai ◽  
Christian Montag

The present studies followed the aim to investigate the endowment effects for prominent Chinese social media platforms in between-groups and within-subjects design studies. For between-groups investigations, two samples (each: N = 196; n = 98 men) asked either forwillingness to accept (WTA) or willingness to pay (WTP) for WeChat and two samples (each: N = 182; n = 91 men) providing information on either WTA or WTP for QQ were recruited. For within-subjects investigations, N = 250 (n = 125 men; WeChat) and N = 256 (n = 128 men; QQ) individuals completed items on WTA, WTP, the Big Five Inventory, time spent on WeChat/QQ, and the short Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale. WTA/WTP disparities in the between-groups design were larger than those in the within-subjects design. Many individuals were not willing to pay anything or barely anything. Individual differences in the disparity were negatively associated with Openness across platforms. Especially the low WTP scores reveal important knowledge on the (lack of) acceptance of a monetary payment model currently discussed for social media platforms.


2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Kennedy

Purpose This research aims to propose that prompted co-creation from a brand to a consumer will increase the value of the consumer to the brand through an increase in brand commitment and purchase intention. Additionally, the study compares the differences of a social media post made by a brand and a social media post made by a celebrity who is endorsing the brand. Design/methodology/approach Two studies were developed. First, a 2 × 2 between-subjects’ experimental design analyzes the effects of prompted and non-prompted co-creation posts by a fictitious brand and celebrity. Study 2 looks to confirm the results of Study 1 using a 2 × 2 between-subjects’ experimental design with a real brand and celebrity for the social media post. Co-creation, brand commitment and purchase intention are the dependent variables in both studies. Findings The studies reveal that a prompted co-creation post – which is a post explicitly asking for consumer feedback – from a brand can increase brand commitment and purchase intention from consumers. Also, the study reveals that, when compared to a celebrity-endorsed message, a branded message shows an increase in brand commitment and purchase intention. The results support the general notion of attribution theory. Research limitations/implications First, the study focused exclusively on millennial consumers. While this group has significant purchasing power, testing the effects of co-creation messages on a more generalizable sample is warranted. Next, the survey takes place in an online social media setting. With the power of social media and e-commerce, this channel is certainly important to study. Practical implications The results of this study bring the co-creation literature into a new area of research. Extending attachment theory and attribution theory into co-creation creates numerous opportunities to further grow the knowledge of the co-creation phenomena. The findings provide insight into the power that a prompted co-creation message can have on a consumer, either from a brand or celebrity endorser source. Practitioners can place a value on prompted and non-prompted co-creation messages originating with a brand. In addition, the research will give practitioners insight into how messages of co-creation are received by millennial consumers. Originality/value This research is the first of its kind for co-creation literature. No research to date examines the effect that a brand or celebrity-endorsed co-creation prompt has on the behavior of millennial consumers. Very little, if any, empirical research has been conducted on the co-creation of brand.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document