#BABIESOFINSTAGRAM: THE DIGITALLY MEDIATED LIVES OF ‘ASPIRING’ BABY MODELS AND BRAND REPS

This paper is part of an on-going study of baby accounts created by ordinary parents to reach audiences outside friends and families. More specifically, the aim is to provide insights on the growing phenomenon of commercial forms of sharenting where parents seek money–making opportunities through the lives and images of children. A qualitative exploratory approach is used to shed light on the practices used by parents to try to garner the attention of brands on Instagram. Content analysis is carried out of 308 posts and the baby accounts behind these posts. Findings reveal that accounts in our sample are predominantly used to seek financial opportunities in the fashion industry. This is observed in the post images where brands are tagged and children appear in carefully staged poses that emphasize the baby’s looks and the clothes worn. The choice of hashtags added to the posts suggest a willingness to participate in baby model contests and brand representation searches. The commercial motivations of these accounts is also evident in the profile description, where parents indicate that the child is ‘an aspiring baby model’ or that the account is open to brand collaborations. This investigation extends emerging research on the growing presence of children on digital spaces when profit is involved. We discuss privacy issues surrounding the intensely mediated lives of children who are commodified to obtain rewards such as brand partnerships and free or discounted products or services.

Re-conceptualizing reverse meaning transfer: the moderating influence of meaning type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine whether negative meanings consumers attribute to a corporation transfer to the endorser and to examine the moderating effects of corporate-specific and product-specific negative meanings on an endorser’s credibility. Design/methodology/approach Following a protocol designed by Till and Shimp (1998), two experiments were conducted to examine if meaning transfer exists (experiment 1) and if meaning type moderates reverse meaning transfer (experiment 2). A doubly repeated multivariate analysis of variance was conducted to investigate changes in the endorser’s credibility and attitudes toward the brand. Findings The results revealed that the negative meanings consumers associated with these corporate crises influence consumer perceptions of the endorser as well as attitude toward the brand. Research limitations/implications This finding supports the position that meaning type moderates reverse meaning transfer and may explain variances in the literature on the significance of reverse meaning transfer. Based on these findings, brand crises have a negative effect on the endorser’s credibility. Practical implications The results lead the authors to suggest that endorsers as well as marketers should closely scrutinize brand partnerships, as the relationship may positively and negatively influence consumer perceptions of the athlete endorser. Social implications Based on the findings from this study, brand managers need to appreciate differences in brand crisis type by tailoring brand image remediation strategies to fit the type(s) of meaning(s) associated with a specific controversy. Originality/value The results from the current study add, significantly, to the literature by being the first to evidence that different meanings associated with different types of brand crises produce different attitudes toward the brand.

The Growth Of Cause Marketing: Past, Current, And Future Trends

When American Express launched a campaign in 1984, pledging to donate a penny to the Statue of Liberty restoration project for each cardmember transaction, the promise of cause marketing caught the attention of both nonprofits with fundraising needs, as well as marketers seeking to enhance corporate image while maximizing sales and profits. Since that time, cause marketing (also known as cause-related marketing, cause-brand partnerships, or cause tie-ins) has been the subject of continuing debate and change, while growing in importance and prevalence. The current paper provides an examination of the debate as it has evolved, of the methods and strategies that have been popularized and criticized, and of the outlook for the future of cause marketing. All of these topics will be considered from the varying perspectives of the parties involved in cause marketing: the consumer, the corporation, and the nonprofit organization. In particular, the implications of some newly identified developments will be discussed, together with an assessment of specific opportunities and obstacles that lie ahead.

Opportunism in Brand Partnerships

Brand partner opportunism—deceptive or guileful behavior to gain an advantage—is a threat to a successful brand partnership. In this study, the authors examined the effects of coercive and noncoercive tactics for preventing opportunism as those tactics are influenced by relational norms—mutually held standards of behavior that support close relationships. In a survey of 367 hotel general managers from two large hotel brands, the authors found that, in partnerships characterized by strong relational norms, coercive influence strategies, such as threats, promises, or legalistic pleas, are less effective at limiting opportunism than are noncoercive strategies, such as information exchange, recommendations, or requests, which are more effective. In contrast, when relational norms are weak, the authors found that coercive strategies are more effective than are noncoercive strategies. However, regardless of the nature of the relationship, the GMs reported that coercive techniques work only briefly and are ineffective over the long term. Thus, considering the nature of the hotel industry, noncoercive strategies are more likely to benefit brand headquarters’ efforts to limit brand partner opportunism.