Reference effects and customer engagement in a museum visit

Purpose By extending the expectancy-disconfirmation theory and integrating the elaboration likelihood model, this study aims to explore the reference effects (i.e. disconfirmation and self-identity) and customer engagement that affect customer experience on satisfaction with a museum visit. The study is designed to test a dual-mediator mechanism involving disconfirmation and self-identity. The moderating role of cognitive, affective or behavioral engagements is also examined with the overall purpose to advance the understanding of customer experience in cultural consumption such as museum visits. Design/methodology/approach A self-administered field survey in two stages was carried out on visitors to the Hong Kong Museum of Art. A total of 465 valid response sets were used for analysis. Hypotheses were tested using confirmatory factor analysis, three-step mediation test, structural equation modeling and moderation regressions. Findings Disconfirmation and self-identity are found to be dual mediators in the experience–satisfaction relationship. Cognitive engagement reduces the effect of knowledge experience on disconfirmation and self-identity but increases that of the entertainment experience on disconfirmation and self-identity. Affective engagement amplifies the effect of knowledge experience on self-identity but mitigates the importance of entertainment evaluations. Practical implications Findings highlight the importance of both perceived knowledge and entertainment experiences in visitors’ evaluation of a cultural experience. Managers are suggested to craft promotional messages with the psychological appeal that connects visitors with museum services. Appropriate engagement tactics for museums can be developed to avoid overloading visitors with information. Originality/value Previous studies treat disconfirmation as the dominant reference effect in the formation of customer satisfaction. This study shows both disconfirmation and self-identity as dual reference effects that link the customer experience to satisfaction in the museum context, serving as a pioneer in defining how the influence of experience on reference effects varies depending on how customers are cognitively and affectively engaged in such context.

COMMUNICATION MESSAGES FOR PROMOTION OF TOURISM IN HOMABAY COUNTY

This paper presents an assessment of the relationship between communication messages and tourism promotion. Homabay county located in Kenya's western tourists circuit is rich in tourists' attractions, but continue to receive very little tourists as a result of limited publicity. Promotion of tourism is necessary to enable the sector generate revenue to the county and improve the livelihood of the people around the area. The objective of the study was therefore to assess existing communication messages for promotion of tourism in Homabay county. In Kenya many tourists continue to ock certain destinations that have been frequently visited over the years, such as the Coastal and Nairobi Circuits. The study therefore sought to nd out if the missing link in tourism promotion in Homabay county was communication messages. The study was guided by Media framing theory. The approach used was mixed and data was collected using questionnaires that were issued to tourists, interviews with Homabay county government ofcials and with employees of Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS). Custodians of the selected tourists' sites were also interviewed. Homabay county integrated development plan was also analyzed. A sample of 93 tourists took part, the entire population of the remaining categories of the respondents was used in the study, totaling to 100 participants. Qualitative data was analysed thematically using manual open coding and NVivo 11 software while quantitative data was analysed statistically using SPSS 23.0. The study established that the promotional messages contained cultural and historical information while highlighting the uniqueness of the sites. Framing of messages for tourism promotion in a persuasive and convincing manner evokes in the actual or potential tourists the desire to visit a tourist's destination.

Influence of Rose All Day Instagram Sales Promotion Message And Endorsement By Beauty Influencer on Followers Buying Intention

This research was conducted due to the widespread use of social media as a marketing tool in Indonesia. This phenomenon has led to a social media marketing strategy through Instagram, one of the social media platforms used by a local cosmetic company called Rose All Day Cosmetics. This study aimed to determine the effect of the attractiveness of sales promotion messages on Rose All Day Cosmetics' Instagram account and endorsement by beauty influencers on followers' buying intention. The theories used in this research were the Elaboration Likelihood Model, the attractiveness of promotional messages, endorsement, and purchase interest theory. This research was quantitative explanative research through an online survey distributed using the direct message feature on Instagram to 398 respondents previously determined by the Yamane formula. The data obtained were tested with multiple linear regression. The findings indicated that each variable significantly influences the followers' buying intention partially or simultaneously, with a simultaneous effect of as much as 51,3% impact degree. The company must continue to follow the development of influencers, especially in the realm of micro-influencers

A Study on Consumer Perception towards Promotional Messages with Special Reference To Coimbatore City

Promotional messages are the type of personal selling where the customers are contacted individually. Promotional message is the communication about the product/service that a company wants to deliver to its target customers in order to generate awareness and subsequent sales. Promotional messages maybe in various forms, the most common forms being text messaging and email. Hence this study is focused on consumer perception towards Promotional messages in Coimbatore City. It was found that customers are overloaded with promotional messages. It acts as a good marketing strategy. It is also found that the buying behavior is significantly influenced by promotional messages. Mostly customers are receiving promotional messages through SMS only. Daily messages are sometimes irritating for customers that can be avoided. Majority of the customers are felt that promotional messages are useful.

Influence of religiosity on ethical consumption: the mediating role of materialism and guilt

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of religiosity on ethical consumption of consumers. It also aims to measure the mediating effect of materialism and guilt. Design/methodology/approach The study collected data from 360 Indian consumers through an online survey. Findings Religiosity was found to have a strong and significant influence on consumers’ ethical consumption behaviour. It was also found that materialism and guilt mediate the relationship between religiosity and ethical consumption. Findings reveal that a higher level of religiosity in consumers guides them to avoid unwanted behaviour such as unethical consumption. Research limitations/implications The study provides an insight into the significance of values in ethical consumption decisions. It examines the mediational effect of materialism and guilt between religiosity and ethical consumption. Practical implications Marketers can formulate more successful communication strategies by taking into account the level of religiosity of Indian consumers and underlying cultural foundations within the society. Marketers can also use taglines or promotional messages to promote sacrifice for the well-being of the environment. Originality/value This research is a guiding step towards studying the influence of religiosity on ethical consumption through guilt and materialism of consumers in an emerging nation.

Unfolding Utilization of Functional Blocks of Social Media in Building Brand Equity in Higher Education Institutes

The purpose of this research was to explore how HEIs are using Social Media (SM) as a marketing communication tool and to understand their branding focus through SM. It was investigated by understanding the utilization of functional blocks of SM by HEIs, which are believed to contribute towards elements of brand equity. Utilization of functional blocks of SM was studied through theoretical lens of honeycomb framework of SM. This study used qualitative methodology, based on inductive research approach. The data was collected via Netnography method, based on six months usage of SM accounts of seven selected HEIs of Pakistan, out of 225, which exhibited active SM presence. HEIs were found using nine different content types on SM. The content types that showed highest utilization of functional blocks, i.e. endorsements and promotional-messages, were amongst the least preferred content types of HEIs. However, their most preferred content types, i.e. event coverage & announcements, showed lowest engagement level, and were seen contributing towards lower stages of brand building i.e. brand image and awareness only, thus reflecting a myopic focus of HEIs in terms of their brand building through SM. Findings of this study will enable HEIs to revisit their content preference on SM based on the desired branding objectives. This research has extended theoretical knowledge regarding SM Marketing in context of HEIs. Further, it has extended comprehension of various functional blocks of SM, in organizational context, based on literature review. Keywords: Social Media Marketing, Brand Equity, Honeycomb Framework, Higher Education Institutes.

Driving Consumer Engagement through Diverse Calls to Action in Corporate Social Responsibility Messages on Social Media

Although a growing number of consumers acknowledge the importance of firms’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, how companies can effectively communicate these initiatives to consumers is still a challenge. Although the rise of social media platforms has provided firms with opportunities for more immediate and interactive communication with consumers, recent academic studies related to social media have mostly focused on effective communication of promotional messages, and relatively little attention has been paid to prosocial messages. For better communication, social media branded messages have encouraged user participation (i.e., calls to action), but how diverse types of calls to action can generate consumer engagement remains unexplored. Using over 2000 branded posts from popular consumer product brands on Facebook and Twitter, this research explores diverse types of calls to action that drive consumers’ attitudinal (i.e., likes) and behavioral (i.e., shares) engagement with CSR-related messages on social media. The research findings suggest that the types of calls to action matter in the effectiveness of CSR messages. Specifically, CSR messages inviting consumers to brand-related programs or games generated a greater number of likes and shares. However, the overall engagement was lower when CSR messages encouraged further conversations, and rewarding consumers was also less effective. Finally, the results show that multiple calls to action within one message decrease engagement. Overall, this study contributes to the academic literature and management by providing new insights and actionable guidelines on how to encourage user participation when designing CSR messages to enhance consumers’ attitudinal and behavioral engagement within social media, thereby contributing to sustainable development while enhancing the effectiveness of marketing communications.

Ease of understanding and performing HIV self-tests by pregnant women and their male partners in Uganda: a cross-sectional study

Introduction: Understanding and following HIV self-testing (HIVST) instructions is a critical step in the use of HIVST kits. We analyzed data on pregnant women and their partners’ self-assessment on the usability of kits delivered by their pregnant women. Methods: Quantitative data were collected on 399 pregnant women and 238 male partners enrolled in the intervention arm of a large cluster-randomized HIVST trial. Each pregnant woman received HIVST demonstrations, detailed pictorial instructions on how to use OraQuick HIVST kits, and two kits; for herself and her male partner. Follow-up was at one month (baseline for male partners) and 3 months. Descriptive statistics were conducted to compare understanding and following of HIVST instructions by age and education level. Results: The proportion of those who understood HIVST instructions was almost the same (98%) for women and their partners, although partners (26.5%) were nearly twice as likely than women (16.0%) to report needing pretest counseling (Odds ratio [OR] = 1.9, 95% CI: 1.27–2.79). Partners’ understanding of the HIVST instructions did not vary by education level, but 4.4% of women with primary education reported difficulty in understanding HIVST instructions compared with 0.5% and 0% of those with secondary and university education, respectively ( p = 0.05). However, 5.6% of women aged 30–68 years and 3.3% of partners aged 20–24 years found it more difficult to understand the HIVST instructions. Conclusion: Both pregnant women and their male partners were correctly able to perform an HIVST without or (with minimal) support suggesting that this mode of delivery will help the national program reach more men. Because more male partners than women required HIVST pretest counseling support, male-targeted HIVST promotional messages may be needed to increase men's self-efficacy to perform HIVST unsupported.

Online Advertising Strategies in Indian and Australian E-Commerce Companies

Online advertising and marketing promote the different types of products through various kinds of advertising modes to customers. Online advertising is promotional messages that show up on the monitors of online laptops, desktops, tablets, televisions, and smart phones. The main objective of the study is to analyze the online advertising and impact comparison of online advertising strategy which is adopted by Indian and Australian e-commerce companies. To achieve the objectives of this study, the authors take the sample of 5 Indian and 5 Australian e-commerce companies. This study also found that the Indian and Australian e-commerce companies are inter-connected. Online advertising in India has been flowering and also increasing because of 4G connections, which are good for the future of online marketing. This chapter explains comparisons of Indian and Australian e-commerce companies and also focuses on the top 10 platforms to increase sales and customer attraction through advertising. The future of online advertising is brilliant and unlimited.

Trends in the Online Booking of Hotel Accommodation

New technologies and tourist habits are the main reasons for the constant development in tourism. Tourist surfs through so many websites and promotional messages before making a final decision on which hotel to book. The hotel must invest in the development of a modern reservation system. The research is aimed at elaborating systems, trends, and innovations in online hotel accommodation sales in the Republic of Croatia. The authors have set the following research questions: (1) Which systems are used in hotel sales and marketing departments, and what are they used for in Croatia? (2) What is the growth of online sales in the last three years in Croatia? (3) What is the share of online sales per sales channel in Croatia? The main discoveries of the research are the systems used in hotel sales and the percentage of share of reservations made through direct sales channels of the companies surveyed. Keywords Croatia, Hotels, Innovation, Online Booking Systems, Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research, Share by Sales Channels, Tourism, Trends