"I Felt a Little Crazy Following a 'Doll'"

Virtual Influencers (VIs) are computer-generated characters, many of which are often visually indistinguishable from humans and interact with the world in the first-person perspective as social media influencers. They are gaining popularity by creating content in various areas, including fashion, music, art, sports, games, environmental sustainability, and mental health. Marketing firms and brands increasingly use them to capitalise on their millions of followers. Yet, little is known about what prompts people to engage with these digital beings. In this paper, we present our interview study with online users who followed different VIs on Instagram beyond the fashion application domain. Our findings show that the followers are attracted to VIs due to a unique mixture of visual appeal, sense of mystery, and creative storytelling that sets VI content apart from that of real human influencers. Specifically, VI content enables digital artists and content creators by removing the constraints of bodies and physical features. The followers not only perceived VIs' rising popularity in commercial industries, but also are supportive of VI involvement in non-commercial causes and campaigns. However, followers are reluctant to attribute trustworthiness to VIs in general though they display trust in limited domains, e.g., technology, music, games, and art. This research highlights VI's potential as innovative digital content, carrying influence and employing more varied creators, an appeal that could be harnessed by diverse industries and also by public interest organisations.

Understanding the determinants of digital health marketing strategies: a comparison of private and public sector hospitals (Preprint)

BACKGROUND The use of traditional media and technologies have increased the challenges for public health education and awareness, especially in public hospitals. Despite the importance of social and digital technologies for health promotion, the level of adoption and execution is relatively slow in public hospitals. OBJECTIVE The present study aims to understand how organizational resources and technology selection as well as structure and culture can influence health-marketing strategies in both public and private hospitals. METHODS The study adopts the interpretivist research paradigm and a social constructivist approach to understand individual, organizational, government, structural, financial and cultural factors that can influence the formulation and implementation of health marketing strategies. The study has chosen health professionals and other employees from four public and private hospitals as sources of data. RESULTS The findings reveal that private hospitals have a flat structure and high levels of employee empowerment which enhance collaboration, coordination, skills development, and technology use. The use of social and digital media is common, which increases word of mouth, patient awareness and education, patient engagement and feedback, user generated content and social influence for private hospitals. Conversely, government control and centralization, cost leadership strategy, traditional media and technologies as well as limited resources and human capital are some of the challenges which complicate advanced health marketing practices. CONCLUSIONS There is limited literature available regarding the determinants of health marketing strategies for public and private hospitals. The present study explores the strengths that enhance health marketing practices in private hospitals. In addition, the study highlights the challenges of public hospitals which negatively influence advanced health marketing practices and performance outcomes. The study provides a number of recommendations for the health ministry, management in hospitals, and health promotion departments with the purpose of advancing health marketing practices.

Theoretical Review of Health Marketing and its Importance in the COVID-19 Pandemic

The contribution that marketing has made in the Health field is marked today more than ever by their psychosocial effects. From the dissemination of information to the appropriate use of technologies. This paper aims to present the most significant marketing elements focused on Health and how it influences the adherence to the Health authorities' strategies in the presence of the COVID-19. Elements of marketing and the essential components that may contribute to the pandemic control, behavioral change, and acquisition of protective behaviors are reviewed. Finally, an overhaul was made to describe deficiencies in healthy behavior acquisition and the factors or components that influence whether current campaigns will or will not have the expected impact on society. Marketing has theoretical and scientific evidence available that explains and exemplifies its influence on acquiring certain behaviors and the importance of making it evident in various fields, such as health, social, and labor.

Gamification in E-Commerce

The gamification term, derived from the game concept, is the use of game-design elements (e.g., points, badges, levels, and leaderboards) in non-game contexts, often with the purpose of motivating and directing individuals' certain behaviors to achieve specific goals and outcomes. The contexts in which gamification is being researched and implemented include education, health, marketing, human resources, social networks, digital platforms, etc. Many studies conducted in various domains tried to understand and explain how gamification can influence or foster individuals' motivation to conduct goal-directed behavior digitally. In most of these conducted studies, significant impact of gamification on human behavior has been observed and proved. By presenting academic findings from literature and discussing real-world implementation examples from the relevant domain, this study assesses the role of digital gamification in e-commerce domain. This chapter shows how various digital game design elements can influence consumer behavior in different e-commerce platforms.