Influencer fit post vs celebrity fit post: which one engages Instagram users more?

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to compare the effects of the fit between two types of opinion leaders (influencer vs celebrity) and the products promoted in a fashion marketing campaign on user engagement (willingness to like and share the fit posts). Instagram involvement is examined as an applied moderator in the proposed theoretical model of this research. Methodology To test the hypotheses of the research, an experimental study was conducted. The sample was formed by female participants who were randomly assigned to one of the two conditions (fit of influencer–product vs fit of celebrity–product). Findings The results showed the superiority of the fit of influencer–product over the fit of celebrity–product on users’ engagement. It also indicates that highly involved Instagram users (vs lowly involved Instagram users) moderate the more prominent effect of the fit of influencer–product post on users‘ engagement. Practical implications The research helps brands to increase their knowledge of marketing campaigns formed through the fit of the opinion leaders with the products promoted. Value This research in addition to highlighting the role of users involved with Instagram contributes to a better understanding of the importance of promotional post fitting.

The influence of formal and informal control on market and financial results

Purpose This paper aims to examine the relationship between control mechanisms and marketing performance based on a sample of marketing managers. To that end, this paper focuses on the relationship between the types of controls used in marketing and the market and business results. Methodology This study collected the data through a survey among marketing professionals with experience and decision-making capacity involving marketing budgets and plans, in practical terms a sample of 97 marketing managers and analyzed the data via a structural equation model using Smart PLS 3. Findings The findings confirm that marketing control mechanisms have a significant impact on business results, demonstrating the relationship of formal controls with market results and the relationship between informal controls with financial results. Likewise, the authors were able to prove that there is a relationship between formal and informal control. Practical implications The implementation of the control mechanisms should be based on the development of a detailed evaluation system of the activities carried out by the marketing employees and an analysis of their capabilities and abilities. In addition, managers should integrate formal control decisions into their marketing strategy to improve organizational results. Originality The results of this study help explain the relationship between marketing control mechanisms and organizational results and allow to understand what the level of influence is that marketing control mechanisms have on market and financial results.

Understanding the consumer’s intention to use the e-wallet services

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the key factors that explain intention to use e-wallet services (perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude, subjective norm, positive disconfirmation and perceived behavioral control). The moderating role of perceived value in the relationship between satisfaction and their intention to continue using the e-wallet is also examined. Methodology A total of 257 e-wallet users participated in an online survey and hypotheses were tested with SPSS/PLS-SEM. Findings The constructs technology acceptance model (TAM), theory of planned behavior (TPB) and user satisfaction affect intention to use. However, perceived value does not strengthen the relationship between user satisfaction and e-wallet usage intention. Practical implications The TAM, TPB and expectancy disconfirmation model (EDM) constructs help explain the use of e-wallet services. These results will help the providers of these services to understand user behavior and to design their marketing strategies more appropriately to ensure consumer satisfaction and their intention to use e-wallet services. Originality This study adopts a holistic and integrative approach to explain the continued use of e-wallet services. The model integrates three basic adoption theories: TAM, TPB and EDM.

Influence of emotions displayed by employees during service recovery

Purpose While research evidences how customers’ emotions can influence their consumer experience, understanding of how employees’ displayed emotions affect the customer service experience is more limited. Drawing on affect transfer theory, the authors test for the mediating role of attitude towards the employee, which is proposed to mediate the effect of employees’ displayed emotion on customers’ satisfaction with recovery. As service recovery entails a critical service experience in which emotions can easily rise, this paper aims to highlight the pivotal role of employee-displayed emotions during service recovery. Methodology A scenario-based experiment in the context of an airline service failure recovery (3 × 2 between-subjects design) manipulates frontline employees’ emotions (anger vs happiness vs no specific emotion) and the quality of the solution (bad vs good). Findings Employees’ displayed emotions directly affect attitude towards the employee and indirectly affect service recovery satisfaction. Moreover, attitude towards the employee is affected more by the employee’s displayed emotion when the solution offered is bad compared to good. Practical implications Employees’ emotions displayed during service recovery can enhance or damage service recovery strategies. Employees should control for negative emotions in the case of service failure, especially when unable to provide a good solution. Originality Emotions displayed by employees can influence the customer’s service recovery evaluations. There is an interesting interaction between the quality of the solution and employees’ displayed emotions. Additionally, the mantra of “service with a smile” may not be valid in the case of service recovery: rather, employees should avoid displaying negative emotions.

Effectiveness of offline and online rewards in restoring satisfaction and trust

Purpose This paper aims to compare the relative importance of tangible compensation across the offline and online service mediums, and assess tangible compensation as a trust recovery tactic. Methodology This study is based on a 3 (compensation level: 20%, 50%, 100%) × 2 (compensation type: refund, coupon) × 2 (service medium: offline, online) scenario-based experimental design. Findings The offline and online customers exhibit different satisfaction for the respective values of both the immediate and delayed compensation types. Moreover, offline customers exhibit more trust in the firm when they receive a refund, whereas their online counterparts demonstrate a higher trust when provided with a coupon. Practical implications For a service failure such as the one presented in the experimental study’s scenario, a lower (higher) value coupon will generate more (less) satisfaction compared to providing the same value as a refund. Firms will be better off by providing partial compensation in the form of a coupon, rather than a refund. Originality Unlike most studies of service recovery, this research takes into account the perceived differences of various tangible compensations to provide a comparison of offline and online customers’ recovery preferences. Furthermore, the previous studies have not focused on trust restoration and assessed causes and effects of trust based on trust at one point in time i.e. trust after recovery. While this study has included restored trust as a variable in the conceptual model.

When love matters. Experience and brand love as antecedents of loyalty and willingness to pay a premium price in streaming services

Purpose This paper aims to test the effects of brand experience and brand love on brand loyalty and willingness to pay a premium price in streaming television services. Design/methodology/approach Structural equation modelling was used to assess the proposed theoretical model drawing on data from 220 subscribers of a well-known TV streaming brand services (Netflix). Findings The results revealed that brand experience and brand love have a significant direct impact on brand loyalty and willingness to pay a premium price in streaming TV services. Also, the impact brand experience has on brand loyalty and on willingness to pay a premium price is partially mediated by brand love. Practical implications In the streaming television industry, brand managers can create more meaningful experiences that create strong and emotional bonds with users, thereby increasing loyalty levels and intention to pay a premium price. Also, brand managers should consider focusing their efforts to young consumers, as they have a stronger attachment to technology than older generational groups. Originality/value This paper enriches the existing literature on brand experience in the entertainment television industry and provides evidence of the role of experience and brand love on brand loyalty and willingness to pay a premium price in services.

The effects of advertising ethnic cues on brand love, brand attachment and attitude toward the brand

Purpose In this paper, two studies examine the effects of Hispanic-targeted ads on three consumer-brand relationships (i.e. brand love, brand attachment and attitude toward the brand) and their behavioral outcomes. Additionally, this paper aims to examine how product involvement moderates these effects. Design/methodology/approach Study 1 demonstrates the linkages between three consumer–brand relationships (i.e. brand love, brand attachment and attitude toward the brand) and their antecedents. In Study 2, by testing the nomological network of the antecedents and consequences of brand love, the authors extend the results of the previous study. Findings Study 1 provides evidence that ethnic advertising has the strongest effect on brand love in comparison with other alternative consumer-brand relationship constructs. In Study 2, results show that only for low-involvement products, the perceived similarity of customers with Hispanic models in ads could lead to a higher positive attitude toward the ad. However, in the high-involvement condition, perceived similarity did not mediate the relationship between those constructs, which is in line with Elaboration Likelihood Model. Practical implications From the practical and managerial perspective, this paper proposes that managers should concentrate on ads with ethnic cues, especially for low involvement products. Hence, it would be worthwhile for companies to consider ads with ethnic cues to effectively develop deep consumer–brand relationships. Originality/value This paper investigates the effects of targeted ads on deeper relationships (e.g. brand love) and its behavioral consequences. Therefore, the authors show how Hispanic targeted ads could lead to deep consumer–brand relationships which encompass both the mind and heart of customers.

Engaging consumers through firm-generated content on InstagramEngagement del consumidor a través del contenido generado por las empresas en instagram企业如何通过在instagram上发布内容来吸引消费者

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of consumers’ perceptions of the enjoyment and originality of firm-generated content (FGC) posted on Instagram on affective customer engagement (CE). In addition, an examination is undertaken of affective CE as a driver of customer behaviour. Design/methodology/approach The paper takes a quantitative approach using a sample of 334 women followers of an eco-friendly restaurant Instagram account. After validation of the measurement scales, the hypotheses were tested through structural equation modelling. Drawing on the stimuli-organism-response framework the authors posit that consumers’ perceptions of the enjoyment and originality of Instagram posts generate affective CE, which, in turn, influences customer behaviour. Findings The results showed that the perceived enjoyment and perceived originality of Instagram posts generated by an eco-friendly restaurant have a positive influence on affective CE, which, in turn, affects consumers’ recommendation behaviours, intention to follow the restaurant’s advice on Instagram and intention to revisit the restaurant. Originality/value This research provides novel insights into how the perceived enjoyment and originality of FGC posted on Instagram increases women’s affective engagement and expands knowledge of how affective CE might increase positive electronic word-of-mouth, intention to follow the restaurant’s advice and repurchase intentions.

The role of emotional experience and destination image on ecotourism satisfaction

Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze the influence of the emotional experience (EE) and the image of the tourist destination on the satisfaction of the domestic tourist and his behavioral intentions, represented through the word of mouth (WOM) and his revisit intention. Design/methodology/approach The information obtained through a personal survey to 382 local tourists was refined and subjected to structural equation analysis. Analyses conducted with SPSS 20.0 and AMOS 20 software confirmed the existence of interesting significant relationships. Findings The results show that positive destination image and different experiences are considered to be the main elements that promote positive emotions and satisfaction for tourists, leading to a higher eagerness to spread WOM recommendations and to revisit a destination. The results also verify that interactions with the difficult-replacement services and with residents create strong positive EEs for female visitors, so that they are more willing to revisit a destination than males. Research limitations/implications Eco-destination managers should provide more difficult-replacement services and create an enjoyable and unique experience for tourists to enhance their satisfaction and positive behavioral intentions. Originality/value The results provide some important implications and insights about the marketing theory groundwork of EE and satisfaction, such as how they are to be conceptualized and established and how interactive relationships are formed among them in the ecotourism context.

The influence of banner position and user experience on recall. The mediating role of visual attention

Purpose This study aims to analyse the effectiveness of a static promotional banner located on a hotel reservation website in terms of capturing the visitor’s visual attention by exploring how this impact depends on the user’s degree of internet experience. Design/methodology/approach An experiment was conducted using the eye-tracking methodology, in addition to a self-administered questionnaire. Through eye-tracking technology, eye movements were recorded whilst participants explored a generic hotel website. The factors used in the analyses were the position of the banner on the website and participants’ experience as internet users. Findings The findings showed that positioning a banner at certain locations on the webpage may lead to a better recall, which, in part, seems to result from the visual attention that such locations attract. The mediation analysis showed that the bottom-right and bottom-left positions have a negative effect on banner recall due, in part, to the shorter attention times and the smaller number of fixations those positions induce. Although the visitor’s level of internet experience affected his/her visual attention towards the banner, its impact on banner recall was non-significant. Results are discussed considering which variables produce greater effectiveness in capturing the user’s attention. Practical implications The paper draws several implications for the marketing literature, hospitality management and society in general. Originality/value The study is the first to analyse the impact of the position of a static ad on users’ visual attention and memory, considering the user’s degree of internet experience.