Marketing Commons^™

Automated Marketing: A Narrow Focus On Technology Or An Emerging Business Philosophy?, Edward Kasabov

AMTP Proceedings 2010

As a new area of academic inquiry, Automated Marketing is in its adolescence but has proved to be fast developing and very innovative, mirroring the relatively early stage of the development and application of the technologies that have enabled it. This article widens the understanding of this field of study, which is important both to practice and theory, by drawing attention to two deficiencies: not much has been written on Automated Marketing as such and the little that has been written adopts a narrow technical view while overlooking the significance and impact that it has on marketing, business strategy and …

Differences In Online Social Media Mavens: The Gender Gap, Tyra Mitchell, Deborah H. Lester, R. Keith Tudor, Dolly D. Loyd

AMTP Proceedings 2010

Consumer Behavior experts have acknowledged the significant impact market mavens play in the dissemination and acceptance of new products in the market place. The emergence of online social media mavens has only recently been recognized. Based on traditional patterns of behavior and Internet usage it could be assumed the predictable demographics of the social media maven would be male, young, educated and with an above average income. This study investigated these traditional assumptions and discovered unique differences in online social media mavens. In order to determine potential Social Media Mavens, this research looked beyond usage of social media and instead …

The Lifeblood Model: The Power Of Trust In E-Commerce Communication, Miles Clinton Coleman

AMTP Proceedings 2010

Relationship marketing has been established as a valuable approach for use in business to consumer transactions. When utilized in e-commerce environments however, this approach seems to falter in light of the risk and uncertainty components inherent in electronically mediated exchange. The reluctance of a consumer to partake in an exchange with a business causes the possibility of a successful relationship to dwindle. In this paper the lifeblood model is proposed as a means to further understanding the power of trust in mitigating e-commerce communication exchanges. Practical applications of the model are also discussed.

Business Consulting: A Marketing Strategy For The Entrepreneur, Anne Marie Klein

AMTP Proceedings 2010

The purpose of this study is to propose a framework of a marketing strategy for business consulting entrepreneurs. Although research related to entrepreneurial marketing for business-consulting firms is minimal, the intent is to create a foundation for additional research. With a case study research methodology and a review of the literature on entrepreneurial marketing, this study synthesizes this research into a framework for entrepreneurs to create a marketing strategy for their business consulting firms. Albeit in its infancy, entrepreneurs of business-consulting firms may be able to glean important marketing elements for the creation of a marketing strategy.

The Effect Of Culture On Consumers’ Attitude Towards Online Shopping, Atefeh Yazdanparast

AMTP Proceedings 2010

Consumers' attitude towards online shopping is the key to survival and profitability of online retailers in today's competitive market. The purpose of this exploratory research is to provide a deeper understanding of the role of culture on the adoption of online shopping. To this end, the Technology Acceptance Model(TAM) is adopted and then extended by examining the effect of trust and perceived e-vendors' reputation on consumers' attitude toward online shopping using US and non-US samples. The results indicate that culture plays a moderating role in the relations among antecedents and consequences of attitude toward online shopping. It can be concluded …

The Impacts Of Contextual Cues On The Effects Of Brand Extension, Bob Wu, Joseph W. Chang

AMTP Proceedings 2010

Brand extension strategy represents one of the most frequently used branding strategies. The degree of success in this stimulus generalization process depends on the perceived fit between the existing parent product and the extension product. In this article, we examine whether a brand extension initiated by a foreign (vs. domestic) company is construed differently by consumers and consequently whether it affects factors used to judge the fit between the parent brand and the extension brand. A 3 (foreign vs. U.S. vs. control) x 2 (anti-cavity toothpaste vs. pain relievers) between subjects factorial design was used for the study.

The present …

Product Placement And Its Influence On Children, Simon Hudson, Charlene Elliott

AMTP Proceedings 2010

Despite the growing body of research concerning the practice of product placement, a notable research gap exists pertaining to the influence of product placement on children, and its link to childhood obesity. This study will provide an insight to the influence of product placement on children. Its objective is to analyze the placement of food and beverage products on children of various ages. An experimental approach will be taken whereby child-respondents will be divided into groups and each group will see the same television clip but with different placements (digitally inserted) of various types of food and beverages. All groups …

Sample Frames Vs. Data Quality: When Research Panels Are From A Client And A Research Firm, Michael Latta

AMTP Proceedings 2010

Clients, academics, and marketing research practitioners are concerned about sample frames and their relationships to data quality. In addition, clients sponsoring marketing research surveys are concerned about data collection period length. Typically, brand managers pressure research suppliers to quickly find solutions to the research problem. This study provides real world data on a survey among 504 female consumers. Two sample frames were involved: 1) a Volunteer Access Panel (VAP) and 2) a Non-Volunteer Access Panel (NVAP). The use of two sample frames reduced the field time for the client, provided lower costs, and added value in meeting rapid response requirements.

Gift Cards And Gift Giving: Research Notes From The Field, Melek Meral Meral Anitsal, Ismet Anitsal, Sara E. Taylor

AMTP Proceedings 2010

Gift cards are rapidly emerging as a trend in the retail marketplace. However, this emerging phenomenon of consumers’ preference of gift cards has not been explored thoroughly yet. The objective of the current study is to understand consumer reactions to gift cards in terms of their impact in gift giving and gift receiving relationships. Specifically, this research seeks to answer the following research objectives: (1) How gift givers and receivers perceive gift cards; (2) What roles of gift cards play in gift giving rituals; and (3) What meanings gift cards communicate for receivers and givers.

Why Do Shoppers Shop?, Ronald E. Goldsmith, Leisa Reinecke Flynn, Ronald A. Clark

AMTP Proceedings 2010

The purpose of the present study was to assess the relationships between three potential motivators of shopping behavior with a measure of attitude toward shopping. Data from 306 US student consumers were collected via an online survey. Reliable and valid scales operationalized the constructs. The results showed that shopping appears to be motivated in part by a desire for status, by materialism, and by brand engagement in self-concept. The results also showed women like to shop more than men do and that the relationships among the variables differed between men and women, suggesting that each gender is motivated to shop …

A Logo Selection Method, Tulay Girard, Michelle Pope

AMTP Proceedings 2010

Many companies and sports teams have revised their logos over time in efforts to reposition their brand image. Still, the need for establishing a reliable method to guide this important decision still persists. This study offers an empirical method for selecting logos for companies and/or brands by testing the perceptions of consumers using 16 bi-polar personality traits adapted from the literature. The data were collected from undergraduate marketing students for demonstration purposes. The paper proposes that the perceptions for a logo of multiple samples from the same target population will be the same. The findings support the proposition. Implications and …

Spirituality: A Multidimentional Construct And Its Implications For Marketing, Emna Zouari

AMTP Proceedings 2010

The present paper deals with the spiritual value that controls the brain activity of many thinkers as well as with the various definitions and characteristics tied up with it. The ultimate scope throughout this essay is to point out the multi-facets aspect of spirituality. Indeed, spirituality encompasses a personal, interpersonal, and transpersonal context. It revealed thus to be a multidimensional construct, entailing four dimensions namely meaningfulness of life (the goal of one’s living), interconnectedness with people (the various relationships that one nourishes with others), transcendence (feeling of an inexplicable supernatural and divine power) and self-renewal (the relationship with one’s self)

Fitting X-Bar Chart To The Traditional Transaction Surveys Analysis, Usama A. Saleh

AMTP Proceedings 2010

Traditional transaction surveys such as service feedback cards (SFCs) are widely embraced by different service organizations to measure a service quality or to assess customer satisfaction with specific transactions. This paper pursues to apply the statistical quality control technique of -chart (X-bar) to analyze the scaled collected data of these SFCs. The proposed method establishes the control limits to what is being measured for meeting the managerial objectivity of monitoring, controlling, or improving a service performance.

Business Literature: A Cross-Disciplinary Approach To Marketing Education, Nancy L. Bush

AMTP Proceedings 2010

This paper looks at a course for marketing majors developed to examine literature in

several areas of the business disciplines that are relevant to marketing professionals-to- be. The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and potential

employers have increasingly suggested that the integration of learning rather than functional silo-oriented learning is the preferred andragogy for business schools, providing students with soft skills as well as technical expertise that are needed for the contemporary employment environment. In examining the then existing traditional General Education Requirements (GER) for Wingate University, the faculty assembly considered ways to increase such cross disciplinary …

Projecting Integrity: Online Branding For Nonprofits, Lisa Witzig, Perry Haan

AMTP Proceedings 2010

Internet usage has grown precipitously in the last decade, and the implications for marketing are deep and profound for nonprofit organizations. Web sites and online social networking are becoming increasingly important for nonprofits, and the concept of brand personality is another powerful marketing technique that enhances these organizations’ marketing strategies. This study examined the intersection of online branding, brand personalities, and nonprofit organizations, and assessed whether the presence of online branding techniques at a nonprofit’s Web site is associated with a donor’s perception of the nonprofit’s personality. The results of the study demonstrated that online branding is significantly important for …

Attitudes Towards Consumer Transgressions In The Marketplace, Sam Fullerton, Larry Neale

AMTP Proceedings 2010

A sample of 815 adults drawn from the general American population provided their perception of the appropriateness of 12 questionable consumer actions in the marketplace. The scenarios investigated ranged from illegal actions such as inflating one’s losses when filing an insurance claim to actions that while not illegal, may raise questions of ethics. The 12 scenarios exhibited a wide range of mean responses on the six-point scale thereby supporting an often stated premise that consumer ethics is situational in nature. An array of commonly employed demographic questions was also included on the Internet-based survey, and differences of opinion were documented …

Identifying Potential Student Blood Donors By Personality Traits, Harold Ogden, Brian Mascarenhas, Milen Minchev, Emilie Pelletier, Ryan Slanley

AMTP Proceedings 2010

A convenience sample of 149 university students was surveyed on their attitudes and behaviors toward blood donation and with a scale of twenty four personality trait items. These items reduced to a seven- factor structure. The data were divided into two groups of high and low-likelihood of blood donation which were compared on factor means. Differences were seen on the “Concern for Others” and the “Down to Earth” factors although not all items in a factor were different and differences were seen in some non- significant factors. Applications of these finding are suggested.

Prisoner Recidivism: A Question For Social Marketing, Joseph R. Stasio Jr.

AMTP Proceedings 2010

Our society is today grappling with a myriad of social, political and economic problems in a time of greatly reduced and very costly resources. All of these problems are connected, in some way, with each other. It is the very nature of societies and this interconnectedness must be understood and appreciated, because, if left unheeded, the consequences can be quite dramatic.

With the advent of social marketing, society now has proven methods of effectively attacking these problems to create many types of desired social changes. Prisoner recidivism is just such a problem. It has intense social, political and economic ties …

At The Intersection Of Politics & Consumption: A Review Of Ethical Shopping In America, Julie M. Pharr

AMTP Proceedings 2010

This paper condenses the existing literature on ethical shopping in the United States with the goal of providing an up-to-date review of the topic. It profiles the ethical shopper and distinguishes the various institutions and instruments of political consumerism evident in the Fair Trade movement. It also provides recommendations for more rigorous study of moral consumer behavior and implications for implementing fair trade marketing strategies.

The Influence Of Increasing Transaction Price To Facilitate Direct Charitable Contribution On Consumer Product Choice, Michael Levens

AMTP Proceedings 2010

The study of embedding direct charitable contributions into a purchase transaction through increasing product price can enhance opportunities for charitable organizations to proactively approach companies with cause marketing proposals. Typically the case for cause marketing is built on goodwill and the potential for future revenue or profits for the partner company. If increasing product price to include a direct donation can be shown to possess consumer utility, business cases for cause marketing activities are enhanced for all parties involved. The basis for this research is the convergence between the concepts of cause marketing, individual giving, donation behavior, the shopping process …