Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding The Benefits Of The Choice Of Free Gifts In Consumer Sales Promotions, Atmadeep J. Mukherjee, Ronn J. Smith, Scot Burton

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Free gifts associated with a focal product have long been recognized as one effective form of sales promotion that is valued by consumers. However, in recent years, in contrast to offering a single fixed free gift to consumers, some marketers have begun to offer consumers the choice among several possible free gifts. In this research, consumer responses to the choice of a free gift are compared to the offer of a single fixed gift. We show how the choice offered to consumers attenuates greater risk associated with the promoted focal product and how the choice can reduce unfavorable effects of …

Human Advisors Or Ai Algorithms? How Loneliness And Age Impact Trust In Consumer Evaluations Of Services, Kevin Newman, Ainslie Schultz

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This research investigates how loneliness and age shape trust and consumer evaluations of services that provide personalized advice through human versus Artificial Intelligence (AI) recommenders. Across three experimental studies, our findings show that loneliness increased trust and consumer evaluations for services using human- (vs. AI-) based) recommenders among younger adults, but this pattern reversed among older, more lonely adults. Among these individuals, loneliness led to more positive consumer evaluations of a service using an AI-based (vs. human) recommender. Guided by the Evolutionary Theory of Loneliness (Cacioppo & Cacioppo, 2018), these findings suggest that younger lonely consumers exhibit approach motives …

Transformational Leadership’S Impact On Employee Perceptions Of Interactional Justice In Crucial Workplace Conversations, Dana M. Mobley, Irina Toteva

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This study examined a transformational leadership style’s effect on interactional justice in crucial conversations between managers and employees, using perceived leader communication quality as a mediator and followership style as a moderator. Data was collected from an internet survey taken by 251 participants across the United States, and quantitative analysis was performed. Results indicated that perceived leader communication quality mediates the relationship between transformational leadership and interactional justice during crucial conversations. While followership style was not found to moderate this relationship, it was found to be negatively significant with interactional justice, indicating that more exemplary followers perceive slightly less interactional …

Understanding The Controversy Of Tipping Fairness: Insights From Paradox, Sensemaking, And Equity Theories, Madilynn Moen, Ralf Mehnert-Meland, Wooyang Kim

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Tipping in the U.S. has become increasingly controversial as widening disparities and “tip creep” intensify inequities among tipped employees who receive a certain amount of minimum tips in the U.S. This contradictory situation, a social issue among various stakeholders—including employees, employers, consumers, and public policymakers in labor law—raises a critical question: “Who should hold primary accountability for ensuring wage fairness and guaranteeing a livable income for minimum-wage workers?” As ongoing preliminary research, this study aims to explore potential answers to this question by examining the evolution of tipping contexts and cultures associated with various stakeholders by incorporating three theoretical grounds—paradox …

Deploying Root-Cause Analysis (Rca) Agents: An Implementation Blueprint For Ai-Augmented Marketing Analytics, Seojoon Oh

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Artificial intelligence is widely adopted in marketing, yet many organizations struggle to translate analytical outputs into timely action. This paper presents a practitioner-oriented blueprint for deploying root-cause analysis (RCA) agents within AI-augmented marketing analytics systems. We propose a three-layer reference architecture—semantic data layer, autonomous RCA agent, and action layer—that enables continuous anomaly detection, causal diagnosis, explanation generation, and recommendation delivery. Through simulated e-commerce use cases, we demonstrate how RCA agents identify performance disruptions such as email engagement declines and checkout failures, and translate diagnostic findings into actionable guidance. Beyond system design, we outline organizational workflows, trust-building validation loops, scalability pathways …

The Dark Side Of Authenticity: Examining The Ethicality Of Influencer-Led Message Framing In Glp-1 Marketing, Antoinette Okono

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This conceptual paper examines ethical risk in influencer-led message framing within the expanding GLP-1 pharmaceutical marketplace. Although regulatory systems require risk disclosure, influencer communication frequently emphasizes convenience, access, and visible outcomes, potentially shaping interpretations of safety and appropriateness. Drawing on stakeholder theory and marketing ethics, the framework explains how influencer–brand partnership characteristics influence perceived health credibility, which in turn may contribute to consumer harm. Two boundary conditions are specified: consumer health vulnerability and platform governance. Higher vulnerability strengthens the credibility–harm relationship, whereas stronger governance mechanisms, including moderation and accountability systems, attenuate it. The model clarifies how authenticity and experiential narration …

Out Of Everything: Consumer Response To Extreme Scarcity, Melodie Philhours, Courtney Peters, John E. Mello

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Product shortages often evoke strong emotional reactions and subsequent behavioral responses that can amplify market disruptions. This research explores consumer behavior during two high-profile shortage events: the 2012 and 2020 U.S. ammunition shortage and the COVID-19 pandemic’s staple goods shortage. Using a comparative qualitative case study design, this research develops a psychologically grounded process model to explain how perceived scarcity can trigger emotional arousal, overreaction, and persistent marketplace behaviors. Drawing from reactance and self-determination theories, this research reveals how threats to autonomy, competence, and relatedness lead consumers to engage in coping tactics such as panic buying, hoarding, extended search, and …

Subsidiary Autonomy, Internal Embeddedness, And Innovation: The Role Of Government Intervention In Brazilian And Mexican Multilatinas, Ji Eun Park, Dominic Buccieri

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This study examines innovation-based foreign direct investment of multilatinas. More specifically, how multilatinas utilize subsidiaries located to drive innovation performance. Partial least squares structural equation modeling is used to analyze a sample of 92 multilatinas from Brazil and Mexico. This study advances the multilatinas literature by examining how Brazilian and Mexican firms that experience varying levels of government intervention in their home countries related to internationalization and innovation pursue innovation-driven internationalization into developed markets. Our study contributes to the discussion that multilatinas are a heterogenous group despite the common history of the Latin American region.

Our results indicate that delegating …

Ai-Eva: Evaluating The Value Of Overhauling Hotel Infrastructure For Artificial Intelligence Integration In Guest Experience, Pearllana Prioleau

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Luxury hotels are adopting artificial intelligence-enabled voice assistants (AI-EVA) to enhance guest experience and maintain competitive advantage. This study examines strategic implications of AI-EVA integration, focusing on consumer acceptance and organizational performance. Guided by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and Resource-Based View (RBV), the research uses a mixed-method approach: qualitative analysis of guest attitudes, quantitative testing of adoption drivers via structural equation modeling, and executive interviews on ROI and infrastructure challenges. Findings will inform strategies for balancing personalization with operational efficiency while addressing privacy concerns. The study contributes to theory by extending UTAUT and RBV …

When Brand Protection Leads To Brand Crisis: The Case Of Disposable Fashion, Priya Rangaswamy, Rohini Daraboina, Lizhihan Yu

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Firms in the fashion industry have a practice of disposing unsold inventory to protect their brand value. It has gained a lot of importance in the media due to increasing consumer awareness about sustainability and has led to consumer backlash. This research examines whether this practice negatively impacts firm value, contrary to the firm’s belief. Specifically, the authors examine the effects of news on inventory disposal on short-term cumulative abnormal returns using an event-study methodology. Results show that news of this practice has a negative relationship with firm value for both the focal firm engaged in the practice and rival …

Defining Cultural Credibility: Perceptions Of Authenticity, Representation, And Appropriation In Brand Campaigns, Santiago Reyes, Alessandra Noli, Ashley Johns, Hannah Trandle, Leticia Falcao

AMTP Proceedings 2026

As brands navigate increasingly diverse consumer markets, cultural authenticity has become essential for building trust and relevance. Yet marketing scholarship lacks a clear framework for understanding cultural credibility as distinct from traditional notions of source or brand credibility. This study addresses that gap by examining how consumers conceptualize and evaluate cultural credibility in brand campaigns and collaborations. Drawing on theories of authenticity, cultural identity, and persuasion, the research positions cultural credibility as a socially constructed judgment shaped by perceived authenticity, shared values, and relational alignment. Using semi‑structured interviews and focus groups with multicultural consumers, the study employs thematic analysis to …

Green Marketing And Culture: Understanding Hispanic Consumers’ Sustainable Purchase Intentions, Santiago Reyes, Sindy Chapa

AMTP Proceedings 2026

As sustainability becomes a central force in shaping consumer expectations, businesses increasingly rely on green marketing strategies to communicate environmental responsibility and influence purchasing behavior (Polonsky, 1994; Kuria, 2024). This study examines how environmental concern, attitudes toward cause-related marketing (CRM), and cultural values influence purchase intentions, and compares Hispanic and non-Hispanic consumers.

When Ai Joins Your Teaching Team: Reinventing Sales Education With Ai, Cindy B. Rippé, Caroline K. Munoz

AMTP Proceedings 2026

A key component of sales education is role-play practice, but grading role-plays is time-consuming and a beneficial but unscalable activity. Additionally, students struggle to act as a buyer in role-play practice because they have no business experience. The inability to act as a realistic buyer can impede sales call practice. This research empirically examines how the use of AI role-plays using Yoodi in a professional selling class impacts students and instructors. This research empirically examines how the use of AI role-plays in a professional selling class impacts students and instructors. Findings through a qualitative analysis of student feedback reveal that …

Assessing The Impact Of Alumni Relations: Using The Theory Of Planned Behavior To Understand Fsu Students Motivation To Engage, Eldaneka Rolle, Richard Waters Phd, Ciara A. Lewis

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This study aimed to understand Florida State University graduate and upper-division undergraduate students in the College of Communication and Information, attitudes and perception of connection through the specific behavior, engagement with alumni relations. If individuals perceive a connection, is there perceived behavioral control (PBC), does PBC influence their intent to remain connected through one of the four key components, experience, communication, volunteer and philanthropy. Five focus group discussions were conducted using semi-structured interviews. Through thematic analysis, eight common themes were developed, Major, Minor or Certification Interest, Program Experience, Faculty, Advisors and Staff, Event Participation, Communication Preference, Volunteer Opportunities, Small Contributions …

What It Means To Be Latino: Exploring Identity Among U.S.-Born Gen Z Youth, Santiago Reyes, Alessandra Noli Peschiera, Melany Sarcevic, Tatiana Garcia, Leen Tlanepantla

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This study explores how U.S.-born Hispanics and Latinos define their identity within a rapidly growing and increasingly diverse demographic group. As the Hispanic population expands, traditional labels such as Hispanic and Latino often fall short of capturing the community’s cultural, linguistic, and generational complexity. With most growth now coming from U.S.-born generations, identity is shaped by a blend of American influences and heritage traditions, making it more fluid and context-dependent. Guided by Social Identity Theory and Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, this research uses focus groups with Gen Z participants to examine how they describe themselves, what characteristics they associate with being …

From Personas To Experience Appetites: Extending Identity-Based Profiles To Improve Behavioral Prediction In Tourism, John Story

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Personas are widely used in tourism marketing, representing consumer segments through stable demographic, psychographic, and lifestyle profiles. While effective for communication and creative strategy, personas are limited in predicting specific behaviors. This research introduces experience appetites—derived from Fennell’s (1978) Perceived Product-Use Situation framework—as a complementary, behaviorally grounded extension. Whereas personas describe who the consumer is, experience appetites capture the motivational state activated within a particular decision context. Using data from repeat visitors to multiple destinations, we demonstrate substantial within-person variation in motives across trips, even to the same location. While persona categories alone failed to predict these shifts; appetite …

What Drives Solar Energy Adoption? An Exploratory Study, Can Trinh

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Environmental pollution and its detrimental impact on people around the world have received significant attention in the past decades. As concerns for the environment grow, there have been increasing calls to adopt more environmentally-friendly practices in all aspects of life, including the adoption of green energy (Siddiqua et al., 2022). Green energy has become a hot topic in political debates (Schipani, 2023) because it can shape the future of global trade (Joselow, 2023) and the utility industry landscape (Waldholz, 2023). Recent polls showed that up to 80% of Americans were in favor of green energy in place of non-renewable energy …

Human Or Bot? How Tripartite Privacy Concerns Shape Ai Service Adoption, La Toya M. Russell, Neleen Leslie-Piper

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This study investigates how tripartite privacy concerns: online, offline, and AI-specific, shape consumer preferences for AI chatbots versus human representatives across five service sectors. Utilizing a large-scale U.S. sample, the research extends privacy calculus theory by conceptualizing privacy concern as a single trait.

Findings reveal that participants who prefer human interaction consistently report higher mean privacy concern scores than those who prefer AI. However, this “human preference” weakens as the sector's inherent risk increases. While significant differences exist in retail and travel, they disappear in high-stakes contexts like healthcare. The results suggest that while AI privacy concerns are unique, they …

Perceived Authority Of Ai-Generated Videos And Consumer Vulnerability, Kungpo Paul Tao

AMTP Proceedings 2026

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into social media has transformed how consumers watch, interpret, and engage with video content. While AI-driven personalization enhances engagement, the growing realism of AI-generated videos blurs the boundary between authentic and fabricated content, increasing consumer vulnerability. This study examines how creativity influences consumer attention, interpretation, and interaction with AI-generated videos, and how it moderates the relationship between perceived authority and consumer engagement. Using secondary data collected from YouTube, the study analyzes publicly available AI-generated videos and user responses, including engagement metrics and comment-based sentiment indicators. The findings reveal that most consumers struggle to …

Cute, Collectible, And Contagious: Understanding The Starbucks Bear Cup Phenomenon, Natalya Vodopyanova

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This study examines the Starbucks Bear Cup phenomenon to understand how identity expression, scarcity perceptions, and fear of missing out (FOMO) shaped consumer engagement during a highly publicized limited-edition product drop. Using Consumer Culture Theory and scarcity/FOMO frameworks, the research investigates how consumers constructed meaning around the Bear Cup through social media displays, community rituals, and symbolic participation. A qualitative content analysis of Instagram posts revealed five dominant patterns: celebratory acquisition posts, expressions of scarcity frustration, curated identity displays, community interaction, and creative substitution using bear-shaped alternatives. Findings show that consumers used the cup as a vehicle for identity signaling …

Integrating Leadership Development Into Sales Management Education: A Teaching Case Using Goleman’S Leadership Framework To Teach Coaching And Adaptive Leadership, George Talbert, Malcolm Talbert, Earl Honeycutt

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Sales management courses often emphasize operational responsibilities such as forecasting, territory design, hiring, compensation, and performance evaluation. While essential, these topics alone do not prepare students for the behavioral and emotional demands of leading people in dynamic selling environments. Employers increasingly expect early-career managers to motivate, develop, and retain talent under ambiguity. This teaching case presents a senior-level undergraduate sales management capstone that embeds leadership development into the core of the course using Daniel Goleman’s emotional intelligence-based leadership styles as the primary framework. The course positions coaching as a central, teachable competency and treats leadership as a set of context-dependent …

Emotional Exhaustion In Entrepreneurs: The Role Of Family Support, Coping Strategies, And Cultural Moderators In Shaping Venture Success And Work–Family Spillovers, Franklin Velasco, Cintya Lanchimba

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Entrepreneurs operate at the intersection of intense business demands and family responsibilities, making them particularly vulnerable to emotional exhaustion—a condition that undermines both venture performance and family wellbeing. This study examines how instrumental family support and maladaptive coping strategies shape emotional exhaustion among entrepreneurs, and how such exhaustion influences economic performance and cross‑domain spillovers between work and family. Drawing on data from 1,495 entrepreneurs and tested through Structural Equation Modeling, the findings reveal that family support significantly reduces emotional exhaustion, whereas maladaptive coping amplifies it. Cultural values centered on achievement moderate both effects, weakening the benefits of support and exacerbating …

The De-Influencingtrend On Social Media And Its Impact On Consumer Engagement, Lana Waschka, Andre Waschka

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Research has shown how influencer marketing in social media has been an effective way for companies to reach their target customers and advertise their products and services (Ahmad, 2018).   Brands rely on these influencers to promote products and encourage engagement and purchases.  De-Influencing, a seemingly antithetical concept, is a recent trend on social media where influencers are discouraging their followers from what they claim are unnecessary consumption.

By analyzing a data set of 216 observations from TikTok, we find evidence that influencers who use de-influencing appeals have higher post engagement. Specifics posts that use de-influencing strategies receive a higher number …

Consumer’S Acceptance Of In-Store Retail Ai Powered Technology: Use Of Digital Tools And New Product Trial, Dale A. Cake, Wooyang Kim

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This study examines consumer acceptance of in-store AI-powered retail technologies and their influence on digital tool usage and new product trial in grocery shopping. As retailers increasingly deploy personalized, AI-enabled tools such as kiosks, mobile prompts, digital displays, QR codes, shopping assistants, and augmented reality, consumer trust, privacy concerns, and perceived usefulness may shape adoption. Building on technology acceptance and response models, this research extends prior work by testing how technology readiness, innovativeness, optimism, insecurity, and customization affect acceptance of in-store AI tools. It also explores whether these technologies encourage trial of new products and increase purchase intention. Using an …

Marketing Mindsets Abroad: A Longitudinal Qualitative Study Of Reflective Learning, Brand Meaning-Making, And Career Readiness In An Oxford-Based Study Abroad Program, Kari Wood, Kelly La Venture

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Marketing education faces a persistent transfer challenge; students may master concepts yet struggle to apply them in judgment, ethics, and persuasive communication in ambiguous contexts. This study reports early findings from a longitudinal qualitative case study of EuroSpring, an Oxford-based study abroad program that integrates cultural heritage learning with progressively stronger marketing experiences. Data include weekly reflections and course artifacts from two cohorts: 2024 (n = 15; heritage emphasis) and 2025 (n = 13; marketing-integrated commerce experiences including Harrods, Cadbury World, Borough Market, and an Indian Motorcycle heritage brand experience at Krazy Horse). Using reflexive thematic analysis, students framed place …

Selling The Self: Personal Branding And Impression Management On Linkedin, Matthew A. Gilbert

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Drawing on Erving Goffman's self-presentation theory, this study examines how professionals construct personal brands on LinkedIn through strategic identity performance. Using qualitative content analysis, the research analyzes 250 publicly available posts from 50 professionals across five occupational categories. The analysis employs deductive coding guided by Goffman's concepts of front-stage performance and impression management, examining visual elements, linguistic strategies, content themes, and engagement tactics. Data is analyzed using NVivo software. This study contributes to marketing theory by conceptualizing personal branding as both a communication practice and economic behavior, illuminating how professionals balance authenticity, visibility, and strategic positioning on career-focused platforms where …

Promoting Inclusive Tourism Via Metaverse, Shivam Agarwal

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This research explores how metaverse-based virtual tourism can be leveraged to promote inclusive tourism and enhance place branding. Drawing on emerging literature in virtual experiences and destination marketing, the study examines how immersive environments enable tourism marketers to project inclusive destination identities. In metaverse settings, users engage through customizable avatars, allowing for representation of diverse identities and accessible experiences for vulnerable populations, including older adults, individuals with disabilities, and LGBTQ communities. We propose that inclusive cues embedded within virtual environments—such as diverse avatars and accessible design—enhance perceptions of destination inclusivity, which in turn increase motivation to visit the physical destination. …

Consumer Willingness To Pay In The Metaverse: A Case Of Digital Vs Phygital, Shivam Agarwal, Jaehoon Lee, Umair Usman

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This research examines how brand strategy influences consumer willingness to pay for digital fashion in the Metaverse, focusing on differences between digital-only and physical-first (phygital) brands. Grounded in the Theory of Consumption Values, the study investigates the role of emotional value in shaping consumer behavior. Across five experimental studies (N > 800), results consistently show that consumers exhibit higher willingness to pay for phygital brands compared to digital-only brands. This effect is driven by enhanced emotional value, as phygital offerings connect virtual consumption with consumers’ real-world self-concept, increasing perceived authenticity. Mediation analyses confirm emotional value as a key underlying mechanism. Furthermore, …

Consumer Protest In A Hyperconnected World, Cara Lewis Levin, T. Andrew Poehlman, Angeline Scheinbaum

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Consumer protest in various forms—boycotts, negative word-of-mouth, brand sabotage—has largely been theorized within an “old” broadcast model of marketing, where firms spoke one-to-many and controlled most brand-related discourse. In contrast, today’s “hyperconnected” model embeds brands in dense human–technology networks, where social media, microtargeting, and always-on feeds shape how brands enter people’s lives and how protest unfolds. This paper argues that the informational substrate shift from broadcast to hyperconnectivity requires a fundamental rethinking of consumer protest. We first contrast the broadcast and hyperconnected models, then outline hyperconnectivity’s implications at the firm, consumer, and societal levels. We then revisit canonical constructs (e.g., …

A Case Study On Building Core Curriculum With Purpose And Perspective, Christopher A. Wilkey, Austin Hostetter

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Business schools face pressure to deliver career-ready, ethically grounded graduates. This interpretive case study examines a Midwestern university's two-year redesign of its business core curriculum. Using interviews with nine task-force members and three external stakeholders, reflexive memos, and review of meeting notes, draft proposals, curriculum maps, and stakeholder communications, we trace how collaboration and strategic planning shaped key choices. Findings highlight three design moves: making professional selling a required competency, introducing a sustainability-focused "Beneficence in Business" course aligned with institutional mission, and creating a problem-solving course that emphasizes critical thinking and growth mindset. External signals (enrollment shifts, employer feedback, and …