Business Commons^™

Digital Transformation And Strategic Sponsorship: The Case Of Bbva, James Santomier, Sten Soderman, Reinhard Kunz

WCBT Faculty Publications

The overall purpose of this paper is to describe and explain the strategic sponsorship program of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA) and, specifically, the partnership of its U.S. subsidiary, BBVA Compass (BBVAC), with the American National Basketball Association (NBA) using a case study method. This paper demonstrates how BBVA, initially through the transformational leadership of former BBVA Group Executive Chairman Francisco González, has leveraged digital transformation and strategic sponsorship to increase its brand equity and revenue. BBVA’s effective sponsorship strategy represents an innovative, agile, and digitally focused model for marketing executives and sport marketers considering a long-term investment in strategic …

How Commercial Advertising Enforces Gender Stereotypes Among Children And The Ways This Affects Them Psychologically, Abigail Frisoli

Sacred Heart University Scholar

Some people believe that children of different sexes are born with completely separate preferences and mindsets which are permanent and predetermined. However, children are very influenced by their surroundings, which is often the main deciding factor which is predetermined by parents and caretakers from birth. Separating children by gender puts them into boxes, stunting their ability to make their own decisions and creating stereotypes. This segregation is painfully apparent in commercial advertising and is proven to have affected children psychologically in ways that can be detrimental.

"(Don’T You) Wish You Were Here?”: Narcissism, Envy And Sharing Of Travel Photos Through Social Media: An Extended Abstract, David G. Taylor

WCBT Faculty Publications

Consumers are increasingly relying on user-generated content on social media for their awareness and subsequent decisions regarding travel destinations. This user-generated content – photos, comments, narratives and stories – is perceived by consumers to be more trustworthy and reliable compared to traditional sources of tourism information. ). Thus, understanding consumer motivations for sharing their travel through social media may provide tremendous advantage for tourism marketers.

Because It Makes Me Feel Good: Moderation And Mediation Effects In Cause-Related Marketing, Reto Felix, Arash H. Zadeh, Arne Baruca

WCBT Faculty Publications

Based on a 2x2 factorial design, advertisements for a consumer product generated higher purchase intentions when a cause-related marketing (CRM) message was present than when no such message was included in the ad. This effect was statistically significant, regardless of the type of the product (luxury versus non-luxury). However, for the specific cause used in this study (fight against breast cancer), gender moderated the relationship between the presence/absence of a cause in the ad and purchase intentions. Further, in order to shed more light on the underlying process of cause related marketing messages, two alternative mediation hypotheses were tested using …

Integrating Advertising And News About The Brand In The Online Environment: Are All Products The Same?, Anca C. Micu, Iryna Pentina

WCBT Faculty Publications

This research compares the effects of paid advertising (banner ad plus banner ad) and publicity (news article plus banner ad) on attitude toward the brand in the context of different product categorization approaches. The authors utilize both the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) and the economics of information theory to test the mechanism through which different electronic communication modes impact consumers' attitude toward the brand for various product categories. Findings indicate that the product categorization based on the level of involvement (ELM) to be superior to the one distinguishing search from experience goods (economics of information). Including news about the brand …

Advertising Higher Education In Romania, Anca C. Micu, Madalina Moraru

WCBT Faculty Publications

Romania, a former communist country in Eastern Europe, saw the iron curtain lifted in 1989, and started at that time the transition to a free market economy. The past couple of decades encompass extraordinary changes in the economic structure and environment, with state monopolies being dissolved and private companies entering the market and competing in western manner. The Romanian conversion from central planning to a market-oriented economy provides a fascinating laboratory for research in economic theory and practice (Hefner and Woodward 1999). With the advent of a free market economy and a competitive environment, advertising exited its dormant communist stage …

Searching Uspto Trademark Records, Amy Jansen, Robert Berry

Librarian Publications

Presentation by Amy Jansen and Robert Berry of the Sacred Heart University Library outlining the advantages of federal registration of trademarks and service marks and the steps involved. Includes legal background and examples.

Common Practices In Destination Website Design, Cuauhtémoc Luna-Nevarez, Michael R. Hyman

WCBT Faculty Publications

The Internet has become a key marketing channel for tourist destinations. To identify typical features of destination websites, a content analysis of websites for top global destinations—by number of international arrivals—was conducted. Six factors were evaluated: primary focus, navigation and interactivity, visual and presentation style, textual information, use of advertising, and use of social media and travel aids. In addition, a cluster analysis was conducted to identify homogeneous groups of websites in the sample. The findings revealed three naturally occurring groups. Inter-cluster differences suggest that DMOs use different approaches to target potential visitors, as evidenced by websites ranging from purely …

Our Celebrities Our Selves: Reconstructing Ourselves As Online Personalities, Arne Baruca

WCBT Faculty Publications

Celebrity influence on consumer behavior at the online macro level is the motivation for this study that addresses the nature of celebrity consumption and how consumers apply that consumption to develop their online self-presentation.

The sample for this study is limited to consumers with active accounts at online social networks such as Facebook or Twitter. Methodology is a three-part design. A multi-factor qualitative exploratory study (n=73) reveals four celebrity-consumer relationships whose proposed measurement scales are tested in a quantitative pilot study (n=85). Finally, a large sample study (n=593) is used to test the measurement model and to test the proposed …

Self-Enhancement As A Motivation For Sharing Online Advertising, David G. Taylor, David Strutton, Kenneth Thompson

WCBT Faculty Publications

Marketers have long understood that consumers' self-concepts influence the products they purchase; conversely, products purchased influence people's self-concepts. Might the same self-enhancement framework apply in to shared online advertisements? Using the symbolic interactionist perspective of identity theory, this study empirically tests the proposition that online consumers use electronic word of mouth, and specifically the sharing of online advertising, to construct and express their self-concepts. The results suggest that self-brand congruity, entertainment value, and product category involvement increase the self-expressiveness of online ads, which then increase the likelihood of sharing those ads. These findings have both theoretical and managerial implications.

The Effect Of Entrepreneurial Marketing On Outcome Goals In Smes, Richard C. Becherer, Marilyn M. Helms, John P. Mcdonald

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

This study examines how entrepreneurial marketing dimensions (proactiveness, opportunity focused, leveraging, innovativeness, risk taking, value creation, and customer intensity) are related to qualitative and quantitative outcome measures for the SME and the entrepreneur (including company success, customer success, financial success, satisfaction with return goals, satisfaction with growth goals, excellence, and the entrepreneur’s standard of living). Using factor analysis, three success outcome variables (financial, customer, and strong company success) emerged together. A separate factor analysis identified satisfactory growth and return goals. Stepwise regression revealed entrepreneurial marketing impacts outcome variables, particularly value creation. Implications for entrepreneurs and areas for research are included.

What Products Can Benefit From African American Advertising Appeals? The Moderating Role Of Product Involvement, Ivonne M. Torres, Cuauhtémoc Luna-Nevarez

WCBT Faculty Publications

With a significant spending power, the African American segment is one of the most lucrative, interesting, and complex targets for national and local advertisers. As this consumer segment continues to grow in importance, marketers need to focus on what types of products could benefit from African American-targeted advertising. Our research studies show African Americans respond to advertising targeted to them and their responses are moderated by ethnic identification and product involvement. Consistent with both theoretical frameworks, distinctiveness theory and ethnic identification theory, we found that identified African Americans prefer African American models especially when advertising low-involvement products.

Nation Branding And Nation Brand Equity: The Case Of Slovakia, Pardon Me, Slovenia (Summary Brief), Arne Baruca

WCBT Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study is to explore and discuss whether Slovenia, a Central European country, has the possibility of developing a nation brand. As a new country Slovenia faces recognition problems and is thus being confused with other countries; specifically with its “twin-country” Slovakia. This is a case-based paper. The author uses a previously developed nation brand equity model (Dinnie 2008) to illustrate and explore the nation brand equity of Slovenia. The exploratory study shows that Slovenia has the elements of the nation brand equity model, and therefore has all the needed potential to develop the nation brand. This …

Telling The Brand Story: Including News Articles In Online Promotional Strategies, Anca C. Micu

WCBT Faculty Publications

Given the growing popularity of the Internet as a promotional medium, it is crucial for brand managers to examine the effects of combining the different brand communication sources online. According to social comprehension theory and knowledge from neuroscience, people exposed to a message spontaneously construct a mental simulation. People who are exposed to images or visuals are unlikely to assign verbal labels to their observations, whereas people who read a story may spontaneously form mental pictures of the narrative content. Mental processing of stories requires more extensive elaboration than processing of visuals. In a first study, survey results indicate online …

Finance Flies High: How Unilever Redesigned The Finance Function To Build Brand Value And Drive Growth, Barbara M. Tarasovich, Bridget Lyons

WCBT Faculty Publications

Unilever's finance team played a key role in the success of their brands. The company achieved its fourth consecutive year of accelerating organic sales growth from less than 0.5% in 2004 to more than 7% in 2008, according to Jim Lawrence, Unilever's CFO. Its strategy is to focus on volume growth and strengthening the competitive position of the company's brands. In this article, the authors examine how the finance function at Unilever was redesigned to deliver the firm's strategic goals, including an emphasis on volume growth and competitive position of its brands. Beginning in 2005, the finance team at Unilever …

Privacy Concern And Online Personalization: The Moderating Effects Of Information Control And Compensation, David G. Taylor, Donna F. Davis, Ravi Jillapalli

WCBT Faculty Publications

Firms have at their disposal an increasing amount of personal information about consumers gathered through various means. Studies find that personalizing online interactions improves customer relationships and increases desirable behaviors, such as positive word-of-mouth and increased purchase intent. However, other research suggests that the use of personal information stimulates privacy concern, which has a negative effect on behavior. This study examines potential moderators of the negative effects of privacy concern on behavioral intentions in the context of personalized online interactions. Results show that increasing perceived information control reduces the negative effect of privacy concern on behavioral intentions. In contrast, the …

Strategic Marketing Practice Considerations In Family Business In Nigeria, Omotayo Adegbuyi

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

The purpose of this study is to fill a gap in the literature by examining a medium-sized firm. Most modern economies are characterized by a significant group of middle-sized firms, still owner-managed, but with multimillion naira turnovers. Many of these remain family companies and constitute an important reservoir of business initiative. One such family business is the focus of this research. The results of the study suggest that neither the existing typologies of small firm approaches to marketing nor the formal models of marketing attributed to big companies necessarily characterize the marketing planning and management of family business in Nigeria.

In The Mood For A Commercial Break? A Model Of Consumer Response To Television Commercials During Sensitive News, Anca C. Micu, Esther Thorson, Michael Antecol

WCBT Faculty Publications

Marketers decided to pull over $100 million worth of commercials from network, cable, local and syndicated TV outlets on the United States market in the first 48 hours of the 2003 Iraq war. Given this loss to advertisers and media, we looked at how consumers respond to commercials during wartime. Would they change their attitude towards products that are advertised during war coverage? Would they consider advertising during such coverage inappropriate? Consistent with previous mood theory study findings, the results suggest a positive relationship between the mood generated by the interest in the program content and support for advertisements during …

Leveraging News And Advertising To Introduce New Brands On The Web, Anca C. Micu, Esther Thorson

WCBT Faculty Publications

Previous studies using the integrated marketing communications framework have examined the increased effectiveness of combining either multiple media or different tactics when promoting a brand. This study considers integrating advertising and publicity to promote an unknown brand on the Internet. Experiment results indicate that when exposure to advertising combines with exposure to objective news about a new brand, effectiveness increases in terms of both brand attitudes and behavioral intentions. For sequencing exposures for technical brands, the news-then-advertising condition offers more effectiveness than the reverse sequence. When introducing non-technical brands on the Web though, using advertising first is more effective in …

Using Teen Chick Lit Novels To Teach Marketing, Peter A. Maresco

WCBT Faculty Publications

This paper will outline how the author uses the sub-genre of teen fiction referred to as teen chick lit to teach students the marketing concept known as product placement. The paper provides the rationale for using fictional teen focused novels as a vehicle for teaching product placement as well as an overview of the teen chick lit genre. A discussion of the value of using teen fiction in class, student project, its success and issues raised are also discussed.

Endorser Source Credibility: Redefining Spokesperson Influence Through Development Of The Celebrity-Hero Matrix, Joshua Shuart

WCBT Faculty Publications

Endorsement of sport and non-sport products by athletes is an extremely popular method that corporations use to drive sales and advertising. Traditionally, celebrity endorsement research has focused on the physical attractiveness of the endorser; while this makes sense, it provides only a partial explanation why consumers purchase athlete-endorsed products. Several other components of source credibility, as well as previously unexplored elements such as "heroic" traits, prove to be stronger predictors of intent-to-purchase. A 3-phase research study of Americans aged 18-35 was conducted, with a Celebrity-Hero Matrix© (CHM) developed and several marketing recommendations made based on the findings.

Testing For A Synergistic Effect Between Online Publicity And Advertising In An Integrated Marketing Communications Context, Anca C. Micu

WCBT Faculty Publications

This dissertation examined the relationship among four exposure conditions in marketing communications (pure advertising, advertising priming, publicity priming, and pure publicity) that include either advertising or publicity or both. Also, the indirect relationship between brand communication exposure condition and purchase intent was modeled via path analysis. 634 students participated in an online experiment. Repeated measures MANCOVA analysis results indicate that the two synergistic conditions, which included an ad-article or article-ad combination, were more effective in terms of brand communications impact than the pure advertising condition. The pure publicity condition was found to be more effective than any of the other …

Achieving Growth In The Luxury Market, Peter A. Maresco, Bridget M. Lyons

WCBT Faculty Publications

Founded in 1928 as a luxury hotel-reservation processing company, The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd, which is headquartered in New York City, has evolved into a highly recognizable luxury brand within the luxury hotel market. The company has spent the last decade transforming itself from a reservation-processing company into a luxury powerhouse. Leading Hotels provides a compelling lesson in how to effectively achieve growth in the luxury market and today has positioned itself to meet its vision: To become the preeminent provider of products and services to luxury hotels and to the luxury marketplace. This article looks at how …

Mel Gibson's The Passion Of The Christ: Market Segmentation, Mass Marketing And Promotion, And The Internet, Peter A. Maresco

WCBT Faculty Publications

The pre-release publicity surrounding the Mel Gibson film, The Passion of the Christ, warrants an in-depth look at the role that market segmentation and marketing promotion, including use of the Internet, have played in the overall success of the film. As background, films commonly classified as biblical epics are referenced in order to construct a framework that will demonstrate how the promotion of this genre of film, with the exception of the Internet, has essentially changed very little over time. This paper is not a review of the film nor is it intended to be a brief course in marketing. …

You've Got News: A Permission-Marketing Model Using Sponsored Electronic Newsletters, Anca C. Micu, Clyde H. Bentley

WCBT Faculty Publications

A model is proposed for ISP customers to receive sponsored electronic newsletters in exchange for a discount on the Internet fee. In the model, both online newspapers and ISPs receive fees from the advertisers while the end consumer pays less for the Internet connection. Advertisers gain by sending better-targeted messages through an accepted medium. In addition to collecting part of the advertising fees, the ISPs increase their customer base by offering an incentive as well as value-added services. Adherence to the model appeared to vary with gender, age, and attitude toward e-mail marketing.

An Economic Model Of Permission Marketing: Win-Win-Win Relationship Building Among Marketers, Isps, And Internet Users, Anca C. Micu, Yan Jin, Clyde H. Bentley, Glen T. Cameron

WCBT Faculty Publications

A model is proposed for ISP customers to accept e-mail marketing in exchange for a discount on the Internet fee. Adherence to the model appeared to vary with age, number of e-mails received per day, and with the amount of the current fee. Authors recommend marketers send fewer, better-targeted, and personalized e-mails.