Business Commons^™

From Customizing Products To Possessive Bonds: The Role Of Consumer Involvement And Consumer Privacy Concern, Hua Chang, Lingling Zhang

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

Despite the prevalence of customized products and service in the marketplace, little research has examined the impact of customization on consumers. The current research investigates the role of brand customization on consumers’ brand relationship and brand attitude. The findings from two experiments demonstrate that consumers with high involvement (vs. low) will have more positive brand relationship and brand attitude. In addition, consumer’s privacy concern moderates this relationship such that the identified positive effect exists only for those with a low privacy concern.

Empathy, Altruism, Csr, And Consumer Buycott Behavior During Covid 19: Lessons Learned, Ania Izabela Rynerzewska, Eliza Hetrick

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

As Covid-19 became a global pandemic, life as businesses and consumers know it changed dramatically. Suddenly, in-person shopping became rare while social distancing and working remotely became common practice. The impact of Covid-19 reached beyond the obvious death toll and economic recession and contributed to a shift in what is considered relevant and what is secondary. This study analyzed the impact of consumer levels of altruism and empathy on interest in Covid-19 exacerbated topics like employee treatment, social justice, and the environment. Further, this study emphasized the importance of CSR efforts supporting current topics, which have been found to contribute …

Building A Personal Brand Using Impression Management In Social Networks, Carlos Valdez, Jorge Villegas

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

As digital social networks become an integral part of career placement, advancement, and professional networks, young professionals are required to find ways to compete for the attention of potential and current employers. One of the theories that have been used across diverse areas from marketing scholars (Zamudio et al., 2013, Close et al., 2011; Noble et al., 2010) to fashion models (Parmentier et al., 2013) to understand self-promotion for professionals is personal branding. Recent articles like Swaminathan et al. (2020) have expressed the need to understand better how consumers are branding themselves in the hyperconnected world and what psychological consequences …

Impact Of Model Gender On The Effectiveness Of Advertisements Targeted At Older Viewers: An Analysis In The Context Of Ageing, Corinne Chevalier, Gaelle M. Moal

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

Advertising efficiency relies partly on the viewer’s identification to the model used in the ad and model gender facilitates the identification process. Relying on gerotranscendance theory (Tornstam, 2009), we assume that gender identification is not as important to seniors as it used to be when they were younger and that the gender of the model will have no effect on variables of the persuasion process. The results of a survey on 512 seniors aged 60 to 85 reveals that the model’s gender has little impact on the perception of ads by senior viewers. However, matching product gender and model gender …

Anti-Consumption: A Preliminary Examination Of A Set Of Social Considerations That Impact A Consumer’S Decision To ‘Punish’ Marketers Deemed To Be Engaging In Irresponsible Behavior, Tammy Mccullough, Ania Izabela Rynarzewska, Sam Fullerton

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

A sample of 175 students from two universities provided insight regarding the rationale for engaging in anti-consumption behavior. A review of the literature identified myriad reasons why consumers engage in personal boycotts. This study examines 12 of these reasons: environmental concerns, political stance, religious orientation/affiliation, country-of-origin (COO), attitudes towards the LGBTQ community, the size of the marketer, the use of disliked celebrity endorsers, the use of offensive marketing tactics (e.g. advertising), animal cruelty including the use of live animal testing, perceived violations of basic human rights, employing a nonunionized workforce, and employment-related discrimination based on the gender, age, race, religion, …

Exploring Stakeholders’ Perceptions Toward Event Innovations, Sophie Unson, Wei Wang Dr.

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

Although the impacts of COVID-19 have been negative and long-lasting, the hospitality and tourism industry has seen the creation of new processes and ideas as a result. The events industry in particular, has a lack of research on innovative practices; therefore, this study will examine new innovations that emerged from the global pandemic. This study utilizes a multi-method research style, in which it qualitatively examines industry professional’s strategies to combat the pandemic and quantitatively measures consumers responses. The current results of the study show six major qualitative themes that will used to measure the consumer’s perceptions of events during the …

The Need For Non-Market Strategy: Epistemic Communities, Globesity And The Marketing Of Fast Food, Amit Mukherjee, Naz Onel

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

Our preliminary research indicates the gradual coalescence of several disparate pressure groups into an epistemic community on the issue of curbing marketing practices in the quest for global obesity control. The epistemic community has converged on the WHO as the most receptive political venue and is engaged in information politics, symbolic politics, leverage politics, and accountability politics in its attempt to guide the WHO toward the path of a global regulatory regime on the marketing of fast food.

The Effect Of Diversity Initiatives By Brands On Consumer Perceptions, Dolph F. Nelson Iv, Laura Boman

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

Over the course of the last few years, there has been an increase in the number of brands that are using their platforms to raise awareness for and support social justice causes/initiatives, such as gender equality in sports, Black Lives Matter, and #MeToo. Cause-related marketing (CRM), the broader terminology under which this practice falls under, has been the primary subject of prior research projects. Westberg (2004) suggests that consumers respond more favorably to CRM initiatives compared to sponsorship and sales promotion, and that there is some support that CRM initiatives help in increasing consumer attitudes of a brand. Other prior …

Developing Marketing Capabilities To Mitigate Perceived Cybersecurity Risk In Healthcare Organizations, Manisha Mathur

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

The effective delivery of health care relies on sharing electronic health records across multiple providers in the healthcare system. On the other hand, cybersecurity efforts mostly rely on centralizing sensitive and valuable data and securing devices, networks, and electronic systems. Hence, cybersecurity in healthcare is complicated due to the contradictory characteristics of healthcare delivery and cybersecurity. The firms’ unsuccessful attempts to prevent massive data breaches in the recent past have heightened cybersecurity risk perceptions of customers and cybersecurity-related marketing challenges and opportunities. Therefore, it is critical for marketers to step up and devise strategies and tactics to avert the negative …

Awareness Marketing: Cause Marketing Without Contribution, Elizabeth A. Minton, Frank Cabano

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

Much research has examined the benefit of brands that participate in cause marketing initiatives and give a portion of proceeds or product to a charity. However, what has been lacking from this investigation is how consumers respond when brands raise awareness for a cause but do not take any further action to contribute resources to the cause – what we term awareness marketing. Through five studies, we examine awareness marketing specifically among the potentially divisive context of social justice causes. We show that consumers with higher levels of religiosity are more likely to support products marketed with awareness marketing, that …

How Cultural Factors Affect Chinese Americans’ Attitudes Towards Seeking Mental Health Services, Arlene Q. Chen, Xinji Xiao, Yueting Wu, Xuan Zhang, Sindy Chapa

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

Chinese Americans are the largest ethnic group among Asian Americans. However, the treatment rate for mental illness among Chinese Americans is much lower compared to other ethnic groups. Studies have been conducted on cultural barriers that prevent Asian Americans from seeking mental health treatment, but there is a lack of research on specific ethnic groups, such as Chinese Americans or Korean Americans because they are frequently grouped into homogenous clusters. This study will identify the cultural factors that influence Chinese Americans’ attitudes towards seeking mental health treatment and analyze how these factors affect their behaviors in seeking mental health treatment.

Is Sales Competition A Good Motivator Or A Bad Idea? The Underlying Mechanism Of Threat Appraisals, William J. Zahn Ph.D., Yi Peng, Willy Bolander, Bryan Hochstein, David Mathis

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

The common logic for competition in sales organizations is simple: as salespeople compete with one another, the sales performance of the entire group should increase. Some prior research has supported this notion, while other studies suggested that competition may adversely affect employees. Our research finds both positions have merit, as a salesperson's perceptions of a competitive psychological climate (CPC) increase sales performance and turnover intentions. To explain this countervailing effect, we turn to cognitive appraisal theory to demonstrate that salesperson appraisal of the environment motivates their behavior. Specifically, salesperson threat appraisals act as a mediator between CPC to performance and …

Flipping The Online Classroom – Comparing The Effectiveness Of Two Teaching Modalities For Online Experiential Learning Activities, William J. Zahn Ph.D.

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

Marketing educators recognize the importance of imparting theoretical marketing knowledge while also helping students acquire marketable skills through experiential learning. Experiential learning is active, reflective learning that encourages linking abstract lessons with concrete activities. Experiential education is learning by doing (Cowley, 2020; Frontczak, 1998),

Courses have shifted away from in-person lectures and moved online due to the Covid-19 epidemic (Thomason 2020). This shift has left an open question of the best way to include experiential learning in an online learning environment. In short, how can students best prepare for and learn from experiential learning without having face-to-face meetings with their …

The Unintended Effects Of Tamper-Evident Packaging, Marissa Orlowski, Sarah Lefebvre, Laura Boman

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

Third-party food delivery (TPFD) services such as DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub introduces increased opportunities for contamination through the introduction of unknown variables between the restaurant and consumer. Across two studies, we examine the effect of tamper-evident food packaging closures in a TPFD context, revealing a negative effect of a tamper-evident seal on willingness to pay through decreased satisfaction. This negative effect is robust across both food and beverages. Finally, consumers’ perception of risk of illness (PRI) from TPFD moderates this effect.

The Perceptions And Experiences Of Human Resources Recruiters Regarding Linkedin As An Online Personal Branding Representation Of Recent Business Graduates, Carlos Valdez, Carole Ann Creque, David Penn, James Gallo

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

This study aimed to explore the perceptions and experiences of Human Resource Recruiters regarding LinkedIn as an online personal branding representation of recent business program graduates by using a phenomenological approach. The population of interest comprises Human Resource Recruiters that use LinkedIn and hire recent business graduates.The recordings and or transcripts of the interviews were utilized to conduct an interpretative phenomenological analysis to identify broader themes across the data set. The identified themes follow the same order as the questions conducted during the sessions. The five themes that emerged are (1) Social platforms utilized by HR recruiters, (2) HR recruiters' …

Intention To Pursue A Sales Career: A Dyadic Study Of Students And Parents Extended Abstract, Joseph Little, Mark Kubik, Alexander King, Grant Weidman

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

Typical career choice selection studies generally have been one sided focusing on students or parents independently. This dyadic study aims to analyze student and their parent influencers to determine what will be the strongest influencer of a student to pursue a career in sales. “Because the dyad is arguable the fundamental unit of interpersonal interaction and relations, family relations such as a parent and their child/student have a powerful dyadic component” (Kenny et al., 2006, p1). Therefore, understanding the influencers of this career choice selection may lead to interventions for increasing the number of students to pursue a career in …

The Effect Of Resource Scarcity On Consumer Ethical Behavior, Todd C. Haderlie Jr, Jaehoon Lee

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

We identify a novel relationship between scarcity and ethical behavior. When resource scarcity is made salient, consumers engage in less ethical behavior. Furthermore, the effect of resource scarcity on ethical behavior is stronger for consumers with high (vs. low) levels of the inclusion of others in the self (IOS).

Defining Health Care Marketing, Gary Futrell

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

A review of the leading textbooks published for health care marketing courses shows that they do not adequately define the disciple. This paper promotes the use of the two-word form of health care and defines health care marketing as the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, & exchanging any good, service, or idea; performed to restore, maintain, or enhance the well-being of an individual or population. This paper fills a gap in the literature by providing linguistic and practical justification for using the two-word form of health care and connects the modern wellness paradigm of health …

There Is No I In Team: The Role Of Sales Faculty Coaching And Organizational Culture On Student Competition Teams, Stefan Sleep, Brent Mcculloch

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

As sales competitions become more prevalent in the educational environment, faculty coaching has taken on a role that closely replicates coaching by industry sales managers. This case study examines how the combination of faculty coaching and student sales team organizational culture impact performance in sales competitions. By providing positive feedback, role modeling, and building trust, faculty coaches can improve performance and commitment while preparing students for their future careers. Additionally, developing an organizational coaching culture plays a critical role in contributing to the overall success of the team as it encourages student commitment and participation. These lessons are also relevant …

The Sport Marketing Portfolio Matrix: How Brand Relevance Aligns With Fan Behavior, Kirk D. Aiken, Richard M. Campbell, Ajay Sukhdial

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

Many fan behavior studies leave applications for strategic sport marketing as afterthoughts. Likewise, studies of sport marketing practices often ignore the complexities of fan psychology. The purpose of this work is to propose a new model that accurately categorizes sport products, better recognizes fan behaviors, and provides sound guidance to sport marketers. The work applies the well-established theory of portfolio management (wherein, investors strive to receive higher returns with lower risks by managing an assortment of investments). Herein, sport fans are viewed as investors that “buy,” “hold,” and “sell” athletes and teams. From sport to sport and season to season, …

Bank Consolidation And Its Effect On Service Quality, Thomas L. Powers, William S. Spears, Seongwon Choi

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

The perceived quality of customer service plays a significant role in high involvement products and services. Previous research in the area of bank service quality suggests that as a bank is acquired the quality of service at the new larger bank does not equal what customers received at their old smaller bank. In addition, a newly consolidated bank may eliminate tailored services and create customer dissatisfaction due to higher fees, lower levels of service, and credit availability. Although prior research has focused on specific aspects of bank services, a contribution to the literature can be made by examining this topic …

The Lonely Reason Impeding Compliance With Covid-19 Prevention Guidelines, Ainslie E. Schultz, Kevin P. Newman

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

To reduce transmission of the 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19), the US Center for Disease Control recommends that all individuals follow a series of prevention guidelines (e.g., wearing a mask, physical distancing, and vigilant handwashing). However, some individuals have been unwilling to comply with them. In this research, we use reciprocal altruism theory to investigate the role of loneliness in compliance with COVID-19 prevention guidelines. Specifically, we find that lonely (vs. non-lonely) consumers report less willingness to comply with these guidelines. Process evidence demonstrates that this occurs because lonely individuals experience a lower sense of obligation to reciprocate. Importantly, the negative impact …

Mothers With Empty Arms: Marketing, Stigma, And Bereaved Mothers, Elizabeth A. Minton, Carissa Anthony, Cindy Xin Wang, Alexa Fox

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

Despite over one-quarter of females suffering baby loss, there is virtually no research in marketing examining the devastating impacts of such loss from a consumer standpoint. There are incredible stigmas that overshadow these vulnerable consumers and understanding how marketing helps and hurts consumers post-loss in the marketplace is of critical importance. Through 30 in-depth interviews with bereaved mothers in the U.S. (specifically mothers who lost a baby during pregnancy or within one year after birth), this research builds off stigma theory to shed light on the consumer journey post-loss in an effort to bring these consumers what they desire – …

Human Chefs Cook More Calories: The Impact Of Human (Vs. Robotic) Food Producer On Calorie Estimation, Wenyan Yin, Yanliu Huang, Cait Lamberton

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

This research explores how the production mode (human-made vs. robot-made) has an impact on calorie estimation for vice and virtue food. Across 3 studies, we find that healthy food is inferred to have more calories when it is produced by a robot than by a human whereas the effect is reversed for unhealthy food. Unhealthy food produced by a human is estimated to have more calories than the counterpart.

Saving Face: Comparing The Effects Of Endorsement Marketing Strategies On Millennial Americans, Alessandra Noli, Sindy Chapa, Daniela Castillo, Tim O'Hara, Anna Dean, Tyler Trobert

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

The rapid boom of social media in the 21^st century has positioned it as a key instrument in the realm of marketing. Social media has also given rise to a new kind of endorser: the influencer. The present study tested the effects of expert influencers vs traditional celebrities on brand attitude and purchase intentions of makeup products, within a cohort of millennials. Results showed respondents tended to favor the expert influencer in terms of perceived expertise, brand attitude and purchase intention. This has important implications for marketers when it comes to deciding upon an endorser for their brand, with …

Trends In Global Bridal Industry: Emergence Of Online Bridal Stores And Survival Of Brick-And-Mortar Stores, Libby Jones, Ismet Anitsal, Melek Meral Anitsal

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

The growing global bridal industry and the different trends, traditions, and aspects of specific countries’ bridal industries are explored in this paper. It outlines western and eastern practices and how globalization contributes to their spread. A deeper focus is dedicated to the United States’ bridal industry and the issues brick-and-mortar bridal boutiques face as more brides have started shopping at online bridal stores. The relationship between brick-and-mortar and online bridal stores is explored based on various propositions about the bridal industry’s emerging challenges. Each proposition is evaluated according to each retail format’s reaction.

Trust issues in the retail environment, convenience, …

The Corporate Remedy Strategies For Product-Related And Business Ethical Misdeeds, Lei Huang

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

Firms take various approaches to mitigate the negative impacts from the misdeeds and repair the damages of the consequences. The current study examines the moderation role of two types of misdeed, business ethics or product performance related, in the relationship between three major crisis remedy strategies and the purchase intentions for both current and potential consumers. The results from 440 participants suggest that a promptness apology is important for current consumers but not for potential consumers. More importantly, the response plan has less impact on the current consumers when a misdeed is business ethics related than product performance related while …

When The Going Gets Tough: Motivations Of Customer Helpers’ Further Green Helping Behavior Intentions, Estelle Van Tonder, Boitshepo Cl Mkhondo, Christo Bisschoff, Sam Fullerton

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

Environmental conservation is a global concern. Consumers may contribute by persuading their reluctant peers to support green purchasing, but these influencers need to persevere when their advice is not followed. This study provides more insight into the cognitive, affective, and behavioral factors influencing further green helping behavior intentions. Survey data were collected from 452 green product supporters who previously advised someone about green purchasing behavior. Six hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling and bootstrapping. Affective commitment toward fellow customers and green helping behavior in general influences further green helping behavior intentions. Subjective norm and perceived behavioral control only have …

Gamification Usage And Platform Loyalty In Esports Livestreams: An Analysis Of Unobserved Heterogeneity With Fimix-Pls And Ipma, Yizhou Qian, Jeam Martinez, Robbie Matz

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

Although gamification as a marketing strategy has been implemented by various domains, there is still a dearth of research on the use of gamification in social livestreams. In this study, we examined the relationships between technology acceptance model (TAM) variables, gamification usage, and loyalty toward a social livestreaming platform, where gamification was adopted to enhance the viewing of an esports event. Data from 396 viewers were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), finite mixture partial least squares (FIMIX-PLS), and importance performance map analysis (IPMA). To this end, our study underpinned the application and extension of TAM in …

An Examination Of Portrayal Of Disability In Brand Ads, Sphurti Sewak, Jayati Sinha

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2022

This research explores why marketers can utilize disabled models to their advantage. Although brand inclusivity has attracted some attention, much is still unknown. The current research addresses this gap by establishing that using disabled brand models can lead to higher customer-brand relationships and also explores when it could potentially backfire by establishing that the personal attitude towards disability could moderate this main effect. The findings will help brands to be more open to including diverse models that do not exactly fit “the ideal” and fighting the prevailing prejudice towards disabled people in society. Representing them in their advertisements and online …