Business Commons^™

“Merry Christmas!” & “Happy Holidays!” Consumer Reactions To Holiday Advertising Messaging, Gaelle Moal – Ulvoas, Valerie A. Taylor, Elizabeth A. Minton

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

No abstract provided.

An Exploratory Examination Of The Relationship Between Digital Traffic Channels And Web Sales For Hedonic Products, Ravi Narayanaswamy, Richard Heiens

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

The present study explores the relationship between digital traffic channels and Web sales for online retailers of hedonic-type products. The hedonic product categories studied include Flowers/Gifts, Jewelry, Sporting Goods, and Toys/Hobbies. The digital traffic channels incorporated in the analysis include direct traffic to a marketer’s website, display ads, email marketing, organic search engine results, paid search engine results, and referrals from other sites. Our preliminary findings indicate that each of these traffic channels is in fact significantly correlated with both monthly website visits and Web sales. However, the traffic channels with the strongest correlations with Web sales were shown to …

An Exploratory Examination Of The Impact Of Customer Service Features On Conversion Rates For Online Retailers, Richard Heiens, Ravi Narayanaswamy, Emily Siegfried

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

The present study explores the link between customer service features and conversion rates for the 500 largest online retailers in the U.S. market. Twelve distinct customer service features were examined, including auto-replenishment, co-branded credit cards, currency conversion tools, free shipping, free return shipping, in-home services such as product installation or in-person consultations, live chats, providing website content in multiple languages, next-day delivery, online return processing, paid memberships with enhanced customer services, and same day delivery. Consistent with previous studies that indicate typical conversion rates in the range of 2-4 percent, the mean conversion rate for the firms in our sample …

Spatial Expressions And Consumer Perceptions Of Quantity, Scott D. Swain, Danny Weathers

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

Marketplaces and media sources frequently present consumers with information or measurements that involve “extreme” quantities (e.g., the size of the national debt or the number of pounds of plastic in the Earth’s oceans). Often, communicators express these quantities in spatial terms in an effort to influence the perceptual impact of the information (e.g., expressing the national debt in terms of the number of miles it would extend if laid out in paper currency form). Across three experiments, we find evidence that perceptual impact diminishes with spatial dimensionality (e.g., expressing a quantity as a length makes it seem larger than expressing …

A Framework For Product To Service Brand Extension Success Factors In B2c Markets, Michael Musante

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

No abstract provided.

How Generational Preferences, Cultural Trends, Workplace Expectations, And Other Factors Have Changed The Definition Of Professionalism In Terms Of Attire And How Employers And Managers Can Respond, Allie R. Guinn, Melek Meral Anitsal, Ismet Anitsal

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

Business attire is an essential part of personal branding as well as corporate branding activities. Fashion, cultural trends, workplace expectations play a role, among others form and change what an acceptable work attire is. Corporations even use their definitions of work attire in their advertising activities as a part of identity development. Such recent examples are State Farm Insurance, Progressive, and Enterprise Rent a Car. Observations during career development activities at multiple universities also revealed that Millennials might have different professional attire interpretations.

The literature review indicated a gap regarding how perceptions change from generation to generation in this topic. …

Encouraging And Rewarding Customer Loyalty: Key Considerations For Sports Teams, Vassilis Dalakas, Madeleine Tseng, Joanna Melancon

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

Sports is an ideal context to study loyalty because sports fans often transcend simple behavioral and affective loyalty and integrate their commitment to a team into their self-identity. Season ticket packages often serve as loyalty rewards programs, offering tiered benefits and perks to consumers in exchange for their level of patronage. This paper offers insights on the impact of various reward types on consumers’ perception of their relationship with a team. Theoretical foundations and insights from sports marketing professionals suggest that those benefits that are exclusive to a team’s season ticket holders and/or premium seat buyers, as well as social …

The Effect Of Profanity And Quality On Perceived Review Helpfulness And Purchase Intentions, Dustin R. Wilcox, Ismail Karabas

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

This extended abstract explores the effect of profanity usage and writing quality on the perceived helpfulness of online customer reviews and customers’ purchase intentions. Customer reviews have become increasingly important in recent years. Topics related to customer reviews are valence, quality, and the presence or absence of profanity. While previous research has connected some of these topics, the moderating effect of profanity on review quality is scarce. We expect that readers will find low quality negative reviews containing profanity less helpful, high quality negative reviews containing profanity more helpful, and high quality reviews containing profanity more helpful. Furthermore, we expect …

Revisiting The Beneficiaries Of The Scotus Ruling Striking Down Paspa, Sam Fullerton, Ronald Dick, Michael Mccall

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

A Supreme Court ruling in 2018 essentially rendered restrictions on sports gambling to run counter to states’ rights, thus in conflict with the Constitution of the United States. As a consequence, 13 states and the District of Columbia now have legalized sports gambling. Initial research into the consequences of this ruling identified 12 potential beneficiaries. Subsequent research entailing an assessment of new literature and a survey of executive opinion involving a number of marketing executives who work within the field of sports marketing expanded the findings from the earlier study. This extension of the preliminary study found 14 beneficiaries rather …

Using Fomo To Promote Sports Events: Exploring Technology Usage And Involvement Effects, Julia E. Blose Dr., Rhonda W. Mack, Robert Pitts, Y. Xie

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

No abstract provided.

When You Meme Business – Exploring Use Of Memes By Brands On Social Media And Resultant Engagement, Sphurti Sewak, Jaehoon Lee

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

No abstract provided.

The Evolving Nature Of The Inside And Outside Sales Relationship: Cooperation And Conflict, Zori Perkins, Claire Durant, Stefan Sleep

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

Firms are increasingly turning to inside sales, salespeople working from a single or virtual location versus traveling to customers, because of the significant costs savings and improvements in communications technology. As a result, there is growing interaction between the inside and outside sales organizations. Through a series of interviews with inside and outside sale representatives, this research explores the evolving relationship between the two. The results of the interviews show that the sales responsibilities for inside and outside sales vary significantly across firms. Additionally, the research finds that personal relationships play a critical role in the success of the inside …

Engaging With Customers On Social Media: Insights From Business-To-Business Companies, Emory Serviss

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

Social media are an important part of a company’s ability to directly engage with customers. However, the lack of an established definition of engagement creates challenges for scholars and practitioners attempting to assess return on investment derived from social media marketing. In addition, limited scholarly literature exists regarding how B2B customers specifically react to social media. To enhance understanding of how a B2B company’s social media activity affects customer engagement, this manuscript will examine social media utilization and customer response.

Are Virtual Assistants Effective In Generating Customer-Firm Engagement? The Role Of Social Media As A Component Of Marketing Strategies., Neda Mossaei

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the effects of utilizing voice assistants in addition to integrating social media in firms’ communication strategies. Many consumers are increasingly using voice assistants to communicate with companies. At the same time, the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the way customers are interacting with companies due to social distancing, stay-at-home orders, and mental overload during this unprecedented time. Firms that provide consumers with easier ways of communication, such as utilizing a voice assistant in customer service, could benefit from higher consumer engagement. The cognitive load theory is proposed to explore its applicability in assessing whether less mental effort …

Bridging The Gap Between Customer Value And Firm Performance: Strategic Implications Of Social Media Marketing Relationships, Manisha Mathur

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

No abstract provided.

Turn The Other Cheek Or An Eye For Eye: Exploring Brand-To-Brand Dialogue On Social Media, Veronica Thomas, Kendra Fowler

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

While popular press articles frequently highlight humorous, snarky exchanges between brands on social media, academically, this behavior is relatively unexplored. As consumers’ perceptions of the use of humor in brand-to-brand dialogue may have meaningful managerial and theoretical implications, this research examines consumers’ perceptions of brands that engage in dialogue with one another on social media. To understand the dyadic relationship between two brands who engage with one another on social media, we explore two different types of humorous comments (low aggression and high aggression) and how the type of humor employed affects consumers’ perceptions of both the brand initiating the …

Choice Architecture And Marketing Pre-Suasion: The Case Of The Motorcycle Industry, Stephen Lemay, Bethany Landis, Dave Mcmahon

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

In this analysis, we examine the motorcycle industry in terms of Cialdini’s concept of Pre- Suasion. We use the chapter titles from the book to explore how these concepts could or should help the motorcycle industry adapt to shifts in its markets, shifts that are both demographic and cultural. In the process, we also explore ideas like product gentrification and choice architecture, ideas at the heart of the motorcycle marketing problem. We conclude that motorcycle promotions and messaging lack traction with younger buyers. We close with an extensive list of questions calling for further research.

The Stressors Faced By Retail Workers During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Nada Elnahla, Leighann C. Neilson

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, brick-and-mortar retail workers have been hailed as heroic frontline employees. No matter where a retail store is located or the severity of the lockdown, retail workers have many new regulations and guidelines to follow and implement in order to protect both themselves and their customers. Using a qualitative research methodology, this exploratory research focuses on how the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting drastic changes in the retail sector are affecting the workers in North America. Four main stressors are identified: fear of the unknown, fear of infection, mistreatment by consumers, and the role of the powerless …

Entitled To Be Served: Does Self-Checkout Make Customers Feel Less Rewarded?, Farhana Nusrat, Yanliu Huang

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

The adoption of self-service technologies (SST) has been rising over the last few years, and among different SSTs, self-checkout systems are one of the most popular options. In this study, we examine how self-checkout service impacts customers’ shopping outcomes compared to regular checkout service. We propose that self-checkout (vs. regular checkout) systems, would make customers feel less rewarded and less satisfied with their purchases. We conducted four studies to test our hypotheses and showed that self-checkout (vs. regular checkout) service makes customers feel less rewarded, less satisfied with their shopping outcomes, and less likely to return to the store. We …

B2b Social Media Marketing: A Content Analysis Of The Role Of Scope On Firm Performance, Nicole Beachum, Marianne Loes, Stacy Wellborn, Catherine Hessick

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

Both in the literature and in practice, social media marketing is encouraged for organizations looking to build and maintain relationships with their target markets. However, there is a need to better understand the value of social media marketing specifically for B2B organizations. A review of the literature finds that social network theory, social capital theory, and resource advantage theory offer support for the use of social media marketing to ultimately improve firm performance. This paper leverages text mining and content analysis methodologies to examine the relationship of B2B social media use (in terms of frequency of posts and platforms) and …

Adapting To Slow-Moving Crises: The Personal Protection Equipment Supply Chain In The Time Of Covid19, Jennifer Shullih, Stephen Lemay

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

In this paper, we look at the supply chain for PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. We look at the way the supply chain has responded to the pandemic, the coordination of the supply chain relative to the needs of primary users, and the consequences of its use. We find that the supply chain has continued to function more as a commercial supply chain than as an emergency supply chain largely because of a lack of centralized coordination. We include an analysis of existing concepts as they apply to this supply chain, but also incorporate preliminary results from a …

A Case Study In Supply Chain Ethics: Medical Supplies Are Us, Michael J. Dwyer

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

A hypothetical scenario is presented for consideration as a case study on both delivery logistics cost controls and ethical issues. Set in a regional medical supply company in the fictitious country, Costaguana, the actor needs to first unpack a supply chain issue as related to setting up a system to create cost savings to fund a non-government/non-profit organization. The delivery logistics with an established supplier for the company is explained in detail along with intra- and inter-company logistics’ relationships. Then an ethical issue is presented as related to the newfound savings from shipping for the organization. The case is presented …

Re-Envisioning A Masters Of Science In Marketing Degree, Danny Weathers, Scott D. Swain

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

In response to changing market demands for marketing graduates, our university’s Department of Marketing began a major revision to its MS Marketing program. With input from faculty, administrators, students, industry contacts, and MS directors at peer institutions, the department developed a vision for the program that emphasizes “real-world” experiences and career support. This paper presents the research and decision-making that led to a new vision for the program, as well as the process that will be used to implement this vision.

Loyalty Reward Programs By Brands Partnering With Sports Teams: Do Fans Prefer Team-Related Benefits?, Clara Loquier, Vassilis Dalakas

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

This study used a sample of French consumers that included highly identified fans of French soccer club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), low-identification fans, and non-fans, to examine their responses to loyalty reward benefits for different brands. The reward benefits were either tied to the team (e.g., team-related experiences) or not (e.g., vouchers for the brand). Results showed that highly identified fans found the team-related benefits more desirable than the low-identification fans and non-fans. Also, highly identified fans found several of the team-related benefits more desirable than the benefits not relating to the team. The findings provide useful managerial insight regarding the …

Post-Pandemic Impulse Buying Behavior: Exploring The Antecedents Of Impulsive Buying Across Product Categories During Post Covid-19 Era In The China, Pei Wang, Sindy Chapa

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

Due to COVID-19 pandemic, online purchases have become the new normal. Based on the S-O-R framework, this study proposed a model to understand consumers’ impulsive shopping behavior during post COVID-19 era in China. This study investigated the antecedents of impulsive purchase behavior, while exploring the product categories most likely to be consumed because of the pandemic. An online survey was employed using a convenience national sample frame in China. A total sample of 322 was used to test the proposed model, hypotheses and answer the research questions. Theoretically, the study provides an alternative model that explains the role of website …

Where Do We Go From Here?: Crucial Conversations In Multicultural Marketing, Kimberly Grantham

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

As educators, we have a responsibility to challenge our students and ourselves to push beyond our comfort zones and become better leaders and decision-makers who will embrace equity and inclusion as the standard. As educators, we are in positions to facilitate these difficult conversations with and amongst our students as we recognize that our students are stepping into roles where they will expect equity and inclusion in their workplaces. Our Multicultural Marketing course allows students and I to push ourselves to a greater understanding of what possibly hinders our personal and professional growth in this area. Student-led discussions in the …

Generational Cohorts And Search For B2b Service Providers, John Story

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

This study explores differences in B2B search processes of members of three generational cohorts, Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers. When searching for a business-to-business service provider, Millennials were significantly more likely to use an internet search, but there were no significant differences between Generation X and Baby Boomers. Although more likely to use an internet search than previous generations, Millennials were just as likely to use interpersonal information sources. These results provide insights into differentiating marketing communications to effectively reach members of different generations in business-to-business marketing.

Examining The Use Of Social Media In Building A Student Personal Brand And The Impact Of Demographics, Tulay Girard, Musa Pinar

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

The extended abstract is uploaded for publication in the 2021 AMTP conference proceedings.

As (Un)Real As It Gets – Exploring The Persuasiveness Of Advertising Posts By Virtual Influencers, Sphurti Sewak

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

No abstract provided.

Wine Consumer Culture Positioning: Case Of The Global Success Of Yellow Tail And Casillero Del Diablo, Samit Chakravorti

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

This paper qualitatively discusses through the lens of consumer cultural positioning literature the global success of two wine brands: Yellow Tail of Casella Wines of Australia and Casillero del Diablo of Concha Y Toro of Chile. These two brands have made meaningful gains in many markets across the globe despite the high fragmentation in the world of wine and have mad themselves stand out as icons of “global” brands in the wine world. Analysis of secondary data reveals that the marketing actions of the two brands align with findings from branding literature. Both brands identified different but meaningful consumer cultural …