Marketing Commons^™

Covid's Positive Implications On Business-To-Business Salesperson Communication And Customer Interaction, Lucy Matthews, Diane R. Edmondson, Ryan Matthews, Frances Ann Stott, Tammy Bahmanziari

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This article aims to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on industrial salesperson communication with buyers, specifically focusing on the positive outcomes. The authors use a qualitative data collection approach based on grounded theory. Thirteen executives, primarily from the transportation industry, were interviewed. Based on the executive interviews, this study develops the pandemic-induced customer interaction model for the industrial market, drawing from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and innovation diffusion theory. This study is the first to examine the positive impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on business-to-business sales organization communication. This study contributes to the literature through the creation …

Images In Service Marketing: Does Presentation Style Matter?, Can Trinh

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This research presents a pioneering attempt to examine whether the use of abstract images would be more effective than the use of concrete images in the case of service marketing. Based on construal level theory, we hypothesize that relative to the use of concrete images, the use of abstract images in service marketing will better match the intangible nature of services and will thus increase communication effectiveness. Two studies in this research provide evidence to support these propositions by showing that relative to the use of concrete images, the use of abstract images can enhance ad visuals, which in turn …

Marketing Orientation: A Longitudinal Study Of Community Banks, Stephen C. Carlson, Gerald Sullivan, Susanna Warnock, Margaret Ryder

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Marketing orientation has long been touted as a means of improved business performance and a key to success in marketing management (Kotler, Keller & Chernev, 2021). This is a longitudinal study of community banks examining marketing orientation and business performance using a survey instrument based on the work of Narver and Slater (1990) and Kohli and Jaworski (1990).

Four survey datasets cover the period preceding the Great Recession (2003-2005), the Great Recession and its fallout (2008-2010), a Post–Great Recession period (2014-2016), and the COVID-19 period (2020). Survey responses were gathered from a selected set of community bank CEOs in the …

Nation Branding Through Sports: The Impact Of Qatar’S Ownership Of Paris Saint-Germain (Psg) On Qatar’S Image By French Soccer Fans, Matthieu Bocquet, Vassilis Dalakas

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This study examined how French soccer fans perceive Qatar which owns French club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). It compared perceptions of the country among PSG fans, fans of PSG’s rival club Olympique Marseille (OM), and fans of other French clubs. Furthermore, it examined how fans’ identification with PSG or its rival OM moderated their perceptions of Qatar. PSG fans had more favorable perceptions than the other fans and highly identified PSG fans had more positive perceptions than low-identification PSG fans. However, rival fans did not have more negative perceptions than the other fans and there was also no difference between highly …

The Impact Of Insult Ad Reads On Podcast Listeners, Jason L. Snyder, Mark D. Cistulli

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Audio podcasts have grown in popularity. Forty-six million Americans tune into an average of six podcasts each week (Nielson, 2020) and ad revenues are projected to top $4 billion by 2024 (IAB, 2022). To enhance the appeal of ads, many podcasters use humor in their ad reads. Although humor can be effective (Weinberger & Gulas, 1992) and reinforce the parasocial relationship between podcaster and audience, are there times when that humor has negative consequences? In this study, we are concerned primarily with the use of insult advertising in which the podcaster uses humor that targes the brand/product being endorsed. Participants …

The Membership Business Model: Great For Business But What About Consumers?, Cara Peters, Bradley W. Brooks

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Membership business models are increasingly prevalent, as they appear to be beneficial to companies. However, questions exist about the benefits of the membership business model to consumers. This paper examines consumer perspectives on the membership business model in the context of customer complaints related to Savage X Fenty’s business practices. Data were collected via 692 complaints posted to the Better Business Bureau website and analyzed according to protocols for phenomenology. Eight themes emerged from the data, beginning with membership sign-up and ending with being charged after-the-fact. The themes captured the different frustrations that consumers experienced with Savage X Fenty’s membership …

The Regional Mall’S Persona Wish List: The Hedonist, The Influencer And The Local Champion, Thomas M. Hickman, Michael Stoica, David P. Price

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This study investigates three consumer archetypes (hedonist, influencer, and local champion) and their potential to influence mall revitalization. Results show that a belief in the importance of the mall leads to a more enjoyable shopping experience, a subsequent willingness to pay more for locally owned stores, a greater propensity to spend more at the mall, and to engage in positive word-of-mouth. Findings suggest that local champions and influencers are vital for bringing patrons back to shopping centers in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is argued that the mall and its tenants will benefit from co-marketing; the mall offering …

Happy Campers Or Unhappy Prisoners: How Materialism Punishes Us In Lockdown Times, Banwari Mittal

Atlantic Marketing Journal

COVID-19 and the resulting lockdowns created an unprecedented upheaval in consumers’ daily lives and lifestyles. The purpose of this research was to understand the psychological experience of life under lockdowns and the role of individual difference variables in that experience. Using survey data from U.S. consumers, the research identified two opposite feelings, coexisting: happy camper feeling or unhappy prisoner feeling. Younger, lower income, and less educated consumers felt more like prisoners than campers. Ability to maintain life as usual, and positive pre-pandemic life conditions (health, social network, and job satisfaction) led to happy camper feelings. In contrast, pre-pandemic materialism led …

When Privacy Proclivity Meet Covid-19: No Longer Concerns Of Today’S M-Commerce Users?, James L. Thomas, Jianping Coco Huang, Brent J. Cunningham, Jihye Lee, Le Wu

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This is continuous research of our previous publication (Thomas et al., 2021). A new two by two study (Before and After COVID 19) X (China and the US culture) was designed to test the moderated mediation effect of the COVID pandemic on M-commerce user’s privacy proclivity, trust, and M-commerce intention! A new sample was collected from two countries in different time periods (Before and after COVID pandemic) to investigate whether M-commerce users’ concern about privacy proclivity has changed after COVID-19. Built on top of our 2021 publication, this study discovered that privacy proclivity no longer has a significant direct impact …

Brand Activism In The Age Of Black Lives Matter Movement, Peter M. Mwencha, Reuben K. Njuguna

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This study provides a review of brand activism phenomenon against the background of the Black Lives Matter movement. It is informed by the growing number of activist customers, leaders and corporations that are taking a stand on divisive social and political issues that exists in today’s America. It finds that while socially-conscious consumers respond better to brands that support socio-political causes that they identify with, leaders and corporations should exercise caution when engaging in activism due to its divisiveness as well as the difficulty in aligning a brand’s public stance on an issue and consumers’ beliefs. The study recommends that …

Small Value-Add Local Food Retailer’S Covid-19 And Post-Covid-19 Strategies, Timothy L. Schauer, Denise Ogden, Doc Ogden

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The pandemic came as a blow to retailers that were already under pressure from online competitors that offered low prices and provided the convenience of shopping from home. The media tended to cover the plight and challenges for larger chain stores and big box retailers. However, the small local food providers and retailers also faced challenges and had to manage without the luxury of having dedicated staff and deep pockets with which to navigate through the pandemic. This paper explores the experiences and strategies used by 20 small local value-added food providers and retailers as they navigated the pandemic. Additionally, …

Manufacturing “Hits”: A Data-Driven Ai Approach To Releasing A Pop Song In 2022, Jessica Birk, Madhavi Chakrabarty

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Technology is radically transforming the music industry through the use of big data, artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms. This paper presents a pilot study that examines the impact of data-driven approaches in creating, predicting, and marketing music. A machine learning algorithm is used to determine the optimal characteristics of the most popular songs and is used as the basis for creating the next song. Next, an AI technique was used to generate the inspiration of the instrumentation and lyrics of the song. Finally, a listener survey is used to determine the trend which included the mood, preference and context …

Emotional Intelligence Training And Professional Salespeople, Tracey Honeycutt Sigler, Charles D. Shepherd Ph.D

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Emotional intelligence (EI) has long been considered a significant success factor, especcially in careers like personal selling that involve considerable social. contact (Goldman, 1995). As a result, a series of studies have investigated the link between EI and sales performance. The results of these studies indicates that EI can positively impact sales performanace. As a result, researchers (Deeter-Schmelz & Sojka, 2003) have called for its integration into sales training programs. However, to this point, no research has established an effective approach to EI training in sales. This study begins to rectify that shortcoming by indentifying best practices in general EI …

Implementing A Short-Term Field-Based Experiential Learning Activity: The Retail Scavenger Hunt, Pam Richardson, Rebeca Perren

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This article introduces the Retail Scavenger Hunt (RSH)—a short-term field-based experiential learning activity. This flexible pedagogical tool enables students to experience first-hand what is commonly referred to in the consumer-packaged goods industry as “the store check.” Although initially designed as an instructor-led activity, the authors adapted the exercise during the pandemic to be executed as a self-directed, app-based field activity. As a result, this research can compare student impressions across implementation modes.

Textbook Publishing For Secondary And Higher Education, Sherry Roberts, Lucy M. Matthews

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Given the number of high school and college students in need of textbooks, there is an opportunity for individuals interested in becoming textbook authors. The process begins with conducting research to determine the appropriate type of book and the market for that book. The research for secondary education includes understanding curriculum standards for the given subject. Understanding the market for the book is important to also determine the appropriate publisher for the proposed textbook. Next, it is time to prepare the items needed for the prospectus. These items include the table of content, end-of-chapter exercises, and likely a few chapters …

Reducing The Negative Effects Of Uncontrollable Factors When Designing New Courses, Nusser Raajpoot, Ran Liu

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This paper seeks to introduce a novel course design method in academic literature. It uses advanced experimental designs to capture student preferences. It also makes a distinction between controllable and uncontrollable design factors and seeks to minimize the negative impact of uncontrollable design factors, ensuring a successful course introduction. We propose and test a design method that combines Taguchi experimental designs with discrete choice estimation where choice probabilities are used as input data for Taguchi's inner and outer arrays. Design efficiency is measured by calculating signal to noise (S/N) ratio, which accounts for both mean and variance of choice probabilities. …

Brides And Bridal Stores: Online Or Brick-And-Mortar, Libby C. Jones, Ismet Anitsal, Melek Meral Anitsal

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This paper explores the growing global bridal industry and the different trends, traditions, and aspects of specific countries' bridal industries. It outlines western and eastern traditions 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. These propositions include trust issues in the retail environment, convenience, selection of bridal gowns in different retail formats, incorporating …

Political Reality: Attack Ads Are Here To Stay, Rebecca Dingus, Chanho Song, Richard H. Kolbe, Michael Y. Hu

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The primary research questions of this study center on two largely overlooked areas in negative political advertising: (1) Would the sponsor of the attack ad message be better off with a positive message? (2) When one is targeted by an attack ad, how should the attacked candidate respond? M-Turk subjects (n = 1,380) were used to conduct a multi-stage experimental design to capture the dynamic aspects of how subjects react to the use of attack ads in a hypothetical political campaign. In general, subjects did not respond favorably to attack ads, as these negative political messages caused damage to the …

Looking For Inclusivity In Higher Ed? Start In The Classroom!, Michelle C. Carpenter

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The rallying cry for inclusivity has never been greater in higher education. As professors look for ways to ensure all sociocultural perspectives are present in their course activities, lectures and discussions, many questions remain beginning with who should be addressing these issues as well as how exactly this might be accomplished. Increasingly more faculty are opening their classrooms to this discussion, even if diversity is not a required element of their course. Exit interviews conducted in Spring 2021 with senior marketing majors at a Mid Atlantic University provided an opportunity for students to share their perceptions about inclusivity and what …

Investigating The Impact On Student Engagement From Converting Face-To-Face Classes To Online In Response To Covid-19, Anita Whiting

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Paper investigates the impact on student engagement from converting traditional face-to-face classes to online in response to Covid-19. In particular, this study investigated the impact of conversion to online on four different types of student engagement: (1) participation engagement, (2) emotional engagement, (3) skill engagement, and (4) performance engagement. Survey data were collected from 160 business students who had their face-to-face classes converted to online due to Covid-19. Results of study show that all four types of student engagement significantly declined when classes were converted to online. Participation engagement declined the most while performance engagement declined the least. Non-traditional students …

Enhancing Sales Education By Incorporating An Innovative International Role Play, Diane R. Edmondson, Lucy Matthews, Hannah Makarczyk

Atlantic Marketing Journal

In today’s society, the global marketplace has become more relevant to all businesses to help ensure sustainability (Hummel, 2012). In marketing, students pursuing a career in sales can find significant opportunities; however, there are unique skills needed when selling internationally (Salesforce, 2021). Prior research has highlighted lost revenue due to internationally incompetent employees (Daniel, Xie, & Kedia, 2014). A content analysis of 139 Sales Education Foundation universities was completed to determine the extent to which international sales education is currently being incorporated in sales curriculum. Results indicate that only 6.5% include some international sales element as part of their program. …

Understanding Millennials Regarding Online Versus In-Store Grocery Shopping Preferences, Timothy L. Schauer

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Grocery shopping has changed in significant ways over the last 150 years – all to allow customers to choose their own items (Strasser, 1989). Within the last decade, large U.S. supermarkets, like Kroger, Walmart, and Safeway have rolled out online stores (Perez, 2015). However, in 2017, when the Internet-based giant, Amazon, acquired Whole Foods and developed the Amazon Go concept store, the march toward online-only sales came into question. The purpose of this research is to attempt to understand the preferences associated with Millennials regarding online versus in-store grocery shopping preferences. This paper provides the following contributions. First, it extends …

Keeping The Faith: The Impact Of Religiosity On Controversial Social Justice Advertising, Rebecca Rast, Josh Coleman, Christina S. Simmers

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Religious individuals have traditionally responded negatively to controversial advertising; however, little has been examined in their response to brand activism in the form of social justice issues. Interestingly, brands may find support from more religious individuals when promoting certain social issues. Across three studies using two social networks (Twitter and Instagram), this research demonstrates that individuals who identify as more religious (compared to those who identify as less religious) consistently display higher attitudes, intentions, and perceptions of authenticity for brands supporting social justice issues (precisely racial inequality, or “Black Lives Matter”). These findings are explained through social identity theory, in …

Validation Of Entrepreneurial Marketing Dimensions In North Carolina Wineries, George D. Shows, Pia A. Albinsson, James E. Stoddard

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This aim of this article is to test and validate a recently developed Entrepreneurial Marketing (EM) scale in the context of North Caroline Wineries. Previous EM literature suggests that EM consists of six dimensions, namely 1) proactive orientation, 2) opportunity orientation, 3) customer intensity, 4) innovation focused, 5) risk management, and 6) value creation. Using confirmatory factory analysis and structural equation modeling on data collected from small businesses (e.g., NC wineries), results confirm the EM consists of five of the proposed six dimensions in the NC winery context. Risk management was not included in the final model. Implications for theory …

What's In A Name? Public Perceptions Of Multi-Level Marketing, Robert A. Peterson, Jeffrey A. Peterson

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This paper presents the results of a nationwide survey of the American public’s general familiarity with, and perceptions of, multi-level marketing, direct selling, and social selling. Survey respondents were most familiar with direct selling; there was no substantive difference in familiarity with multi-level marketing and social selling. Respondents familiar with the three terms possessed perceptions of them that were significantly more positive than were the perceptions of respondents reporting not being familiar with the terms. Across all terms, male respondents reported being more familiar with, and more positively disposed toward, them than did female respondents. Respondents 55 years of age …

Ira Disclosure Framing Effects On Purchase Decisions, Eugene Cautillo, Mary M. Long

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This research examines the use of disclosures included in IRA advertisements to determine their impact on purchase decisions. Disclosures were manipulated through different framing language to examine the investor’s risk perception. The Hayes Process Model was used to test the significance of investor risk perception and risk propensity (investor’s likelihood to act on risk perception) related to framing manipulation and ultimately, the purchase decision. The level of risk propensity was then used to assess the impact on the purchase decision for investors with varying sophistication levels. Additionally, the investor’s sophistication level, determined via a series of investment questions, was also …

The Impact Of Verified (Unverified) Online Product Consumer Reviews On Consumer Product Attitudes, Kathryn Cort Dr., Roland Leak Dr.

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Customer product reviews are an integral component for companies conducting e-commerce, enabling them to stay connected and engaged with their consumers. However, more important these reviews are being utilized and incorporated into the marketing plans of companies. Companies can use a mixture of verified and unverified purchase badges in their displayed product reviews. This study finds that as customers are provided with this additional information to help form impressions about the products they are reviewing, customers' need for cognition ultimately determines how they utilize the presence or absence of these badges.

Fashion And Sustainability: Consumption And Shared Responsibility, Jie Gao Fowler, Timothy Reisenwitz, Rongwei Chu

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Indulgence in fashion has been indispensable in modern societies, as it is a crucial device for self-image and identity construction. With the advanced technology and globalization of production, the fashion industry has skewed towards fast fashion, making the latest trends available to mass consumers at affordable prices. This research aims to examine how Chinese consumers perceive sustainable consumption in the context of fashion. We endeavor to explore the factors that influence the engagement of sustainable consumption. This study aims not to argue whether sustainable fashion should mobilize or replace the current fashion system but to provide evidence on consumers' perception …

User Reviews And Their Relationship To The Online Sale Of Used Dvds, Dan Baugher, Chris Ramos

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Except for books, research on factors impacting the sale of low-priced used products is uncommon. This study examines the relationship between Netflix user reviews of DVDs and their sale on Amazon as used products. An Amazon account was created by the authors, and a broad mix of 121 used DVDs were sold between 10/15/2012 and 11/20/2015. Using a low-price strategy, all sold within 57 days of posting on the site with 17.4% selling on the first day. DVDs with lower user ratings (valence) (p < .001) and lower rating volume (p < .05) took longer to sell. Valence and volume were not correlated (p > .05). In an OLS regression that included valence, volume, price, and release date, …

Adoption And Diffusion Of At-Home Medical Tests, Savannah Campbell, Mark Mitchell, Jerome Christia, Melissa Clark

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The purpose of this study is to understand the at-home medical test market including the medical and regulatory requirements to create at-home medical tests, as well as the market factors that influence consumer adoption in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. To address testing shortages of COVID-19 tests companies created at-home tests which were rapidly approved by the FDA, bringing at-home testing to the forefront.

History of at-home health testing is reviewed, the medical requirements for creating them, and how the pandemic has affected such testing. Tables are also included to demonstrate currently available tests and potential future tests. The …