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Few studies have explained how and when consumers are willing to engage in online brand-related activities (COBRAs). This study examines the role of brand love in a consumer’s decision to engage in online brand-related activities, considering the mediating effect of attitudinal brand engagement and the moderating effect of brand value on this relationship.

The study analysed data from 404 Spanish consumers using structural equation modelling and the PROCESS package in SPSS to test hypotheses, including mediation and moderation effects.

The study expands on previous research by revealing the mediating role of brand attitudinal engagement in the relationship between brand love and COBRAs and the moderating role of brand value in the relationship between brand engagement and COBRAs. The results show that online consumers who feel brand love from an online store are likelier to be engaged with the brand. This predisposes them to comment on, share, and create content related to the company or brand. Furthermore, consumers who attribute a high value to the brand are likelier to engage in brand-related online activities.

This study offers valuable insights into mechanisms to encourage consumers to generate content, known as user-generated content, to the extent that the tools for developing this content are the same.

至今, 很少研究嘗試去探討消費者為何或於何時會樂意去參與與品牌相關的在線活動。本研究擬探討品牌摯愛對消費者會否決定參與與品牌相關的在線活動所扮演的角色; 研究方法是透過分析態度品牌參與的中介效應和品牌價值在上述品牌摯愛與參與在線活動之間的關聯上所起的調節效果,以求達至研究目的。

研究人員收集來自404名西班牙消費者的數據,並以結構方程模型和SPSS裏的模組PROCESS,去檢測有關的假設,包括就中介效應和調節效果的假設。

研究揭示了態度品牌參與在品牌摯愛與COBRAs 之間的關聯上所扮演的中介角色,研究亦揭示了品牌價值在品牌參與與COBRAs之間的關聯上所扮演的調節角色; 就此而言, 本研究拓展了從前學者探討有關的領域。再者,研究結果顯示,如果消費者從網上商店產生品牌愛慕的話,他們會投入這個品牌; 這使他們更有可能去評價有關的公司和品牌,以及去分享和創建關於公司和品牌的內容; 而且,若消費者視品牌本身擁有高度價值的話,他們會更易於參與與品牌相關的在線活動。

本研究提供了寶貴的啟示,使我們更了解驅使消費者去創造內容 (即用戶生成內容) 的機制,以至生成這些內容的工具均儘相同的地步。

Blogs are websites that contain posts about a wide range of topics, often written by fashion enthusiasts referred to as bloggers. With the increasing prevalence and popularity of digital media and social media, fashion bloggers help to attract business and influence and engage various stakeholders, especially customers. The present exploratory study provided valuable insights regarding fashion consumption, preference, and buying behavior of young women consumers of metropolitan cities of India like Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune, and Mumbai. The study was conducted under the domain of exploratory study. Snowball and Purposive random sampling techniques were employed to identify and reach respondents of both categories – women consumers and bloggers. A conscious attempt was made to include women from different demographics such as age, marital status, income, area of residence, employment status, etc. Primary data were collected with the help of questionnaires. The findings of the research revealed bloggers through their blogs are the new trendsetters and influence fashion adoption, especially by the young social media savvy consumers. Their blogs impact public perceptions of fashion and sometimes are precursors of new fashion trends. The findings of the study interestingly brought forth the fact that millennial women buying decision is significantly influenced by fashion blogs for the purchase of clothing and accessories. The findings also clearly indicated that blogs significantly influenced respondents’ attitude toward the purchase of branded merchandise. Fashion bloggers besides providing information and inspiration to the blog readers, also at times assist and/or give consultation to their followers.

Consumers send billions of messages with high ephemerality each day, yet the effects of this type of communication are relatively unknown. Online ephemeral communication refers to sending and receiving information with a predetermined, finite lifespan in computer-mediated environments. The purpose of this paper is to conceptually understand online marketing communications with high ephemerality relative to messages with low ephemerality within a consumer’s goal system.

This paper is an attempt to conceptually understand how high ephemerality differs from low ephemerality, particularly as online ephemeral communication has emerged and is widely used by consumers and firms. Goal systems theory is applied to understand how ephemerality is a means for consumers to reach their communication goals.

Consumers are more likely to use messages with high ephemerality to impress with narrowly relevant content, regulate emotions, build social relationships, persuade others through peripheral cues and protect privacy, but messages with high ephemerality are less likely to help consumers manage their impression, acquire or share useful information or present strong arguments. It is also proposed that messages with high ephemerality can help marketers increase interest through frequent peripheral cues, including fun and friendly content, drive sales by creating a sense of urgency and increase loyalty, but are less likely to increase awareness, build interest through flattering or informative content or drive sales through transactional messages.

This study primarily advances the goal systems literature by introducing ephemerality. The defining feature of ephemerality, lifespan, also has research implications for studies of word-of-mouth marketing. The propositions in this study are ready for empirical investigation as to when consumers and firms choose to send messages with low or high ephemerality.

Firms need to understand how consumers are using messages sent with low and high ephemerality in order for firms to best move consumers through the sales funnel.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first paper to differentiate messages with low and high ephemerality, identify the presence and effects of ephemerality in offline and online communication and explain how and why sending messages with low or high ephemerality can help consumers and firms reach their communication goals. There is only one other paper in marketing on ephemerality in online marketing communications and no other conceptual work.

The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic literature review (SLR) on vlog marketing. The focus was to analyse the major themes in this field and provide insights for future research directions.

The authors reviewed a total of 49 peer-reviewed publications that include the search terms “vlog” or “video blog” in their titles, keywords and abstracts, retrieved from digital databases Scopus and Web of Science, up to the end of July 2023. Thematic analysis was used to examine and synthesise the articles.

The authors found 19 sub-themes and identified four major themes that emerged from the literature: (1) endorsement outcomes, (2) vlogger characteristics, (3) consumer credibility and (4) vlog content crafting.

There are many unanswered questions in the literature, suggesting that vlog marketing research is still in its infancy, and that in-depth further studies are required for a more comprehensive understanding of the field. This study has identified potential avenues for future research that may contribute to the existing body of knowledge and valuable insights on vlog marketing.

After completion of the case study, students will be able to enumerate the unique characteristics of business-to-business (B2B) versus business-to-consumer marketing, explore strategic positioning and how niche marketing can create a competitive advantage, deduce the significance of core values in corporate culture and decision-making, explore innovative partnership and talent acquisition models, infer the role of educational marketing in sectors where clients are not fully aware of their needs and apply strategic decision-making to balance short- and long-term goals in terms of profitability and growth.

This case study tells the story of BarkB2B, a boutique marketing firm specialized exclusively in B2B marketing. Founded in Egypt in 2018, BarkB2B focused on creating long-lasting partnerships with clients in industries such as IT, logistics, construction and renewable energy. The case explores the critical aspects of BarkB2B’s business model and offers a comprehensive view of real-world challenges and opportunities in the B2B marketing landscape. It helps learners understand strategic positioning, core values in decision-making, innovative partnership-based business models, the role of educational marketing and the complexities associated with growth. It concludes by highlighting the dilemma faced by BarkB2B’s founder and managing director Naela Sakr as she reflects on the challenge of maintaining the company’s positioning while achieving greater profitability and growth.

The case study is intended for undergraduate and graduate students in marketing, strategic marketing, consumer behavior and entrepreneurship courses. It is also beneficial for marketing professionals, entrepreneurs, corporate training and executive education programs.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 8: Marketing.

The case study incorporated a combination of primary and secondary data collection approach. The authors interviewed Dr Varghese, the co-founder of Sunbird Straws and the protagonist in this case study. In addition, secondary data was obtained from various sources such as newspaper articles, journal publications and company reports.

On a rosy and vibrant morning in 2017, Dr Saji Varghese, a professor at Christ University in Bangalore, stumbled upon a curved coconut leaf on the campus resembling a straw. This sparked his motivation to transform coconut leaves into a natural straw, prompting him to initiate experiments with coconut leaves in his kitchen. The process of boiling and straining leaves became his method for crafting an eco-friendly straw. After numerous attempts, he successfully produced straws from coconut leaves, introducing a distinctive and creative concept incubated at IIM Bangalore. These unique straws, crafted by Varghese, prioritised environmental friendliness and were also crafted entirely from biodegradable materials, free from harmful chemicals. These straws demonstrated durability in hot and cold beverages for up to 3 h, maintaining their integrity without becoming soggy or leaking. As the business flourished, it reached a critical juncture. The primary challenge centred around product marketing, mainly due to consumer unfamiliarity with such sustainable straws. This was a product that also fell under the category of low involvement for consumers. Raising awareness about the product and persuading consumers to purchase presented a significant hurdle. In response, Varghese assigned his team to develop cost-effective marketing strategies. Given the start-up nature of the business, advertising budgets were constrained, and the objective was to achieve a positive return on advertising spend for every investment in advertising the product. In addition, the focus was on increasing the likelihood of selling the straws on both business-to-business and business-to-consumer levels. In this case study, Varghese’s role and predicament exemplify the delicate equilibrium that entrepreneurs frequently grapple with, striking a balance between marketing strategy and return on ad spent to steer the trajectory of their businesses. It offered a valuable examination of the nuanced decisions marketers encounter as they strive for both profitability and customer-centric products.

The case study is relevant to the marketing discipline. All undergraduate and postgraduate-level marketing courses in higher education institutions can use this case study. It can also be used in integrated marketing communication or digital marketing classes. It can be used further in the hospitality and management fields. Also, online courses in marketing can include this case study.

This work aims to explore the effects of (equity and non-equity) strategic alliances between banks and FinTechs on FinTechs' online visibility.

For a sample of 124 Italian FinTechs, the authors measured online visibility through their website ranking (Google PageRank) and website traffic (Google Trends). Consistent to the historical depth of these measures, the authors separately investigated the effect of equity and non-equity (contractual) agreements on online visibility by means of ordinal logistic regressions and diff-in-diff analysis.

Strategic alliances with banks enhance FinTechs' online visibility. Although both equity and contractual agreements positively influence the popularity of FinTechs' website achieved through the activity of internal and external online content creators (websites ranking), only equity agreements are effective in attracting Internet users (website traffic).

When deciding to interact with banks, FinTechs' managers should consider that equity agreements may be a powerful strategic choice for enlarging the customer base and boosting visibility of FinTechs.

Fostering strategic alliances between banks and FinTechs contributes to FinTechs' growth, generating virtuous mechanisms of innovation, financial inclusion and better allocative efficiency of the financial system.

This work expands marketing knowledge and literature regarding online visibility determinants, by investigating the benefits of strategic alliances and cooperation in the market, while providing an empirical strategy replicable by future marketing studies.

The huge Muslim population has increased the demand for halal tourism products and destination factors in this niche tourism segment. Despite the growing body of research conducted regarding ChatGPT’s revolutionary impact on the tourism industry, the use of such an artificial intelligence (AI) tool in halal tourism needs more attention. This study aims to provide a comprehensive an overview of using ChatGPT in the tourism industry, specifically in halal tourism, and offer an agenda for further essential research questions exploration.

Through the intensive examination of the tourism literature dealing with AI and halal tourism, this review identifies the implications related to the use of ChatGPT for Muslim travelers and future trends in halal tourism.

This paper identified the possible utilization of ChatGPT in assisting Muslim travelers across various stages of their journey, encompassing pre-trip, staying and post-trip phases. Subsequently, this paper identified the opportunities and challenges associated with implementing ChatGPT in the context of halal tourism. Finally, the paper delves into potential avenues for future research.

The findings serve as crucial implications, contributing to the theory of halal tourism development and the applications of ChatGPT in halal tourism.

This paper provides essential foundational knowledge for upcoming research on halal tourism theory, ChatGPT and the development of halal tourism sector.

The purpose of the paper is to investigate the marketing and communication activities carried out by small management consulting firms and how they relate to customers.

After the framing of the literature on the subject, the study is based on the results of a survey carried out through an online questionnaire. The sample under investigation is represented by 914 small consulting firms located in central Italy.

Results show that half of the sample carried out marketing and communication activities, mainly through the website and social media, while others participating in events as speakers at conferences. It also emerges that management consulting firms carry out activities aimed at maintaining relationship with customers even if they do not invest time in market research in order to find potential and new clients.

The study suggests that management consulting firms should adopt a systematic and strategic approach to communication and should develop a complete and integrated digital communication strategy, as well as to rethink the consulting business model.

There are no previous studies that provide insight into the everyday practice of marketing and communication of small management consulting services in today's dynamic and changing economic environment.

This study aims to empirically test how sponsored video customization (i.e. the degree to which a sponsored video is customized for a sponsoring brand) affects video shares differently depending on influencer characteristics (i.e. mega influencer and expert influencer) and brand characteristics (i.e. brand establishment and product involvement).

This study uses a unique real-world data set that combines coded variables (e.g. customization) and objective video performance (e.g. sharing) of 365 sponsored videos to test the hypotheses. A negative binomial model is used to analyze the data set.

This study finds that the effect of video customization on video shares varies across contexts. Video customization positively affects shares if they are made for well-established brands and high-involvement products but negatively influences shares if they are produced by mega and expert influencers.

This study extends the influencer marketing literature by focusing on a new media modality – sponsored video. Drawing on the multiple inference model and the persuasion knowledge theory, this study teases out different conditions under which video customization is more or less likely to foster audience engagement, which both influencers and brands care about. The chosen research setting may limit the generalizability of the findings of this study.

The findings suggest that mega and expert influencers need to consider if their endorsement would backfire on a highly customized video. Brands that aim to engage customers with highly-customized videos should gauge their decision by taking into consideration their years of establishment and product involvement. For video-sharing platforms, especially those that are planning to expand their businesses to include “matching-making services” for brands and influencers, the findings provide theory-based guidance on optimizing such matches.

This paper fulfills an urgent research need to study how brands and influencers should produce sponsored videos to achieve optimal outcomes.