The effects of brand engagement in social media on share of wallet

Customer engagement and share‐of‐wallet (SOW) are relatively new in the marketing literature, and academic research has only limitedly examined these concepts. This study presents five motivational drivers of customer brand engagement in social media and examines the nature of the relationship between these drivers and engagement. The moderation effect of consumer innovativeness on the relationship between engagement and SOW is also examined. Results suggest that community exerts the strongest positive effect on customer brand engagement and that such engagement positively influences SOW. The findings also indicate that consumer innovativeness strengthens the relationship between engagement…

The value drivers of high-tech consumer products

Abstract This study investigates the influence of the customer-value hierarchy model and social network on the perceived economic value of high-tech consumer products. This quantitative empirical study was conducted among Finnish households in early 2008 using the form interview method. The non-probability quota sampling method was applied. The data consisted of 453 completed questionnaires. Hypothesis testing was conducted by linear multiple regression analysis. Goal-, consequence-, and attribute-level value perceptions were found to have a positive effect on the perceived economic value of high-tech consumer products. Attribute-level value had the strongest effect on the formation of perc…

Hope You’re Not Totally Commercial! : Toward a Better Understanding of Advertising Recognition's Impact on Influencer Marketing Effectiveness

Social media influencers (SMIs) have become an effective channel for reaching targeted customers. The present study explores the influence process of advertising recognition on consumer responses in the SMI marketing context. The authors examined an Instagram post featuring the endorsement of a brand and created an experimental design with four conditions related to advertising recognition and the parasocial relationship. Findings from a partial least squares structural equation modeling procedure indicate that advertising recognition results in overall negative consumer responses to SMI brand endorsements. The results also indicate parallel mediating effects of source credibility and atti…

Reliability and Validity of a Further Tested Appreciative Management Scale

Background and PurposeManagers need evidence-based methods to evaluate their management skills. To further test the appreciative management scale (AMS 1.0) to create a practical instrument to be used in evaluating appreciative management.MethodsFor further testing, a new survey was conducted among social and healthcare managers (n = 734) in Finland. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to assess the scale validity and Cronbach's alpha coefficients the internal consistency.ResultsThe validated AMS 2.0 scale includes 24 items. The values measuring validity and reliability were good, with an Rool Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) of 0.072, Average Variance Extracted (AVE) value…

Anthropomorphism and social presence in Human–Virtual service assistant interactions: The role of dialog length and attitudes

In this study, we delve into the perceived quality of recommendations provided by AI-based virtual service assistants (VSAs). Specifically, the role of the social presence of VSAs in influencing recommendation perceptions is investigated. We also explore how the social presence of a VSA is formed and how perceived anthropomorphism plays a vital role in shaping social presence and eventually instilling trust in VSAs among consumers. These relationships are examined in the context of online government services. The results indicate that consumer interaction with VSAs - manifesting via perceived anthropomorphism, social presence, dialog length, and attitudes - improves recommendation quality p…

Hinnoittelun vaikutukset hyöty- ja peliohjelmistojen diffuusioon

Are Facebook brand community members truly loyal to the brand?

Investigates two Facebook brand communities and their relationship with loyalty.Community commitment is associated with community promotion behavior and loyalty.Community promotion behavior is associated with different types of loyalty.User activity in Facebook has little or no effect on brand loyalty. This study examines members of Facebook brand communities and tests the relationships between their commitment to the community and brand loyalty. A conceptual model on the linkages between brand community commitment, community promotion behavior and brand loyalty including attitudinal loyalty, repurchase intention and positive word-of-mouth (WOM) is developed and tested with two samples. Dat…

The Structure and Formation of Customer value in B-to-B Services

This study investigates the hierarchical construct and the formation of customer value of b-to-b services. In-depth understanding of the construction of customer value and the effects of service quality on customer value are the key to effective development of b-to-b services. This quantitative study was conducted through the structured interview method among Finnish business organizations in early 2009. The data consisted of 90 qualified questionnaires. The customer value of b-to-b services was found to be composed of attribute and consequence levels. The dimensions of service quality influenced to differing degrees the formation of the attribute and consequence levels of the customer valu…

Tekoälyn soveltaminen terveydenhuollossa ja hyvinvoinnissa

Dynamics of price sensitivity among mobile service customers

PurposePrice sensitivity is one of the key factors affecting to companies pricing choices. Yet in mobile services sector business practitioners are facing problems in pricing decisions as they are short of knowledge on their customers’ price sensitivity levels and dynamics. Therefore this study aims to focus on this unexplored field in order to provide more accurate tools for mobile service providers to price their services more effectively.Design/methodology/approachThis study is conducted on Finnish mobile services markets. The focus is on examining how customers’ price sensitivity differs between different customer segments and which factors affect to the price sensitivity levels. The sa…

Enabling transformative value creation through online weight loss services

PurposeThis study aims to understand how online weight loss services could help customers achieve a durable change. The particular focus is on exploring the roles of value co-creation and well-being outcomes in reinforcing the transformative value potential, which is argued to be realized as customers’ intentions to continue a healthier lifestyle after the service period has ended.Design/methodology/approachData was collected from the participants of an online weight loss service (n = 498), and a conceptual research model was tested using structural equation modelling.FindingsThe results imply that compliance with the guidelines and social support are two value co-creation activities that c…

Beliefs affecting additional investment intentions of mutual fund clients

In this article, we aim to examine mutual fund investors’ behaviour in decision-making situations and to analyse future investment decisions via a path model approach. Investors were divided into different groups based on the risk and distribution channel used, and the differences in their investment intentions were examined. The study used empirical survey data collected from the clients of a mutual fund company owned by a Finnish banking group. Loyalty to the common banking group dominated the explanation in the whole model. The safety of the investment was important for branch office investors, whereas obtaining a good return was important for internet investors. Ultimately, explanatory …

The role of fundamental motivations in willingness-to-pay online

Abstract This study aims to determine whether an understanding of chronic fundamental consumer motivations can help determine the mechanisms of willingness-to-pay for products online. To do so, it employs a simulated buying task on a fictional e-commerce site for a consumer product (branded either as a “new arrival” or a “classic”) to investigate the effects of two fundamental motivations (mate acquisition vs. self-protection) on willingness-to-pay for the product online. The primary focus of the paper to investigate the capacity of mate acquisition and self-protection motives to moderate the relationship between attitude toward the product and willingness-to-pay, as well as, the effects of…

Impact of Service Quality Dimensions on the Formation of Customer Value in B to B Services

PurposeCustomer and value‐oriented business strategies are increasingly important in the context of business to business services. However, little is known about the construction of customer value of B to B services. Also the influences of specific dimensions of service quality on customer value are open to debate. This study aims to explore the construction of customer value of B to B services, and to examine how specific dimensions of service quality contribute to customer value.Design/methodology/approachThe research data consists of 90 questionnaires which were collected through the structured interview method among Finnish business organizations. Hypothesis testing was conducted throug…

The dynamics and characteristics of buying centre networks

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study does the structure of buying centre networks dynamically change between buying situations and during the buying processes. Furthermore, the influence of organizational culture on participation, extensivity, lateral involvement, and vertical involvement of buying centre networks is studied.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative study with empirical data gathered by semi‐structured interviews with the help of structured questions among Finnish business organizations early in 2007. The empirical data consist of 40 interviews conducted among small and medium sized companies. For the data analyses, the data were separately classified into themes rel…

AMOS (SPSS) -ohjelman käyttöohje (versio SPSS AMOS 22.0)

‘You really are a great big sister’ – parasocial relationships, credibility, and the moderating role of audience comments in influencer marketing

This study examines the moderating role of audience comments in influencer marketing. A YouTube vlog entry by a social media influencer featuring the endorsement of a brand was studied, and an experimental design featuring two conditions related to audience comments was created. The results indicate that a parasocial relationship with the influencer builds the perceived credibility of the influencer, while comments by other audience members moderate the effect. Influencer credibility positively affects brand trust and purchase intention. The findings enhance the understanding of the role of an active audience in influencer marketing. peerReviewed

Does the digitalization of retailing disrupt consumers’ attachment to retail places?

This study breaks new ground in the marketing domain by extending the concept of place attachment to the study of the online retail environment. We provide empirical evidence that consumers can establish strong attachments not only with traditional offline places but also with online retail stores. Moreover, we assessed how distinct dimensions of the place affect the formation of consumers’ attachment and their behavioral loyalty. Our findings show that while consumers who feel a strong sense of attachment toward the place engage in spreading positive word-of-mouth regardless of the environment, their attachment to the store does not prevent them from switching to another provider, especial…

“Thanks for Watching.” The Effectiveness of YouTube vlogendorsements

This study examines the effectiveness of brand endorsements in vlogs (video blogs) by assessing the role of audience participation, parasocial relationship, and valence toward vlog endorsements on the perceived credibility of the vlogger and brand attitudes. Four experimental conditions were created on Qualtrics based on a YouTube vlog where the endorser reviewed a few products. The data were collected using Mturk and analyzed with 203 usable responses. The findings indicate that audience participation in the vlog enhances para-social relationship with the vlogger, thus further fostering the vlogger's perceived credibility as an endorser. Additionally, the valence of the audience's attitude…

The Relationships Between Customer Brand Engagement in Social Media and Share of Wallet

This chapter investigates the motivational drivers of customer brand engagement in social media and examines the nature of the relationships between these drivers and engagement, as well as the relationships between brand engagement and share-of-wallet. In addition, we tested the moderating effect of the frequency of social media visits on the relationship between engagement and share-of-wallet. The hypothesized relationships were analyzed using an online survey of 818 members of one Facebook brand community. The results suggested that community exerts the strongest positive effect on customer brand engagement and that customer brand engagement positively influences SOW. The findings also i…

How do brand personality, identification, and relationship length drive loyalty in sports?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to extend brand identification theory to the sports team context by testing the direct and indirect effects of a sports team’s personality, sports fans’ identification with the team, and the effect of the length of fans’ relationship with a team on their loyalty to it. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conducted a quantitative study among ice hockey fans of one Finnish hockey team before play-off games. Data came from an online questionnaire generating 1,166 responses. Findings – The authors find that: first, identification with a team mediates the effects of brand personality on attitudinal loyalty and behavioral loyalty; second, brand person…

Advocacy participation and brand loyalty in virtual brand communtity

Brand owners use virtual communities to strengthen brand loyalty by engaging consumers in active content creation activities. Personal and reciprocal communication and consumers’ participation in virtual brand communities are the main sources through which communities contribute to brand loyalty formation. This research examines the antecedents and consequences of advocacy participation in virtual brand communities. The results show that the VBC members’ advocacy participation is strongly contributed by the community’s ability to promote reciprocal and personal use experience, which also directly affects the members’ brand satisfaction. The results further show that advocacy participation a…

Customers' purchase intentions as a reflection of price perception

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate customers' intentions to purchase mobile communications services and how these intentions are affected by the customers' price perceptions in two customer segments – a mobile segment and a combined segment. A further aim was to gain insight into the formation of price perceptions, and customer characteristics that underlie the differences between purchase intentions and price perceptions.Design/methodology/approach – The study was conducted in the Finnish mobile services market. The sample data were collected through a postal survey (n=3,000) sent to customers of a Finnish teleoperator. In analyzing empirical data the explanatory factor …

Characteristics of early adopters in mobile communications markets

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study consumers' adoption of mobile communications services, and to explore common denominators uniting those most likely to be early adopters; thereby, to help practitioners to predict early adoption and segment the market.Design/methodology/approachData were collected by postal questionnaire from 26 per cent of a sample of 3,000 customers of a telecommunications service provider in Finland, stratified into three sub‐samples according to type of usage. For this paper, the returns from the two sub‐samples with the highest rates of use were analysed.FindingsPrevious experience of related types of communications services significantly and positively infl…

The influence of purchase-related risk perceptions on relationship commitment

Purpose – Perceived risk is an intrinsic element of all organizational decision making and business relationships. It is closely interconnected with relationship commitment and strongly affects the buying decisions. Therefore, the organizations that best understand the risks perceived by their customers and hold the means that allow the customers to accommodate these risks, possess a significant competitive edge. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – This research surveys 165 companies on purchase-related risk perceptions and tests the effects of three risk dimensions on relations commitment, and the effectiveness of procedural control on managing these risk…

The Influence of Facebook Discussions on Purchase Intention and Word of Mouth

This chapter examines the influence of online consumer discussions on Facebook on purchase intention and word of mouth (WOM). Specifically, it attempts to determine whether Facebook discussions are perceived as credible and how these discussions are linked with behavioural intentions. The first part of this chapter presents a research model linking seven constructs. In the second part, we tested the research model and hypotheses with a sample of 151 consumers from one Facebook group for children’s shoe recommendations. Of the seven hypotheses tested, we found support for six. This chapter concludes by discussing the contributions of the study to both theory and practice, outlining the main …

Pricing method as a tool for improved price perception

In the present paper, we have explored pricing methods applied to charging mobile service customers, and the influences of the charging methods on the customers’ price perceptions. The analyses are based on the empirical data collected from Finnish mobile service markets through a quantitative postal survey in 2003. Four hypotheses were tested separately in two customer segments for examining relationship of pricing methods and price perceptions, and the factors affecting to the customers’ pricing method choices. The statistical analyses provided results suggesting that charging methods have a significant effect on customers’ price perceptions. The customers’ price perceptions were found to…

Primed Authenticity: How Priming Impacts Authenticity Perception of Social Media Influencers

Though organizations increasingly collaborate with social media influencers, such as bloggers and videobloggers, little is known as to how the contextual cues related to sponsored content affect the authenticity perception of the social media influencers among audience members. This study explores how positive and negative priming of sponsored content shapes the authenticity perception of the vlogger among its audience members. Four different manipulation conditions were constructed to study a U.S. based travel vlog on Qualtrics, with data collected via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. A theory-guided content analysis of 211 open viewer responses was conducted to compare perceptions of authenticit…

Perception-based pricing strategies for mobile services in customer marketing context

Traditional pricing research has focused on analysing price setting procedures and cost or competition based pricing strategies. Customer- or perception-oriented pricing strategies have been left on little attention among business practitioners and academics. The need for development and investigation of these new pricing strategies has occurred after the emergence of new electronic and mobile services; traditional pricing strategies have resulted unsatisfactory results. With this study we have concentrated on elucidating the unobserved fields of perception-based pricing in mobile services business. The focal point of the study consists of analyses of the customers’ price perceptions of mob…

Brand love and positive word of mouth : the moderating effects of experience and price

Purpose This study aims to test and extend Carroll and Ahuvia’s (2006) model on the antecedents and outcomes of brand love by examining the moderating effects of experience and price on the relationship between brand love and offline word of mouth (WOM) and between brand love and electronic WOM (eWOM). Design/methodology/approach An online survey was conducted on Facebook, which generated 342 valid responses. The data were analyzed using partial least squares-structural equation modeling. Findings The results mainly support the model by confirming that the self-expressiveness of the brand and trust are positively associated with brand love. No association between hedonic product type and b…