Do the Means and the Source Matter? A Study on the Actual Usage of Digitally Disseminated Coupons

How to effectively distribute coupons digitally to consumers who may exercise them remains an enduring, yet important, issue to address. In this study, we seek to answer two questions. First, would the dissemination of product discount coupons through mobile technology, such as the mobile phone network via the short-message-service (SMS), yield different effects on consumers, compared to a more traditional communication technology such as e-mail? Second, does the source, that is, the merchant or referral from peers, matter to a consumer? We build on the theoretical lens of cognitive effort (technology) and social capital (source) to theorize and empirically validate the conjectures through a real-world field experiment spanning four weeks. In terms of technology, the results indicate no significant difference in terms of the usage rate of coupons between the two technological means through which the coupons were disseminated. However, in terms of the source, we observed a higher propensity of using coupons received from a peer as compared to coupons received from a merchant. Furthermore, the forwarding rate of the discount coupons was significantly higher via e-mail as compared to SMS. Implications for research and practice are discussed

The influence of digital marketing on the choice of a fuel brand

With the advent of social platforms, digital marketing strategies have been gaining a lot of importance among companies, in order to segment and approach their target audiences and consequently improve their performance. This study aims to examine the influence of digital marketing when choosing a Fuel Brand. It presents data from a questionnaire developed for reviewing an individual’s social media habits and the most important variables in Fuel Brand choice. The research was performed utilizing various methods of analysis. To see the differences on a demographic level and compare the respondent’s results to measure social media habits, a pivot table analysis was made. A correlation matrix was built to measure the correlation between digital marketing and its predictor variables, clustering was made to differentiate the types of customers and optimize a brand’s approach towards each, and a logistic regression was made to verify if there was any underlying variable that affected the influence of digital marketing when choosing a Fuel Brand. According to the study’s results, a Fuel Brand's investment in social platforms suffers from a lack of advertising and exposure towards the benefits of actually utilizing these, meaning that if well leveraged, a Fuel Brand’s digital efforts can effectively gain them a competitive advantage.Com o desenvolvimento das plataformas digitais, as estratégias de marketing digital têm vindo a adquirir uma importância significativa em qualquer que seja a empresa, sendo vistas como uma forma de segmentar um público-alvo, e consequentemente, otimizar o seu desempenho no método de abordagem a cada. Esta pesquisa, visa examinar a influência do marketing digital na escolha da marca de combustível. Com uma demonstração de dados de um questionário, desenvolvido para rever os hábitos de comunicação social de um indivíduo e as variáveis mais importantes na escolha de uma marca de combustível, esta investigação foi realizada utilizando diversos métodos de análise. De forma a medir as diferenças a nível demográfico e comparar os resultados de um inquirido para medir os hábitos dos meios de comunicação social, foi feita uma análise de Pivot Table. Após isso, foi construída uma matriz para medir a correlação entre o marketing digital e as suas variáveis preditoras, seguido por uma segmentação para diferenciar os tipos de clientes e otimizar a abordagem de uma marca de combustível em relação a cada um deles através de uma análise de segmentação, terminando com uma regressão logística que visou verificar se existia alguma variável subjacente que afetasse diretamente a influência do marketing digital ao escolher uma marca de combustível. De acordo com os resultados do estudo, o investimento de uma marca de combustível em plataformas sociais sofre de falta de publicidade e exposição dos benefícios da sua utilização regular, significando que, os esforços digitais de uma marca de combustível, se otimizados, podem efetivamente adquirir lhes uma vantagem competitiva

Predicting mobile advertising response using consumer colocation networks

Building on results from economics and consumer behavior, the authors theorize that consumers' movement patterns are informative of their product preferences, and this study proposes that marketers monetize this information using dynamic networks that capture colocation events (when consumers appear at the same place at approximately the same time). To support this theory, the authors study mobile advertising response in a panel of 217 subscribers. The data set spans three months during which participants were sent mobile coupons from retailers in various product categories through a smartphone application. The data contain coupon conversions, demographic and psychographic information, and information on the hourly GPS location of participants and on their social ties in the form of referrals. The authors find a significant positive relationship between colocated consumers' response to coupons in the same product category. In addition, they show that incorporating consumers' location information can increase the accuracy of predicting the most likely conversions by 19%. These findings have important practical implications for marketers engaging in the fast-growing location-based mobile advertising industry

From firm-controlled to consumer-contributed: consumer co-production of personal media marketing communication

Fueled by the sociocultural shift from firm-controlled to consumer-contributed media, the researchers explore the idea of adapting a co-production strategy from service marketing to marketing communication sent to personal media. Eleven field experiments with firms, along with a structural model tested on survey data, provide empirical evidence supporting a co-production approach applied as a communication strategy in the context of a text message mobile coupon marketing campaign. The results demonstrate a co-produced direct marketing communication strategy that increases attitude toward the communication, purchase intent, and purchase activity, while also acting as a risk-reducing mechanism. Furthermore, perceived customization of the communication interacts strongly with risk perception and marginally with coupon proneness as related to attitude toward the communication when marketers enter the world of consumers' personal media. A push versus pull framework and a co-produced communication framework are put forth to suggest various areas marketers can make available for consumers to co-produce in a marketing communication exchange

Do automated digital health behaviour change interventions have a positive effect on self-efficacy? A systematic review and meta-analysis

© 2019 Taylor & Francis. This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Health Psychology Review on 20/01/2020, available online: https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2019.1705873.Self-efficacy is an important determinant of health behaviour. Digital interventions are a potentially acceptable and cost-effective way of delivering programmes of health behaviour change at scale. Whether behaviour change interventions work to increase self-efficacy in this context is unknown. This systematic review and meta-analysis sought to identify whether automated digital interventions are associated with positive changes in self-efficacy amongst non-clinical populations for five major health behaviours, and which BCTs are associated with that change. A systematic literature search identified 20 studies (n=5624) that assessed changes in self-efficacy and were included in a random effects meta-analysis. Interventions targeted: healthy eating (k=4), physical activity (k=9), sexual behaviour (k=3), and smoking (k=4). No interventions targeting alcohol use were identified. Overall, interventions had a small, positive effect on self-efficacy (푔 = 0.190, CI [0.078; 0.303]). The effect of interventions on self-efficacy did not differ as a function of health behaviour type (Qbetween = 7.3704 p = 0.061, df = 3). Inclusion of the BCT ‘information about social and environmental consequences’ had a small, negative effect on self-efficacy (Δ푔= - 0.297, Q=7.072, p=0.008). Whilst this review indicates that digital interventions can be used to change self-efficacy, which techniques work best in this context is not clear.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Forecasting the Effects of In-Store Marketing on Conversion Rates for Online Shops

As webstores usually face the issue of low conversion rates, finding ways to effectively increase them is of special interest to researchers and practitioners alike. However, to the best of our knowledge, no one has yet empirically investigated the usefulness of various in-webstore marketing tools like coupons or different types of product recommendations. By analysing clickstream data for a shoe and a bed online store, we are contributing to closing this gap. In particular, we use our present data to build more general hypotheses on how such purchasing incentives might function and on how they could be used in practice

Comparison of media selection in the U.S. and Indian advertising industries

Advertising is necessary to establish a brand and to increase the sale of the products. Media planning is an important phase of any advertising campaign. The purpose of this study was to determine the media types used in the advertising industries in India and in the U.S. Media professionals from five Indian advertising agencies and five U.S advertising agencies were interviewed to find out the media selection in both countries. The identification of media was then followed by the comparison of media selection in India and the U.S. The secondary research was carried out to find out media environment in both countries, which included information about the number of newspaper titles published, TV channels, and radio stations in both countries. The media selection depends upon different factors such as cost, geography and demographics. The secondary research was carried out to find out the differences in geography, demographics and culture between India and the U.S. The TV medium is the most important medium for advertising in both countries. Radio advertising is used in both countries but has become stagnant in India. The Internet is in its initial growing stage in India; however, in the U.S., the Internet has become the second most important medium. The major difference was found in the state of print media in India and in the U.S. In U.S., the use of print media is declining, but, in India, it is widely used for advertising. Other media types such as mobile, out-of-home, and social media are used in both countries, but the degree of the usage is different. The secondary research showed that the media environment in both countries is different. The number of newspaper titles is more in India than in the U.S. The number of TV stations is more in the U.S. than in India. The geographical area of the U.S is more than that of India, but the population in India is more than the population of the U.S. There are different ethnic groups in both countries. The literacy rate in the U.S. is more than India. There are differences in the cultures and etiquette. These factors affect the media selection and, thus, there are differences in media selection between both countries

Effective Marketing Strategies to Reach Mobile Users

Reaching users on mobile devices has never been more critical for retailers given the ubiquitous use of mobile devices. U.S. consumers who shop online are using personal computers less and mobile devices more when doing so. The purpose of this single case study was to explore mobile device marketing strategies used by retail marketing leaders to reach mobile users effectively. Rogers\u27s diffusion of innovation theory provided the conceptual framework for the study. Participants included a purposeful sample of 8 marketing managers employed by a Fortune 1000 retail organization in the Pacific Northwest. Data collected via in-person, semistructured interviews and a review of the marketing plan documents were thematically analyzed and methodically triangulated. There were 11 themes that emerged from the interviews and marketing plan document review. The results indicated that mobile marketing managers could focus their efforts on 3 of the 11 themes to reach mobile users. The 3 primary themes included getting close to their customers to learn about customers\u27 preferences, gathering and using big data in an intelligent way, and tailoring experiences by sending messages and offers at times when users are most likely to transact. Results from this study may foster positive social change by increasing profits within the organization as a result of more effective mobile device marketing strategies. The profits retailers generate through effective mobile device marketing strategies could allow them to provide additional community support through charitable donations and provide additional support through the creation of new positions within the community