Do people invest in local public goods with long-term benefits: Experimental evidence from a shanty town in Peru

This paper discusses voluntary contributions to health education in a shanty town in Peru, using a new experimental setup to identify voluntary contributions to local public goods. The experiment enables individuals to contribute to a health education meeting facilitated by an NGO, which they know will only be organised if the cumulative investment level exceeds a certain threshold value. In contrast to expectations of aid distributors, individuals contributed a substantial amount of money, despite the long-term nature of the health benefits from health education. High discount rates only seem to have had a detrimental effect on investment in a poorer subsample. Results from a complementary experiment, which identifies donations to a nutrition program, suggest that positive beliefs about short-term benefits from health education in the form of learning effects have played an important role in the investment decision. The results indicate that channelling decision-making power about public good provision to beneficiaries not necessarily implies a crowding out of investment in local public goods with long-term benefits. Hence, particular attention is given to the potential role of cash transfers in the financing of local public goods.Health education, Field Experiment, Public Good, Peru

Empowerment of campaigns and marketing actions through deep analysis

O mundo está progressivamente mais globalizado, de modo que encontramos diversas culturas a coabitar num mesmo país cada uma com diferentes características e gostos. Deste modo, o marketing no setor de moda procura impactar o máximo de pessoas possível sem diferenças em áreas e regiões do mundo num curto intervalo de tempo. Vivemos na era tecnológica onde dois segundos são suficientes para captar atenções, onde trabalhamos e vivemos online e aos poucos o hábito de comprar em lojas físicas é um ato menos recorrente. O objetivo deste estudo é investigar profundamente as diferentes ações de marketing que a Parfois, marca internacional de acessórios portuguesa, faz em loja com o propósito de melhorar vendas, valorizar a perceção da marca, aumentar o número de clientes, entre outros objetivos. A melhoria contínua das ações tomadas em espaço físico de loja nos diferentes países que a empresa atua, depende das necessidades e situação da loja em questão. Este estudo planeia analisar as promoções e tendências atuais em marketing que as marcas nesta indústria usam para atrair, constantemente, diferentes tipos de consumidores impulsionados pela moda. Os clientes querem gastar o seu dinheiro para sentir experiências, como uma viagem, ao invés de ser um consumidor de mais uma marca. O consumidor de hoje precisa de um tratamento pessoal e personalizado, da mesma forma que compra a baixo-custo. Os consumidores procuram ser envolvidos emocionalmente quando compram artigos da marca, estes querem sentir-se únicos enquanto compram. Os resultados mostram que as vendas e os visitantes em loja cresceram quando diferentes ações foram tomadas para reduzir preços ou envolver o consumidor na marca no ato da compra física.The world is increasingly globalized and different cultures can be found living in a single country each one with different characteristics and tastes. In this way, marketing in the fashion sector seeks to impact as many people as possible in a shorter time without differences in areas or regions of the world. We live in a technological world where two seconds are enough to attract attention, where we work and live online and little by little the habit of buying in a physical store is somewhat less recurrent. The purpose of this study is the further investigation of the different marketing actions that the Parfois Company, Portuguese international accessories brand, makes in store, with the aim of improving sales, brand awareness, visitors and other objectives. Daily improvement of these offline actions in all countries where the brand operates, depending on the needs and situation of that store. This study plans to analyze the current promotions and trends in marketing that the brands in this industry use to attract, constantly, different types of consumers driven by fashion. Clients want to spend their money to feel experiences, like a trip, instead of being a consumer of more than one brand. The consumer of today looks for a personal and personalized treatment in the same way that he buys at a low cost. Consumers seek to get emotionally involved when they buy a brand, they want to feel unique at the same time they buy. The results show that sales and visitors in the store increase, when different actions are carried out that reduce prices or invest the consumer with the brand in the act of offline purchases

The impact of cause related marketing on purchasing behaviour for high and low involvement purchase context : the case for diapers in Portugal

Consumers are progressively looking for the best quality-price relation in their purchase. Hence, promotions have become essential. On the other hand, shoppers aim to buy with a purpose that is aligned with their values and also fulfils their needs. Actually, consumers are more alert to company’s responsible behaviour and to their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices. This study investigates if Cause Related Marketing (CRM) campaigns, executed as part of enterprises CSR strategy, drive consumers purchase intention. To understand this, diapers category was chosen since it is heavily promoted. The investigation also discusses if CRM is an efficient strategy when opposed to promotions. Lastly, it intends to discover if brand choice differs when the purchase context is manipulated between high and low involvement. To address the objectives, qualitative research was employed and eleven interviews conducted. Key findings suggest CRM is not determinant when buying diapers. Several features are evaluated by subjects, and price is one of the most relevant - consumers are only open to pay a restricted price premium to adopt a prosocial behaviour. Moreover, CRM generates dissimilar reaction in consumers, and campaigns may be more effective in private label brands. Finally, in regards to context, CRM impacts consumers differently according to their personal beliefs.Atualmente, os consumidores procuram a melhor relação qualidade-preço aquando da compra. Assim, as promoções tornaram-se essenciais. Esperam também comprar produtos alinhados com os seus valores e que satisfaçam as suas necessidades, estando cada vez mais atentos ao comportamento responsável da empresa e às suas práticas de Responsabilidade Social Corporativa (RSC). Este estudo investiga se as campanhas de Marketing Social (MS), executadas como parte da estratégia de RSC das empresas, influenciam a escolha das fraldas que detêm alto nível promocional. Assim, questiona também se o MS é uma estratégia eficiente comparativamente às promoções. Pretende ainda descobrir se a escolha da marca difere quando o contexto de compra varia entre alto e baixo envolvimento. Os resultados de pesquisa qualitativa e onze entrevistas sugerem que o MS não é determinante na compra de fraldas. Várias características são avaliadas, sendo o preço uma das mais relevantes - os consumidores estão abertos a pagar um diferencial de preço restrito para adotar um comportamento pró-social. Adicionalmente, o MS gera reações díspares, e os resultados sugerem que as campanhas podem ser mais eficazes em marcas próprias. A perceção de MS do consumidor difere consoante o contexto. Os resultados indicam que os consumidores reagem de maneira diferente, i.e., conforme as suas crenças

ESSAYS ON NUDGING CUSTOMERS’ BEHAVIORS: EVIDENCE FROM ONLINE GROCERY SHOPPING AND CROWDFUNDING

The dissertation consists of three essays that employ predictive analytics, structural modeling techniques and field experiments to understand and nudge customers’ behaviors in two types of online engagement platforms. The first one is customers’ purchase behaviors in an online grocery store and the other is customer’ contribution behaviors in a reward-based crowdfunding platform. In both contexts, we study how to actively nudge their behaviors. In Chapter 2, we investigates how, when dealing with products that are available in limited quantities, customers may be nudged to purchase them. Specifically, our main problem is to identify targeted customers to receive the limited number of coupons. We develop a Support Vector Machines (SVM) based approach to rank order customers. We conduct a field experiment in an online grocery store to evaluate how well the identified customers are nudged through information and/or couponing. We find that, in terms of the successful nudges, our SVM-based approach performed better than other approaches

RESEARCH AND ADVERTISING DECISIONS IN AN OPEN ECONOMY: THE CASE OF COLOMBIAN MILDS COFFEE

Research and advertising investment both offer the potential to increase producer surplus. A model is developed that includes applied research and generic advertising with the aim of measuring marginal and optimal returns from each. While applicable to specific firm behavior, the model is applied to data from the world coffee market, with particular focus on Kenyan and Colombian producer groups.Marketing, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

How can corporate social responsibility campaigns enhance marketing strategies : LIDL’s approach

The present study pretends to expose and clarify one of the main controversial issues and challenges of marketing these days: the implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility campaigns to achieve better commercial figures. How it is ethical perceived by consumers and how can it be built in order to be perceived as a win-win situation for both parties: corporation and consumers. This topic came as a result of a reflection about these matters that followed an internship in the referred corporation: Lidl & CIA. Lidl’s “Goodness Gang 2014” campaign was analyzed carefully, being the core example of this project for its success in terms of sales and social goals. Due to the lack of statistics given by the company, a quantitative metric and a survey were created to better analyze consumers’ response to it.O presente estudo tem como principal objetivo expor e clarificar um dos assuntos e desafios mais controversos do Marketing nos dias que correm: A implementação de campanhas de Responsabilidade Social para atingir melhores metas de vendas. Como é que esta questão é eticamente interpretada pelos consumidores e como pode ser trabalhada de forma a ser percebida como uma situação positiva para ambos os lados envolvidos: a empresa e os seus consumidores. Este tópico resulta duma reflexão acerca da referida matéria, após um estágio curricular na empresa em questão: Lidl & CIA. A campanha do Lidl “Gang dos Frescos 2014” foi analisada pormenorizadamente, sendo o principal exemplo deste projeto pelo seu sucesso em termos de objectivos comerciais e sociais. Devido à falta de estatísticas disponibilizadas pela empresa em causa, um método quantitativo bem como um questionário foram criados para melhor analisar a reação dos consumidores à referida campanha

How to reach out to more customers through Facebook: a case study for Captain's Shop

In the last 10 years internet usage has grown rapidly and people spend a considerable amount of time using search engines, reading newspapers, and connecting with friends and family online. The use of social media has increased considerably as well. Facebook, as the biggest social media network, has grown in the past six years to become a significant advertising channel for companies with over 750 million daily users. The purpose of this thesis is to help Captain’s Shop use the social network webpage Facebook to access more customers, both new and old. The study was executed during the end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013. A qualitative re-search method was used including two interviews with employees of the company, in which the same questionnaire was used for both interviewees. In addition to interviews, literature related to the subject was used. This literature was written by experts in this field. The thesis was conducted as a case study of Captain’s Shop. As an employee of the company the author had access to all necessary internal information and benefited from informal discussions with other employees as well as personal experiences. The results of the case study affirmed the need to advertise more through Facebook and it is recommended that the company implements the advertisement campaign

Communication plan of Sonae Sierra´s gift card surprise

JEL: M30, M31, M37, M39The purpose of this master's thesis was the development of a Communication Plan for the Surprise Gift Card, a product that will soon be launched by the Sonae Sierra Company. After a thorough evaluation of the financial trends of the Gift Vouchers sales (B2B and B2C), the company found that it was necessary to replace the current voucher for the card format and, at this moment, it is in development the future Surprise Gift Card (B2C model). With respect to the product Surprise, it is facing a problem of seasonality and its degree of notoriety in the market is very low compared with other competitors. Given this situation, this present communication plan will have two main objectives: to enhance brand awareness and increase purchase intention of the brand in the target audience. To support the plan it was necessary to conduct a profound analysis of the external and internal environment to the product Surprise, using primary and secondary data, which allowed reaching a set of insights and conclusions. Therefore, the Surprise Gift Card communication plan drawn up for one year, consisted of a large range of promotional activities and brand activations, as well as, in combining different communication tools in order to create an integrated and effective plan, taking into account the proposed goals.O propósito desta tese de mestrado consistiu no desenvolvimento de um Plano de Comunicação para o Cartão Presente Surprise, um produto que brevemente será lançado pela empresa Sonae Sierra. Na sequência de uma profunda análise das vendas do negócio dos Cheques-Prenda (B2B e B2C), a empresa considerou necessário proceder à substituição do atual cheque-prenda para o formato cartão e, neste momento encontra-se em desenvolvimento o futuro Cartão Presente Surprise (modelo B2C). No que diz respeito ao produto Surprise, o mesmo depara-se com um problema de sazonalidade, além de que o seu grau notoriedade no mercado é muito baixo, comparativamente com outros concorrentes. Perante esta situação, o presente plano de comunicação terá dois principais objetivos: aumentar o reconhecimento da marca e aumentar a intenção de compra da marca por parte da audiência alvo. Para suportar o plano foi necessário proceder a uma profunda análise do ambiente externo e interno ao produto Surprise, utilizando dados primários e secundários, que permitiram chegar a um conjunto de perceções (insights) e conclusões. Deste modo, o plano de comunicação elaborado para o Cartão Presente Surprise durante um ano, consistiu numa diversificação de ações promocionais e ativações de marca, bem como na combinação das diferentes ferramentas de comunicação de forma a criar um plano integrado e eficaz, tendo em conta os objetivos propostos

The integrative effects of promotion attributes : implications for effective promotion design

Promotion attributes, such as giveaways, time limitation and exclusivity, are commonly studied separately. Previous studies may focus on how individual attributes (e.g. time pressure or price discounts) affect sales, but seldom consider the integrative effect of them. As individual attributes are often found to have a bilateral effect (both positive and negative) on sales, in this thesis, we explore how different attributes can be aligned with each other and integrated with different level of brand strength according to fit logic. That is how promotion elicits sales and generates word-of-mouth impact in terms of the configuration of promotional attributes and brand strength. We conduct a field study of 625 online promotion campaigns and discover several effective configurations of promotion attributes through qualitative comparative analysis (QCA). Based on the configurations we have found, we hypothesize that strong brands should adopt non-monetary promotion, while weak brands should adopt monetary promotion; exclusivity and time limitation should be kept mutually exclusive in a single promotion for sales stimulation. Three experiments are designed to test these hypotheses. Focusing on the integrative effect of promotional attributes allows researchers to have a holistic view of causally relevant conditions for designing an effective promotion. This study has important theoretical implications that can facilitate marketers’ understanding and predictions of deal recipients’ responses to promotions