Engaging Consumers Through Branded Smartphone Applications: A Study of Self-Congruenvy and Customer Brand Engagement

Recent development in mobile technology provides marketers with the opportunity to further connect with customers. The aim of this research is to examine the influence of brand-self fit on customer brand engagement, thus provide a better understanding of how consumers are influenced by branded smartphone applications. Relevant literature on brand-self fit and customer brand engagement is reviewed to build a conceptual framework describing the role of smartphone branded applications upon which propositions are developed

The importance of service quality in British Muslim’s choice of an Islamic or non-Islamic bank account

Using an extended SERVQUAL model, this study identifies and compares the importance of service quality to Muslim consumers with an Islamic or non-Islamic bank account in a non-Muslim country, Britain. Eight group discussions and survey with 300 Muslims were conducted. Five dimensions of service quality were identified, i.e. Responsiveness, Credibility, Islamic Tangibles, Accessibility and Reputation. These differ in structure and content from the original SERVQUAL developed in the west and the subsequent CARTER model constructed in a Muslim country. In addition, significant differences were found in the importance rating of items by respondents holding an account with an Islamic bank compared to those with a non-Islamic bank account. This study is one of the first to identify and compare the importance of service quality between Islamic and non-Islamic bank account holders in a western non-Muslim country. The results advance our understanding of the impact of culture on SERVQUAL. The study provides insight into Muslims’ bank choice and helps bank managers of both Islamic and non-Islamic banks to focus their attention on the service quality dimensions that matter most to Muslim customers

The effectiveness of art venue sponsorship: An attribution perspective

There are few guidelines regarding the relative effectiveness of different types of art event sponsorship. Based on two experimental designs, this study investigates whether high art or popular art event sponsorship is most effective in improving sponsorship programme evaluation, the credibility of the sponsor and intentions to purchase the sponsor's products. In addition, the effect of the type of art event (ie high versus popular art) on sponsorship effectiveness is examined across different degrees of congruence between the event and the sponsor. With respect to the image of the sponsor, the results show that when the commercial intent of the sponsor is explicit, it is more appropriate to sponsor a popular event than a high art event, whereas the opposite is true when commercial intent is more subtle. Regarding consumers' intention to purchase the sponsor's products, however, sponsoring a high art event leads to better results than sponsoring a popular event in all cases. Managerial implications and directions for further research are discussed on the basis of these results

On ‘being there’ a comparison of the effectiveness of sporting event sponsorship among direct and indirect audiences

© Emerald Group Publishing Limited. The purpose of this paper is to assess the effectiveness of feld sponsorship through sponsor recall and recognition across two environments that differ on the degree of felt presence they trigger among viewers: on-site and television. A series of research hypotheses concerning the interaction effects of viewing environment, event – sponsor congruence and arousal intensity were developed. Design/methodology/approach – To test the effect of the viewing environment, a feld experiment was conducted where 44 ice hockey fans attended a professional ice hockey game in the local team’s arena, whereas 44 others saw the same game, at the same time, on television. The participants were randomly assigned to one of the two game viewing conditions. Findings – A higher level of arousal was detrimental to sponsor identifcation in a manner consistent with the intensity of the processing principle according to which arousal polarizes attention resources on the arousing stimulus (the event) while diverting resources away from the peripheral stimuli (the sponsors). In addition, because the event congruent sponsors are more superfcially processed in comparison with the incongruent ones, this negative impact was more pronounced in the former group. This was qualifed by a three-way interaction with the type of environment; the on-site, direct, audience was less affected by the processing intensity principle and exhibited better recall and recognition than the television audience as arousal and congruency increased, whereas, at lower levels of arousal, higher event – sponsor congruence hampered on-site sponsor identifcation in comparison with television. Research limitations/implications – The fndings were obtained in the context of a single sports event; additional studies need to be conducted using different sports. In addition, the comparison of on-site audience with other types of media audiences (e.g. on-line broadcasting) is warranted. Practical implications – Arousal intensity results from the game’s drama, which is a function of game importance and game outcome uncertainty. Hence, except for low-stakes games (e.g. pre-season matches, exhibitions), initiatives that promote a leveled playing feld such as salary cap, fnancial fair play and open leagues are likely to jeopardize sponsor identifcation, particularly for congruent sponsors. With respect to the impact of the viewing environment, congruent sponsors should reap superior benefts from the television audience when the stakes are low. However, when the stakes are high, their benefts will accrue to a greater extent from on-site spectators. Originality/value – This is the frst study to offer a rigorous comparison of sponsorship’s impact on direct (on-site) versus indirect (television) audiences through a feld experiment. This is also the frst research to provide a framework based on the processing intensity principle that encompasses predictions related to arousal and its interaction with event – sponsor congruence and the viewin

When the decision ball keeps rolling: An investigation of the Sisyphus effect among maximizing consumers

Decision-making, Involvement, Maximizers, Choice, Satisfaction, Retail,