Content and Feedback Analysis of YouTube Videos: Football Clubs and Fans as Brand Communities

The use of Web 2.0 tools has been transforming the interaction between companies and their clients, especially for those that are selling emotional products. Consumers are generating and sharing contents concerning their favourite products on the web. Even if this process has been widely acknowledged, only a few studies have been specifically devoted to the analysis of both the contents and the feedback the consumers receive from other users. This article analyzes the online presence of sport brands through contents that are generated by sport clubs (official contents) and their fans (User Generated Content, UGC) on YouTube. After a description and classification of video contents, it examines the factors that influence the performance of the videos in terms of passive (videos views) and active behaviour (any kinds of interaction with videos) among the viewers. In order to carry out this analysis, 125 YouTube channels were considered thereby accounting for a total of 375 videos. Results show that official contents are those preferred by the users/consumers and that if the video displays a passive/purely informative content, the chance of getting an active behaviour from the users tends to decrease. These findings may help companies manage their online presence, creating awareness about contents and information that should be spread and shared on the web

The country of brand communication in the retail setting: An analysis of Italian products in China

The aim of this paper is to investigate the role of country of brand (COB) communication within the retail environment of emerging markets. Drawing from the literature on store image, we developed a framework to analyse static and dynamic elements of COB communication. By adopting an inductive approach, we analysed COB use in a sample of 20 stores of Italian fashion brands in China using the mystery shopping technique. Given the increasing growth of e-retailing in China, the in-store observation is complemented by an analysis of the use of COB within the brand's local website and e-commerce page. In order to have a multi-layered representation of the phenomenon, in-depth interviews with managers of Italian firms in fashion industry are carried out. Findings confirm that retailing represents a primary communication channel for firms operating in China; however, the results of the participant observation show that COB is a cue information utilised only by a small percentage of the sample, mainly in a textual and iconic way. Managerial implications are discussed on the extent to which COB communication in store should be managed within an effective marketing strategy in line with the country and consumer characteristics in order to enhance the brand image in a growing market like China

The relationship between brand constructs and motivational patterns in crowdfunding decisions

Crowdfunding (CF) platforms are emerging as new source of resources to support either business or not-for-profit entrepreneurial projects. This phenomenon has received increasing attention by academic scholars. One of the most important existing streams of literature is the one of backers’ motivations. To the best of our knowledge, no study has so far considered the possible role of brand constructs in backers’ funding decisions. This is due to the typical CF setting, where project proponents usually don’t have a strong brand to rely on and backers have no significant reason to feel emotionally connected to a given CF platform. However, the scenario is changing: companies and other organizations seem to be increasingly intrigued by the idea of using CF as a marketing tool. We aim to deepen our understanding of this very recent phenomenon by analyzing a special empirical setting, which is the one of CF platforms created by Universities to fund (above all) their scientific research projects. These projects have mostly to do with the progress and well-being of society, so we should expect more of other-oriented reasons for funding. Nevertheless, since all the stakeholders of a given University (starting from students) could have strong reasons to conceive themselves as “in-groups” we expect this can affect the CF intention (as a brand supportive behavior) as well as the reasons behind it

The relationship between brand constructs and motivational patterns in crowdfunding decisions. Evidence from university crowdfunding

Purpose: This study aims to expand the existing body of knowledge on crowdfunding (CF) motivational patterns with special reference to intangible factors, which most scholars assume to be the most important ones, especially in non-investment-based CF. The purpose is to understand how the presence of an established brand in a CF campaign can affect backers’ funding choices and the reasons behind them. To this end, the authors combine principles from identification, brand relationship and self-determination theories. Design/methodology/approach: The authors considered the (altruistic in nature) domain of CF for social causes as the most widespread type of branded CF and chose the relevant empirical setting of “research CF” run by universities which seem to be more and more interested in connecting branding and fundraising efforts through the active involvement of their “relational circles”. Accordingly, the authors surveyed an extensive sample of students as a primary stakeholder group of potentially engaged backers from one of the first Italian universities to launch a CF program and used structural equation modelling to test the research hypotheses. Findings: The authors found that, despite the CF domain considered, the choices made by backers (counterintuitively, women, in particular) manifest themselves as mostly self-oriented. This is partly explained by brand identification, which fully mediates the effect of brand pride and partially mediates the effect of brand respect (BR) on funding intention. Moreover, BR also directly drives CF choices. Originality/value: This study portrays a remarkably different CF playground compared with conventional campaigns for both project proponents and backers with several theoretical and managerial implications

Pedagogia speciale in Europa. Problematiche e stato della ricerca

Il testo offre al lettore una panoramica sulla diffusione della Pedagogia speciale nei diversi Paesi europei, risultato di una ricerca che dura da pi\uf9 anni e che si \ue8 estesa a diversi Paesi dell\u2019area europea. Ne emerge un quadro complesso e variegato di fatti e fattori implicanti la nascita e lo sviluppo della Pedagogia speciale, riguardanti sia il miglioramento delle condizioni di vita delle persone con disabilit\ue0 e la promozione della ricerca in educazione speciale, sia la diffusione dei processi d\u2019integrazione scolastica e lo sviluppo di politiche di inclusione sociale. Insieme alla ricchezza e all\u2019estensione dei significati attribuiti alla Pedagogia speciale nei diversi Paesi europei, si evidenzia la ricchezza e l\u2019estensione dei campi d\u2019azione e di indagine in cui si esprimono con forza e convinzione gli studi e le attivit\ue0 di coloro che la rappresentano e ne diffondono l\u2019insegnamento. Nella prima parte del testo sono presentati al lettore i percorsi di sviluppo della Pedagogia speciale nei diversi Paesi europei presi in considerazione nell\u2019ambito della ricerca. L\u2019attenzione degli autori, in questo caso, \ue8 consistita nell\u2019individuare e presentare lo sviluppo dell\u2019educazione speciale nel contesto storico, sociale e politico del singolo Paese. Il lavoro di ricerca \ue8 il risultato di indagini effettuate su testi \u2013 per lo pi\uf9 in lingua originale - ma anche sul campo, riportando gli esiti dei numerosi viaggi di studio grazie ai quali si \ue8 avuto modo di accedere alle fonti ed incontrare personalmente autori e studiosi di Pedagogia speciale di Spagna, Regno Unito, Polonia, Francia, Belgio, Svizzera, Germania, Austria, Danimarca e Italia. Nella seconda parte del testo viene presentata un\u2019analisi di pedagogia comparativa riguardante la Pedagogia speciale nei diversi Paesi in cui si \ue8 svolta la ricerca. Si tratta del prezioso contributo di uno dei massimi esperti italiani della disciplina. A questo studio se ne aggiunge un altro, sempre di tipo comparativo, realizzato da uno studente con disabilit\ue0 che presenta e fa conoscere al lettore la tipologia dei servizi messi a disposizione per gli studenti disabili nelle universit\ue0 europee. L\u2019opera si conclude con un\u2019analisi del curatore riguardante \u201cProblematiche e stato della ricerca in Pedagogia speciale in Europa\u201d. Il lavoro pone in evidenza luci ed ombre degli attuali sviluppi della disciplina nel contesto della costruzione di un\u2019Europa in cui, dialogo tra studiosi e collaborazioni scientifiche stentano ancora a decollare. Non mancano riferimenti a quelle che potrebbero essere possibili soluzioni e prospettive. Oltre che per i tanti cultori della materia, il testo pu\uf2 essere utile a coloro che desiderano effettuare una specie di itinerario guidato alla scoperta delle origini e degli sviluppi dell\u2019attenzione educativa nei confronti della persona con disabilit\ue0