Intersecting inequalities in higher education: reaching out to LGBT-identified students on universities marketing communications

The marketisation of higher education has led to increasing emphasis on universities to market themselves to prospective students, competitions among all institutions – not just the very best to attract perspective students. Previous studies has suggested that educational qualifications, geographical mobility and financial considerations affects students choice of Universities and more likely universities will be presenting these information to attract prospective students. This research goes outside these conventional marketing appeal to consider if sexual orientation of students are considered as an advertising appeal and reaching out to prospective LGBT students, after all in the same vein as the Guardian and Times Higher Education Ranking of Universities, Stonewall, a UK charity that works for the equal rights of LGBT people, compiles the ‘Gay by Degree’ ranking of universities in UK, rating how gay-friendly these universities are. Results indicated that unlike disability or race, sexual orientation is seldom considered in University marketing communication, suggesting the need to intersect this inequalities in higher education recruitment

Emotional appeals in UK banks’ print advertisement

“A thesis submitted to the University of Bedfordshire, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy”The unprecedented turbulence and uncertainty experienced in global economic and financial markets because of the ―credit crunch‖ has had a damaging impact on consumer confidence. Trust and credibility have been eroded as many customers feel let down by the banks suggesting the need for banks to rebuild constructive dialogue and long-term, meaningful relationships with their customers again. Though financial service, in this case, is considered a utilitarian service, based on the fact that money is needed to support people‘s daily activities, the present state of financial service has suggested the need for banks to appeal to consumers‘ emotions with the aim of improving their reputation. Also, the competition within the industry also could suggest the need to adopt an emotionally appealing advertisement strategy as emotions are known to play an influential role in building robust brand preference. This study builds on the communication theory, meaning transfer theory and consumer involvement theory, to understand the messages the banks are sending out and to elicit consumers‘ emotional reaction. One thousand, two hundred and seventy-four UK bank advertisements in nine national newspapers were content-analysed to identify the emotional appeals presented by the banks. The perception of these appeals and their associated meanings were sought through semi-structured interviews with 33 participants in London and Luton. The results of the analysis indicated that UK Banks are utilising emotional appeal in their advertisements to reach out to the consumers to convince them to upgrade their account, to open an additional account or switch their account. The most predominantly used appeals were relief and relaxation followed by excitement and happiness or satisfaction with the bank, and finally, security and adventure. However, variations were found in different financial products that employed emotional appeals. It was found that high-involvement products such as mortgages and loans used fewer emotional appeals. Both bank groups - high street banks, including the big four (Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds and RBS) and non-high street banks, such as the new entrants, supermarket brands, and online banks were using emotional appeals. However, it is acknowledged that the communication strategies between these banks could be different as the non-high street banks are more likely to repeat and publish the same messages across many newspapers, instead of publishing different emotionally appealing advertisements. Though consumers acknowledged these emotional appeals in the advertisements, they were more concerned about their relationship with the banks as they don‘t rely on advertisements to make a financial decision. Rather, recommendations from families, friends and associates and also branch location are more important when deciding on which bank to choose. The lack of congruency between financial services and emotional appeals in advertisements is also observed as customers are more likely to be persuaded by rational appeals however this study has not completely ruled out emotional appeals in bank advertisements as the use of both types of appeals is recommended. The study provides important theoretical and managerial contributions to understanding how the consumers understand meaning-embedded advertisements produced by the banks. Managers will be able to consider the implications of advertisements in enhancing their brand equity and building relationships with customers in anticipation that, by word of the mouth and established relationship, their bank‘s reputation will be enhanced. Limitations of the study and opportunities for future research are identified

Consumers’ Financial Vulnerability when accessing Financial Services

The concept of vulnerability denotes the conflict between the resources available to an individual and the challenges they face in life. Due to personal characterisers and market structures, some consumers are made financially vulnerable, which makes it difficult to access the formal financial system such as having a bank account or credit facilities. This paper presents a conceptual explanation of consumers’ financial vulnerability when accessing financial services. It explores the two broad categories of consumer vulnerability and the barriers they present to accessing financial services. This conceptual framework recognises the role of governmental financial policy, financial technology from banks, and consumers’ financial education in overcoming these barriers and making financial services inclusive

Equitable active transport for female cyclists

This study addresses the call for new insights to improve equity in active transportation systems by exploring the experiences of female cyclists in Lagos, Nigeria. Qualitative data were collected and triangulated from three different sources – four weeks of ethnographic fieldwork, which involved riding with and observing female cyclists and observing the built environment, semi-structured interviews with 21 female cyclists and street intercepts with 61 female participants across various locations in the city. These data were thematically analysed to establish the social, socio-demographics and spatial disparities concerning female cyclists. The study identifies socio-demographic background, accessibility, and infrastructures as some challenges. However, cycling clubs and charities supporting girl cyclists were recognised as initiatives to encourage equitable active transportation and for raising awareness about the social, health and environmental benefits of cycling. The study also presents theoretical and practical implications that can influence the planning, development, and management of equitable active transportation, calling on stakeholders to adopt a place-centred approach for active transport development

Making the brand appealing: advertising strategies and consumers’ attitude towards UK retail bank brands

Purpose: The present state of the financial services industry suggests the need for banks to appeal to consumers’ emotions with the aim of improving their reputation; this study aims to explore how UK banks are using emotional appeals in their advertisements and how this shapes consumers’ attitudes towards their brands. Design/methodology/approach: Qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis in a two-stage study – Study 1 analysed the content of 1,274 UK bank advertisements to understand how the banks convey emotional appeals, whereas Study 2 elicited consumers’ perceptions of these advertising appeals and how they influenced their attitudes through semi-structured interview with 33 UK retail bank customers in London and Luton. Findings: UK banks are using emotional appeals in their marketing communication strategies. The qualitative findings highlight the bi-dimensional nature of feelings towards the advertisements and how this relates to the brand. There is a lacklustre attitude towards the brands; there was no sense of pride in associating with any bank, even with though there are possibilities of switching; and consumers feel there is no better offer elsewhere as all banks are the same. Practical implications: Bank brands should present distinct values about their services to the target audience, endeavour to build relationships with existing customers and reward loyalty. Importantly, financial brands need to engage in and highlight charitable activities and any corporate social responsibility as this can help to improve consumers’ attitudes as they often consider bank brands greedy and selfish. Originality/value: Qualitative research methodology was adopted to better understand consumers’ attitudes towards UK retail bank brands

How are we tempted into debt? Emotional appeals in loan advertisements in UK newspapers

Purpose: This study examined the use of emotional appeals in advertisements for loans and explored consumers’ perceptions of advertisements featuring such appeals in order to explore how emotional meanings are transferred to consumers via advertising. Design/methodology/approach: Study 1 employed content analysis to examine the use of emotional appeals in loan advertisements. Over 2900 editions of eight British newspapers were monitored for advertisements for loans containing emotional appeals. Study 2 employed 33 semi-structured interviews to explore consumers’ perceptions of emotional appeals in loan advertisements. Findings: Loans were positioned as services providing relief, security, and excitement. The use of negative emotional appeals such as guilt, fear, and sorrow was sporadic. Loans that carried the most risk were advertised with positive emotional appeals the most frequently. Five dimensions of perceptions of emotional loan advertisements were conceptualised from the reported data in Study 2. Originality: This is the first study in the UK to examine the use of emotional appeals in loan advertising and to explore consumers’ perceptions of loan advertisements featuring emotional appeals. The study identified five dimensions of perceptions of emotional appeals

How we are tempted into debt: emotional appeals in loan advertising in UK newspapers

The purpose of this study is to examine the use of emotional appeals in loan advertisements and compare it to the use of emotional appeals in savings advertisements. A content analysis of 304 advertisements from nine UK newspapers revealed that the most frequently used emotional appeals in loan advertisements are the following positive emotional appeals: relief, security, and excitement. The use of negative emotional appeals such as guilt, fear, and sorrow was sporadic. Loan advertisements featured more appeals than savings advertisements. Further research will focus on analysing tag lines and images featured in the sample advertisements, and exploring consumers’ responses to, and their understanding of emotional appeals in those advertisements