Social media in marketing research : Theoretical bases, methodological aspects, and thematic focus

The widespread use of social media as a marketing tool during the last decade has been responsible for attracting a significant volume of academic research, which, however, can be described as highly fragmented to yield clear directions and insights. We systematically synthesize and critically evaluate extant knowledge of social media marketing extracted from 418 articles published during the period 2009–2021. In doing so, we use an organizing framework focusing on five key areas of social media marketing research, namely, social media as a promotion and selling outlet, social media as a communication and branding channel, social media as a monitoring and intelligence source, social media as a customer relationship management and value cocreation platform, and social media as a general marketing and strategic tool. Within each of these areas, we provide important theoretical, methodological, and thematic insights, as well as future research directions. We also offer useful managerial implications derived from the articles reviewed.© 2022 The Authors. Psychology & Marketing published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

The Role of Exporters’ Emotional Intelligence in Building Foreign Customer Relationships

Despite the critical importance of emotional intelligence in effectively interacting with other people, its role has been overlooked in scholarly research on cross-border interorganizational relationships. Drawing on Emotion Regulation Theory, we propose a model that conceptualizes links among exporters’ emotional intelligence, key behavioral dimensions characterizing the atmosphere of the relationship with import buyers, and the resulting relational performance. We test the model with data collected from 262 Greek exporters using structural equation modeling. The results indicate that higher levels of exporter emotional intelligence enhances communication and social bonding with the importer, while diminishing distance and conflict in their working relationship. Relational performance is positively influenced by communication and social bonding, but negatively affected by distance and conflict. The results also reveal the moderating effect of both opportunism and interpartner incompatibility on the association between the exporter’s emotional intelligence and the behavioral atmosphere of the relationship with import buyers

The impact of proximity on consumer fair trade engagement and purchasing behavior : the moderating role of empathic concern and hypocrisy

The article reports the findings of an empirical study among consumers, regarding the impact of physical, social, and psychological proximity on their engagement to the fair trade idea and purchasing behavior. Based on a random sample of 211 British and 112 Indian consumers and using structural equation modeling, it was found that high levels of physical, social, and psychological proximity leads to high consumer fair trade engagement. Moreover, consumer fair trade engagement was confirmed to have a positive impact on fair trade purchasing behavior. Furthermore, consumer empathic concern was found to positively moderate the association between proximity and consumer fair trade engagement, while the opposite was true with regard to consumer hypocrisy. Finally, consumer nationality was found to have a control effect on physical, social, and psychological proximity, with the latter felt stronger among Indian, as opposed to British consumers

Assessing the greenness of environmental advertising claims made by multinational industrial firms

Growing skepticism about green advertisements calls for a thorough investigation of the environmental claims made by firms. This is particularly important in the context of industrial and international markets, where research on the subject is virtually non-existent. By employing legitimacy theory, this article develops several research hypotheses linking various dimensions of environmental claims made in green advertisements (i.e., focal points, evaluation areas, leverage aspects, driving forces) with advertising greenness (i.e., shallow, moderate, deep). It then tests these hypotheses with data obtained from a content analysis of 383 green magazine advertisements by multinational firms producing industrial goods. In accord with legitimacy theory, the results indicate that, the stronger the greenness of an advertisement: (a) the greater the use of focal points relating to a product, processes, image, and facts; (b) the more specific, strong, substantive, and acceptable are the issues raised; (c) the higher the employment of rational, emotional, and moral points to leverage environmental matters; and (d) the sharper the driving forces relating to the planet and its flora, fauna, and human entities. Several important conclusions, managerial implications, and directions for future research are derived from these findings

Antecedents and outcomes of consumer environmentally friendly attitudes and behaviour

With the intensification of problems relating to the environment, a growing number of consumers are becoming more ecologically conscious in their preferences and purchases of goods. This paper presents the results of a study conducted among 500 Cypriot consumers, focusing on the factors that shape consumer environmental attitudes and behaviour, as well as on the resulting outcomes. The findings confirmed that both the inward and outward environmental attitudes of a consumer are positively influenced by his/her degree of collectivism, long-term orientation, political involvement, deontology, and law obedience, but have no connection with liberalism. The adoption of an inward environmental attitude was also found to be conducive to green purchasing behaviour that ultimately leads to high product satisfaction. On the other hand, an outward environmental attitude facilitates the adoption of a general environmental behaviour, which is responsible for greater satisfaction with life. The findings of the study have important implications for shaping effective company offerings to consumers in target markets, as well as formulating appropriate policies at the governmental level to enhance environmental sensitivity among citizens

Personality traits, consumer animosity, and foreign product avoidance: The moderating role of individual cultural characteristics

Although personality and cultural traits were found to be important predictors or moderators of consumer attitudes and behavior, their relationship to consumer animosity has not yet been studied. This article reports the findings of a study conducted among 606 Ukrainian consumers, aiming to identify personality drivers and behavioral outcomes of consumer animosity, as well as the moderating role of cultural characteristics. Structural equation modeling revealed that extraversion and conscientiousness have a negative effect on consumer animosity, while neuroticism and openness are positively associated with this feeling. However, no significant relationship was observed between animosity and agreeableness. In turn, consumer animosity was found to influence product avoidance, with this association becoming stronger in the case of consumers with higher levels of power distance, uncertainty avoidance, collectivism, and masculinity. The study also showed that male and educated consumers are more likely to harbor animosity toward a hostility-evoking country, while age and income had no control effect on animosity. Several implications for theory and practice are derived from the study findings, and directions for future research are provided

Factors Stimulating Export Business: An Empirical Investigation

The article reports the findings of an empirical investigation into the export stimulation behavior of Cypriot manufacturers. The study revealed that the thrust of the motivation originated from internal and proactive forces, in contrast to the findings of earlier research. Export stimuli were categorized into eight conceptually meaningful groups using factor analysis, with managerial and enterprise competence being the most significant stimulus. Overall, both organizational and internationalization parameters had a weak discriminating effect on the emerging stimulating factors; however, some of these parameters exhibited a significant differentiating role in relation to certain export stimuli. Several conclusions are extracted from the findings, and directions for future research are indicated

Factors affecting the decision to purchase from third world manufacturers: The British experience

The article focuses on the decision of importers based in developed countries to purchase their goods from developing countries. The factors which influence this decision were classified into price-related, non-price related and mixed. Twenty-one British importers buying from Cypriot suppliers provided the research sample. The results of the study showed that the import decision was influenced by an amalgamation of both price and non-price considerations, where the latter had greater priority compared to the former. "Good value for money", a mixed stimulus, was unaminously declared to be the primary input in this decision. Certain implications for developing country-based suppliers stemmed from the research findings: the need to shift the base of their export strategy from cost-price factors to non-price considerations, to improve their image in the "service" area, to enhance their ability to execute large orders and to take more active participation in marketing their products abroad.