Customer Engagement: Perceived Benefits and Effect of Individual and Brand Personality on Engagement Behaviors

Customer engagement has been defined as “the customer’s behavioral manifestations that have a brand or firm focus, beyond purchase, resulting from motivational drivers” (van Doorn et al. 2010, p. 254). The term is often used to refer to creating experiences that allow companies to build deeper, more meaningful and sustainable interactions with their customers (The Economist 2007). While practitioners have been very interested in customer engagement as it is believed to lead to loyalty, academic interest toward customer engagement as a separate construct has been somewhat limited (van Doorn et al. 2010). This research extends the literature on customer engagement by looking at internal and external motivational factors driving engagement and by showing that individual and brand characteristics affect consumer inclination to engage. This dissertation consists of two essays. Essay 1 presents a typology of customer engagement behaviors based on perceived motivational benefits driving those behaviors. This typology will be useful to marketers as it outlines important benefits derived from engaging in an extensive list of engagement behaviors and suggests how to motivate groups of behaviors based on salient benefits. In addition, the typology can be extended to new social media networks which may become available in the future. Further, understanding what motivational benefits are important for different groups of behaviors is key in order to encourage desired engagement behaviors. Essay 2 examines the effect of individual and brand personality on customer engagement. In particular, we explore how individual attachment style impacts one’s likelihood to engage with brands. We also study whether consumer perceptions of the brand as sincere or exciting affect customer engagement and brand attachment. Further, we examine the role of brand familiarity on the relationship between brand personality, attachment style, and engagement. Essay 1 draws upon the Uses and Gratifications Framework (Blumler and Katz 1974; Katz et al. 1974) which has been used to explain various engagement behaviors including participation in virtual communities, social networking, and blogs (Raacke and Bonds-Raacke 2008). We apply this framework to understand a wider range of customer engagement behaviors. In addition, we extend the four benefits comprising the framework (cognitive, social integrative, personal integrative, and hedonic), to include an additional type of benefit — economic benefits. This essay contributes to the theory on customer engagement by creating a typology of engagement behaviors. Currently, marketers are concerned with increasing engagement as a whole, but due to the broad scope of this construct, it might be more effective to target specific clusters of engagement behaviors instead. Essay 2 examines the effect of individual and brand personality on customer engagement behaviors. This essay makes three primary theoretical contributions. First, it begins to shed light on what are some of the personality characteristics differentiating engaged consumers. In particular, this essay shows that consumers with secure attachment styles tend to be more engaged than consumers with anxious attachment styles. Second, this research also contributes to the literature on brand relationships: we explore whether the way consumers relate to others mirrors the way they relate to brands. Last, to our knowledge, the effect of brand personality on customer engagement has not been examined. This essay has several managerial implications. First, it helps marketers identify personality characteristics that differentiate consumers that are more likely to engage. In addition, this essay also identifies some important brand characteristics that draw consumers to engage. This dissertation is one of the first attempts to use an integrative approach toward examining online customer engagement behaviors. Previous studies have either focused on one specific behavior or have conceptually discussed customer engagement. In this research, we create a typology of customer engagement by categorizing the different engagement behaviors on the basis of their perceived benefits. By classifying an extensive list of engagement behaviors with respect to their perceived motivational benefits, we create a nuanced typology of engagement behaviors which contributes to the theory on customer engagement. We also show that individual attachment style and brand personality affect customer engagement. In particular, we show that consumers with secure attachment style are more likely to engage with brands compared to consumers with anxious attachment style. Last, this research shows that brand familiarity is an important factor affecting engagement especially for consumers who have anxious attachment style

Internet killed the radio star?

Radio airplay is still a popular direct-to-consumer (DTC) channel for music products. In this paper, we investigate the effect of radio airplay on album sales, mediated by consumer social media engagement with music artists. Grounded in the cultural production model, as well as the literature on customer engagement and satiation, we propose several hypotheses. We analyze our unique dataset by structural equation modeling (SEM). The results reveal that radio airtime has a bigger impact on album sales of lesser-known musicians than those of famous musicians. Social media engagement mediates the positive effect of radio airplay on album sales; this effect is moderated by the musician’s popularity such that famous musicians enjoy greater social media engagement compared to their lesser-known counterparts. These results have important managerial implications for positioning and channel strategies for lesser-known as well as for already famous musicians. Our findings contribute to the literature on music marketing, social media engagement, and satiation. Surprisingly, this research suggests that the role of radio is not as straightforward as has been described before and the implications for new and seasoned artists in the age of digital music consumption have the potential to change the views of this ‘outdated’ medium

Closer together or further apart? Values of hero generations Y and Z during crisis

Purpose Drawing upon cohort theory, the age-period-cohort framework and the portrait value system, this paper aims to examine differences in basic human values between generations Y and Z as they are shaped by recent major events (most importantly the COVID-19 pandemic). Design/methodology/approach Hypothesized differences between values of generation Y and Z were tested using a content analysis of recent articles (Study 1) and an online survey through a prolific crowdsourcing website (Study 2). Findings This research finds that while both generations value universalism and benevolence, Generation Y is more likely to conform and follow traditions while Generation Z values stimulation, hedonism and achievement more. The top two COVID-19 concerns for both groups were the health of others and financial security. Generation Y is more concerned about the economy while Generation Z is more worried about uncertainty in their future. Research limitations/implications This paper provides insight into how the current environmental crisis has shaped the values of generations Y and Z and offers an understanding of the similarities and differences in values between these two generations. Practical implications The findings have direct implications for the design of products/services and for the creation of effective marketing communications to reach these two consumer groups. Originality/value This research is novel in identifying the basic human values of generations Y and Z as they are shaped by recent events such as the most recent economic recession and COVID-19

The Effectiveness of Celebrity Endorsement on Purchase Behavior: Do Celebrities Raise The Bar?

Research on the interplay between celebrity endorsers, high-low pricing, and quality has not been examined in the literature. This raises the question of whether celebrity endorsement can compensate for the effect of low prices on consumer quality perceptions. Across two studies, one using archival data and one using an experiment, we find evidence that the presence of celebrity endorsers can offset the effect that a low price has on consumer quality perceptions. Further, willingness to purchase is higher for a low-priced product endorsed by a celebrity. These findings have implications for marketing theory and practice

Riding the subscription box wave: Understanding the landscape, challenges, and critical success factors of the subscription box industry

The subscription box e-commerce industry has experienced tremendous growth over the last 5 years. Given the growing size of the industry, this business model warrants the close attention of firms currently offering subscription services as well as companies considering entering this industry. This article presents a detailed overview of the subscription box industry and proposes a framework—the four Cs—for understanding subscription offerings. It identifies challenges and opportunities facing this industry, and it provides managers with guidance in the form of five tenets on how to navigate the subscription box economy

Comparison of blood biochemical parameters of four species of vultures

Vultures play a very important role in ecosystems by feeding on dead animals and preventing the spread of pathogens. In the mid-20th century in Bulgaria, all species of vultures experienced a rapid population decline and conservation measures include captive breeding and release via adaptation aviaries. Knowledge of the baseline blood biochemical parameters is crucial for the care, rehabilitation and prior to the release of endangered birds of prey. Plasma levels provide valuable information for the evaluation of the physical condition of animals.Between 2020 and 2022, we took blood samples from captive Bearded, Griffon, Cinereous and Egyptian Vultures in Bulgaria (n = 118). We determined the values of 18 parameters - alanine transaminase, albumin, alkaline phosphatase, amylase, aspartate transaminase, calcium, chloride, cholesterol, creatine kinase, creatinine, glucose, lactate dehydrogenase, magnesium, phosphorus, total bilirubin, total protein, triglycerides and uric acid. This research determined the mean blood biochemical indices for aviary Bearded, Griffon, Cinereous and Egyptian Vultures in Bulgaria and compared the values amongst the four vulture species, to serve in determining clinical pathology and nutrition for scavenger birds of different species, age groups and genders in the country.The results of this study suggested that there are significant differences between many of the indicators of the four vulture species. There are fewer differences in the indicators of different ages of birds of a given species and almost no differences are found between the two sexes of a species. These values could be used by scientists, veterinary pathologists, wildlife rehabilitation centres and other researchers. Furthermore, the use of such parameters in assessing population health may enable conservationists to further research environmental conditions affecting the vultures’ reproduction and survival

Genetic diversity and relatedness amongst captive saker falcons (Falco cherrug) in the Green Balkans’ Wildlife Rehabilitation and Breeding Centre in Bulgaria

The globally endangered saker falcon (Falco cherrug) is currently being re-introduced in Bulgaria, where the falcons are bred in captivity and released through the hacking method. We relied on the birds’ pedigree when forming the breeding pairs from 2011. In 2021-2022, we had the opportunity to evaluate our captive population via DNA tests. We performed the first genetic assessment of the sakers in the WRBC through a genome evaluation of the most important founders (n = 12) and, in 2022, we executed a microsatellite analysis on 30 saker falcons from the programme. We compared the results with the known pedigree and history of the saker falcons. The genetic tests helped to assign relatedness to some birds with missing or incomplete pedigrees, indicating the test can complement that information and lead to better management of the captive group. One pair was separated as a precaution as it was indicated by one the tests that the two birds are more closely related than expected. The research could be beneficial to other raptor captive breeding programmes dealing with a similar group composition

ALLOW ME TO (RE)INTRODUCE MYSELF: AN EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING REBRANDING PROJECT WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF PROFESSIONAL SPORTS

Rebranding is a widely utilized practice to change the image of a brand in the minds of the consumer through major or minor changes in both its positioning and aesthetics. Yet, evidence suggests it is not meaningfully covered in many marketing classes. This project provides an innovative, engaging, experiential learning opportunity that can be easily adapted for a wide array of marketing classes. Findings indicate the students’ knowledge of, familiarity with, and ability to apply rebranding increase as a result of the experience

Minority students corporate engagement programs: Addressing the ad industry’s problem with minorities

Firms often make marketing missteps that offend minority consumers. Such missteps are attributed to the lack of diversity within the marketing field. This paper presents a corporate engagement program that partners minority students with a national company as an innovative approach to this problem. Leveraging both passive and active learning, students attend classes and work on original marketing plans for the company. Feedback from both students and the company suggests that both parties learned from each other, adding to the pipeline of future minority marketers while leading to a better understanding of minority consumers. The latter holds promise for the creation of effective communications that resonate with minority consumers

DPS 2.0: on the road to a cashless society

While cash will eventually become a thing of the past, marketing researchers have given little attention to the rise of cashless markets and the obstacles and opportunities they present. In fact, research that addresses the strategic approach to planning, coordinating, and executing the cashless adoption and experience for consumers is scant. To stimulate discussion and scholarly investigations into marketing’s contribution toward the evolution of cashless economies, this Idea Corner presents a research agenda that delineates the role of DPS 2.0, a new era of digital payment systems, in fueling the demonetization process. We offer that, compared to traditional payment systems (DPS 1.0), DPS 2.0 provides consumers and merchants cashless, virtual, automated, flexible, faster, and interoperable (The ability of DPS 2.0 systems to be compatible and operable across providers, software, and payment portals) means of payment. However, the promise of DPS 2.0 is clouded with concerns of opportunism, security, and fraud. This paper outlines these issues and provides corresponding future research opportunities within five areas of DPS 2.0 (digital wallets, cryptocurrency, virtual currency, facial recognition, and mobile payments)