To post or not to post: examining motivations of brand/product-related engagement types on social networking sites.

At present, consumers use social networking sites to engage with brands and brand related content, this study examines consumers’ motivations for brand/product- related engagement on social networking sites. This thesis develops three motivation frameworks to explain each brand/product-related engagement type: consuming, contributing and creating. The main objectives are: 1) to understand what motivates consumers to engage with different brand/product-related posts on social networking sites, and 2) to understand the relationship between brand/product-related engagement types and social networking sites usage. A mixed-methods approach is employed through establishing exploratory sequential research design. First, consumers’ motivations drawn from psychology and brand/product-related engagement literature are defined through using semi- structured interviews (N=12) in order to define the factors behind each brand/product-related engagement type on social networking sites. Then, the findings of semi-structured interview analysis lead to the development of web-based questionnaires. Web-based online questionnaires (N= 225) were conducted in order to examine motivations of each brand/product-related engagement type on social networking sites and the relationship between brand/product-related post engagement and social networking site usage. A survey of 225 respondents was conducted and analysed using quantitative method. The findings shed light on the reasons behind consumers’ brand/product-related engagement types (e.g. consuming contributing, creating) on social networking sites, and the relationship between consumers’ social media site usage and brand/product- related engagement behaviour. A key contribution of this thesis is to construct five models: 1) a motivation framework for consuming brand/product-related posts from brands which aims to explain what motivates consumers to consume (e.g. read, view) brand/product-related posts from brands; 2) a motivation framework for consuming brand/product-related posts from other people; 3) a motivation framework for contributing brand/product-related posts from brands and other people that examines factors behind consumers’ contribution behaviour to brand/product- related posts through sharing, commenting, liking, favouriting, tagging, etc; 4) a motivation framework examining the motives of consumers for creating positive brand/product-related posts on social networking sites; and 5) a motivation framework defining the motives of consumers to create negative brand/product-related posts on social networking sites. The findings also define brand/product-related engagement types and social networking site usage. The relationship between social networking site usage and brand/product-related engagement is only found for two engagement types: consuming and contributing

To post or not to post? Examining motivations of brand related engagement types on social networking sites

This study investigates consumer motivations behind brand-related engagement on social media by exploring three different engagement types: consuming, contributing (to) and creating. Previous research suggests that many brands seek to engage with consumers via communications on social networking sites, however most focus on quantitative metrics and measurement tools to evaluate such behaviour and so offer limited understanding and guidance. To address this gap the current study utilises a mixed method approach to investigates the motivations behind each brand-related engagement type to provide deeper insight into what motivates consumers to engage with brand-related posts on social networking sites. This study also aim to investigate the motivations between different engagement types exist, and whether these vary between brands and other people’s brand-related posts. A two-phase integrated qualitative-quantitative research design was utilised. Twelve semi-structured interviews explored the range of consumers’ brand engagement motivations, before an online survey (N= 225) identified and confirmed the motivational similarities and differences between the three brand-related engagement types. Results indicate each brand-related engagement type is influenced by different motives, bar the enjoyment motive which triggers all three engagement types. Of particular interest is the identification of a new motive for engagement - seeking compensation - that influences negative brand-related engagement. Through understanding what motivates consumers to consume, contribute and create, brands can tailor their marketing messages to each different brand-related engagement types. This will increase their engagement with consumers on social networking sites, as specific segments can be created by the brand in order to enhance their targeting strategies based on consumers’ differing motivations within social media channels. This study contributes a much needed framework of motivations for brand-related engagement on social media, recognising variations in motivations by type of engagement (consume; contribute (to); create)

Human values and news’ impact on climate change beliefs: A comparative study on millennials in Sweden and Russia

Despite the global problem of climate change being covered in the media, some people tend to treat the issue as a distant; therefore, less urgent. Research has emphasised the significance of the polarisation phenomenon, with some countries growing in denial. This study addresses this problem by looking into people’s values, as these have been found crucial in determining perception on climate change. Further, drifting away from political views, the study focuses on cultural impact, in this case, media use in Sweden and Russia. We found conservation values have a positive impact on shaping beliefs in climate change in Russia, albeit negative in Sweden. News consumption had limited implications in the relationship between human values and beliefs in climate change in Sweden, none in Russia. The findings can add a unique contribution to informing the creation of public awareness campaigns in Russia and Sweden. This could also encourage further research in different countries but also on different age groups or specific gender. Finally, this research revolves around beliefs, leaving an area for studying attitudes and behaviou

To post or not to post: Exploring the motivations behind brand-related engagement types on social networking sites

This study investigates consumer motivations behind brand-related engagement on social media by exploring three different engagement types: consuming, contributing (to), and creating. Previous research suggests that many brands seek to engage with consumers via communications on social networking sites, however, most focus on quantitative metrics and measurement tools to evaluate such behaviour and so offer limited understanding and guidance. To address this gap the current study utilises a mixed-method approach to investigates the motivations behind each brand-related engagement type to provide deeper insight into what motivates consumers to engage with brand-related posts on social networking sites. This study also aims to investigate the motivations between different engagement types exist, and whether these vary between brands and other people's brandrelated posts

Do human values play a role in pro- environmental purchasing behaviours of Polish people?

Green consumerism has increased in popularity in Europe over the past decade due to new political policies and social shifts. The purpose of this study was to expand the research in understanding the thinking and values of eco-consumers and how this can assist in marketing efforts. Previous studies have given little focus on Poland and the role of their values in purchasing energy efficient appliances. Research shows that certain values can indicate an increased likelihood in caring for the environment and this study aims to affirm this further amongst Polish millennials as well as any differences based on sex. The analysis used the results of the European Social Survey (ESS) Round 8 from 2016. This study focused on human values and their role on purchases of energy efficient appliances and whether climate change attitudes moderate that relationship. A thorough analysis showed that human values of Polish millennials do not have an influence on buying energy efficient appliances. Moreover, attitudes towards climate change do not moderate a relation between these two variables. This study has highlighted the complexity of the role of human values in energy efficient preferences and has demonstrated justification for further research in this area

The Role of Human Values on Teachers’ Well-Being in the UK

Struggling with mental health is said to be most prevalent in teachers than any other occupation. The mental health and well-being of teachers can be affected by an array of issues. These include: changes in policy, budget cuts in total school spending, bigger staff to student ratio and higher burnout rates. As a consequence, this hinders the effectiveness of teaching and can negatively impact children and young people’s education. Rather than just stating the macro factors that affect teachers’ mental health, this study seeks to explore the relationship between human values and depressive symptoms in individuals, using data from the European Social Survey (ESS-7). Using a sample of 105 teaching professionals in the UK. The human values scale (Schwartz 2012) was used to measure individuals’ human values, and the depression scale - the shorter version of Centre for Epidemiologic StudiesDepression (CES-D) (Radloff 1977; ESS 2014) was used to measure individuals’ depressive symptoms in terms of happiness and depression. Findings from the study show that teachers with higher levels of selftranscendence values are more likely to report being happy. Although, there was a significant relationship between openness to change and happiness, the correlation was not in the direction hypothesised

‘Attention Please’ The Whitepaper

The topic of attention has garnered a lot of attention in recent times; some say attention is in crisis. Combine this with the proliferation of technology able to measure our behavioural and cognitive processes, we aren’t short of studies that measure attention. However, like many hot topics, attention and understanding it is not a new obsession and much can be learned from existing theory and research. We were interested in attention because: a) instinctively it feels like an important criterium for effective advertising b) we were curious how the changing nature of the media landscape was influencing attention As a start point we were keen to get a comprehensive view of the available theory and evidence so that we had a solid foundation for any new research. We believe, whilst it’s important to acknowledge the seismic changes in the media landscape ushered in by the digital era, it’s also important to consider the enduring nature of human behaviour. Behavioural economics, now popularised in the advertising world, continually reminds us of this. This whitepaper, prepared by Bournemouth University, is our attempt to pull together all the existing thinking on attention. It is the first phase of a long-term project ‘Attention Please’. Our ambition with this programme of research is to shed new light on the topic of attention, unearthing useful insights and frameworks for advertisers and their agencies. Ultimately, we want to make the link between attention and effectiveness more apparent so that attention as a topic can be fully appreciated as an important consideration for anyone involved in the business of advertisin

The impact of influencers on advertising and consumer protection in the Single Market

Influencer marketing as part of the advertising industry has grown significantly in recent years, becoming one of the most popular and effective forms of online advertising. The fast-growing market of influencers comes with potential risks for consumers and creates several challenges for regulators. This study provides information and analysis on the impact of influencers on advertising and consumer protection in the Internal Market, identifies best practices and makes recommendations for future action. This document was provided by the Policy Department for Economic, Scientific and Quality of Life Policies at the request of the committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO)

The Rise of Influencers and Influencer Marketing

When the Internet provided the limitless ability for bloggers and vloggers to spread their voice, a whole new online genre emerged in the form of online influencers. This chapter introduces what it means to be able to influence others and clarifies what it means to be influential on social media. As influencers became more prominent on social media, so have the different ways of categorizing them. By understanding the different classifications of influencers, the reader will understand the benefits and challenges that each group can offer brands and their marketing activities. Furthermore, this chapter covers the key building blocks of influencer marketing and what it means for influencers and brands