Moving the stakeholder journey forward

Though the customer journey (CJ) is gaining traction, its limited customer focus overlooks the dynamics characterizing other stakeholders' (e.g., employees'/suppliers') journeys, thus calling for an extension to the stakeholder journey (SJ). Addressing this gap, we advance the SJ, which covers any stakeholder's journey with the firm. We argue that firms' consideration of the SJ, defined as a stakeholder's trajectory of role-related touchpoints and activities, enacted through stakeholder engagement, that collectively shape the stakeholder experience with the firm, enhances their stakeholder relationship management and performance outcomes. We also view the SJ in a network of intersecting journeys that are characterized by interdependence theory's structural tenets of stakeholder control, covariation of interest, mutuality of dependence, information availability, and temporal journey structure, which we view to impact stakeholders' journey-based engagement and experience, as formalized in a set of Propositions. We conclude with theoretical (e.g., further research) and practical (e.g., SJ design/management) implications.

Shaping customer brand loyalty during the pandemic: The role of brand credibility, value congruence, experience, identification, and engagement

While insight into consumer brand engagement, experience, and identification is rapidly developing, little remains known regarding the association of these, and related, concepts, as therefore explored in this article. Drawing on social identity theory and service-dominant-logic, this study develops and tests a model that explores the effect of customers' brand credibility, -value congruence, and -experience on their brand identification, and its subsequent effect on their brand advocacy, -attachment, and -loyalty. We also examine the potentially moderating role of consumers' engagement in affecting these relationships. To explore these issues, we collected tourist-based survey data. To analyze the data, we used confirmatory factor analysis, followed by structural equation modeling. The findings reveal that brand value congruence, credibility, and experience exercise significant positive effects on customers' brand identification, which, in turn, impact their brand advocacy, attachment, and loyalty. Further, brand engagement is shown to moderate the association of these factors. We conclude by outlining key theoretical/practical implications that arise from this research.

The role of recommender systems in fostering consumers' long-term platform engagement

Purpose

Recommender systems (RS) are designed to communicate with users and drive consumers' engagement with the platform. However, little is known about the strength of this relationship and how RS can create stronger consumer engagement (CE) with the platform brand. Addressing this gap, this paper examines the role of RS in converting consumers' short-term engagement with the RS to their longer-term platform engagement.

Design/methodology/approach

To explore these issues, the authors review key literature in the areas of CE and RS, from which they develop a conceptual framework.

Findings

The proposed framework suggests RS design as an important precursor to consumers' RS use, which is expected to affect their platform engagement/disengagement, in turn impacting the firm's long-term outcomes. The authors also identify key managerial tactics, strategies and challenges to aid the conversion of consumers' RS to CE.

Research limitations/implications

This research raises pertinent implications for research on the RS/CE interface, as synthesized in a proposed research agenda.

Practical implications

Based on the attained insight, authors outline implications for managing, facilitating and leveraging the proposed RS to CE conversion process. Correspondingly, authors argue that, to optimize RS effectiveness, RS designers should understand the nature of CE.

Originality/value

By exploring the effect of consumers' RS on their longer-term CE with the platform, the analyses offer pioneering managerial insight into RS effectiveness from a CE perspective.

The invisible leash: when human brands hijack corporate brands' consumer relationships

Purpose

Corporate brands increasingly use influential, high reach human brands (e.g. influencers, celebrities), who have strong parasocial relationships with their followers and audiences, to promote their offerings. However, despite emerging understanding of the benefits arising from human brand-based campaigns, knowledge about their potentially negative effects on the corporate brand remains limited. Addressing this gap, this paper deepens insight into the potential risk human brands pose to corporate brands.

Design/methodology/approach

To explore these issues, this conceptual paper reviews and integrates literature on consumer brand engagement, human brands, brand hijacking and parasocial relationships.

Findings

Though consumers' favorable human brand associations can be used to improve corporate brand outcomes, they rely on consumers' relationship with the endorsing human brand. Given the dependency of these brands, human brand-based marketing bears the risk that the human brand (vs the firm) “owns” the consumer's corporate brand relationship, which the authors coin relationship hijacking. This phenomenon can severely impair consumers' engagement and relationship with the corporate brand.

Originality/value

This paper sheds light on the role of human brands in strategic brand management. Though prior research has highlighted the positive outcomes accruing to the use of human brands, the authors identify its potential dark sides, thus exposing pivotal insight.

Light at the end of the tunnel: Visitors' virtual reality (versus in-person) attraction site tour-related behavioral intentions during and post-COVID-19

Consumer behavior is changing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, thus compelling attraction sites to find new ways of offering safe tours to visitors. Based on protection motivation theory, we develop and test a model that examines key drivers of visitors' COVID-19-induced social distancing behavior and its effect on their intent to use virtual reality-based (vs. in-person) attraction site tours during and post-COVID-19. Our analyses demonstrate that visitor-perceived threat severity, response efficacy, and self-efficacy raise social distancing behavior. In turn, social distancing increases (decreases) visitors' intent to use virtual reality (in-person) tours during the pandemic. We find social distancing to boost visitors' demand for advanced virtual tours and to raise their advocacy intentions. Our results also reveal that social distancing has no effect on potential visitors' intent to use virtual reality vs. in-person tours post-the pandemic. We conclude by discussing vital implications that stem from our analyses.

Marketing in an Interactive World

The focus of this chapter is to address emerging trends, opportunities, and key challenges facing managers in their communication processes in an increasingly interactive social media environment. A review of the current social media literature and two qualitative research studies provide insights into the changing nature of the communications process in social media, as opposed to more traditional, communications environments. These insights are drawn together to provide a number of managerial implications for social media marketers.