ABSTRACT. In this special session, we will contrast the sufficiency and necessity logic as well as the foundations of a combined PLS-SEM and NCA use. For a case study illustration, we will use the SmartPLS 4 software. We provide insights into the logic, assessment, challenges, and benefits of a combined use of PLS-SEM and NCA.

ABSTRACT. This research examines the impact of need for belonging on proclivity towards consumption of masstige luxury brands and proposes state of power (high power versus low power) as the boundary condition for this effect. Study 1 (N=152) confirmed that there was a positive correlation between consumers’ need for belonging and evaluation of masstige luxury brands. In a separate sample (N=220), Study 2 established that individuals with a strong need for belonging hold greater affinity for masstige luxury brands than those with a weak need for belonging. Further, Study 3 (N=154) demonstrated that consumers’ state of power moderates the relation between the need for belonging and masstige luxury consumption identified in Study 2. This study found that a state of low power in consumers with a strong need for belonging leads to more favorable attitudes towards consumption of masstige luxury brands in comparison to consumers with a weak need for belonging. However, this is not the case for a state of high power. This research concludes with implications for luxury brand managers which extends insights into the psycho-social disposition of individuals who comprise current and potential market segments of masstige luxury brands.

ABSTRACT. Researchers estimate that depleting natural resources will have dire consequences for our planet and society. One source of resource depletion is individual consumption, which environmental impact can be reduced—amongst other things—by passing on products to others as 2nd-hand products. Consumption often fulfills personal needs but also contributes to maintaining social relationships—an area filled with social expectations and norms. For example, people make gifts on special occasions (e.g., birthdays) to affirm relationships. Considering 2nd-hand products as gifts however may not be socially acceptable since these products are often perceived to be inferior to new products. We address this question in three studies. Study 1 investigates the social norm surrounding 2nd-hand gift-giving finding that givers tend to consider 2nd-hand products as unacceptable gifts. Study 2 finds that gift-givers are less open to 2nd-hand gifts than gift-receivers and finds that givers (vs. receivers) perceive a 2nd-hand gift to be more offensive which in turn lowers the preference for a 2nd-hand (vs. a new) gift. In study 3, we tested but did not find that highlighting the environmental benefits of 2nd-hand gifts affects the giver’s willingness to give or their willingness to pay for the 2nd-hand gift.

ABSTRACT. Self-gifting, the practice of buying gifts for oneself, is quite prevalent. Typically, consumers engage in self-gifting for indulgence, rewards or as a mood-regulatory device. Self-gifting may be associated with one’s self-concept and self-esteem since the main goal of this practice is to regulate one’s mood. Awe is a unique and a self-transcendent emotion that has two central themes: triggering a sense of smallness which is the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends our understanding of the world and encouraging the desire to be good to others by promoting prosocial and other-oriented behaviors. To date, the literature has predominately focused on the positive impact of awe on several outcomes such as physical and psychological well-being. In this research, we postulate that awe may negatively impact the desire to self-gift. We suggest that consumers are less likely to engage in self-gifting when experiencing awe. Across two studies, our research finds that feelings of awe can make consumers less likely to engage in self-gifting. In addition, this research shows that this effect generalizes across multiple ad types and does not occur for non-self-gifts. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

ABSTRACT. Artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized entire industries as well as various product categories, yet research into consumer perceptions of luxury AI products remains limited. Academic insight into how consumers perceive and evaluate AI-enabled luxury products is scarce. This study aims to address this gap by exploring the transformative role of AI in luxury consumption, an area traditionally slow in adopting technological advancements. A model is tested that examines how consumers’ desire for unique products shapes their emotional and functional value perceptions of a luxury AI product and how perceived emotional and functional values subsequently influence AI risk perceptions and willingness to buy. In addition, the luxury motivations of desire for products unknown to the masses and association with the elite are explored as moderating factors shaping these relationships. Online survey data gathered from a nationally representative sample of 502 luxury consumers in the United States and analyzed using structural equation modeling offer support for the proposed model. The study contributes to the literature by providing an in-depth explanation of the interplay between consumers’ perceptions, motivations, and willingness to buy a luxury AI product. The findings provide valuable guidance to luxury marketers navigating the intersection of luxury and AI.

ABSTRACT. In today's hypercompetitive environment, big data analytics capabilities play a critical role in enabling hotels to survive and attain a competitive advantage in a turbulent business environment. However, despite considerable managerial and academic interest, the impact of big data analytics capabilities on firm value remains unclear. Our study fills this research gap by exploring how big data analytics capabilities impact hospitality firm value. Based on the dynamic capability view, we proposed that big data analytics capabilities are key driver of hospitality firm value. Data were collected from 508 hotels to test the study hypotheses using the fixed-effects panel regression. The results suggested that, in general, big data analytics capabilities have significant and negative impact on Tobin’s q. However, big data analytics capabilities- Tobin’s q relationship became increasingly positive over time. This study revealed some significant actionable managerial implications for hotels and other services industries.

ABSTRACT. As social networks are easy to use, companies are faced with an increasing number of publicly visible customer complaints that can negatively affect company reputation. Companies need to handle complaints professionally to keep complaining customers loyal while being well aware of observing consumers in social networks who passively follow the company-customer interactions. This study investigates the effects of two corporate response strategies (accommodative vs. defensive replies) to negative consumer comments in social networks on perceived appropriateness of the company’s responses and (re)purchase intentions of commenters and observers in social networks. Our results show that commenters and observers perceive an accommodative reply to be more appropriate. An accommodative reply directly triggers commenters’ repurchase intentions and at the same time works through higher perceived response appropriateness. For observers, the response strategy only works indirectly through their perceptions of response appropriateness on purchase intentions. Therefore, companies should reply in an accommodative way to negative comments in social networks and carefully phrase their responses so that a broad range of social network users perceive these responses to be appropriate. Our results help social media managers to develop successful response strategies that can positively affect different types of social network users.

ABSTRACT. Researchers and policy makers are conflicted over technology and social media adoption. While some believe it will increase engagement and learning, others argue that it will have a negative impact on individuals’ attention and learning. To resolve this conflict, we examine how social media adoption age impacts the overall social media usage, individual characteristics, and capabilities such as gullibility, attention, and learning. In Study 1, we conducted four focus groups with college students to understand their social media usage and its impact on their attention and learning capabilities. Students indicated difficulty with staying away from social media and their ability to pay attention and focus on tasks. In Study 2, we collected 89 surveys from college students and found that students who started using social media platforms at a young age spent more time daily on social media, are more likely to be gullible, have lower attention span and have lower self-perceived learning ability. Thus, our study has implications for educators, parents, and policy makers about the permanent negative impact of early adoption of social media.

ABSTRACT. Digitalization is driving globalization more significantly than ever before (Luo, 2021). While there has been extensive research on factors and business models that facilitate rapid growth and international expansion of digital-based international new ventures (INVs) (Monaghan et al., 2019; Ojala et al., 2018, 2023), less attention has been given to factors that hinder or delay the international growth of firms (Ojala et al., 2018). Consequently, this paper focuses on digital-based INVs and aims at identifying the various types of bottlenecks that these firms may encounter as they develop, market, and sell their digital services in global markets. The increasing number of digital-based INVs warrants academic investigation, as they are firms shaped by globalization and digitalization since inception. Our approach involves analyzing the unique challenges faced by these firms and providing practical and theoretical solutions to facilitate their global expansion efforts. By adopting a theoretical and empirical approach, this research contributes to the growing body of literature on digital-based INVs (Gabrielsson et al., 2021; Monaghan et al., 2019; Ojala et al., 2023; Rollins et al., 2022), which is part of the broader academic discourse on digital entrepreneurship (Gabrielsson et al., 2022; Nambisan, 2017) and international marketing.

ABSTRACT. Background: This study presents a comprehensive mixed methods research design to explore the adoption of Online Delivery Services (ODSs) in warzones, focusing on the unique context of Yemen. The study addresses a critical gap in the literature, aiming to understand the factors influencing ODS adoption in conflict zones.

Methods: Employing a sequential exploratory mixed methods approach, the study begins with qualitative data collection through in-depth interviews with ODS users. Thematic analysis using NVivo software uncovers key themes and informs the development of a theoretical framework. The subsequent quantitative phase involves probability random sampling and questionnaire-based data collection, utilizing the established framework for hypothesis formulation.

Results: The study anticipates uncovering nuanced insights into the motivations, challenges, and perceptions surrounding ODS adoption in Yemen’s warzone context. By employing triangulation and validation techniques, the research aims to produce robust and reliable findings.

Conclusion: This research contributes to both theoretical and practical domains by enhancing the understanding of ODS adoption behaviours in conflict settings. The proposed methodology ensures methodological rigour, ethical considerations, and a seamless transition between qualitative and quantitative analyses. The outcomes hold implications for ODS providers, policymakers, and academics, offering valuable insights into service delivery strategies amid challenging circumstances.

ABSTRACT. With a global shift in macroeconomics over the last months, especially early-staged companies are forced to base their marketing activities on profitability metrics rather than on growth metrics. Understanding customer profitability has therefore become paramount for marketing managers. This paper delves into the nuanced relationship between customer acquisition via referral programs, usually one of the cheapest customer acquisition channels, and customer lifetime value (CLV), with a spotlight on the moderating role of national culture. Leveraging a robust dataset from a European fintech, spanning November 2018 to May 2023, and encapsulating over a million pertinent customer observations, we probe into the multifaceted dynamics of referred customer profitability. Our exploration integrates customer acquisition cost into the CLV computation – a novel approach in this context – and unveils the interplay between referral programs and national cultural dimensions, using recent scores of Hofstede's culture dimensions. The findings unravel a tapestry of insights, notably underscoring the tangible impact of cultural variances on CLV within the referral framework. This research not only enhances academic understanding of customer referrals in the fintech domain but also provides pragmatic insights for professionals seeking to optimize referral strategies across diverse cultural landscapes.

ABSTRACT. This article investigates consumers’ perceptions towards brands that adopt an upcycling approach (i.e. upcycling brands). The upcycling approach consists of repurposing used or unwanted object to make a new object with a new function and a higher value than the old one. Drawing on the literature on consumers' inferences and brand personality, we show, through two experiments, that consumers perceive upcycling brands as smarter than classical brands (i.e. brands that use conventional manufacturing processes). This perception of smartness plays the role of the mechanism (i.e. mediator) that explains why employing upcycling process improves consumers’ attitudes towards the brand, as well as purchase intention. Our results contribute to the upcycling literature and offer concrete implications for practitioners.

ABSTRACT. The importance of product design has been getting attention in the past decade from scholars and practitioners. Design plays a critical role in firms’ product development and business strategies. In recent years, scholars began to see design innovation as another vital innovation element of a new product. A new product could encompass at least two innovation elements: technology innovation and design innovation. While technology points to the function of a product, design points to the form of a product. Despite the advocacy of scholarly examination of design innovation, there are few empirical studies of design innovation. This study examines the effect of design innovation (as well as technology and service innovation) on new product performance. Additionally, this study examines the roles of marketing innovation and process innovation in mediating the relationships between these innovation activities and new product performance. Regarding the findings from this study, it shows that design, technology, and service innovation (which, argued by this study, are the three main innovation elements of a new product) all contribute to new product performance. Additionally, marketing innovation and process innovation are found to mediate the relationship between these innovation elements and performance.

ABSTRACT. Corporations frequently embed pro-social messages in their branding to resonate with consumers. Historically, such efforts have been directed towards universally accepted causes. However, with the rise of political polarization in the U.S., corporations increasingly recognize the potential of pro-social messaging that resonates with specific political identities. This study explores the impact of perceived corporate political orientation on consumer attitudes and behaviors. Two experiments were conducted: the first examining the influence of intentional branding on consumer perceptions and choices, and the second employing eye-tracking methodologies to determine attention patterns of liberal consumers to varying political messages in advertisements. Preliminary findings suggest that consumers form nuanced relationships with companies based on perceived political messaging, with some messages resonating more favorably than others. Specifically, liberals displayed a delay in attention to conservative messaging, indicating potential avoidance. This research enriches our understanding of the intersections between corporate messaging, political identity, and consumer behavior, providing insights for companies navigating the contemporary socio-political landscape.

ABSTRACT. This study looks at how in-role brand-oriented behavior influences front-line employee engagement and the overall customer experience (CX) and how CX affects brand credibility. This study exclusively looks at in-role conduct because it is mandated and expected of employees. Furthermore, because it is the foundation of continual organizational performance review, an organization may completely control it. Work behaviors mandated by formal job positions and traditionally stated in job description documents are referred to as in-role brand behaviors. In-role behavior is core-task behavior that is part of an employee's job and is reflected on the organization's payroll. We propose that front-line employees' brand-aligned behavior improves their job engagement and the overall customer experience. Engaged employees help to establish the service brand by communicating the intended brand experience to customers during the service encounter and by facilitating the work environment through interpersonal relationships based on the organization's strategically prescribed brand standards. From a managerial standpoint, strategic intent formulation is the process of defining and harmonizing the business brand identity. This approach includes identifying how management wants internal and external stakeholders to perceive the brand. This study was carried out in a developing market where such research is still limited.

ABSTRACT. This research investigates the impact of social disinhibition on consumer dishonest behavior, focusing on the emotional consequences in both human-dependent and human-independent consumption settings. The research draws on fairness perception, equity theory, and online disinhibition to explore how consumers react when they feel cheated by brands. In the initial studies, the authors find that feeling cheated increases the likelihood of consumers behaving dishonestly and subsequently feeling guilty. Brand attachment, however, does not prevent dishonest behavior but intensifies guilt after the fact. A cross-cultural comparison reveals differences in how Americans and Europeans perceive and respond to cheating opportunities, with Europeans exhibiting greater indifference but still exploiting these chances. The study introduces the concept of a "social disinhibition effect" and demonstrates that in human-independent settings, consumers are more likely to engage in dishonest behavior without feeling guilty. The more human-independent the environment, the greater the likelihood of cheating. The findings suggest that as consumption settings become more human-independent, consumers may cheat without remorse and reduce their brand attachment. Brands are cautioned to address the potential for unethical consumer behavior and consider humanized features in digital services to counteract the social disinhibition effect.

ABSTRACT. Artificial intelligence has a major impact on physical retail settings (Grewal et al., 2023). In fact, AI is changing the way retailers interact with their customers , making interactions changing. In-store interaction takes several forms since customers can interact with a human salesperson, with technology based on artificial intelligence or in others cases, with salesperson using AI when interacting with a customer. In this last case, many studies emphasize the growing importance of understanding how artificial intelligence can enhance salespersons during interactions with customers (Breugelmans et al., 2023 ; Grewal et al., 2023).The objective of this study is to explore how both customers and salespersons perceive the use of AI in physical retail environments. The regulatory focus theory (Higgins, Shah, and Friedman, 1997) provides the framework to understand that individuals act from two distinct motivational angles: a promotion orientation and a prevention orientation (Higgins et al., 2001). A qualitative methodolody is conducted through semi-structured interviews with both customers and salespersons.

ABSTRACT. Due to the vast expansion of smartphone devices, m-commerce is one of the most rapidly developing industries worldwide . However, this channel suffers from limited sensory experience as compared to in-store shopping (Akram et al., 2021). Current technological advances allow for greater sensory stimulation, extending tactile experience with active haptics by various vibrations (Jin, 2011; Racat & Capelli, 2020). Recent studies prove that haptic stimulation change consumer purchasing behavior (Racat & Plotkina, 2023). Apart from tactile experience, further research on visual stimulation and interrelation of haptic feedback with augmented reality (AR) is required (Gatter et al., 2021; McLean & Wilson, 2019). Finally, auditory sensory stimulation should be accounted for as well.To address these research gaps, we are carrying out an experimental study varying multisensory experiences (audio, visual, and touch) in a mobile AR app context. Results should enable us to determine the optimal threshold for haptic attributes in an AR consumption context. These are new insights for touch and AR consumer research, which will deepen our understanding of consumer behavior, brand strategy, and retailing. Specifically, understanding how multisensory experiences affect consumer perception of shopping environments will enable retailers and brand managers to develop effective strategies for product presentation.

ABSTRACT. Structural equation modeling began as an application of common factor analysis. Partial least squares path modeling, followed by generalized structured component analysis and, more recently, by the Hensler-Ogasawara specification, offer composite-based alternatives. Some scholars view the factor-based approach as the only legitimate option, pointing to shortcomings in the alternatives, but factor analysis has its own shortcomings, including factor score indeterminacy. Between the hegemony of one method and the chaos of many alternatives, Schönemann and Steiger’s (1976) regression component analysis presented a composite-based method that uses results from factor analysis and fits factor-based populations but without the indeterminacy, while also providing a key to understanding other composite-based methods. After an introduction to regression component analysis and recent findings, this session invites the audience to participate in an open discussion about the future of structural equation modeling.

ABSTRACT. Celebrity athletes constitute an influential category of human brands. The projection of brand authenticity is paramount for the sustainable marketing of athletes, as authenticity is not only socially desired but also sought after by sponsors and scrutinized by the public. However, despite the importance of authenticity for athlete brands, there is no readily available measure to capture its complex nature. Although authenticity is conceptually recognized as a multi-faceted construct, prior research has assessed brand authenticity for traditional celebrities, such as athletes, using global unidimensional scales. This reveals a disconnect between the conceptualization and empirical measurement of authenticity in this context. The purpose of this research is to bridge this gap by developing and validating a measure of authenticity for celebrity athlete brands. Following a traditional four-step process for scale development and validation, including 1) construct definition and domain specification, 2) item generation, 3) purification, and 4) validation, we introduce a three-dimensional scale, comprising four items per dimension. This scale demonstrates consumer perceptions of athlete brand authenticity are rooted in evaluations of uniqueness, genuineness, and consistency. We discuss the distinctiveness of this scale compared to existing brand authenticity measures and its potential utility as a diagnostic tool for managing athlete brands.

ABSTRACT. Esports has transformed into a billion-dollar sector, integrating with mainstream industries. With its global appeal, especially to younger demographics like Millennials and Gen Z, various industries view esports as a potential brand extension. Notably, sports entities and personalities are venturing into esports. However, sports fans often need to perceive esports extensions more favorably, resulting in non-engagement and potential brand dilution risks. This incongruence could lead to brand confusion, emphasizing the need to align sports and esports branding strategies. Drawing from the match-up hypothesis and associative learning theory, this study posits that a clearer understanding of the synergy between sports and esports teams can foster positive perceptions of brand extensions. We advocate for campaigns that accentuate the authenticity of esports, such as joint training sessions between sports and esports teams and recognizing the physical attributes of esports players. Team identification is a crucial determinant affecting brand extension evaluations. Highly identified fans exhibit stability in attitudes, contrasting with lesser-engaged fans. Through an in-depth experiment, we aim to elucidate how enhancing the perceived authenticity of esports teams influences fans' perceptions and behavioral intentions, benefiting both parent and extension brands. This could include attending matches, purchasing merchandise, or spectating live games.

ABSTRACT. Drawing on basic psychological needs theory, attachment theory, and generational cohort theory, we aim to examine whether customers' need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness (ACR) satisfaction influences their attachment to and subsequent passion for a themed-restaurant brand. We also hypothesize generational cohort (i.e., Generation X-ers, Y-ers, and Z-ers) as key boundary conditions in these relationships. Data were collected from 379 themed-restaurant customers via a paper-and-pencil survey. The hypothesized relationships were tested using structural equation modeling and multi-group modeling in AMOS 24.0. Results show that satisfaction with ACR significantly increases customer attachment, which in turn strengthens passion for themed-restaurant brands. Furthermore, results suggest that autonomy needs satisfaction is more capable of capturing customer attachment to themed-restaurant brands among Generation Y-ers compared to Generation Z-ers and X-ers. While competence needs satisfaction is promising for increasing customer attachment to themed-restaurant brands among Generation X-ers, relatedness needs satisfaction appears to be more salient for Generation Z-ers and X-ers.

ABSTRACT. Supplied with two rich datasets, this research investigates the ways in which financially vulnerable consumers navigate uncertainty and how changes to government assistance programs can impact these consumers. This research takes an exploratory approach via text-mining of an online community discussion board for consumer financial vulnerability (CFV). Following this, we examine a specific theme that emerges from the discussion board, i.e. forms of assistance; we examine this theme by studying the effect of changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) on visits to local food pantries. As a result, this research adds to the literature on consumer welfare by studying a self-defined CFV community; this is in contrast with sampling frames which are defined through an act of social construction by the researcher, which can neglect certain elements of vulnerability. We also add to the literature by examining how changes in public policy can disrupt ways in which vulnerable consumers navigate the marketplace.

ABSTRACT. The role of self-motives on consumer behavior has been a subject of interest for researchers in the fields of marketing and psychology. With regard to consumer well-being, most of studies have focused on health-related issues (diet, physical activity, tobacco use, substance abuse). However, there is a specific area that is of significant interest in the American context: financial decision making, specifically, personal savings and debt (mis) management. Both the 2008 financial crisis and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic exposed Americans’ lack of savings and its devastating consequences. A record-high consumer debt (Federal Reserve, 2018) combined with a lack of savings (Northwestern Mutual, 2018) underline the need for a better understanding of financial decision-making.

The goal of this research is to examine the link between seemingly independent strategies, within the domain of financially responsible behavior. Specifically, I integrate self-concept motives, with construal level theory to develop a framework predicting that contextual cues that elicit self-enhancement (self-consistency) motives evoke a high (low) construal level, which in turn positively (negatively) impacts consumer self-control, reflecting on their financial behavior.

ABSTRACT. This research investigates the impact of financial literacy on young adult’s frequency of use of different payment methods and how that leads to compulsive buying tendencies and online spending. Young adults are vulnerable to social influences and subsequent compulsive buying. They are also tech savvy and embrace new technologies, which may increase their use of novel payment methods. However, their level of financial knowledge and experience is low, which may lead to an irresponsible use of riskier payment methods, compulsive buying, and overspending.

ABSTRACT. Today, almost everything and anything is for sale. The ever-increasing reach of the market, facilitated by marketing, brings many benefits, but also drawbacks. It may be that a better world is only possible without marketing in some contexts, because some things people might want to buy should not be for sale (e.g., the right to shoot an endangered black rhino, space on a forehead to display advertising using a permanent tattoo). We explore lay-person judgements of such controversial market offers and find they are generally aligned with the philosophical critique (Sandel, 2012). We identify the underlying ethical theories that inform these judgements, as well as people’s assumptions about effects on stakeholders other than buyers and sellers. We also show that these judgements change when evaluated deliberatively versus intuitively, raising the possibility that marketers and policymakers might mislead themselves and the public about the acceptability of such offers.

ABSTRACT. Consumers are averse to persuasion that they find immoral. How do people decide whether a persuasion attempt is morally acceptable or not? Three studies (N=535) show that moral intuitions about persuasion depend on people’s perception of whether they can control the direction of their thinking and feeling in a persuasion episode. We suggest that people have intuitions about how the persuasion is processed—Persuasion Processing Intuitions. If people think persuasion aims at their emotions and intuition—bypassing deliberative reasoning—they evaluate it as more immoral than persuasion believed to be processed deliberately. This is because people find system 1 processing (fast and effortless, such as encountering emotional appeal ad) more autonomy-threatening than system 2 processing (slow and effortful, such as reading about a product). Since system 2 (vs. system 1) persuasion is considered less immoral and, as a result, more credible, it yields greater positive attitude change than that of system 1 (even if the latter is positively-valenced, such as humor). These findings contribute to research on morality, lay theories about persuasion, and perceived autonomy.

ABSTRACT. Cuteness is ubiquitous in advertising. Whether it is the cute ads broadcasted during the Super Bowl or shared by brands and consumers via social media, cuteness has long been used as a strategy to foster positive consumer-brand relationships. Despite the significant rise of cute content in terms of acceptability and social media growth, the effects of cuteness on consumers' persuasive outcomes remain understudied. The present study investigates the persuasive effects of "cuteness" as a message appeal in video advertisements and differentiates between two cute dimensions: kindchenschema (baby schema) and whimsicality. The study uses a 2 (national culture: United States vs. India) x 3 (cute ad appeal: kindchenschema vs. whimsical vs. control) x 3 (ad/brand repetition) mixed factorial design with participants from the U.S. and India. The study focuses on cuteness effects on persuasive outcomes, including the emotional response of Kama Muta (in Sanskrit, 'moved by love' in English), ad and brand attitudes, online engagement and purchase intentions. The study extends advertising theory and research to empirically test the effects of cuteness as an advertising appeal.

ABSTRACT. The article proposes that construal levels affect the extent to which consumers engage with (i.e., click on and interact with) in-feed advertisements. In-feed advertisements are a distinct category of native (vs. display) advertising that involves incorporation of advertisements that match the aesthetics of platform or website’s main content. Advertisers may utilize this technique in order to inconspicuously assimilate advertisements into surrounding content to lower perceived intrusiveness. While a majority of in-feed advertising research is more informative of characteristics that are related to advertisement avoidance, other consumer-related factors can be proposed as conducive to the impact of in-feed advertisements on consumer decision-making, such as construal levels. The purpose of our paper is to analyze how construal level theory (CLT) may further inform consumer perspective and the advantage of utilizing in-feed advertisements, against the operationalization of click-through-rates (CTR), or a measure of consumer interest of the advertisement. The implications from our study can extend to policymakers of digital and social media platforms and the limits placed on advertisers.

ABSTRACT. This article contributes to research on media-context effects by studying how ads are assessed when positioned alongside news articles that evoke negative emotions in readers. We find that in general, negative emotion does not influence advertising evaluation. Contrary to industry claims, the perceived source credibility of the news site is not found to moderate the effects of negative content. However, on its own, the credibility of the news site improves ad evaluations. Furthermore, high applicability between article and ad can enhance ad recognition and produce a weak negative effect on attitudes towards ads and brands. Our results provide evidence against the industry practice of avoiding negative news due to concerns over spill-over effects. Marketers should focus advertising to credible news sites and, when appropriate, avoid negative articles with high applicability to the advertised product and brand.

ABSTRACT. Emerging Creative Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems, such as MidJourney, Dall-E, and ChatGPT, are gaining attention for their potential to assist marketers in creative tasks like advertisement design and copywriting. These tools could empower marketers and creative professionals to enhance both the quantity and quality of their work. Despite rapid adoption, the concept of creative AI remains relatively underexplored in marketing literature. To address this gap, the present research explores opportunities and challenges of utilizing AI for creative tasks in marketing, with a focus on insights obtained from creative practitioners. Through in-depth interviews with experienced creative professionals, the study captures first-hand experiences and perceptions regarding AI’s impact on marketing creativity. Qualitative data feeds a grounded theory analysis, resulting in a comprehensive model that integrates AI into the creative process and outlines the perceived advantages and disadvantages for creative individuals and their output. The study concludes by offering strategic directions for effectively harnessing creative AI in marketing, laying the groundwork for future inquiries in this evolving field.

ABSTRACT. Consumer online brand-related activities (COBRAs) have been increasingly centered over the recent years in various studies due to the significant evolution of social media as an effective tool for interactive marketing communication and boosting customer engagement. However, the majority of research has focused on the fundamental aspects of COBRAs, which involve the consumption and contribution of brand-related content on social media. Our research though, goes beyond measuring the consumption and contribution levels of COBRAs, by conducting in-depth analyses and investigation on the most excellent level of consumer online brand-related interaction, which remains an unexplored area, namely content creation. To this end, drawing on the framework of COBRAs, Muntinga et al. (2011), and the Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT), Katz, Gurevitch, and Haas (1973), we endeavor to analyze consumer motivations, with a particular focus on 'social integration' and 'remuneration,' on the creation level of COBRAs on particular social media platform and to detect their subsequent impacts on the brand including ‘purchase intention’ and ‘electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM)’. Likewise, as noted by Buzeta et al. (2020), prior research in this area has primarily focused on self-reported measures, whereas our aim is to delve deeper and analyze real consumer behavior on social media.

ABSTRACT. This research aims to dissect the intricacies of livestream marketing in the videogame industry through the following questions:

1. What specific attributes should videogame publishers prioritize when selecting streamers?

2. What strategies regarding streaming duration and coordination among multiple sponsored streamers (e.g., simultaneous vs. staggered streaming) will enhance viewer engagement and sales?

3. What game attributes are more conducive to livestream marketing pushes?

4. When and under what circumstances does livestream-based engagement manifest into sustainable player acquisition and sales?

ABSTRACT. Data privacy legislation such as General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA) give consumers control over their online data. While the specific requirements vary slightly by legislation, these acts require companies collecting data from people in California, Virginia, or the European Union to disclose the information they are collecting and give consumers an option to consent to sharing that information (Attorney General of Virginia 2023; Office of the Attorney General California 2023; GDPR.EU 2023). Consequently, when visiting most websites, consumers encounter a pop up that allows them to select the cookies (i.e., text files that collect browsing information; Koebert 2023) they will allow companies to place on their device.

ABSTRACT. Overall, companies are still at their nascent stages in their digital twin applications for enhancing downstream activities and creating a customer-centric innovation platform. To contribute to the marketing practice and thoughts in this endeavor, this research aims to answer the following research questions:

1. How can organizations better leverage the digital twin for enhancing their customer experiences?

2. How could the digital twin be employed for enhancing the well-being of a society?

3. How can the digital twin be employed for building a customer-centric innovation platform?

ABSTRACT. The uniqueness of this special session comes from the interactive nature of the session - panel participants will present information on the above-mentioned topics, but will rely on and answer questions from the audience throughout the session. The major benefit for attendees will be the opportunity to share experiences, concerns, and questions concerning the job market. Panel participants will provide first-hand experiences from both being a candidate and being part of search committees and provide advice on the do’s and don’ts from a search committee perspective. After attending the special session, candidates will be better prepared for success in the job market and connected with other students on the market.

ABSTRACT. In recent years, social media influencers' (SMIs) growth has taken a steep rise, and they are considered credible sources by consumers. Hence, SMIs and their association with consumers have grabbed significant attention from scholars and marketing managers as they offer substantial benefits, such as influencing consumer engagement, attitudes, and purchase behavior. In parallel with these developments, augmented reality (AR) has emerged as a disruptive force in the market (Ambika et al., 2023; Rauschnabel, 2021), and social media platforms are increasingly investing in the development and implementation of AR marketing tools, with an expected average annual growth rate of 43.8% from 2021 to 2028 (Market-Research, 2021). Despite the growing use of AR attributes on social media platforms by SMIs, there is a dearth of research examining its potential use in enhancing SMIs' content, inspiring consumers, and ultimately driving engagement and purchase intention (Sinha & Srivastava, 2023). In light of this, the present study aims to understand how augmented reality usage by SMIs persuades consumers toward a purchase behavior. Specifically, we dwell deeper through a mixed-method approach and understand which attributes of augmented reality used by SMIs are captivating to consumers and their influences on purchase behavior.

ABSTRACT. Unlike their human counterparts, virtual influencers are computer-generated characters that are powered by AI. Their personalities are completely fictitious. In recent years, virtual influencers have demonstrated significant persuasive powers and abilities to build a dedicated following, capture the attention and shape the ideas, attitudes and behaviors of their followers. Drawing on Stimulus-Organism-Response theory, this study investigates the roles of homophily, optimism, skepticism and trust as factors in followers’ behaviors to support prosocial causes, including willingness to donate money, willingness to volunteer and engagement with social media posts about the cause. Online survey data was collected (n=216) and empirically tested using structural equations modeling. The proposed model was supported. The results indicate that an individual’s perceived value homophily with a computer-generated influencer is positively associated with optimism and negatively associated with skepticism regarding the virtual influencer. In turn, optimism increases affective trust in the virtual influencer while skepticism decreases affective trust. The affective trust an individual feels towards the computer-generated persona leads to an increased willingness to donate money, willingness to volunteer and engagement in social media posts about the prosocial cause endorsed by the virtual influencer.

ABSTRACT. Immersive technologies such as virtual reality become increasingly important as the metaverse market grows. In this research, we investigate the effect of gigantic, oversized VR food cues on purchase intention for complementary food products. In a lab experiment (Study 1) using VR head-mounted displays (HMD), we find that an oversized (vs. normal-sized) decoy food product next to a complementary focal food product increases purchase intention toward the complementary focal product. An online experiment (Study 2), exploring the mechanism with VR animation, shows that gigantic, oversized (vs. normal-sized) VR food cues elicit sensations of mental oversatiation, which further trigger gustatory perceptions of the oversized food, resulting in increased purchase intention for the complementary focal product. This cross-stimulus sensitization is further explored in a field experiment (Study 3) using VR HMD. Results suggest an interaction effect of gigantic, oversized VR food cues with the bodily state (i.e., the eating state) in influencing consumer sensations. This research sheds light on counterintuitive effects of VR presentations on consumer urges and sensations which might stimulate further research on the impact of the metaverse on real-life preferences.

ABSTRACT. In the online retail landscape, many consumers purchase merchandise primarily for evaluation and often return items that don't align with their expectations, particularly due to discrepancies in fit or appeal. Augmented Reality (AR) offers a technological solution to this challenge by integrating virtual elements into real-world settings, enabling consumers to virtually assess products. This not only amplifies customer satisfaction but also diminishes return rates. As AR becomes more prevalent, consumer expectations have naturally heightened. When these expectations are unmet due to AR service failures, the dissatisfaction experienced can be more pronounced than with traditional service failures. A pivotal factor in this dynamic is the shift in attribution of responsibility. While customers might internally attribute blame for traditional service failures, AR can lead to external attribution, as consumers believe they've made more informed decisions. This highlights the dual role of AR: it can enhance the online shopping experience, but it also introduces the potential for more severe consequences when service failures occur. Businesses are urged to reevaluate their service strategies and develop effective recovery mechanisms to restore consumer trust and satisfaction.

ABSTRACT. In this research, we propose a new conceptual framework to improve availability of products in consumer goods retailing. It includes new promising technologies and processes that have emerged over the past few years. However, technology alone is never the panacea. Without aligning leadership and improving jobs, these technologies will not succeed. Our framework consists of those three interlocking elements: Align Leaders, Deploy Technology, and Improve Jobs. Any disconnect between the three elements, we propose, serves as a continuing roadblock to higher availability across retailers and suppliers. Non-availability attenuates the value and the relationship the brands and retailers have invested heavily to build. Management’s failure to deliver on availability interrupts the shopper from purchasing the item – at least temporarily -- resulting in sales and related losses of brand loyalty and store loyalty.

ABSTRACT. The fast-paced evolution of the digital landscape has disconnected consumers from the natural world, leading to negative outcomes including stress, cognitive fatigue, and diminished physical and psychological health. While the impact of music and instrumental sounds in marketing has been extensively studied, deployment of natural sounds – biosonic sound (sound of flowing water, wind, birds etc), particularly over music or instrumental sounds, necessitates scientific validation. This research suggests the introduction of the term 'bio-sonic retail environment' to investigate the impact of natural sounds and visual stimuli on its restorative benefits and pro-environmental behavior among users. We aim to investigate how the alignment of visual design and natural auditory elements in the retail environment affects the holistic perception, fostering emotional engagement among viewers. Using the theoretical frameworks from environmental psychology, we propose to explore three distinct research questions; first, the study will investigate whether bio-sonic would induce a greater shopping experience (over ambient noise) in retail environment. Secondly, we propose to examine whether bio-sonic would be preferred over instrumental music (non-vocal) ones for greater shopping experience. Finally, we focus on the congruence between natural auditory-visual (design) components (biosonic and biophilic) to induce greater shopping experiences.

ABSTRACT. By considering the virtual store as a new shopping channel (V-commerce), this research complements the existing literature on the use of virtual reality in retail. Two immersive studies involving, in total, 269 respondents show that the virtual store is considered by consumers as a full-fledged shopping place, where they can have enriching experiences, while shopping, and that it can enhance the relationship they have with the retailer that offers this new technology. Moreover, this omnichannel solution generates value and well-being for consumers. The value is determined by ease of use, cognitive effort, empowerment and privacy respect. The influence of these antecedents on the perceived value positive or negative and more or less important depending on the shopper's body presence (hands only or full body) in the virtual store. The results of this research indicate that the virtual store should be considered by retailers as a recruitment and loyalty tool that offers well-being to their shoppers.

ABSTRACT. From top-level managers to salespeople, the task of appropriate resource allocation to achieve the right balance among different activities and processes is always challenging. Organizations, like all other economic entities, have access to a limited number of resources. Consequently, making the right decisions about spending scarce resources effectively is of relevance and importance at different levels of organizations. Salespeople, as boundary spanners of the firms, have access to many firm resources, and they receive minimal overview from managers (Spiro et al., 2008).

ABSTRACT. It is indisputable that a business requires all its functions, such as sales, marketing, operations, and finance to ensure stability and balance, however, according to Domaleski (2023), sales is the most important driver among them. The gravity of sales is also realized by the quote “Nothing happens until someone sells something” — Henry Ford (Iyer, 2017). In the constantly developing business environment of today, companies are always looking to improve sales performance and obtain a competitive advantage. To achieve these objectives, businesses are discovering ways to boost sales with other marketing endeavors. In addition, innovations in technology are transforming the sales landscape (Moncrief et al., 2015), and businesses realize the benefits of using information technology (IT) to automate sales and boost company performance (Rodríguez et al., 2020; Sinisalo et al., 2015).

ABSTRACT. Informed by the Socio-technical Model of Sales Force Change, this study examines the utilization and impact of Sales Engagement Applications (SEAs) in the B2B sales processes of medium-sized European companies. We conducted in-depth interviews with 27 CEOs and sales directors from diverse European medium-sized enterprises. Thematic analysis revealed five key themes informing how the adoption of SEAs substantiate sales enablement capacities, enhance sales functions, and create value to seller firms operating with B2B sales models. Findings suggest that SEAs adoption can facilitate improvements in the sales processes, including better cross-departmental collaboration, accuracy of sales forecasting, stabilization of costs of sales, and agility to adapt sales functions to a digital-first B2B purchasing process. This study equips sales executives with the insights needed to thoughtfully select and deploy SEAs across various stages of the B2B sales process. By focusing on dominant SEAs and their impacts on personnel, processes, and organizational structures, this research suggests how to extract value from these digital tools. Theoretical contributions are made to the B2B sales and Sales Enablement Theories, corroborating and extending previous discussions by adding depth to the comprehension of value generation through SEAs and by positing a new conceptual model.

ABSTRACT. Salespeople depend on sales-related technologies to make themselves more efficient and effective. The extant sales-technology research tends to examine specific sales technologies individually with an emphasis on the impact on salespeople. With the growth of technological capabilities, sales technology has become more integrated, thus making it harder to separate individual technologies from one another. The current research conducts a systematic literature review of sales technology. Next, with an eye toward the development of indigenous theory, it introduces the term sales-stacks as capturing the aggregate of sales technologies that, when effective, provide a powerful, connected, easy-to-use experience for every sales role. Six foundational premises are introduced to differentiate sales-stacks from single use technology and provide a basis for theory development. Lastly, a research agenda is presented to provide guidance for future sales-stack research.

ABSTRACT. According to Pinello et al. (2022) and Yan and Cao (2017), a brand alliance is broadly described in the marketing and branding literature as affiliating two or more brands in marketing initiatives, such as products, commercials, promotions, or services. Brand alliances hold the potential for a new image to be created or a new physical characteristic to be introduced (Nasution et al., 2020). Ahluwalia et al. (2001) describe a beneficial "spillover effect," in which a person's confidence in one entity shifts because of their assessments of the other entity. According to Paredes et al. (2014) and Simonin and Ruth (1998), an individual's co-branding evaluations are positively influenced by their prior attitudes toward the two individual brands. Several research papers (e.g., Gammoh, Voss, and Chakraborty 2006; Koschmann and Bowman (2018) show that the consumer opinion about a high-quality brand can be transmitted to its partner brand of low quality depending on the degree of fit (e.g., Han et al. 2023; Decker and Baade 2016).

ABSTRACT. Existing literature suggests that individuals hold favorable perceptions of certain shapes than others. For example, the shape of the physical service scape affects consumers’ perceived competence of the service provider (Liu et al. 2018). Furthermore, the shape of the seat arrangement affects perceived persuasiveness of the materials (Zhu and Argo 2013). Previous studies have also found that shape of the product (Li et al. 2022; Zhou et al. 2021) and package shape (Motoki and Velasco 2021) affect consumer behaviors. More importantly, branding literature documents the effect of brand logo shape on consumer behavior (Chen et al. 2021). Do individuals from different cultures exhibit distinct preferences for various shapes? In crosscultural literature, researchers (Zhang et al. 2006) have found that consumers from different cultures may demonstrate diverging preference toward angular vs. rounded logo shapes, because independent self-construal and rounded shape are associated with a confrontation (vs. compromise) approach of problem resolution. Given that there are several cross-cultural dimensions proposed by Hofstede (2001), the question arises: do other cultural dimensions also affect consumers’ aesthetic preference for angular vs. rounded brand logo shapes?

ABSTRACT. An increasing number of companies have embraced sustainability as a core component of their business strategies. A 2017 McKinsey survey reported that 70 percent of respondents indicated that their companies had established formal sustainability governance, a significant increase from 56 percent in 2014 (McKinsey, 2017). Notably, more and more brands, such as Patagonia and Toms, have introduced eco-friendly products crafted from organic or recyclable materials while also launching environmental protection and community contribution initiatives. Among those brands, some, such as Charmin, despite dedicating themselves to sustainability initiatives, also deliver those messages via an anthropomorphized format (e.g., featuring a friendly bear as their mascot). In this research, we ask the following questions: 1) Can anthropomorphism significantly augment a brand's sustainability endeavors? Specifically, when the brand employs anthropomorphized communication messages, will consumers be more inclined to comply with a sustainable brand's requests (e.g., product recycling or charity donation)? And 2) If so, could the conformity be extended to non-green requests (e.g., charitable donations to non-environmental issues)?

ABSTRACT. Creative consumers consume products differently to what they were initially intended for; products are used but are adapted, modified or transformed by the users (Berthon et al., 2007). While most research on creative consumers has followed a managerial perspective (e.g., Berthon et al., 2007; DesAutels et al., 2014), the investigation of the creative consumer beyond remains relatively unexplored. This research provides a consumer behavioral investigation of the concept, positioning creative car consumers as its subjects, who creatively consume an item of world-wide prevalence, importance, and popularity – the car. As its conceptual lens, Moschis’ (2007) Life Course Paradigm and Moreau and Dahl’s (2005; 2007) theory on constraints and creativity are utilized. Coining life experiences and circumstances are identified and their relevance for creative consumption discussed. Data was generated from 48 in-depth interviews with UK-participants. Themes emerging from the thematic analysis led to the identification of five general life phases - constituting a proposed life stage model of the creative consumer. This research represents an attempt at deepening our understanding of the creative consumer, showing the significance in seemingly insignificant life incidents, and eventually alluding to the existence of a greater circular movement propelling the rise of the modern creative consumer.

ABSTRACT. Because aesthetics literature spreads across numerous basic disciplines with limited literature in marketing and consumer behavior, this integrative review offers a redefinition of consumer aesthetic taste as practice and an overview of its dynamic nature from an interdisciplinary perspective. A modern-interactionist conceptual framework is introduced to interpret the social reality behind consumer aesthetic taste by integrating underlying and interconnected concepts like personal taste, good and bad taste, taste expertise, shared taste, taste regime, and taste system. As the existing aesthetic taste literature is extensive, subjective, and often complex, clarifying consumer aesthetic taste offers theory development opportunities for consumer behavior and marketing literature.

ABSTRACT. Today, e-commerce has transformed into a thriving trillion-dollar industry, offering consumers a digital paradise for shopping anytime, anywhere. The E-commerce industry is expected to be worth 5.9 trillion USD by the end of 2023. In online purchases, the significance of consumers' perception of product/service superiority (perceived quality), as influenced by their expectations, becomes paramount. Research findings suggest that over half of online shoppers abandon their shopping carts because of quality concerns associated with the e-commerce platform. Although quality plays a pivotal role in meeting consumers' expectations, the literature needs a comprehensive and rigorous method for assessing and comprehending consumer perceptions of quality in e-commerce. The critical challenges in perceived quality measurement include the absence of a robust theoretical foundation for consumers' quality perception in e-commerce, limited research initiatives exploring consumers' first-hand experiences, and an overreliance on scales derived from lab experiments or survey-based methodologies, which are often restricted by a small pool of respondents.

ABSTRACT. Intellectuals have debated taste since ancient times. This elusive and broad concept has yet to be understood despite its valuable implications for consumer behavior. This article systematically reviews aesthetic taste from an interdisciplinary approach. Findings reveal ten perspectives that describe how authors have addressed the concept since the 18th Century. The challenges these various, subjective, and complex views on the topic represent for consumer studies are discussed. By differentiating these perspectives, the findings contribute to the literature on consumer and fashion studies by expanding on the understanding of the concept.

ABSTRACT. ChatGPT reached 100M users in 2 months. This impressive success suggests a massive adoption of large language models in the future, and therefore their use by consumers for various services. As large language models depend on prompts, we can tailor the way they interact, and this may have consequences for the consumer, which we propose to study here. We apply the conceptual framework of assemblage theory to better understand how the agency of chatbots, through their autonomy, can impact the consumer's experience, and ultimately consumer intention to use the service. The study (N = 87) employs a between-subjects experimental design. We manipulate the chatbot's autonomy (low vs. high) through its ability to act during interaction with consumers, in relation to the consumer's personal data. We then investigate the effect of our manipulation on the value of personalization and the consumer privacy concerns, as well as the role of mediators such as self-efficacy, self-disclosure and wellbeing, to better understand the behavioral intention to adopt the chatbot service. We contribute both to the literature on assemblage theory, and that on the personalization-privacy paradox, and propose recommendations for the implementation of chatbots relying on consumer’s data.

ABSTRACT. Urbanization is driving a substantial shift, with the United Nations predicting that by 2050, 67% of the global population will reside in urban environments. As cities strive to accommodate this growth, the development of smart cities becomes paramount. These cities employ artificial intelli-gence (AI)-enhanced systems to intelligently address complex challenges. Trust is a central issue in the adoption of AI-based services within these smart cities, with concerns encompassing the trans-parency of systems and ethical data handling. Contemporary research methodologies grounded in the use of scenario-based fictitious questionnaires exhibit limitations in replicating real-world inter-actions with AI solutions among research participants. These methods often fall short in capturing the intricate nuances of AI adoption. To address this gap, we advocate for the adoption of a simula-tion-based research methodology. A comprehensive literature review focusing on AI-enhanced smart home adoption substantiates the deficiency in current research methods, particularly in their ability to authentically represent the experimental dimension of the technology itself. In light of these findings, this paper proposes the design of an AI-driven smart home simulation environment. This conceptual framework presents a controlled setting that facilitates the exploration of diverse experimental scenarios, thereby enhancing the validation of AI-based smart home adoption re-search.

ABSTRACT. Technology can transform healthcare service delivery and enhance patient well-being (Agarwal et al., 2020). However, these benefits rely on patients' willingness and ability to effectively use these technologies (Vogus et al., 2020). Therefore, providers must shift from a focus on technology to a patient-centric focus, recognizing that even the most innovative technology can fail if patients are not convinced of its value (Kurtmollaiev et al., 2022).

In essence, the success of healthcare technology in enhancing patient well-being requires two conditions. First, understanding what drives or hinders patient technology usage and how these factors impact well-being. Second, using this insight to make informed decisions in designing, implementing, and managing technologies in a patient-centered way.

Our goal is to create a generally applicable, patient-centric decision-making toolset for providers to (1) design and implement technologies that contribute to patient well-being and (2) actively manage, evaluate, and optimize patient well-being using technology. To achieve this, we employ a mixed-method multi-sample approach, integrating qualitative and quantitative methods to collect data from both patients and providers. Conceptually, our approach is rooted in employee management and marketing theory, drawing insights from models such as the Job Demands-Resources model, ensuring a consistent patient-centered perspective in the decision-making process.

ABSTRACT. Amidst the rise of social media as a news source, the propagation of misinformation has emerged as a significant concern. To address this, AI-powered tools have been proposed to detect fake news, aiming to enhance people's ability to discern misinformation. However, challenges arise in establishing trust in AI technology and comprehending the determinants of its adoption. This study formulates a conceptual model drawing from technology acceptance literature, investigating both cognitive and affective pathways. Results underscore the pivotal role of user well-being alongside performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and technology trust as predictors of behavioral intention to adopt AI-driven fake news detectors.

ABSTRACT. There has been a growing interest in the mixed effects of social media usage on consumers’ subjective well-being. This research focuses on the varying effects of social media usage on mindfulness and subsequently on subjective well-being. In addition, interdependent self-construal is positioned as a moderation factor to explain the variations in subjective well-being. Results suggest a positive effect of social media helpfulness on mindfulness, consequently causing anxiety and life satisfaction. Furthermore, the negative effects of social media intensity and social media fatigue are confirmed. Additionally, interdependent self-construal strengthens the positive effect of social media helpfulness yet demerits the negative effect of social media fatigue. This research enriches the literature on subjective well-being by investigating how mindfulness affects social media users’ well-being. Furthermore, these results offer insights into individual differences in social media usage and subjective well-being while providing implications for individual and societal well-being in the digital world.

ABSTRACT. A new phenomenon, “deinfluencing”, is on the rise on social media as a counter-speech created by influencers, telling their audience what not to buy (in terms of product, brands, or product categories) and encouraging a more responsible consumption. Yet, little is known about how Internet users react towards a deinfluencing attempt. Drawing on the Information Adoption Model (IAM), this research explores the emotional and cognitive reactions of consumers towards deinfluencing. A hybrid approach, combining a qualitative thematic analysis with a state-of-the-art topic modeling, is conducted on a sample of 23 088 viewers’ comments on TikTok . The findings reveal a typology of 3 prototypical viewer reactions that include the sustainability adopters (agree to change), the sustainability procrastinators (wait for others to change) and the resistors (reject the influencing attempt). Additional analysis also suggests that these reactions are driven by cognitive dissonance between the credibility and content of the influencing videos and Internet user beliefs or behaviors. This study contributes to persuasion literature, in the context of the adoption of socially responsible consumption, and suggests public policy and managerial implications for encouraging socially responsible behaviors as deinfluencing communication could become a valuable lever to convince consumers for sustainable consumption.

ABSTRACT. This study examines how consumers react to greenwashing in social media, particularly on Twitter. Greenwashing is a form of marketing practice that involves deceptive or exaggerated environmental statements in an effort to mislead consumers. In light of the growing public concern for sustainability, businesses are facing heightened scrutiny from consumers regarding their environmental assertions. Using a topic modeling technique, this study analyzes a dataset of tweets containing the hashtag greenwashing and conducts a content and sentiment analysis of a large sample of tweets to understand consumers' sentiments and responses to greenwashing. The findings suggest that consumers are highly skeptical of greenwashing and often express fear and sadness in their tweets. Consumers demonstrate a strong desire for corrective actions and are highly receptive to new information. Moreover, Twitter serves as a platform for consumers to share information, educate others, and hold companies accountable for their environmental claims. These findings have implications for companies seeking to engage environmentally conscious consumers and highlight the need for greater accountability and transparency in green marketing strategies.

ABSTRACT. There has been a call in the services marketing literature to examine the consumption of socially unacceptable services, whose consumption is considered inappropriate or immoral (Adult content consumption is one of these services. Adult content is defined as “professionally produced or consumer-generated pictures or videos intended to sexually arouse the viewer” (Sniewsk,Farvida and Carter, 2018, P.218). Studying it is of utmost importance because of the widespread consumption of adult content and negative effects that its consumption cause. A host of negative effects are associated with its consumption like dehumanizing others, less satisfaction with marriage negative perceptions about women . A recent survey of adults in the United States reveals that the consumption of adult content is prevalent among men (91.5%) and women 60.2%. A recent survey in the U.K. also showed that 60% of those surveyed watch adult content at work. It is also estimated that between 2% and 17% of adult content users will meet the threshold for compulsive or problematic consumption. Thus We build on research examining human well-being to propose a conceptual that explains how consumers' orientation to well-being (i.e. happiness) influences adult content consumption. More specifically we distinguish between hedonic and eudaimonic orientations to well-being.

ABSTRACT. This study is one of the first to empirically examine the use of a developed AI Augmented Reality Digital Assistants (ARDA) app to examine its role in enhancing consumers’ phygital service experiences. Our research develops understanding into how ARDAs influence consumers’ phygital service experience based on the level of anthropomorphism (perceived physical presence: Human vs Robot). Although our experimental data shows that there are no differences between robot vs. human ARDAs on overall phygital service experience, this is an interesting finding in establishing that ARDAs are powerful service enhancement tools through provision of a personified assistant experience, regardless of their aesthetic. Further results show the significance of the personified ARDA with the presence of immersion and authenticity. Interestingly, authenticity was experienced by users of both the robot and human ARDA experiences in this instance, which may indicate that in a phygital environment, due to the use of technology and the blend of the digital and physical environment that both human and robot providers are seen as equal. This opens interesting avenues of research in attempting to move beyond silos of digital and physical worlds and to understand social presence and anthropomorphism in a blended phygital service environment.

ABSTRACT. Despite the recent hype, much of the available literature focusing on the metaeverse captures high-level conceptual overviews and contemplations of future trajectories, leaving a gap in understanding the role of these digital spaces for marketing activities, such as branding or advertising. The aim of the current paper is to explore the potential of the metaverse for the field of advertising, and to identify certain key aspects and properties. A group of 35 experts representing advertising agencies and brands in Central and Eastern Europe were interviewed. Our findings provide insights concerning the concept of the metaverse and its value proposition for brands and advertising agencies. Our results demonstrate that advertising in the metaverse employs existing formats (e.g., billboards, product placement) and develops its own formats (e.g., automated avatars, virtual products and branded spaces). Moreover, advertising in the metaverse tends to entail more brand-building and less direct activities, which are also more generalized and less targeted than on current digital and social media platforms. Given the high up-front costs, these activities for the moment tend to be better suited for multinationals and well-known global brands. We conclude by identifying scholarly and managerial contributions and offer directions for further research.

ABSTRACT. As individuals immerse themselves in a digitally dominated world, understanding how individuals form connections with digital items becomes essential. We challenge the view that materiality is crucial for emotional attachment by showing individuals can bond with non-material items like Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). We demonstrate the novel impact of subjective rarity on seller valuation, highlighting the role of perceived rarity in shaping their decisions. Two studies reveal that NFT owners value their tokens more when perceived as highly rare than less rare. Rarity's effect on valuation is mediated by emotional attachment, with higher perceived rarity leading to stronger attachment and higher valuations.

ABSTRACT. VR experiences are increasingly being used to make charitable appeals because of their effectiveness in persuasion. Given their cost to develop, VR efforts should utilize storytelling features enhance this persuasiveness. Yet, to date, research has largely only compared VR to other types of media. In charitable giving, metaphorical thinking suggests that closer (vs. geographically further) victims are likely to receive more donations because closer metaphorically is linked to impact. As such, We investigate whether victim proximity in VR also influences donations, and why. Two experiments (one lab and one field study) document that VR experiences that show victims close (vs. further) to the user receive greater donations. Yet, vulnerability, issue severity, and maladaptive thinking do not mediate this effect. Implications to theory and practice are discussed.