Abstract

As innovative technologies spread, the role of means of interaction with customers in the digital environment is growing. Virtual reality technologies are becoming one of the most promising tools for significantly expanding customer interaction in the context of digital transformation. The purpose of this article is to analyze the brand strategies of the leading companies and show the possibilities of using virtual reality technology and the concept of the metaverse for brand formation and promotion. We also aim to assess the prospects and formulate recommendations on the use of the digital environment in brand management strategies. To achieve the set goal, several tasks were completed. The authors analyzed the experience of using the digital environment for interacting with customers and studied the influence of VR, AR, MR, and XR technologies on brand management. Additionally, the possibilities of using the metaverse concept for brand management was defined. In this work, general scientific theoretical and empirical research methods were applied. The study furthers the theoretical foundations of brand management in the digital environment via innovative branding technologies that support an increase in the competitive performance of companies.

Introduction

As information and communication technologies develop, the digital environment forces enterprises to rethink their strategic goals, transforming both the business itself and the methods of doing business. The use of digital technologies in marketing offers completely new value propositions and ways to promote the business [1].

Traditionally, promotion (communicative mix), as an element of marketing mix, combines various types of marketing communications, including advertising, direct marketing, public relations, etc. They are used to inform the target audience about the merits of a product, service, brand, or idea. Promotion is aimed at generating interest, raising awareness, increasing sales, or building brand loyalty [2]. The development of digital technologies has changed almost all the classic communication instruments and ways of obtaining information. Social networks, instant messengers, video hosting (e.g., YouTube, TikTok), and video conferencing tools (e.g., Zoom, Discord) are becoming more popular. Print media, TV, and radio channels are going digital and introducing online versions.

Conclusions

The analysis of the brand strategies of the leading companies showed quite ample opportunities for using the technologies of virtual, augmented, and mixed reality and the concept of the metaverse for the formation and promotion of brands.

New technologies and platforms, growing connections between communication channels, force companies to constantly seek and summarize best practices, working with customers and other stakeholders through various communication systems.

Branding in a virtual environment can often be challenging, but the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. Therefore, virtual branding opportunities should be used to the maximum to gain competitive advantages.

1- Introduction

2- Pilot study

3- Main study

4- General discussion

5- Author statement

References

Abstract

The present research included two field studies investigating, firstly, the effects of round and angular typefaces on taste expectations and, secondly, how such expectations may have downstream effects on naturalistic consumer choice. A taste experiment conducted at a science festival asked participants (N = 125) to rate the expected and actual sweetness and sourness of beer served from plastic cups labelled with either angular or round typeface. Effects of typeface were found on both taste expectations and perceived taste, but in opposite directions; participants rated the expected sourness of a beer as higher in the round (vs. angular) typeface condition, whereas they rated perceived sourness as lower in the round compared to the angular typeface condition. A follow-up field study conducted at a beer bar tested whether different typefaces on a beer board would affect actual beer choices. Data consisted of beer transactions (N = 1,952) and included the monetary amount, and the specific style, and size of beer purchased. The results showed that average transaction amount was lower in the round (vs. angular) typeface condition, and that customers purchased more sour beer options in this condition. These findings support a crossmodal compensation account, and suggest that round typefaces could increase choices of contrasting sour products. Hence, marketers may want to consider how typefaces can either enhance or diminish certain tastes.

Introduction

It has long been recognized that different typefaces have different connotations and associations. One needs to look no further than the internet’s playful disgust for typefaces such as comic sans or papyrus (Oneextrapixel, 2018) to see how people attach emotion and importance to typefaces. On a more serious note, typefaces play an important role in the development of marketing materials and product packaging design, which are often connected to significant financial costs for companies, underlining the importance of choosing the right typeface for products and brands. Certainly, typefaces can affect perception and convey meaning beyond the actual semantic message, so it is not surprising that this design element has received attention in regards to fields such as advertising and product packaging (Childers & Jass, 2002). However, even though typeface is a central part of food-related marketing, advertising, and packaging, research on the effects on taste expectation and perception has only started to gain traction (for a review, see Velasco & Spence, 2019). Indeed, several studies have shown how shapes can elicit certain associations and expectations within the food domain (Velasco et al., 2014), and other studies have revealed how, for instance, expectations play an important role in the actual perceived taste of a product (Piqueras-Fiszman & Spence, 2015).

Theories of social exchange and social identity are extensively introduced to explain the motivation to share online. However, the first step to be social or identified in an online community is to have a profile name because online status and reputation should be assigned to an owner. The effect of profile name on online sharing is rarely explored in the literature, which is crucial in understanding the initial impulse of online sharing. We select a unique platform that enables users to use a profile name or remain anonymous and collect 2,109,555 reviews. Two main findings are drawn from our big data analysis. (1) Users who provide profile names are more involved in online sharing: they write longer text and upload more photos in comparison with anonymous users. (2) Users with profile names gain more recognition from peers. This study concludes by presenting the theoretical and managerial implications of these findings.

Introduction

Hotel booking sites provide beneficial platforms for users to obtain information from peers and post reviews after their experiences (Chan et al., 2017). However, sharing one’s experience online is voluntary and requires effort to write text and upload photos (Liu et al., 2018). What motivates users to share online remains a major research question. Prior studies have drawn on social exchange and social identity theories to explain the motivation to contribute online (Forman et al., 2008; Luo et al., 2017). These motivations include information exchange (Xiang and Gretzel, 2010), self-enhancement (Yoo and Gretzel, 2008), and sense of belonging (Cantallops and Salvi, 2014). Research in online contexts has suggested that self-verification plays an important role in shaping online behavior (Forman et al., 2008). The first step to be social or identified in an online community is to have a profile name because status, reputation, and social identity should be assigned to an owner. Compared with anonymous users, users with profile names are more concerned about their status and reputation in the community which can be obtained from their online contributions. Furthermore, voluntary contributions from users with profile names could be more salient owing to their higher sense of belonging in the community. Therefore, it is expected that users with profile names are more involved in online sharing in comparison with anonymous users. The pursuit of status and reputation makes users with profile names pay more attention on the quality of their contributions, hence reviews posted by users with profile names could be more thorough and informative. In addition, readers would trust reviews posted by users with profile names more than anonymous users (Forman et al., 2008). Thus, it is expected that users with profile names are more recognized than anonymous users in an online community.