Abstract

Business-to-business (B2B) suppliers need to develop specific capabilities to successfully manage digitalized touchpoints in B2B customer journeys. As digitalization leads to shifts in touchpoints, new demands arise regarding a supplier’s ability to manage these touchpoints. Developing capabilities for managing digitalized touchpoints is becoming a key aspect for suppliers in designing and managing attractive B2B customer journeys. Although extant research has highlighted the importance of managing touchpoints in the form of capabilities, this area has received surprisingly little research attention. Similarly, the B2B context in customer journeys remains under-researched. The present study investigates supplier capabilities for the management of digitalized touchpoints in B2B customer journeys. Through an exploratory in-depth case study, this research identifies seven key supplier capabilities for the management of digitalized touchpoints in B2B customer journeys: preparing customer resources, integrating customer resources, enabling collective actions, supporting customer actions, balancing activation levels, hybridizing environments, and merging digital environments. These capabilities are structured around a theoretically derived conceptualization of touchpoints as consisting of resources, actions, and environments. From a capability perspective, this study also demonstrates the key role of touchpoint control, as well as approaching touchpoints as sequences to ensure consistency across, and seamlessness between transitions of, touchpoints.

Introduction

The concept of customer journeys is increasingly recognized as a central element in marketing ( Homburg & Tischer, 2023 ; Steward, Narus, Roehm, & Ritz, 2019 ; Witell et al., 2020 ). A key building block in a customer journey is the notion of touchpoints, considered here as the interactions, or engagements, between a supplier and a customer ( Homburg, Jozić, & Kuehnl, 2017 ; Lemon & Verhoef, 2016 ). Because touchpoints are pivotal for, and embedded in, customer journeys, it becomes important for a supplier to be able to manage these ( Durmusoglu, McNally, & Chen, 2022 ; Hodgkinson, Jackson, & West, 2021 ). Poorly managed touchpoints can, for example, lead to excessive resource usage as well as bad customer experiences. A supplier’s ability to manage touchpoints becomes especially challenging in business-to-business (B2B) contexts, where customer journeys are characterized by greater complexity, a broader array of stakeholders and touchpoints, as well as longer engagement timelines ( Meyer & Schwager, 2007 ; Witell et al., 2020 ; Zolkiewski et al., 2017 ). These characteristics put added demands on the management of touchpoints but also highlight the need for further insights into B2B customer journeys ( Purmonen, Jaakkola, & Terho, 2023 ; Rusthollkarhu, Toukola, Aarikka-Stenroos, & Mahlamäki, 2022 ).

While existing research underscores the significance of touchpoints within the customer journey, and the competitive edge that can be gained through their effective management in the form of capabilities (e.g., Aichner & Gruber, 2017 ; Dhebar, 2013 ; Gao, Fan, Li, & Wang, 2021 ; Homburg et al., 2017 ), there is a notable lack of studies delving into the specific supplier-oriented capabilities necessary for managing these touchpoints ( Homburg & Tischer, 2023 ; Lemon & Verhoef, 2016 ; Maechler, Sahni, & van Oostrum, 2016 ). This is especially so in the face of advancing digitalization. Digitalization, describing the process by which digital technologies are influencing business processes (see, e.g., Li, Kannan, Viswanathan, & Pani, 2016 ), not only introduces new opportunities but also compounds the complexity of managing touchpoints ( Marino & Lo Presti, 2018 ; McColl-Kennedy et al., 2015 ). For example, both the diversity and number of touchpoints in a customer journey typically tend to increase as firms introduce digital technologies ( De Keyser, Verleye, Lemon, Keiningham, & Klaus, 2020 ; Larivière et al., 2017 ). This leads to an additional emphasis on understanding suppliers’ touchpoint management capabilities related to a new digital reality ( Ritter & Pedersen, 2020 ; Volberda, Khanagha, Baden-Fuller, Mihalache, & Birkinshaw, 2021 ).

Implications and future research

This study provides insights into the management of digitalized touchpoints in B2B customer journeys by operationalizing it as a set of capabilities. We add to existing literature by taking a supplier perspective on touchpoints, identifying seven capabilities to manage digitalized resources, actions, and environments, which together frame the management of digitalized touchpoints. We also provide guidance as to future research in the field of B2B customer journeys as well as for B2B managers in strategizing for customer journeys.

Abstract

Due to the industrial revolution and, thereby with, the emergence of Industry 4.0, there has been an impact on the marketing of business firms, enabling them to digitally transform and adopt Marketing 4.0 practices supported by smart technologies. One of these is Big Data Analytics (BDA), which enables a firm to improve its marketing practices. The main objective of this study is to evaluate how integrating big data technology improves the marketing strategies of Indian FMCG companies operating in a dynamic and highly competitive market distinguished by its size and diversity, constantly changing consumer behaviour, and Marketing 4.0 trends. This study adopts a systematic approach to coding an interview with seasoned Indian FMCG professionals to explain the capabilities of Big Data in molding marketing practices. A framework is constructed based on the same. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed to visualize its applicability in business. Further, the Resource-based View (RBV) theory is discussed for describing the insights into the role and adoption of Big Data by Indian FMCG firms for enhancing performance and achieving competitiveness, along with demonstrating its benefits for decision-making, customer loyalty and internal capability assessment.

Introduction

With technological advancements, industries now utilize innovative technologies that bolster a range of corporate activities and procedures, profoundly influencing the internal operations of these firms. (Cammarano et al., 2023, Singh et al., 2022b). The fourth industrial revolution, known as Industry 4.0, which is driving this technological change for business firms, serves as a bridge between intelligent products and adaptive processes and has a significant impact on both business models and production processes (Rosário & Dias, 2022; Salkin et al., 2018). Industry 4.0 enables the digital transformation of firms, which is further impacted by different internal and external factors related to the firm. The digital transformation is required to improve customer experiences and retain customers (Kitsios et al., 2021). Despite their implementation challenges and hazards, these advancements increase market analytics, cost, channel management, client connections, professional skills, and organizational procedures (Pascucci et al., 2023). With Industry 4.0, there is a steady trend towards understanding the consumers, which includes their needs, behaviours, storytelling, and anticipation (Lampropoulos, 2023; White & Pathak, 2023). These are the core components of marketing techniques that have evolved into marketing 4.0 (Yakut, 2022). As an outcome of the emergence of trends like Big Data (BD), social media, corporate social responsibility, and e-commerce, the shift to Marketing 4.0 is accelerating (Guven, 2020). Marketing 4.0 is driven by the convergence of offline and online marketing strategies and incorporates technical advancements to provide better flexibility (Rathod et al., 2020; Kotler et al., 2017). The improvement of the consumer experience, the induction of repurchase intention, and brand promotion are some of the significant achievements of Marketing 4.0 (Dash et al., 2023). Consumer usage patterns of social media, online platforms, search engines, contextual interactions, and community influences are some of the areas the companies are looking into. Companies use the information mainly for promotional and consumer engagement activities. The consumers are seen to be transformed into advocates through marketing 4.0, where a sense of community building takes place, resulting in a meaningful engagement of the marketers and consumers (Gau, 2019).

Conclusion

This study discusses and examines the role of BD and how an FMCG firm can adopt BD to improve its overall performance and attain a competitive position in the market. This research is the first of its kind to explore the implications of BD in the Indian FMCG sector. The relationship among BD, marketing practices and FMCG from in Indian perspective is a unique contribution to this paper. In addition to its usefulness, the study explores the crucial roles that automation and decision science play. This study discusses the benefits the firm achieves for accepting BD in the business. The study reveals some of how BD helps in decision-making for FMCG firms. For Indian FMCG firms, BD is crucial to value creation and achieving business operations’ scalability. FMCG organizations are using BD and analytics solutions more and more since they help create value, scale corporate operations, and increase output in today’s competitive market. BD makes it possible to analyze consumer preferences and behaviour at each transaction stage with a business. FMCG companies may now provide personalized experiences through targeted messaging, unique offers, and channel-specific communication optimization. BD also offers in-the-moment customer insights via sentiment, preference, and behaviour research, which aids FMCG companies in creating goods that enhance customer experiences and provide them with the necessary competitive edge.

Additionally, BD facilitates effective market campaigns through real-time predictions, data processing, and analysis. BD can also be strategically used through automation, new business model innovation, decision science, and risk management. Furthermore, customer segmentation based on BD makes marketing techniques more effective, and real-time customer insights, like sentiment analysis and tracking of consumer preferences and behavior, help organizations respond quickly to market changes.

Abstract

Purpose
This study proposes and tests the effectiveness of an integrated approach to community-based internal branding (CBIB) in a business-to-business setting. It integrates classical and contemporary views on internal branding, integrating community-building activities into the proposed internal branding framework ensuring a holistic model of co-creation of a corporate brand identity. It also examines the moderation effect of employee’s personal, job, and community-related characteristics on the relationships in the proposed model.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents a detailed narrative review to propose a conceptual model and uses a quantitative research design to test a set of hypotheses using structural equation modeling on 400 responses collected through a survey.

Findings
This study finds that integrated CBIB is a viable approach for implementing internal branding. The effectiveness of building employee brand commitment is demonstrated through the testing of the model. We also find that employee’s age, gender, organizational tenure, membership duration (in the brand community), education level, customer interaction, leadership status, and participation in brand fests moderate the proposed relationships in the CBIB model.

Research limitations/implications
One key limitation of this paper is that it lacks the multi-cultural and multi-industry perspective, which, given promising results in the current context, may be investigated in future studies.

Practical implications
The paper proposes a community mode of implementing internal branding in a B2B setting and suggests a way to create brand champions across the organization.

Originality/value
As per the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first quantitative investigation of integrated community-based internal branding.

Introduction

A brand must deliver its promise (Burmann & Zeplin, 2005) or the effort that goes into market research, positioning, and creation of brand identity is likely to be lost (Baumgarth & Schmidt, 2010). No doubt, the internal branding philosophy of a firm directly influences its brand image (Mäläskä, Saraniemi, & Tähtinen, 2011). In business-to-business (B2B) and service firms, front-line sales employees, and support staff are key to delivering brand experience to the customer. Further, large B2B firms, due to their extensive employee base, complex structure, and multi-national spread, are at a greater risk of presenting mixed brand messages (Lee, 2021; Martin, 2021).

Research in the areas of internal branding, and organizational behavior reveals that a strong brand identity may be built by treating employees as internal customers (Baumgarth & Schmidt, 2010; Berry, Hensel, & Burke, 1976; Grönroos, 1985, Grönroos, 1997). Despite this assertion, when it comes to the implementation of internal branding in the B2B context, the classical view of internal branding recommends a top-down approach (Iglesias, Landgraf, Ind, Markovic, & Koporcic, 2020). The brand identity is fixed and strongly controlled by the firm, and is unidirectionally communicated to external stakeholders (Iglesias et al., 2020; Kapferer, 2012). On the other hand, the contemporary school of thought is shaped by the proliferation of digitalization and the internet, and it highlights the limited efficacy of a control-driven, top-down internal branding in the current B2B landscape (Iglesias et al., 2020; Iglesias, Ind, & Schultz, 2022; Saraniemi, 2022). At the core of this school of thought is the idea that brand identity is fluid, and is constantly co-created and developed through active conversation with all stakeholder groups across corporate brand interfaces (Iglesias et al., 2020; Iglesias et al., 2022).

Results

4.1. Measurement model
Assessment of the conceptual model (Fig. 2) includes testing the measurement model, structural model, mediation, and moderation analyses, all of which are undertaken using SPSS AMOS 26. All fit indices for the measurement model, viz., χ2/df = 2.160, CFI = 0.950, TLI = 0.942, and RMSEA = 0.054 are acceptable (Hair et al., 2010). We also performed the equivalence testing of the measurement model recommended by Marcoulides and Yuan (2016) by calculating the T-size RMSEA and CFI values. The T-size calculates the minimum population CFI and maximum size of misspecification (T-size RMSEA). We find that T-size RMSEA and CFI in equivalence testing are 0.059 and 0.935 respectively (against the conventionally reported value of 0.054 and 0.950). The cut-offs for T-size for the RMSEA and CFI based on the degrees of freedom (349), sample size (400) and number of observed variables (29) are:

Abstract

Narrative storytelling, a cornerstone of narrative persuasion theory, plays a crucial role in nurturing robust consumer-brand relationships. Understanding persuasive narratives within the social media domain is critical for destination brands. Hence, this study investigates the impact of realistic narratives on attitudinal destination brand loyalty, mediated by self-congruence and brand attachment across two experiments. Study 1 provides evidence for the superiority of adventure-themed realistic fictional narratives over fantasy one in Facebook advertisements. Study 2 supports the findings of Study 1 with a romantic-themed narrative and a diverse destination in Instagram advertisements. Moreover, Study 2 reveals that consumer fantasy proneness diminishes the influence of realistic fictional narratives on self-congruence. These findings suggest a strategic shift toward realistic narratives over fantasy ones to stimulate self-congruence and cultivate destination brand attachment, ultimately fortifying the bonds between travellers and destination brands.

Introduction

Engaging with travellers through social media has emerged as a cost-effective strategy for promoting tourism destinations ( Adamış & Pınarbaşı, 2022 ). Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) are increasingly focused on shaping and guiding brand narratives within social media channels to influence travel decisions ( Lund, Cohen, & Scarles, 2018 ; Ma, Scott, & Wu, 2023 ). However, social media advertising poses unique challenges for DMOs and destination marketers as they strive to stand out in crowded marketplaces. As a result, identifying the most persuasive methods to convey destination brand narratives has become crucial, with narrative storytelling proving to be a powerful tool in capturing travellers’ attention and encouraging them to explore destinations ( Youssef, Leicht, & Marongiu, 2019 ).

A “story-world”, which comprises a series of interconnected events centred around a specific theme, settings, and characters immerse audiences in the captivating realm of storytelling ( Ryan, 2016 ; Woodside, Sood, & Miller, 2008 ). Narrative storytelling is the art of narrating a sequence of events, whether based on true or fictional settings, by adeptly weaving together engaging story characters and immersive plots in a compelling manner ( Ma et al., 2023 ; Tu, 2015 ). This form of storytelling has a powerful ability to persuade and transport its audience by lessening negative cognitive responses and eliciting strong emotional reactions ( Escalas, 2007 ). Consequently, narrative storytelling offers significant opportunities for enhancing destination brand perception, identity, and competitiveness in saturated markets ( Bassano, Barile, Piciocchi, Spohrer, & Iandolo, 2019 ) and serves as a catalyst for destination development ( Hartman, Parra, & de Roo; 2019 ).

Conclusion

This study pioneers a shift in the exploration of perceived realism within destination brand narratives, diverging from prior research that have predominantly explored general aspects of storytelling. In contrast to earlier attempts, our research distinctly focuses on a specific and pivotal dimension—the impact of perceived realism in destination narratives on destination brand loyalty. By investigating the nuanced differences between realistic narrative and fantasy one, the current study has uncovered psychological mechanisms like self-congruity and brand attachment. Furthermore, the introduction of the concept of fantasy proneness has added a novel dimension to our understanding of how narratives operate in shaping travellers’ responses. In essence, this research has involved pioneering a more tailored and focused exploration of realistic narrative influences in the intricate realm of tourism destination branding.

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate B2B branding in a global context by constructing a framework for future research, practitioners, and brand managers operating in international B2B markets. Employing co-citation and text-mining techniques to investigate 281 articles, we identified five knowledge fields that map the intellectual structure of this domain: brand equity, industrial branding, brand value, global brand leadership, and relationship marketing. We also gained a deeper understanding of the important topics in global B2B branding literature. This framework not only highlights gaps and challenges in conceptual and methodological approaches but also challenges and extends existing academic discourse. It offers a systematic approach to strategic decision-making and the overhaul of marketing practices, guiding practitioners to navigate the complexities of global B2B branding. Our critical analysis sets a new agenda for future research, calling for a more rigorous and holistic advancement in the field of global B2B branding.

Introduction

The global corporate landscape has seen significant expansion in business-to-business (B2B) branding, with giants like Microsoft and IBM demonstrating the critical role of effective branding in achieving competitive advantages ( McKinsey, 2022 ). Effective B2B branding transcends the creation of memorable logos or slogans; it strategically positions companies in ways that resonate globally with business customers, influencing their decision-making processes by establishing trust, demonstrating value, and uniquely highlighting a company’s offerings ( Cartwright et al., 2021 ; Li et al., 2018 ). This strategic influence helps secure and maintain lasting business relationships, differentiates products and services in a competitive market, and enhances a company’s reputation and credibility internationally. Such branding not only justifies premium pricing by emphasizing quality, innovation, and service but also fosters customer loyalty and facilitates market expansion. Loyal customers, who perceive the brand’s offerings as superior, are less likely to switch to competitors and more inclined to advocate for the brand, thus amplifying its competitive advantage. Moreover, recent research by BCG (Boston Consulting Group) and Google underscores the impact of brand marketing in the B2B sector as equal to, or greater than, that in the consumer sector, with well-branded companies achieving greater returns on marketing investments and enhanced audience engagement ( Sheerin et al., 2021 ).

Recent research highlights the critical role of robust global B2B branding in enhancing the decision-making confidence of industrial purchasers ( Anaza et al., 2023 ). Strong global brands not only suggest superior product qualities but also stimulate increased purchasing interest due to their associative aspects ( Brown et al., 2011 ). The complexities inherent in organizational buying models necessitate that B2B brands provide decision-makers with both a rapid and emotionally resonant pathway to finalize their purchase decisions ( Blankson & Kalafatis, 2019 ; Mogaji et al., 2023 ). The dynamic and multifaceted nature of B2B branding has spurred extensive scholarly and practical exploration, resulting in a substantial body of literature ( Deng et al., 2021 ; Zhou et al., 2021 ). However, managers still grapple with significant challenges in implementing and integrating global B2B branding strategies effectively within their organizations. One major difficulty lies in assessing the impact of these strategies and making informed decisions that capitalize on their potential value, a process complicated by the varied dynamics of global markets ( Liu et al., 2020 ).

Results: Mapping the Landscape of Global B2B Branding

In this section, we first present the findings of two co-citation analyses both MDS and HCA, focusing on the identification of five distinct knowledge fields that map the landscape of global B2B branding literature. These knowledge fields are brand equity, industrial branding, brand value, global brand leadership, and relationship marketing (see summary of five knowledge fields in Table 2 ). Next, we present the findings of text-mining analysis.

Abstract

This research draws on social identity theory and social role theory of gender stereotypes to investigate the role of brand gender personality (masculine and feminine) on generating brand warmth and competence, and how consumers’ agentic and communal values condition the effects of brand stereotypes on consumer–brand identification. The theoretical model is tested via two different studies. In the first study (N = 490), 21 brands across different product categories are used to test the theoretical model. Then, a second study (N = 469) corroborates the previously identified relationships and further shows that the effect of brand stereotypes on consumer–brand identification is moderated by agentic and communal motivations. The present study contributes to research on brand stereotyping while providing managerial insights that can be used to enhance the relationship between brands and consumers.

Introduction

A multitude of reports published by Deloitte, Havas Group, McKinsey & Company and Consumer Brands Association underscore a growing expectation gap in consumer-brand relationships. Consumers increasingly perceive that promises made by brands are unfulfilled, leading to a sense of distrust. In their pursuit of competency, transparency and honesty they perceive that brands are falling short (McKinsey & Company, 2021). Additionally, the global survey Meaningful Brands (2021) by Havas Media1 reveals that brand meaningfulness has reached an all-time low, contributing to the escalating mistrust in brands.

In response to this heightened disaffection and rising scepticism, brand management has been promoted under the Brands as Intentional Agents Framework (BIAF). This framework claims that consumers’ impressions of brand warmth (worthy intentions) and competence (ability) are crucial in shaping interactions with brands (Kervyn et al., 2022). Building on the work of Diamantopoulos et al., 2021, Xue et al., 2020, Kervyn et al., 2012, and Kolbl et al. (2020), it is evident that both warmth and competence significantly influence brand admiration, emotions, value perceptions, and purchase intentions. Given the intensified scrutiny on brands, understanding the formation of these brand stereotypes (warmth and competence) and their role in building robust bonds with consumers has become imperative (Rather et al., 2022).

While antecedents of brand warmth and competence, along with their consequences, have been identified in previous research within the BIAF (see Appendix A for a summary), three major gaps persist. This study aims to address them by integrating insights from Social Role Theory and Social Identification Theory to enrich the BIAF.

General discussion and implications

While previous research has extensively explored the antecedents and consequences of brand warmth and competence stereotypes (see Appendix A), our study is the first to empirically examine how these stereotypes are influenced by gendered brand personality and how consumers’ agentic and communal values serve as a boundary condition in the link between brand stereotypes and consumer-brand identification.

6.1. Theoretical contributions
In line with social role theory of gender stereotypes, our study contributes to branding literature by establishing masculine and feminine brand personality as antecedents of brands stereotypes. This relationship is demonstrated for both real (Study 1) and fictitious brands (Study 2). This focus on gendered brand personality adds theoretical value by addressing gaps in current knowledge related to the impact of consumer gender (Eagly and Wood, 2012, Fiske et al., 2007) and gendered brand cues (Hess & Melnyk, 2016) on stereotypes. Our findings reveal the asymmetrical importance of the two gendered personalities in influencing brand stereotypes, aligning with prior research that evidences that masculine traits are more diagnostically relevant than femininity traits (see Hess and Melnyk, 2016, Vacas de Carvalho et al., 2020). Notably, our results show that gendered brand personality effects hold over and above the perceived hedonic and utilitarian product properties, which have previously been linked to brand warmth and competence (Peter & Ponzi, 2018).

Abstract

Live streaming has been increasingly integrated into e-commerce platforms to sell tourism offerings, yet its value-adding mechanism for enhancing customer shopping experiences remains underexplored. From a value co-creation perspective, this study investigates how customers can co-create value by leveraging the interactive potential in tourism live shopping, and how such customer co-creation behavior can be fostered through the attributes and actions of tourism live streamers, drawing on source credibility and social presence theories. The empirical findings indicate that the credibility traits of tourism live streamers, characterized by trustworthiness, expertise, and attractiveness, are instrumental in fostering customer co-creation behaviors, which can in turn elevate customer perceived value of their tourism live shopping experiences. Additionally, the study reveals that the level of social presence during tourism live shopping sessions may positively moderate the influence of streamer credibility traits on customer co-creation behaviors.

Introduction

Live-streamed shopping, or live shopping, merges live broadcasting with e-commerce, offering a more dynamic and interactive alternative to traditional TV and web-based online shopping (Wongkitrungrueng & Assarut, 2020). This approach features live streamers who actively demonstrate products and communicate with potential customers in a real-time manner to facilitate sales (Chen & Zhang, 2023). By integrating socialization, entertainment, and instant purchasing, live-streamed shopping provides a superior shopping experience, making it a significant experiential marketing channel across diverse product categories (Bai et al., 2024).

The same trend has also been witnessed in the hospitality and tourism industry. Numerous tourism sectors, including hotels, restaurants, attractions, and destination marketing organizations, now adopt live streaming for communication, promotion, and direct sales (Lin et al., 2022). In such tourism live shopping events, tourism organizations collaborate with live streamers, including travel influencers, celebrities, and professional sellers, to promote and sell tourism offerings (Xu et al., 2021). Streaming viewers, namely those potential travelers, can engage directly with the streamers, participating in real-time interactions and making on-the-spot purchases as needed (Xu et al., 2021). Extant research has underscored the potential economic, emotional, social, and knowledge-based benefits of tourism live e-commerce, highlighting its role as a promising digital tourism marketing channel (Wang and Guo, 2024, Xie et al., 2022).

Results

4.1. Sample profile
Table 2 outlines the demographic profile of the survey respondents. The predominant group consisted of female young adults, aged between 18 and 35 years. A large portion of these respondents were single and held a college degree. Over half of the participants reported an annual income below 10,000 RMB (around 1,500 EUR). In terms of preferred platforms for tourism live shopping, Douyin emerged as the most popular, followed by Taobao and Flyzoo, both Alibaba affiliates, and then Ctrip. As for the types of tourism offerings purchased through live shopping, hotels were the most common choice, succeeded by restaurants and tourist attractions. Purchases of event tickets, tour packages, and transportation services via live shopping were less frequent.

4.2. Measurement validity
Before hypotheses testing, we conducted preliminary analyses to assess measurement validity. First, in our analysis, we employed the Maximum Likelihood with Robust Standard Errors (MLR) method, a parameter estimation that does not require strict multivariate normality (Mueller & Hancock, 2008). Second, to address common method bias, we implemented both procedural and statistical controls. Procedurally, we made the online survey anonymous, clearly stated the study’s purpose in the introduction, kept the survey questions brief and included attention-check questions. Statistically, Harmon’s single-factor test showed that the largest factor accounted for 36.3 % of the total variance, below the 50 % threshold suggested by Podsakoff (2003). Also, the Common Latent Factor (CLF) test indicated that the differences in standardized regression weights for all items in models with and without a CLF were smaller than 0.2, in line with the guidelines by MacKenzie and Podsakoff (2012). Hence, common method bias was not deemed a serious concern.

Abstract

To reduce food waste, motivating consumers to purchase suboptimal (imperfect) products seems a promising strategy. Yet, two recent literature reviews show that it is challenging to motivate consumers to purchase suboptimal products. Moreover, the effects of the most promising marketing strategies thus far – pricing and communication strategies − have hardly been directly compared. Our research addresses these issues by 1) presenting two novel strategies that can increase purchase intentions for suboptimal products, and 2) comparing the effects of pricing strategies, communication strategies, and the two novel strategies. In a survey and an experiment, consumer responses to pricing (discounts or multi-item promotions), communication (concerning products’ naturalness or sustainability), and experience strategies (providing tasting or a show) were compared, revealing varying effects on product perceptions and purchase intentions. Consumers’ value orientations influenced consumer responses to marketing strategies. These findings provide valuable suggestions for future research on minimizing suboptimal food waste.

Introduction

Humans’ use of natural resources exceeds the planet’s possibilities (UN, 2022). Especially food production requires extensive use of natural resources, and is responsible for about one third of all greenhouse gas emissions (Garnett, 2011). Yet, one third to one half of the produced food is wasted (FAO, 2019). The reduction of food waste, defined as “…any food, and inedible parts of food, removed from the food supply chain to be recovered or disposed” (FUSIONS, 2014, p. 6), is therefore one of the necessary actions for a more sustainable future (UN, 2022).

One prominent preventable source of food waste is the waste of suboptimal products. Suboptimal products, also called abnormally-shaped (Pfeiffer, Sundar, & Deval, 2021), imperfect (De Hooge, 2022), or ugly products (Hartmann, Jahnke, & Hamm, 2021), deviate on the basis of appearance, date-labelling, or packaging. When focusing on appearance deviations only (e.g. bent cucumbers), suboptimal products are products that diverge from perfect products solely on aesthetics such as weight, size, or shape (De Hooge et al., 2017, De Hooge, 2022). The deviation concerns extrinsic product cues, making suboptimal products equal to optimal products on intrinsic product quality and safety (De Hooge et al., 2017). Such products have difficulties moving through the supply chain, and consumers appear unwilling to purchase them (Hartmann et al., 2021, Varese et al., 2022). Consequently, retailers are unmotivated to sell suboptimal products (De Hooge, Van Dulm, & Van Trijp, 2018). Motivating consumers to purchase suboptimal products is therefore essential.

General discussion

The present findings provide useful additions to the research on suboptimal food waste reduction strategies. When deciding which strategy to apply, comparisons between different strategies is useful, especially when strategies affect multiple responses simultaneously. For instance, we reveal that pricing strategies are most promising to increase purchase intentions for suboptimal products, but they reduce the perceived value of products in general (Grewal, Krishnan, Baker, & Borin, 1998), and have no positive effect consumers’ suboptimal product perceptions. Consequently, such strategies may transfer food waste from supply chains to consumer households, as consumers may be less tempted to consume ‘lower-valued’ suboptimal products (although Giordano, Alboni, Cicatiello, and Falasconi (2019) did not find an effect of discounts on household food waste). Naturalness and show strategies instead increase both purchase intentions and product perceptions. This may positively affect suboptimal product consumption. Indeed, some studies have found naturalness (authenticity) communication to increase consumers’ consumption intentions (De Hooge et al., 2022, Van Giesen and De Hooge, 2019). Thus, comparing different marketing strategies on multiple relevant responses is valuable for future research.

Abstract

Brand activism (BA) has attracted substantial attention due to consumers’ rising expectations for brands to address social and political issues. However, empirical research on consumers’ understanding of activist brands (i.e., brands that engage in brand activism) remains limited, mainly due to the absence of a valid measurement tool. To fill this gap, the authors introduce a two-dimensional consumer Activist Brand Perception (ABP) scale with eight items. Drawing from extensive literature analysis, relevant manifestations of BA are identified as the foundation for the scale. Through a rigorous scale development process involving qualitative and quantitative assessment, the (ABP) scale emerges as a reliable instrument to capture consumer perceptions of activist brands, enabling researchers to comprehend how consumers view activist brands.

Introduction

Consumer demand for companies to take a stand and publicly express their views on a variety of controversial social, environmental, economic, or political topics is growing (Edelman, , 2021, Manfredi-Sánchez, 2019). Given such expectations, an increasing number of brands have recently begun expressing their opinions on a range of diverse issues, spanning from racial discrimination to COVID lockdowns and environmental problems (Bhagwat et al., 2020, Korschun et al., 2020, Shortall, 2019). Prominent brands, including Hobby Lobby and Ben & Jerry’s, are known for their Brand Activism (BA) and increasingly align with pivotal social movements such as LGBTQ + rights and Black Lives Matter (Eyada, 2020). Nike is actively engaging in activism around social issues, such as racial injustice and police brutality (Eyada, 2020), while Patagonia is well-known for its environmental activism (Peters and Silverman, 2016). However, despite the growing popularity, engaging in BA is no guarantee for business success, as some consumers are skeptical (Edelman, 2019; The Conversation, 2018) and view BA as a marketing ploy (Bhagwat et al., 2020, Manfredi-Sánchez, 2019; The Conversation, 2018). While BA strategies can showcase a brand’s stand on divisive issues, they also risk polarizing consumers given the controversial nature of these movements (Sarkar & Kotler, 2021).

Despite being a relatively novel and underexplored phenomenon (Bhagwat et al., 2020; The Conversation, 2018), BA is now gaining increasing research attention (e.g. Mukherjee and Althuizen, 2020, Parcha and Westerman, 2020, Hydock et al., 2020). However, while prior studies on BA provide valuable foundations on which to build, unresolved issues remain. First, there are some inconsistencies in how the existing body of literature defines BA and its domain (e.g., Appels et al. 2022; Dodd and Supa, 2015, Eilert and Nappier Cherup, 2020; Olkkonen and Morsing, 2022). Second, previous studies often rely on brand-related constructs, such as brand image and brand perception, to capture different aspects of BA (e.g., Bhagwat et al., 2020, Klostermann et al., 2022). While these studies have advanced knowledge on BA, they do not provide a broad, non-context-specific operationalization of the construct and, consequently, only offer a fragmented picture regarding manifestations of BA. Third, the perception of BA differs substantially across consumer segments (Mukherjee and Althuizen, 2020), and the importance consumers attach to specific controversial issues differs by country (Schlegelmilch and Saracevic, 2022). In turn, this impacts on the motivation and frequency with which brands engage in BA.

Discussion

BA has emerged as an increasingly popular phenomenon in recent years (Bhagwat et al., 2020, Korschun et al., 2020, Shortall, 2019), and it has attracted a promising stream of research (e.g., Bhagwat et al., 2020, Hydock et al., 2020, Mukherjee and Althuizen, 2020, Parcha and Westerman, 2020). Our contribution to the literature on BA is threefold. First, we develop a context-free measurement instrument to capture consumer perceptions of activist brands. Second, we provide psychometric evidence on the dimensionality, reliability, and validity of the ABP scale and suggest that the construct consists of two distinct dimensions that can be employed in substantive research on consumer perceptions of activist brands. While the authenticity dimension addresses consumers’ perceptions of genuineness, reliability, and authenticity of brand activist engagement, the public commitment dimension pertains to the publicity of a brands’ commitment to its stance on and engagement around a controversial issue. Building on the extant literature on BA and fresh qualitative data, we identify a number of distinct key manifestations of BA and show that the brand-related constructs used to measure BA in previous studies only partially capture the construct. Finally, we confirm previous studies (e.g., Hambrick and Wowak, 2021, Jones et al., 2014) on the positive effect of BA on brand attitude, brand reputation, and brand trust and propose a nomological network that relates the ABP construct with other brand-related constructs.

Abstract

Start-up firms play a major role in the economy, with B2B start-ups often developing new technologies and offerings to business customers that incumbent firms do not provide. However, little is known about the cost-effectiveness of start-up firms’ investments in marketing. We integrate insights from managerial interviews with signaling theory to posit how conducting systematic marketing affects start-up firm valuation, and how the combination of the firm’s primary customer-type (B2B versus B2C) and development stage (early versus late) moderates that effect. Our empirical analysis reveals that marketing investments affect firm valuation positively for some start-ups and negatively for others depending on the noted moderators. In particular, we find that investments in systematic marketing by early-stage B2B start-ups increase firm valuation, yet more than half of early-stage B2B start-up firms choose not to invest in systematic marketing, apparently believing such investments will not pay off.

Introduction

Business-to-business (B2B) start-up firms are major drivers of economic growth as they produce new technologies and offerings that incumbent firms cannot or are reluctant to provide (Dörner, Flötotto, Henz, & Strålin, 2021). In aggregate, start-up firms are responsible for 10% of all worldwide job growth between 2017 and 2021(Wijngaarde, 2021), while B2B focused start-ups make up 71% of reported start-up sales in the US Census Bureau’s 2015 Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs (U.S. Census Bureau, 2017). However, despite the importance of start-up firms, it is difficult for either B2B or business-to-consumer (B2C) start-up firms to succeed: only about 50% of start-up firms survive for five or more years (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016).

Allocating resources to marketing could potentially help a start-up increase its likelihood to succeed since focusing on marketing reduces ambiguity about the firm, its value proposition, and its offerings (e.g., Acar, Dahl, Fuchs, & Schreier, 2021). Further, a start-up that allocates significant resources to marketing is signaling to investors that the firm is focusing on its customers and is creating and delivering value to them (Halberstadt et al., 2021). Yet, start-up firms are 60 times more likely to report being resource constrained than to report possessing sufficient resources for their development (Evans & Jovanovic, 1989; Wasserman, 2012). That resource constraint limits what functions start-ups can allocate scarce resources (O’Toole & McGrath, 2018), which, in turn, impacts start-up firms’ actions (Fernhaber & Patel, 2012) and ultimately their survival and performance (Dencker & Gruber, 2015).

Consequently, for start-up firms, to conduct systematic marketing — that is, following Moorman and Day’s (2016) definition of a systematic marketing organization based on four “C’s”, e.g., capabilities, configuration, (human) capital, and culture, operating on an on-going basis — often requires directing scarce resources from other aspects of their business. As a result, as confirmed through our multi-method approach that involved interviews, secondary data, and a follow-up survey, many start-ups do not report conducting systematic marketing, but instead report either not conducting any marketing or only conducting marketing on an ad hoc and opportunistic basis.1 One (typical) interview response about marketing’s role was “Marketing?? We don’t do any real marketing…we have much more important issues than marketing to focus on.” A 2015 Capital One survey of small business owners supports this observation, reporting that 76% of owners face marketing challenges, 64% feel they are unable to effectively market their businesses, and 39% report that their firms have not executed any marketing initiatives in the past six months (Capital One, 2015).

Discussion

This research investigates whether and when conducting systematic marketing benefits start-up firms, an important topic that has been rarely addressed in the marketing literature. We develop a conceptual model of the antecedents and consequences of conducting systematic marketing that includes the interactions of two firm characteristics – type of customer and stage of development– to determine when conducting systematic marketing should be more or less beneficial to startup firms. We test our conceptual model using a rich dataset on start-up firms provided by Equidam, an online start-up firm valuator, through a wide range of robustness tests, and with an analysis of an independent survey of start-up firms. In each of these analyses, we find strong support for our conceptual model and associated hypotheses. One key finding challenges current practice: while we find that conducting systematic is more beneficial to early-stage B2B start-up firms than to any other category of firm, such firms are the least likely to conduct systematic marketing.

Abstract

Brand polarization represents a somewhat unorthodox approach to brand management. Rather than foster support and minimise opposition towards a brand, polarization maintains strong emotions at both ends of the spectrum, concurrently attending to the antipodes of brand love and brand hate. Although some emerging insights suggest that this paradoxical approach can effectively support brands, academic research on polarization in marketing is in its infancy. Integrating insight from political science, psychology and marketing, the study develops an enhanced theoretical conception of brand polarization and operationalises it through a multi-step procedure. Specifically, the paper builds on qualitative and quantitative data from six empirical studies in two contexts (UK and Colombia) to offer a 23-item scale for brand polarization. The new concept and the validated scale contribute to branding theory and marketing practice in several important ways.

Introduction

Brand polarization represents a somewhat unorthodox approach to brand management. Accepted wisdom dictates that managers should strive to enhance positive attitudes towards brands in order to develop deep and rewarding relationships with customers (Ahmad et al., 2021, Banerjee and Shaikh, 2022, Veloutsou, 2023). Conversely, management effort should actively prevent or minimise negative feelings and opposition towards a brand, as these undermine positive outcomes such as trust, satisfaction or loyalty (Curina et al., 2020). A polarizing brand is one which simultaneously invokes fervent support and equally intense opposition. Brand polarization entails strong emotions at both ends of the spectrum and denotes management’s concurrent attention to, and maintenance of, passionate feelings on the antipodes of brand love and brand hate.

Paradoxically, some emerging empirical insights suggest that this positioning needs not be avoided because stoking hate can increase support for a brand (Osuna Ramírez et al., 2019). Moreover, polarization has become a deliberate strategy for some brands (Kavilanz, 2021, Luo et al., 2013a) being beneficial for segmentation and targeting, and for building engagement and loyalty and in the design of the product offering (Weber et al., 2021). Although historically polarization was limited to political (Banda and Kirkland, 2018, Pich et al., 2020, Spears et al., 1990) or football brands (Cobbs et al., 2017, Dalakas and Phillips-Melancon, 2012, Davies et al., 2006), now it seems to extend to other categories. In fact, evidence seems to point to a growing number of polarizing brands (Segran, 2021) which draw large numbers of lovers and haters simultaneously (Luo et al., 2013a, Thompson et al., 2006).

Discussion and theoretical contribution

This study offers a novel operationalisation of the brand polarization phenomenon as a multi-dimensional construct. Given the importance of brand relationships in today’s competitive marketplace and the existence of brand polarization, the study offers a non-brand-specific approach to polarization, which facilitates comparative study of the phenomenon that moves away from objects, such as polarizing brands (Monahan et al., 2017) or polarizing products (Rozenkrants et al., 2017). Through an extensive scale development process, the study enhances the conceptualisation and operationalisation of brand polarization, providing new theoretical and applied directions.

Overall, this research contributes to the branding literature in three significant ways. The first contribution concerns a novel operationalisation of an emerging concept. Integrating insights from diverse literature including psychology, political science, and marketing, the study conceptualises brand polarization and identifies its distinct dimensions. In doing so, the study constitutes a first attempt to develop a comprehensive and multidimensional conception of brand polarization. Admittedly, two of the originally suggested dimensions comprising brand polarization – brand passion and generation of strong feelings for the brand’s achievement/misfortune – were amalgamated during the scale development engagement. Nonetheless, the resulting four-dimensional concept, including brand passion, self-brand benchmarking, intra-group identification and inter-group dissociation, encompasses the intended theoretical domain. Compared to existing conceptions (Luo et al., 2013b, Monahan et al., 2017, Rozenkrants et al., 2017), a key headway concerns its robust and comprehensive nature.

Abstract

Previous studies have addressed social media adoption in business-to-business (B2B) contexts, but limited research has focused on understanding social media marketing assimilation in the B2B context. Using an integrative model, this study examines how top management participation influences the assimilation of social media in the key marketing areas of product development, pricing decision-making, channel management, and promotion. Furthermore, it examines the resulting impact of these assimilations on B2B firms’ performance, particularly in respect of sales performance and relationship development. The study also examines the moderating impact of absorptive capacity on top management participation in the assimilation processes. The findings reveal that top management participation strongly influences social media assimilation into marketing functions. However, the impact of social media assimilation on B2B firms’ performance is varied. While assimilation for channel management positively impacts both sales performance and relationship development, assimilation for product development is only positively related to relationship development. Conversely, assimilation into the functions of pricing decisions and promotion activities shows no significant impact on either sales performance or relationship development. Finally, absorptive capacity positively moderates top management participation in social media assimilation into all key marketing functions except one. The theoretical and managerial implications of these findings are discussed.

Introduction

Social media have emerged as a “game-changer” (Kumar, 2015, p. 5), playing a leading role in the revolutions taking place in business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) marketing. B2C marketing uses social media marketing widely, and B2B operations have begun embracing it to streamline their internal marketing communication, generate leads, drive sales, and strengthen customer relationships. Chaffey (2018) found that 79% of B2B marketing specialists rated social media as the most effective marketing channel, with a further 38% indicating that, if they had surplus in their budget for marketing in the following year, they would devote it to social media marketing. Similarly, Elevation Marketing (2020) noted that 90% of B2B buyers use social media to engage with industry thought leaders, with a further 72% indicating that they use social media channels to research solutions.

B2B social media research tracks the increase in social media use in this business interface. Previous studies have addressed several aspects of social media use in the context of B2B, including salespersons’ social media use in B2B relationships (Bill, Feurer, & Klarmann, 2020; Bowen, Lai-Bennejean, Haas, & Rangarajan, 2021; Fraccastoro, Gabrielsson, & Pullins, 2021), B2B social media adoption (Dwivedi, Ismagilova, Rana, & Raman, 2021; Lashgari, Sutton-Brady, Søilen, & Ulfvengren, 2018; Siamagka, Christodoulides, Michaelidou, & Valvi, 2015; Veldeman, Van Praet, & Mechant, 2017), and B2B social media marketing and branding (Brennan & Croft, 2012; Juntunen, Ismagilova, & Oikarinen, 2020). In addition, social media in B2B entails several unexplored issues worth investigating. Although previous studies have addressed social media adoption in a B2B context, the current body of research shows an observable dearth of producing a nuanced understanding of the factors underlying the assimilation of social media in firms’ marketing functions and how they improve their marketing performance. The assimilation phase occurs after the initial implementation of the innovation. It involves the ongoing integration and use of innovation in the firm’s day-to-day operations. In the context of social media marketing, this phase focuses on leveraging social media platforms to support the attainment of the marketing strategy related to product development, pricing decision-making, channel management, and promotion activities, and on realising the anticipated benefits.

Conclusion

In many instances, technological innovations are introduced into firms with great enthusiasm, which may be occasioned by widespread initial acquisition. Nevertheless, these innovations may fail to be completely deployed in the operations of the acquiring firms. Research has shown that, unless innovations are assimilated, firms do not benefit fully from them. Social media are one innovation that B2B firms are adopting for their marketing activities. While social media adoption in B2B firms has received some research attention, a limited number of studies have focused on social media marketing assimilation in B2B firms, the conditions that enhance this assimilation, and how the assimilation contributes to firms’ performance. In this study we examined how top management participation influences the assimilation of social media in the key marketing functional areas of product development, pricing decision-making, channel management, and promotion activities. We also examined how the existing absorptive capacity of B2B firms moderates the influence of top management participation on the assimilation of social media in the key marketing functional areas. Finally, we analysed how social media marketing assimilation into these marketing functional areas improves a firm’s performance outcomes of sales and relationship development. The study’s results show that top management participation in the social media marketing assimilation processes has a strong and positive impact on the assimilation of social media for key marketing functional areas, namely product development decisions, pricing decision-making, channel management, and promotion activities. Furthermore, the findings indicate that top management participation in the assimilation of social media in the functional areas, except in the case of promotion activities, is positively moderated by the existing absorptive capacity of the firm. The results also show that social media marketing assimilation for product development has a significant impact on sales performance, while its assimilation for channel management has a significant impact on both sales performance and relationship development.

Abstract

Geopolitical and economic uncertainties lead to growing volatility by lowering credit flows (allocations and disbursements), resulting in a sharp plunge in industrial and marketing activities. Despite this, studies on how business to business (B2B) marketing disruptions caused by geopolitical tension and economic policy uncertainty impede industrial value creation and sustainable development, are scarce. We examine the influence of geopolitical tension and economic policy uncertainty on sustainable development through the channel of B2B marketing in the case of group of 20 (G20), group of 7 (G7) and Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) nations over 1990–2019. We utilize the Quantiles via Moments approach to analyze panel time series data due to its potential to deal with country- and region-specific heterogeneity and non-linear relationships. Our findings disclose that geopolitical tensions have a monotonic negative effect on industrial value-added triggered by B2B marketing in the BRICS countries. Contrarily, such tensions have no significant influence on industrial value-added and sustainable development in the G20 and G7 nations. Besides, industrial value-addition (foreign and domestic) augmented by B2B marketing positively affects sustainable development. Also, the effect of economic policy uncertainty on industrial value-added and sustainable development is monotonically favorable. In contrast, economic policy uncertainty-augmented industrial value-added adversely affects sustainable development steadily. Briefly, the empirical outcomes unveil significant economic implications, delineating that B2B firms are confronted with many challenges resulting from the vagaries of geopolitical and economic policy uncertainty soliciting disruption in their sustainable marketing operations.

Introduction

The efficacy of Business-to-Business (B2B) marketing transcends beyond the conventional boundaries of profit generation, as it plays a crucial role in promoting the “better marketing for a better world” ideology (Chandy, Johar, Moorman, & Roberts, 2021) that harmonizes with the seemingly elusive issue of sustainable development (Voola, Bandyopadhyay, Voola, Ray, & Carlson, 2022). In embracing accessible and inclusive B2B marketing approaches, firms can forge ahead by fostering sustainable production and consumption of goods and services that ultimately generate job opportunities for people (Voola et al., 2022), establish profit-generating partnership-network marketing (Tsao, Raj, & Yu, 2019), and facilitate responsible service offerings that effectively preserve the earth’s ecosystem (Olsen, Slotegraaf, & Chandukala, 2014). Thus, in consideration of the triple bottom line – prioritizing people, profit, and the planet – the fundamentals of sustainability-based parameters in B2B marketing are indispensable in global industrial development processes.

Moreover, B2B marketing approaches unlock pathways that enrich the scale of industrial value-added, paving the way for enhanced firm-level production and marketing capacity. Essentially, firms can leverage a plethora of B2B resources including marketing knowledge and strategies (Bratti & Felice, 2012), technology transfer and refinement (Pham, Le Monkhouse, & Barnes, 2017), as well as dynamic marketing capabilities (Hoque, Nath, Ahammad, Tzokas, & Yip, 2022). Unfortunately, B2B marketing practices are vulnerable to disruptions triggered by geopolitical and economic policy uncertainties, along with institutional disparities (Ju, Murray, Kotabe and Gao, 2011). This perilous concern further hindered B2C marketing endeavors by influencing the purchasing intentions of both individual consumers and end-users (Wichmann, Uppal, Sharma, & Dekimpe, 2022). This can abruptly halt the supply of materials, goods, and services produced by these enterprises (Craighead, Blackhurst, Rungtusanatham, & Handfield, 2007), leading to ineffective knowledge management processes that are required to stimulate industrial value-added and sustainable development (Martin, Javalgi, & Ciravegna, 2020). In light of this, there is a need for a comprehensive study to explore how disruptions in B2B relationships can affect the value-added of marketing-driven industries and contribute to sustainable development, particularly in global influential blocs such as the G20, G7, and BRICS.

Implications and conclusion

The present study makes a significant contribution to the existing B2B marketing literature, providing empirical evidence on the impact of macro-environmental conditions (specifically, geopolitical risks and economic policy uncertainty) on B2B marketing disruptions and how such disruptions impede industrial value-added and sustainable development. By analyzing panel data spanning from 1990 to 2019, our study sheds light on the macro-environmental context, offering practical insights into how B2B marketing-driven industrial value-added and sustainable development can be influenced proactively for dominant global blocs like G20, G7, and BRICS.

We employ the quantiles via moments to analyze data from these economic blocs, while also accounting for country and region-specific disparities. Our findings indicate that while geopolitical risks have no significant negative impact on industrial value-added resulting from B2B marketing operations in G20 and G7 blocs, the BRICS alliance suffer from the negative consequences of the phenomenon across all quantiles. Furthermore, economic policy uncertainty has a monotonic, positive influence on all quantiles for all three blocs, while B2B marketing-driven industrial value-added (both foreign and domestic) promotes sustainable development. Moreover, our study finds that while geopolitical risks and these risks-augmented industrial value-added have no significant effect, economic policy uncertainty-augmented industrial value-added hampers sustainable development in these economies.