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UNCW IMC Students writing about IMC and life at UNCW

  • Home
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    • Lia Carnes
    • Rita Cronin
    • Harrison Tabb
    • Kari Rice
    • Corrina Rowe
    • Olivia Price
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    • Jordyn Bloom
    • Jillian Senft
    • Jennifer Fea
    • John Allen Atkins
    • Sully Shore
  • Communication Studies

How Luxury Brand’s Social Media Content Influences Consumer Engagement

imcclass April 29, 2023

By: Lia Carnes

Is there a difference in how luxury brands influence customer engagement compared to non-luxury? The short answer is no. While luxury brand names are influential, the name does not make the cut. There are five dimensions that industry practitioners should keep in mind while posting: entertainment, interaction, trendiness, customization, and word of mouth (Liu et al., 2021). Besides the dimensions, remember it’s not all about the brand; it’s about how the content can benefit the customer. Let’s dive deeper on how social media content influences consumer behavior by Liu et al. (2021).

Online Customer Engagement Behavior

There are three types of online customer engagement behavior, a.k.a, customer activeness. Consumption, being the least active, consists of individuals who primarily scroll and read the content. Contribution is those who are moderately active. This category encompasses those who will like, comment, or share on their platforms or with others. Creation is the most active group. They will go on to make user-generated content (UGC) or write reviews relating to the company that posted (Liu et al., 2021). While the luxury brand’s name can influence each type of customer behavior, the five dimensions discussed below are the primary reason for one’s engagement behavior.

(Carnes, 2023)

Entertainment

In social media, entertainment encompasses all the motivators that would push consumers to create their own UGC. No matter a luxury or non-luxury brand, the social media coordinator will want to post interesting, amusing, and fun content. Keeping the brand image light and fun will make consumers more willing to interact with them and share on their personal platforms (Liu et al., 2021). Nowadays, coordinators are equally interested in keeping their brand image engaging while figuring out how to become viral. 

Interaction

Interaction with consumers is vital to the social media world; it requires presence and allows collaboration between others. What’s more exciting than a verified brand seeing your comment and responding? It makes us want to keep interacting and spending time on that brand’s profile. Interaction with a brand will make us more inclined, as consumers, to continually like and share that brand’s content. A brand that only posts and never interacts with its followers, shares their content, or other companies’ content will be overlooked (Liu et al., 2021).

Trendiness

Trendiness focuses on how in tune the brand is with recent trends. Recently, social media consumers have found online information more trustworthy than listening to the news or press releases (Liu et al., 2021). The social media platform, TikTok, is becoming both a source of entertainment and a search engine. We look to brands to decide what we want to consume, purchase, etc. We want immediate information rather than waiting a few days for an article to be published. If there’s a crisis and something goes viral for the wrong reasons, consumers will constantly be refreshing that brand’s profiles on all platforms (Liu et al., 2021). They want the most up-to-date information and believe that social media will be the most truthful.

(Photo by Nik via Unsplash)

Customization

Unlike a newspaper, brands can customize their social media however they want. They find their demographic and tailor their profiles to reach that specific audience. Consumers can follow any social media account they want to (Liu et al., 2021). They follow people they know, who they’re interested in, and who could pique their interest. Creating a profile that’s specific to the desired audience will have more success than one that tries to mass produce content for a general population (Liu et al., 2021).

Word of Mouth

Word-of-mouth encompasses the three customer engagement behaviors mentioned above, consumption, contribution, and creation. Word-of-mouth combines the previous four dimensions into one; it’s a behavior as a response to the other four. Word of mouth is the consumers’ willingness to share information from one brand to another or their profile. They can be a part of consumption and read the content, or they can be part of creation and use elements of the social media post and add it to their blog (Liu et al., 2021).

Gucci vs. Duolingo

Looking at TikTok, the viral video-sharing app, we’ll see an example of all these dimensions in action and how luxury brands fail compared to non-luxury. As of March 18, 2023, the luxury brand Gucci has 2.9 million followers, and Duolingo, the language learning app, has 6.3 million followers. Looking at Gucci’s profile, it’s apparent that they customize their account to their audience; it’s a specific, tailored look. While it looks polished, they don’t follow trends, interact with followers, and are primarily entertaining to its particular audience. Compared to Duolingo, their owl mascot dances to trending sounds and replies to smaller accounts and other brands. “In a little over a year, the language-learning app has attracted more than 4 million followers on TikTok with its playful passive aggression” (Honigman, 2022). Duolingo isn’t only successful because of its passive aggressiveness, but the content is funny and entertaining, boosting customer engagement. It gives consumers something to talk about.

(Photo by Johanne Pold Jacobsen via Unsplash)

Regarding customer engagement, luxury brands’ social media content is no different from non-luxury brands. Yes, the name has appeal and gets attention, but it’s more focused on the dimensions talked about. Can a company do well without having that brand name and verification symbol? Yes. It must focus on sharing trending and exciting content that makes its consumers want to follow them and engage with the brand. They want to find their target audience and tailor their account toward them. Doing so gives them a specific audience to interact with, presenting the consumer with the potential excitement of being recognized and can lead to word-of-mouth marketing. Using these five dimensions as an industry practitioner will help move those utilizing consumption behavior to creation. 

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  • Communication Studies

Social Media is Regulating Your Behavior

imcclass April 26, 2023

Case Against Social Media

Introduction  

 Social media has become an all-new world for people to stay in touch with the trends of lives people are living on social media. Social media, in today’s world, is a main part of many young people today. We have become a society being more concerned with Facebook friends than we are with the people interacting with us face-to-face in our daily lives. The dangers of social media are real: overusing it can lead to symptoms of depression, falling into a comparison trap, and feeling more isolated, among other negative outcomes. There’s good reason to be aware of these negative effects. It is also important to remember that we can seek out and spread positivity through these platforms. 

Misinformation  

Today, social media has grown so big that it is a part of our everyday life. We use social media for school, shopping, work life, and entertainment: “About 72% of adults report using at least one social media platform and an average daily usage of 2 hours” (De Vere Hunt and Linos, 2022). First, social media is known for not being entirely truthful and can share misinformation.  People create false social media posts and share them with others worldwide, spreading them to groups. Social media plays a significant role in the dissemination of fake news. Anyone can manufacture fake news on a trending topic and post it on social media platforms without any verification. Misinformation can be super dangerous to others because in most cases they advertise certain products showing these beneficial side effects which are not always true. This encourages the audience to buy products that do not work. People buy these products because they are advertised by popular celebrities, which today’s society is so influenced by. Misinformation can influence the healthy attitude of the audience. “False news reaches more people than the truth does because it has a higher degree of novelty and provokes stronger emotional reactions of recipients, making it more likely to be passed on” (De Vere Hunt and Linos 2022). Public health practitioners can directly address misinformation through myth-busting messages, in which false claims are highlighted and explained and accurate information changed. This should be a lengthy process, beginning with message design and continuing through active comment changing, including direct responses to any false information.  

Creating Effective Posts  

Social media is beneficial for promotion and advertising. The entire world is connected and uses social media, people may share their business products and services with the entire world. Online and non-online businesses require promotions and advertisements to promote their products and services to the public. You can freely promote your product with individuals in groups on social media, or you can pay to have paid adverts appear. Others can use social media to promote their products and reach out to people interested in what they have to offer. In addition to connecting individuals, social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, have sophisticated advertising platforms that facilitate the targeting of advertisements to specified populations. Social media can spread so easily which is why we need to use social media in a positive way. “When designing messages for social media, it is crucial to consider their “shareability. Can the message be designed in a way that encourages users to share it with their friends? Partnering with social media influencer users of social media with established credibility among their followers is a useful approach for leveraging trusted messengers” (De Vere Hunt and Linos, 2022). When creating an ad or posting it is important to have desire and effectiveness. Watching what kind of mental work goes into creating a post is ridiculously awesome. Messages should be designed with and approved by members of the community they are designed to reach, to ensure cultural sensitivity and trust-building.  One way to achieve this is to assemble an advisory board, including members of the target population, and reflect the demographics of users of the intended platform.  

Solution 

Public Health Campaign

For us, as a society to grow with social media, we should deliver public health campaigns. Social media is the only way to spread the word about promoting public health. Public health leaders across the United States are realizing the power of targeted public health campaigns to get the right message to the right person at the right time. Social media is what is driving public health campaigns. Overall, using our platforms to encourage and help people is super important. There is no reason we should use these advanced technology platforms to engage negatively with each other.  

 References 

De Vere Hunt, I. J., & Linos, E. (2022). Social Media for Public Health: Framework for Social Media–Based Public Health Campaigns. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 24(12), e42179. https://doi.org/10.2196/42179

Teens and social media use: What’s the impact? (2022, February 26). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-teen-health/in-depth/teens-and-social-media-use/art-20474437

Here’s How Social Media Affects Your Mental Health | McLean Hospital. (2023, January 18). https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/it-or-not-social-medias-affecting-your-mental-health

Banners: A better future with public health for all. (2016, December 12). PSI – the Global Union Federation of Workers in Public Services. https://publicservices.international/resources/news/banners-a-better-future-with-public-health-for-all?id=8667 &lang=en

Competitive Enterprise Institute. (2020, October 9). The Case against Social Media Content Regulation – Competitive Enterprise Institute. https://cei.org/studies/the-case-against-social-media-content-regulation/

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  • Communication Studies

Do you know your audience?

imcclass April 25, 2023

by: Spencer Jones

Businesses either “get” social media or they don’t.  Every small, local business and international corporation faces this dilemma and some may not even realize it.  Remember this?

(Photo from Wendy’s, 2015)

That originated from a 2015 Wendy’s commercial promoting their Jalepeño Fresco Spicy Chicken Sandwich.  Initial reactions were… mixed.  Incorporating elements of online media used in this commercial felt tacky upon release.  Although there’s an argument to be made that it did catch people’s eyes a bit.  If you saw this back when and your friend showed you the frame, how can you not crack a smile?  At the time however, thematic elements from online humor on television mixed like oil and water in this instance.  

Let’s fast forward a couple years.  The fast food giant would soon pick up steam online at the beginning of 2017 stemming from a hilarious brand-user discussion on Twitter:

@Wendys: Our beef is way too cool to ever be frozen.

@NHride: Your beef is frozen and we all know it. Y’all know we laugh at your slogan “fresh, never frozen” right? Like you’re really a joke.

@Wendys: Sorry to hear you think that! But you’re wrong, we’ve only ever used fresh beef since we were founded in 1969.

@NHride: So you deliver it raw on a hot truck?

@Wendys: Where do you store cold things that aren’t frozen?

Oh, boy.

@NHride: Y’all should give up. @McDonalds got you guys beat with the dope ass breakfast.

@Wendys:

(Wendys, 2016).

This discussion would shortly thereafter be featured on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360.  The following positive brand feedback by users blossomed into an intriguing shift in their tone of messaging.  A series of caustic rebuttals and witty banter with both followers and corporate competitors shot their total online follower count up 13% in just 6 months (Thorne, 2020).  I wouldn’t blame you if you think it’s unprofessional or distasteful.  Keep in mind, we’re talking about Wendy’s.  This is an international corporation; a lot of people are familiar with them.  The reach of your business and expectations of a target audience should correlate to what values are upheld in messaging practices.  Building a strong tone for brand messaging consists of surveying the land, aligning with values, and being active.

Surveying the land

Research is the predecessor to any informed decision.  That starts with understanding our target audience.  What has worked in the past?  How do they communicate?  What types of content or genres are of  interest to them?  What’s the most important element of what we have to say?  Anticipating how the target audience will react determines what topics or actions to steer away from.  Try to humanize your tone when responding to complaints and compliments alike.  Developing personal, casual tones to messages separates the idea of talking to a brick wall (Jeong & Kim, 2022).  

Aligning with values

Each business has messaging values that apply for each active channel. Look for key words or expressions to keep in mind.  Establishing a consistent structure of messaging has to happen before users can express their own positive sentiment towards you.  Aligning values helps to clarify an outline of a business’s social presence to users.  That way, users grow a stronger bond to the business through similar values.

Being active

Appropriate usage of humor in social media marketing tells users that a business is not only competent, but confident.  Humor relies on context (Bitterly et al., 2017).  Every business may not intend to be humorous, but should be looking to engage with their audience.  That means speaking in an active voice, being resourceful, rewarding feedback, etc.  The little details that feel authentic and human (emojis, phrases, etc.) strengthen a brand’s social relatability and presence online, widening the path for users to construct a positive view of the brand (Hayes et al., 2019).

Takeaways

I like to imagine a business is a living, breathing entity. In order for an audience to have an emotional reaction, there needs to be emotion conveyed through messaging. In order for consumers to engage, there should be engagement going their way. Consistency and confidence creates authenticity. Lean into that. Keep in mind employers (especially local) see Gen-Z interns or staff members with the assumption that they “get” the nuances of a brand’s identity. Some of us assume that we get it, too. Going off assumptions or skipping steps is where businesses and professionals alike fail to maximize their reach.

References

Bitterly, T. B., A.W. Brooks, and M. E. Schweitzer. (2017). Risky Business: When Humor Increases and Decreases Status. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 112, no. 3 (March 2017): 431–455.

Hayes, J. L., Britt, B. C., Applequist, J., Ramirez, A., & Hill, J. (2019). Leveraging textual paralanguage and consumer–brand relationships for more relatable online brand communication: A social presence approach. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 20(1), 17–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2019.1691093 

Jeong, H. J., Chung, D. S., & Kim, J. (2022). Brands Are Human on Social Media: The Effectiveness of Human Tone-of-Voice on Consumer Engagement and Purchase Intentions Through Social Presence. International journal of communication [Online], 16, 4231+. https://link-gale-com.liblink.uncw.edu/apps/doc/A717299271/PPCM?u=wilm99594&sid=bookmark-PPCM&xid=cf588424

Thorne, J. (2020). How Wendy’s revolutionized corporate social media accounts. Medium. Retrieved March 22, 2023, from https://bettermarketing.pub/how-wendys-revolutionized-corporate-social-media-accounts-6d4aec739f37 

Wendy’s. [@Wendys]. (2016, December 30). Our beef is way too cool to ever be frozen. [Photo attached] . Twitter. https://twitter.com/Wendys/status/815973811115925504

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  • Communication Studies

Lessons Brands Can Learn from Sports Marketing In The Pandemic And Beyond

imcclass May 4, 2023

By: Sully Shore

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the sports industry, causing sports organizations to adapt their marketing strategies to reach and engage with their fans in new and innovative ways. In this blog post, we’ll explore some of the key lessons that brands can learn from sports marketing during the pandemic and beyond.

https://www.corporatevision-news.com/marketing-during-pandemic-time-to-adapt-and-double-down/

First, brands should prioritize digital marketing and engagement. With in-person events and activities limited due to the pandemic, sports organizations have had to shift their focus to digital marketing and engagement to reach their fans. According to the article “Lessons Brands Can Learn from Sports Marketing In The Pandemic And Beyond” by Forbes Communications Council, “digital marketing has been critical to keeping sports organizations connected with their audiences.” Brands can learn from this lesson by investing in digital marketing strategies such as email marketing, social media, and influencer marketing to reach and engage with their customers.

Second, brands should focus on creating memorable experiences for their customers. In the absence of in-person events, sports organizations have had to find creative ways to create memorable experiences for their fans. This includes virtual events, personalized interactions, and exclusive content. As the Forbes Communications Council article notes, “These experiences have the potential to create a lasting impact on customers, building brand loyalty and advocacy.” Brands can apply this lesson by creating unique and memorable experiences for their customers, such as virtual events, customized product offerings, and personalized interactions.

Why Marketing Shouldn’t Stop for COVID-19

Third, brands should prioritize social responsibility and community engagement. Sports organizations have a unique ability to bring people together and promote social responsibility and community engagement. During the pandemic, many sports organizations have used their platform to promote public health messages, support their communities, and raise awareness for social justice issues. As the Forbes Communications Council article notes, “Brands that prioritize social responsibility and community engagement can create meaningful connections with their customers, build brand loyalty, and drive revenue.” Brands can learn from this lesson by prioritizing social responsibility and community engagement in their marketing strategies, such as through cause-related marketing campaigns and charitable giving programs.

In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented significant challenges for the sports industry, but it has also provided valuable lessons for brands looking to adapt their marketing strategies. By prioritizing digital marketing and engagement, creating memorable experiences, and prioritizing social responsibility and community engagement, brands can build lasting connections with their customers, drive revenue, and promote positive social impact.

References:

Dabbah, D. (2021, July 7). Council post: Lessons brands can learn from sports marketing (in the pandemic and beyond). Forbes. Retrieved April 25, 2023, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2021/07/07/lessons-brands-can-learn-from-sports-marketing-in-the-pandemic-and-beyond/?sh=e545694c5c34

Normavh@gmail.com. (2020, July 2). Why marketing shouldn’t stop for covid-19. The Jakes Group. Retrieved April 25, 2023, from https://thejakesgroup.com/why-marketing-shouldnt-stop-for-covid-19/

Root. (2020, December 3). Marketing during the pandemic: Time to adapt and Double Down. Corporate Vision Magazine. Retrieved April 25, 2023, from https://www.corporatevision-news.com/marketing-during-pandemic-time-to-adapt-and-double-down/

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  • Communication Studies

Social Media Marketing and The Correlation With Customer Experience

imcclass May 3, 2023

By: Kari Rice

(Photo by Layerise)

Social media has become a huge catalyst for brands and their marketing efforts in recent years. The reason that social media has been such a huge resource is because it allows you to reach so many people. Social media is a regular and daily thing for so many people to use now and it is great for brands and companies when they are wanting to reach their customers. Social media marketing is great for creating a platform to reach customers and create customer awareness for the brand. However, recent studies have indicated that brands should not only be relying on commercial-oriented aspects but should also make sure that they are equally, if not more, social-oriented and involve active interaction between users. When brands and companies are making an effort to create deeper relationships and communication between customers, they have a better outcome. 

What is the Impact of Interaction With Consumers?

Using social media for your brand or company is important for creating connections and relationships with users. “A social media marketing strategy refers to an organization’s integrated activities that turn social media communication (networks) and interactions (influences) into useful strategic means to achieve desired marketing results” (Wbowo, Chen, Wiagin, Ma, Ruangakanjanses 2021). When social media is utilized correctly, users feel more of a personal connection to the brand. When brands are actively interacting with their consumers, brands have better success. It has become necessary to have that interaction instead of just posting regular content. In order to have the results you want, you have to go the extra step to make sure you are consistently having those interactions through your social media. 

What are the Benefits of Social Media Marketing?

When you use social media as a form of marketing, there are a few benefits that other marketing strategies (printed advertising, billboards, etc.) don’t have. If you are using social media for marketing, your customers are going to be far more entertained with anything on social media rather than printed advertising or billboards, therefore will produce social network activity. Social media is used for “research” nowadays. Customers are able to customize the information they are searching by either using the default search feature through social media, hashtags, or direct custom searching services from companies (Wbowo, Chen, Wiagin, Ma, Ruangakanjanses 2021). Since social media is such a major thing in this day and age, social media is constantly changing. When it is changing, it is real-time and fast updates. This allows users to access the most recent trends and information put out there by the company. (Wbowo, Chen, Wiagin, Ma, Ruangakanjanses 2021). Social media makes it so easy to generate interactions directly between users. When you initiate those interactions with your consumers, it leads to a great resource: word-of-mouth! When you have customers that willingly share your brand and information, that becomes free marketing for your brand. 

How Does Social Media Impact Customer Experience?

Customer experience can be defined as a “multidimensional construct that reflects on cognitive, emotional, behavioral, sensory and social responses of the consumer to the enterprise’s products or services during the customer’s buying journey’ (Wbowo, Chen, Wiagin, Ma, Ruangakanjanses 2021). Traditionally, online companies get a bad reputation with online services because of the poor experience compared to buying something in person. When you’re in person, usually you have interactions that make your experience better than online where you have no interactions. However, many people still use online as a source to buy things. Making sure that you are giving your customers the same experience is extremely important because your customer’s experience is important.

(Photo by Jaqueline Munguía)

Five Different Types of Customer Experience

There are five different types of experiences the customer experiences. The first experience is sense. This includes all of the primary senses (view, sound, scent, taste, and touch). Since social media marketing lacks the ability to appeal in some areas, they have to really focus on the visual and sound aspects to reach their customers. The next experience is felt. When a customer experiences experiential texts, music, and photographs, they help appeal to the customer’s inner sensations and emotions. When this happens, it creates a direct interaction between the brand and the customers, which helps initiate positive emotional feedback. Think is the next customer experience. Thinking allows the customer to come up with their own perception of the experience. When this happens, they can improve their participation in the marketing campaign (Wbowo, Chen, Wiagin, Ma, Ruangakanjanses 2021). Act is the fourth customer experience. This experience includes different choices for behaviors. That includes physical activities, patterns of life, and engagement (Wibowo, Chen, Wiagin, Ma, Ruangakanjanses 2021). A customer’s activities help create a permanent impression of the company or brand. Finally, relate is the last customer experience. When a customer is able to translate their intimate and human feelings to a brand, it helps form a relationship between the brand and the consumer. 

(Photo by VectorMine)

With social media marketing growing more and more by the day, you have to make sure that your brand is going above and beyond to stand out. The way brands are standing out is by creating relationships with the consumers. Creating relationships can really make a difference in the success of your social media marketing. It can have so many benefits if used correctly and those relationships are formed. When relationships are formed, your consumer’s customer experience is going to be higher. 

References

Munguía, J. (2020). Happy face signal. Unspach. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://unsplash.com/photos/1pAwJiCD60c.

VectorMine. (n.d.). Five Senses. Adobe Stock. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://stock.adobe.com/search?k=five+senses&asset_id=365862906.

 Transparency toward your customers is a must. (2022). Layerise. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://www.layerise.com/resources/blog/post/transparency-toward-your-customers-is-a-must.

Wibowo, A., Chen, S.-C., Wiangin, U., Ma, Y., & Ruangkanjanases, A. (2020). Customer Behavior as an Outcome of Social Media Marketing: The Role of Social Media Marketing Activity and Customer Experience. Sustainability, 13(1), 189. MDPI AG. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13010189

Link to Original Article

https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/1/189

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  • Communication Studies

The Importance of Brand Experience—Exploring the difference between human baristas and robot baristas

imcclass May 2, 2023

Rita Cronin

Photo by Futurice

With a simple Google search, you can find dozens of local coffee shops around Wilmington, North Carolina. Scooter’s Coffee, a midwestern company, recently franchised out to Wilmington. Scotter’s goal is to provide “quick, convenient drive-thru service” via a small kiosk. Owner, Morgan Deberry states: We loved Wilmington. It’s a very welcoming town. It’s a busy town, and it seems to be a growing town, which is really exciting” (Hamrick, 2022).

In a rapidly growing town, entrepreneurs in the industry—like Deberry—are constantly inventing novel ways to strengthen competitive power. Of the various attempts made by industry professionals to create a more compelling brand experience through fast service or unique recipes, robot baristas are the most remarkable (Hwang et al., 2021).

Benefits of Robot Baristas

Artly, a startup based in Seattle, developed an AI-powered machine that looks like an arm that can make, monitor, and serve customers coffee. Computer vision algorithms guide the robot and claim to make a “perfect cup of coffee” every time (Soper, 2022). The robot can take various orders from customers and can continually create unique, quality drinks. Robot baristas have proved to be very efficient, making multiple cups of coffee at once for customers and shortening the typical coffee shop wait times.

Additionally, the demand for contactless services has recently sharply increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Having less human contact and decreasing the sociality of coffee consumption may generate positive emotions between the coffee brand and consumers at present. This technology is only predicted to become more common with its evident benefits.

Photo by Japan Times

Brand satisfaction, attitude, attachment, and loyalty

Brand attitude, brand attachment, and brand loyalty are critical outcome variables of brand satisfaction for coffee shops. Once consumers formulate a positive brand attitude toward a coffee brand, they become passionate about the coffee brand and would like to use that coffee brand in the future. The fight between robot baristas and human baristas comes down to the question—Which coffee shop can provide the most positive overall experience to customers?

According to a study conducted by the International Journal of Hospitality Management in 2021, customers have an overall better brand experience with robot baristas compared to human baristas (Hwang et al., 2021). Customers are receiving high-quality service and great cups of coffee that are keeping them coming back.

Customers experience satisfaction when the coffee shops take into account the sensory, affective, behavioral, and intellectual aspects of their experience, which robot baristas are doing well. Coffee shops with robot baristas are perceived to be more intellectually engaging brands that consumers are interested in and satisfied with.

Despite the popularity of robot baristas, some customers still value the typical coffee shop experience. The ambiance, the people, and the ability to make human connections are impactful and cause positive brand experiences for some customers.

Improving the customer experience at coffee shops

Whether your coffee shop chooses to implement a robotic arm to pour your coffee or sticks to the hard-working humans to stir your cream and sugar together, coffee practitioners should be aware of the various ways the brand experience can be enhanced.

According to the findings, enhancing customers’ sensory brand experiences led to an increase in the level of brand satisfaction (Hwang et al., 2021). Appealing to all five senses of the consumer is important to make a strong impression. I am more inclined to continually return to a coffee shop if the environment is peaceful, the noise is manageable, and it smells like freshly brewed coffee. Shops with humans and robots both have the potential to provide this type of experience.

Coffee brands should create advertising phrases and promotional materials that have an effective appeal to consumers. Emotional advertising is the second most significant contributor that affects brand satisfaction (Sung and Jeon, 2020). Coffee brands that promote their establishments as places to find a sense of belonging and connect may have a greater advantage than those that don’t.

Involving the customer in the creation of their coffee has proved to have great benefits regarding brand satisfaction. For success, it is pivotal to increase the behavioral brand experience. This means making consumers feel active, energetic, and involved in their coffee shop experience. Shops with baristas making espresso right in front of you are seen as more personable than bigger brands that do it confidently behind the counter. Engaging in the coffee-making experience keeps customers engaged and returning.

Photo by Formplus

There is a lot of potential for robot baristas and human baristas to work together to curate the best brand experience. As stated by Soper (2022), human baristas could work on creating recipes, teaching the robot, and providing customer service, while the robot does the job of actually making the cup of coffee. It will be interesting to see how this technology progresses over the next few years and its long-lasting impact on consumers.

References

Hamrick, M. (2022, December 14). “Scoot in, scoot out”: New coffee shop to specialize in fast, friendly service | WilmingtonBiz. WilmingtonBiz. https://www.wilmingtonbiz.com/restaurants/2022/12/14/%E2%80%9Cscoot_in_scoot_out%E2%80%9D_new_coffee_shop_to_specialize_in_fast_friendly_service/23965

Hwang, J., Choe, J. Y., Kim, H. M., & Kim, J. (2021). Human baristas and robot baristas: How does brand experience affect brand satisfaction, brand attitude, brand attachment, and brand loyalty? International Journal of Hospitality Management, 99, 103050. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2021.103050

Soper, T. (2022, September 26). Robotic coffee barista maker led by ex-AWS engineer raises $8.3M to open more retail locations. GeekWire. https://www.geekwire.com/2022/robotic-coffee-barista-maker-led-by-ex-aws-engineer-raises-8-3m-to-open-more-retail-locations/#:~:text=No%2C%20it’s%20not%20Starbucks.,arm%20and%20monitor%20drink%20quality.

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  • Communication Studies

Influencer Endorsement and the Purchasing Power of Psychological Ownership

imcclass May 1, 2023

By Addison Bordeaux

Original research by Mandy Pick

Image by M. Navolykina on XCart

Did you know that the so-called “social media influencer” has more sway in consumer buying power than celebrity endorsements?

Change in Viewing Habits

It has become increasingly challenging to use traditional advertising to reach a younger demographic. A 2018 study found that only 1% of US citizens aged 16-24 named watching terrestrial television as their preferred media activity (Pick, 2021). Instead, watching content on video streaming platforms and viewing social media content were listed (Pick, 2021). With a shift in entertainment channels that target audiences consume, advertisers must shift gears and include social media in their marketing mix. It has become more and more popular to use influencers to promote a product. One study found that 79% of marketing professionals had an influencer marketing budget for 2019 (Pick, 2021). Mandy Pick conducted a study using two influencers, one fake and one established, to discover how the perceived credibility of an influencer affects viewers’ psychological ownership, and thus, influence consumer behavior positively (Pick, 2021). More information on the study below.

Influencer vs Celebrity

Celebrity endorsements are not a new concept and have been used in marketing campaigns for decades. Pick defines celebrities as “famous and well-known persons who achieved public recognition” (Pick, 2021, p11). Marketers use celebrity endorsers to create “image improvement, positive influence on consumer attitudes towards advertisement and product and, consequently, on consumers’ consumption behavior” (Pick, 2021, p12). When viewers see celebrities that they admire in association with a product or brand, they are more likely to have a positive feeling about that product or brand. The more trustworthiness and perceived expertise society believes an endorser has, whether that be a celebrity or influencer, the more likely a viewer would have a positive attitude towards product and purchase intention (Pick, 2021). Companies choose which celebrity they want to endorse their products based on their target audiences and what celebrities their target audiences admire.

However, “studies have shown that celebrities are less credible than influencers, although both celebrities and influencers impact consumer’s purchase behavior” (Pick, 2021, p10). While influencers are usually not professionals within the fields they discuss online, they do act as role models and opinion leaders to their followers and often communicate personally with them. “Owing to these influencers’ origins, they often appear more credible than celebrity testimonials” (Pick, 2021, p10). To social media users, influencers are normal people, whereas celebrities have a more structured image that they show to the public and are known to try to sell you things. Additionally, “negative information about celebrities that could destroy their credibility might also damage the product brand evaluation” when a celebrity is attached to that brand.

You can read a list of celebrity endorsements that ended poorly here.

Perceived Influencer Credibility (IC)

Most people are aware that the primary objective of traditional print and television advertisements is to persuade the audience to make a purchase. However, viewers do not have the same preconceived notion about influencers. Social media users will seek out influencers that create content relevant to their interest and build a relationship with the influencer that they self-identify with (Pick, 2021).  “Users invest their time in becoming better acquainted with influencers by following their content” (Pick, 2021, p14). Once social media users feel an established connection with an influencer, the influencer’s perceived credibility increases for that viewer because they see the influencer as someone whose opinion they can trust. Pick states that “influencers whose perceived credibility is high evoke a stronger feeling of a personal connection to them, which, in turn increase the likelihood that consumers will regard an advertised product as belonging, which subsequently exhibits a higher purchase intention” (Pick, 2021, p15). Marketers take advantage of this by sending influencers free merchandise to show on their accounts or paying for a sponsored feature of their product. “Despite the viewer’s understanding that the influencer was paid in some way to promote a sponsored product and that the influencer legally owns the product, viewers feel psychological ownership of products due to the “consumers’ belief in their sense of connection to such influencers” (Pick, 2021, p21). 

Psychological Ownership (PO)

Psychological ownership refers to the “state in which individuals feel as though the target of ownership (material or non-material in nature) or a piece of it is “theirs”, even though there is no legal justification for this feeling or actual possession” (Pick, 2021, p13). In other words, PO is when consumers feel like a product is theirs, but they have no ownership over it. The concept of psychological ownership originates in behavior literature, but “has recently gained prominence in marketing and social media research” (Pick, 2021, p13). Pick found that the perceived PO feeling for a product advertised by an influencer positively affected consumers’ attitude towards the product being advertised (Pick, 2021). 

Pick’s Study

Over 200 people were assigned to view YouTube videos and Instagram pictures of either the fake influencer or actual influencer’s campaigns to sell a hand blender or fitness drink powder, respectively (Pick, 2021). Youtube and Instagram were named the most important platforms that influencers used for brand cooperation worldwide and thus, were the chosen platforms for the study (Pick, 2021). After viewing the influencer content, participants completed a survey about their perceived and actual connection to the influencer. The results showed that the theory of perceived credibility’s positive effect on the product was supported and there was a significant relationship between attitude towards the product and purchase intention (Pick, 2021). The results also showed that psychological ownership has significant effects on attitude towards the product and purchase intention (Pick, 2021). Additionally, the perceived credibility has a positive effect on psychological ownership (Pick, 2021). “Despite the influencer advertising a product and legally owning it, influencers seem to be able to increase the PO feeling through consumers’ belief in their sense of connection to such influencers” (Pick, 2021, p21). These results are relevant to marketers as they prove a positive correlation between influencers and purchasing power. 

Image by M. Pick on European Business Review

References

Jurberg, A. (2022, April 7). 11 Celebrity Endorsements Gone Wrong – Better Marketing. Medium. https://bettermarketing.pub/11-celebrity-endorsements-gone-wrong-dfa3dc24ff93 

Navolykina, M. (2022). A Beginner’s Guide to Influencer Marketing [+How Affiliates Can Leverage Them]. X-Cart. https://www.x-cart.com/blog/influencer-marketing.html 

Pick, M. (2021). Psychological ownership in social media influencer marketing. European Business Review, 33(1)https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-08-2019-0165

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  • Communication Studies

The Impact of a Brand’s Strategy and Performance 

imcclass April 30, 2023

By Jillian Senft

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As said in the scholarly article Influence of Brands signature, Brand Awareness, Brand Attitude, Brand Reputation on Hotel Industry’s Brand Performance the way a brand portrays themselves especially on social media is very important to their audience. What brand do you see on social media that you think has a credible brand reputation? 

Brand Awareness

            It is very important for a brand to be aware of the strategies that they use and how they will influence their audience.  “Brand awareness refers to the strength of a brand’s presence in consumers’ minds and is defined as the ability for a buyer to recognize or recall that a brand is a member of a certain product category” (Foroudi 2018). Most brands strive for familiarity with their consumers or the target audience they are striving to reach. The more aware a brand is creating a higher possibility that consumers will purchase a product or service. Brand awareness can be measured in various ways, including consumer surveys and social media analytics. Factors that can influence brand awareness include marketing campaigns, advertising, brand logos and visual identity, and customer experiences. Building and maintaining strong brand awareness is essential for businesses to establish themselves in their markets and to differentiate themselves from competitors.

Brand Signature  

            A brand signature, also known as a brand mark or a brand logo, is a visual symbol or design that represents a brand and is used to identify and differentiate it from other brands in the market. “The favorability of a brand signature appeals to the extent to which consumers positively regard it and there is a growing need for international marketing scholars not only to adapt to changing global market conditions but also to contribute to public discourse on branding practices” (Foroudi 2018). A brand signature can help establish brand recognition and can evoke emotions and associations in the minds of consumers. It can also communicate a brand’s values, personality, and unique selling proposition. A well-designed brand signature can be an effective tool for building brand equity and creating a memorable brand image.

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Brand Reputation

            Brand reputation refers to the overall perception and image that consumers have of a particular brand. “The reputation of a brand/company is a combination of reliability, admiration, benevolence, respect, and confidence in current and plausible future actions of an organization – a combination which can easily be lost” (Foroudi 2018).  It is the result of various experiences, interactions, and associations that customers have with the brand over time. A positive reputation can lead to increased customer trust and loyalty, while a negative reputation can drive customers away and harm the brand. Marketing strategies that focus on building and maintaining a strong brand reputation often involve creating a consistent brand image and messaging across all customer touchpoints, delivering high-quality products and services, and prioritizing customer satisfaction and feedback. It is important for brands to invest in reputation management tactics and to engage with their customers to build positive relationships. 

Brand Performance 

Brand performance refers to the evaluation of how well a brand is performing in the market, based on various metrics such as sales revenue, market share, customer loyalty, brand recognition, brand image, and customer satisfaction. “Attributes towards brand reputation which depend upon reliability and benevolence impacts on brand’s performance” (Foroudi 2018).  It is a measure of how effectively a brand is meeting the expectations and needs of its target audience and achieving its marketing objectives. A strong brand can also impact employee engagement. Employees are more likely to be proud to work for a well-respected brand, which can lead to better job satisfaction and retention. Brand performance can be assessed through both quantitative and qualitative analysis. A well-performing brand can increase customer loyalty, attract new customers, and drive sales. By tracking brand performance over time, companies can identify areas of strength and weakness and develop strategies to improve their brand’s overall performance and market position.

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This article is relevant with IMC because its purpose is to send a unified message about brand awareness, brand reputation and brand signature across many marketing channels for brand usage. This is what builds an image and how brands become so successful. It is important to understand a company’s brand performance is closely tied to its reputation. A strong brand can help build a positive reputation, while a weak brand can damage it. I found this article shows this risk of delivering the wrong message which in the end can result in your audience questioning your brand’s credibility. 

Reference

Foroudi, P. (2018.). Influence of brand signature, brand awareness, brand attitude, brand reputation on hotel industry’s brand performance. Science Direct, from https://www-sciencedirect-com.liblink.uncw.edu/science/article/pii/S0278431917308411?via%3Dihub#bibl0005 

Hanss. (2022, February 15). Student browsing internet using computer. working on computer at home. Vecteezy. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://www.vecteezy.com/vector-art/5579929-student-browsing-internet-using-computer-working-on-computer-at-home 

Liftoff. (2019, April 11). Retrieved April 23, 2023, Brand marketers and Performance Marketers Work Better together. from https://liftoff.io/blog/brand-marketers-and-performance-marketers-work-better-together/ 

Szafranski, P. (2020, March 9). The importance of Brand Awareness. KOBBA. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://www.kobba.ie/the-importance-of-brand-awareness 

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  • Communication Studies

Engaging with College Students and Luxury Brands

imcclass April 27, 2023

Social media is everywhere these days. Whether college students are looking on social media to find out what their friends did over the weekend or looking to find the latest fashion trends, college students are on social media a lot. One of the things social media is known for is selling items to people. It could be everything from beauty to high fashion clothing, the images, music, and general aesthetic brands use to help to sell their products. But the problem that is happening now is young adults want to buy luxury brands but can’t afford them. So how do these luxury brands find ways to still connect with this important audience with the knowledge that right now, may not be able to afford them?

Listening

Even though most college kids can’t afford a $4,200 Prada handbag, the opportunity for Prada to listen to this crowd of consumers is important. In Creevey, Coughlan, and O’Connor’s research study, they found that “Consumer attitudes are investigated by brands on social media through sentiment analysis of multiple forms of UGC (user-generated content), especially online reviews (Creevey et al., 2021). Understanding that brands are looking at user-generated content to make their decisions is important for college kids to know. But it’s also important for brands to make sure they are listening and acting on what they learn from consumers online because the authors see it as “an effective way of harnessing real-time information in evaluating client opinion and perception of brands (Creevey et al., 2021) as consumers perceive UGC and eWOM as trustworthy sources of information (Creevey et al., 2021).”

Increase Engagement

The next key part of how luxury brands should think about the college-age consumer is by increasing their engagement with them. The authors noted this by saying “Luxury communication remains more emotional than informational (Okonkwo, 2010), effective communication via social media poses a challenge (Cervellon & Galipienzo, 2015) (Creevey et al., 2021).  Luxury brands should really be looking at this as an opportunity to engage with college-age students by looking for emotional ways to connect with them. This could be done by using images and music that inspire this age group by using trending Tik Tok sounds or trying to find ways to use filters that fit with their brand. Working on this strategy will help luxury brands because “social media use is a significant predictor of materialism (Kamal et al., 2013), which is associated with conspicuous consumption whereby individuals are more likely to display brands more aligned with their ideal self than their actual self on social media (Wallace et al., 2020) (Creevey et al., 2021).

The authors in this research study also shared important examples of early adopters of social media by luxury brands including Louis Vuitton using Facebook to share photos of their catwalk fashion shows with fans. Doing this gives fans an inside look into that world without them feeling like they need to purchase something. When brands do things like this on social media, it helps create a connection between the brand and the consumer.

Why This Matters

College students and luxury brands should take the time to read and understand this research study because it’s important for the study of integrated marketing. College students should know they serve an important role in consuming social media by luxury brands but don’t need to be intimidated by it simply because they can’t afford it right now.

Luxury brands should take the time to read this research study because as the authors said, “Change has occurred not only in the format of business communication but also in consumers’ capacity to construct, distribute and consume brand-related messages. This presents a wealth of opportunities and challenges for businesses, particularly the luxury industry. The democratization of the creation and distribution of business communication, fueled by the ubiquity of social media, continues to pose pertinent questions for luxury brands striving to preserve a reputation grounded in exclusivity, rarity, and uniqueness” (Creevey et al., 2021).

What is important for brands to understand is that establishing a solid relationship with college-aged students now means they are working to grow that relationship online for years to come. Just because a college student can’t afford it now, doesn’t mean that in five to 10 years, that could change. The authors also said “These platforms have accentuated a disruption in the power relations between brands and consumers, due in no small part to the velocity at which information can be exchanged among individuals (Pantano, 2021), constituting a profound challenge to traditional branding theory and practice” (Creevey et al., 2021). The luxury brands that really embrace what it means to be online with a college-aged audience and engage with them, will be able to help sustain customers for life.

References:

 Creevey, D., Coughlan, J., & O’Connor, C. (2021). Social media and luxury: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Management Reviews, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr.12271

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