Marketing Practices Research Articles

DEVELOPING WHAT CAN’T BE TAUGHT: CREATING AN EFFECTIVE PORTFOLIO OF STUDENT OUTCOMES THROUGH A STUDENT-RUN DIGITAL MARKETING AGENCY

ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to provide an extended case study of the development of and early outcomes of a student-run digital marketing agency. Employers are looking to hire graduates who are “work ready.” In the area of digital marketing, this is especially challenging given the rapid pace of change in the industry where new technologies, companies and business processes seem to be introduced on a weekly basis. To build a bridge between the undergraduate marketing curriculum and the practice of digital marketing, an AACSB-accredited business school in northern New England created a student-run digital marketing agency that functions within and alongside the marketing course structure. This required the development of an ecosystem to support the agency and provide the business school’s undergraduate students with an opportunity to work with real clients and industry professionals using the latest tools and techniques. Initially focusing on the application of hard skills of digital marketing and industry technologies, we found that equal or higher value and interest for our students were the soft skills and client interactions they developed as part of the agency experience.

A study of entrepreneurial marketing activities and firm performance in an immediate post-COVID-19 era: the moderating role of coopetition

Purpose Although earlier research suggests a positive relationship exists between engaging in entrepreneurial marketing activities and firm performance, there may be contingent issues that impact the association. This investigation unpacks the relationship between entrepreneurial marketing behaviour and firm performance under the moderating role of coopetition, in an immediate post-COVID-19 period.Design/methodology/approach A resource-based theoretical lens, alongside an outside-in perspective, underpins this study. Following 20 field interviews, survey responses via an online survey were obtained from 306 small, passive exporting wine producers with a domestic market focus in the United States. The data passed all major robustness checks.Findings The statistical findings indicated that entrepreneurial marketing activities positively and significantly influenced firm performance, while coopetition provided a non-significant moderation effect. Field interviews suggested that entrepreneurs’ attemps to scale up from passive to more active export activities in an immediate post-pandemic period helped explain the findings. Owner-managers rejoined trustworthy and complementary pre-pandemic coopetition partners in the immediate aftermath of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) for domestic market activities. In contrast, they had to minimise risks from dark-side/opportunistic behaviour when joining coopetition networks with partners while attempting to scale up export market activities.Originality/value Unique insights emerge to unpack the entrepreneurial marketing–performance relationship via the moderation effect of coopetition, namely, with the temporal setting of an immediate post-COVID-19 period. Firstly, new support arises regarding the likely performance-enhancing impact of owner-managers’ engagement in entrepreneurial marketing practices. Secondly, novel findings emerge in respect of the contrasting role of coopetition in both domestic and export market activities. Thirdly, new evidence arises in relation to a resource-based theoretical lens alongside an outside-in perspective, whereby, strategic flexibility in pivoting facets of a firm’s business model needs effective management following a crisis.

Analysis of the bacterial diversity in Moroccan Jben cheese using TTGE, DGGE, and 16S rRNA sequencing.

This research investigated the physicochemical, microbiological, and bacterial diversity of Jben cheese, a popular artisanal variety in Morocco. The bacterial diversity was explored using culture-independent methods, including temporal temperature gel electrophoresis (TTGE), denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), and high-throughput sequencing (HTS). Significant intra-sample differences were observed for most physicochemical parameters within each milk type, while inter-sample differences occurred between cow and goat cheeses for dry matter and ash. Jben cheese exhibited distinct characteristics, with low pH values of 3.96, 4.16, and 4.18 for cow, goat, and mixed cheeses, respectively. Goat cheeses had higher fat (49.23 g/100 g), ash (1.91 g/100 g), and dry matter (36.39 g/100 g) than cow cheeses. All cheeses displayed high microbial counts, with a notable prevalence of the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) group, averaging 8.80 ± 0.92 log CFU/g. Jben cheese also displayed high contamination levels with total coliforms, faecal coliforms, yeast, and molds. Fatty acid profiling revealed fraudulent practices in Jben cheese marketing, with cow or mixed cheeses sold as goat cheese, as proven by low capric acid concentration. HTS analysis of Jben cheese identified ten genera and twenty-four species, highlighting Lactococcus lactis as predominant. TTGE and DGGE confirmed the presence of L. lactis but failed to provide the detailed profile achieved through HTS analysis. HTS has been demonstrated to be more reliable, whereas TTGE/DGGE methods, though informative, were more time-consuming and less reliable. Despite limitations, the combined use of TTGE, DGGE, and HTS provided a comprehensive view of indigenous bacterial communities in Jben cheese, identifying L. lactis as the main species.

Vulnerability and Constructed Precarity in the Canadian Housing Regime

ABSTRACT This article brings together feminist and critical theoretical perspectives on vulnerability to critique normative framing of vulnerability in housing. Vulnerability is often positioned as the problem affordable housing policies and programmes are designed to address). Feminist conceptions of vulnerability, by contrast, consider vulnerability as a universal condition. From a feminist perspective, I explicate the ways in which the Canadian housing regime constructs precarity in three ways: a reliance on precarious employment, positioning vulnerability as an inherent characteristic of populations, and finally through an imagined separation between nonmarket housing and (transnational) market practices. I suggest feminist conceptions of vulnerability offer a potent way forward to rethink the housing system. This recognition of shared vulnerability that is differentially felt might turn us away from targeted and population-specific interventions and instead direct attention to the housing regime itself.

Effect of Experiential Marketing on Customer Engagement and Loyalty in the Tourism Sector in France

Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of experiential marketing on customer engagement and loyalty in the tourism sector in France.
 Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries.
 Findings: Experiential marketing in France's tourism sector significantly boosts customer engagement and loyalty by offering personalized, memorable experiences. Despite challenges like cost management, leveraging digital technologies presents opportunities for enhanced personalization. Overall, experiential marketing plays a vital role in shaping customer perceptions and fostering lasting relationships in French tourism.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Hedonic consumption theory, service-dominant logic (SDL) & social exchange theory may be used to anchor future studies on the effect of experiential marketing on customer engagement and loyalty in the tourism sector in France. Tourism businesses in France should prioritize the implementation of tailored experiential marketing initiatives that align with the unique characteristics and preferences of their target customer segments. Government bodies and tourism authorities in France should facilitate industry collaboration and knowledge-sharing initiatives to foster innovation and best practices in experiential marketing.

Hospitality marketing research: bridging the practical gap

Purpose This study aims to identify the causes of the academia-industry divide in hospitality marketing research in the form of the “Research Devaluation Map” and offers ideas for discussion points and suggestions for change. Design/methodology/approach The conceptualization of the Research Devaluation Map was developed at an invitational thought-leadership conference. The authors were asked to produce a forward looking, critical reflection of hospitality marketing scholarship. The authors generated a preliminary idea and developed a methodology for its implementation. They then proposed a framework that explicated the divide between hospitality marketing research and industry practice and a list of discussion points regarding possible solutions. Findings The issues currently challenging the hospitality research field are found to include the choice of research topics (the “what”), the methods used in research (the “how”) and the systemic factors that shape the academic culture (the “systemic”). These three factors lead to a mutual devaluation of the academic–industry relationship in hospitality marketing, causing a schism between research and industry practice. Research limitations/implications The Research Devaluation Map serves as a springboard for future research studies, providing a framework for naming and operationalizing the antecedents and results of the divide between hospitality marketing research and practice. Originality/value This paper takes a holistic look at the gaps in current hospitality marketing research and puts forth a framework to explain the roots of these issues. While certain of these issues are known to both researchers and practitioners, the originality of this paper lies in the creation of the Research Devaluation Map that identifies the causes and results of the disconnect between research and practice.

Making tea, making ethnic minority women: Women’s labor, ethnicized femininity, and the Pu’er tea business in contemporary China

ABSTRACT Women have long shaped China’s tea trade while being, in turn, shaped by it. This can be seen especially clearly in Pu’er tea businesses in Southwest China. Cultivated by the Hani (Akha), Bulang, Lahu, Dai and many other ethnic groups, the marketing of Pu’er tea as an exotic and ethicized product has been inevitably entangled with the transformations of social practices amongst these ethnic groups. Women of these tea making ethnic groups do essential work at every step on the journey of the tea from field to cup. Simultaneously, they have been objectified and constructed as a cultural symbol of the tea in marketing and consumption practices around it. This article delves into the question of how ethnic minority women and the Pu’er tea business shape each other in contemporary Chinese society. By examining their contribution to the production of the tea and make opportunities for themselves in the tea business, this article shows that although ethnic minority women’s participation in this tea market doesn’t always lead to more equal gender relations, it empowers them to gain commercial success and respect. This process of empowerment, however, is rooted in the ethnic women’s awareness of performing femininity.

Fundamental Models of Consumer Purchasing Behavior: An In-Depth Analysis Since the 1960s.

This paper explores established models of the consumer decision-making process, originated from the 1960s, and assesses the viewpoints of Nicosia, Howard and Sheth, Engel, Kollat and Blackwell, and Fishbein and Ajzen's theories of reasoned and planned behavior. Subsequently, it demonstrates their significance and linkages with current marketing practices, encompassing the effects associated with digitalization and the augmentation of consumer requirements. Finally, the paper puts forth a theoretical model for the decision-making process. These models provide diverse perspectives on how consumer attitudes, purchasing decisions, and interactions with marketing stimuli are formed. However, it is emphasized that these models must continually evolve to remain relevant in an ever-changing environment, as they are critical in comprehending consumer behavior and developing marketing strategies.

Bibliometric insights into the evolution of digital marketing trends

This bibliometric analysis aims to delineate the progression of research in the domain of digital marketing by examining 513 English-language articles published in Scopus during the period of 2003–2024. An examination of scholarly productivity indicates an upward trend, as evidenced by the increase in publications from one in 2003 to 115 in 2022 and citations from 79 in 2003 to 1131 in 2021, as determined by keyword, citation, and authorship analyses. A review of citation patterns reveals that publications with significant impact are primarily found in prestigious academic journals, such as Industrial Marketing Management and International Journal of Research in Marketing. Prominent contributors hail from Jordan, Finland, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia; among other regions – the United States, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. Keyword analysis revealed an emphasis on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and traditional digital marketing techniques (e.g., social media, content marketing, internet marketing). Co-occurrence theme analysis highlighted digital marketing strategy, digital marketing audiences, the digital transformation of business and marketing, and the acceleration of digital adoption as a result of COVID-19. Further areas of investigation encompass optimizing the utilization of emergent social media platforms, implementing virtual and augmented reality technologies to enhance the customer experience, and capitalizing on the potential of artificial intelligence and machine learning to augment the efficacy of digital marketing. By utilizing data-driven insights, this study offers guidance for curricular enhancements, scholarly agendas, and digital marketing practice. AcknowledgmentThe author thanks everyone who helped make this study possible, but especially those at the Ho Chi Minh University of Banking, Vietnam.

Internal marketing and employees’ personality traits toward green innovative hospitality

Purpose The current study aims to examine if the internal marketing and employees’ personal traits can predict their green innovative behavior at the workplace. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted with 683 frontline employees working in four- and five-star hotels in Serbia. Zero-order bivariate correlations among variables and linear multiple regression were conducted to predict green innovative behavior based on internal marketing, personality traits and psychological capital. Binary genetic algorithms were used to segregate the subset of predictors that would be most suitable to describe variance in the outcome. Findings The results showed that internal communication, incentive and reward systems, work support, work environment, openness and creative self-efficacy were the most important predictors of almost all the phases of green innovative behavior. Originality/value The research showed that a multidimensional approach in analyzing green innovative behavior is necessary as some factors can be significant or not so significant predictors. Acknowledging that innovation is a multistage process, entailing distinct activities and requiring varied individual behaviors to accomplish each task, amplifies the importance of this inquiry. Employees’ personal characteristics have direct impact on green innovative behavior in hospitality. Further, the results gave an insight into the possible mix of elements of internal marketing that can be used for boosting employees’ green innovative behavior in hospitality. This is important as implementing effective internal marketing practices empowers organizations to motivate employees to invest discretionary efforts.

Untangling the cephalopod market: authentication of seafood products in Greece with DNA-barcoding

Cephalopod products are very popular in Greece and are considered a delicacy. However, heavy processing and marketing practices interfere with visual inspection and impede morphological identification, allowing species substitution. Mislabeling of seafood products remains a worldwide issue despite existing labeling regulations at local and European level. For the detection of fraudulent products, a variety of identification methods have been developed, however DNA barcoding remains the most favored. This study aims to investigate the cephalopod species sold in the country's seafood market and assess their mislabeling rates. Two mitochondrial genes, the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and the 16S ribosomal RNA (16S), were selected for the analyses. A total of 156 samples were collected from fishmongers, markets, and restaurants across four cities. Identification was successful in 93.58% of the samples and 59 discrepancies (40.41%) between the label and the identified species were recorded. However, in some cases, substitution might have been unintentional, caused by negligence, lack of detailed information on the label, and the overall low awareness of the legislation by retailers. High mislabeling rates were estimated, especially when compared against the average global substitution rate in seafood products but align with those reported by studies on cephalopod products. This study is the first to investigate mislabeling rates in cephalopod commodities in Greece. With the aim of a transparent seafood trade, our results highlight the need for monitoring of all seafood products available in the country's market.

Determinants of Mobile Shopping Apps Continuance Intention: A Review and Proposed Conceptual Model

Mobile shopping apps have experienced significant global growth due to the widespread adoption of mobile devices in everyday life. The exponential expansion of mobile shopping app usage has brought up both opportunities and challenges for service providers. For online businesses, maintaining their current users is a vital means of gaining a competitive edge. Hence, the primary objective of this research is to develop a conceptual model to examine the factors that influence users' intention to continue using mobile shopping apps. The Expectation-Confirmation Model (ECM) and the Theory of Network Externalities offer initial foundations for developing a unified conceptual model. This research has the potential to make a substantial contribution to the understanding of factors that influence continuance intention to use mobile shopping apps. It can benefit academicians, online businesses, service providers and mobile marketing practitioners

Blagovne znamke hitre mode: trajnostne tržne prakse in nakupovalno vedenje potrošnikov

The fast fashion boom is faced with economic, environmental and social justice objections. Sustainable mar­keting initiatives have become a new style statement, and brands are shifting to environment-friendly manufacturing. This study explores how fashion apparel brands adopt sustainable marketing practices to promote sustainable purchase behaviour. A cross-sectional survey using a quantitative research design was followed to collect responses from fashion brand consumers. Variance-based partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to assess the hypothesized model. Two-step bootstrapping was conducted to explore the mediating role of brand perception in the relationship between sustainable marketing activity and brand loyalty. The study suggests that firms can support sustainable marketing practices by creating a brand image and building trust. This can influence consumers' perceptions of sustainability and promote brand loyalty. The study also emphasizes the significance of brand loyalty in developing sustainable purchase behaviour that endures over time. The study provides insights into sustainable marketing strategies and pol­icies in indigenous markets.

Evaluation of Contemporary Art in the Process of Production, Distribution and Consumption

How does the art community evaluate contemporary art? This question is discussed based on 16 interviews with artists, gallery owners, curators, and collectors. The contemporary art market is conceptualized as a “creative industry that unites actors involved in the production, distribution, and consumption of art objects. The research methodology is based on the anthropological approach of Igor Kopytoff and the discursive psychology of Rom Harré, according to which the history of the movement of cultural objects through social space and the discourses accompanying them are sources of symbolic values. Market practices of art distribution are described: criteria for selecting artists by galleries, legal aspects of distribution and consumption of art objects, informal purchasing practices, moral and pragmatic taboos on buying art objects. Four logics of justifying the value of art objects — “commercial success,” “testimony of the times,” “intellectual development,” “emotional experience”—have been reconstructed. It is demonstrated that consumption as a collector's practice requires following the rules of a “professional approach” to be recognized in the art community.

Entrepreneurial marketing practices and manufacturing venture performance during a pandemic: the mediating role of innovation

PurposePrevious research has indicated that entrepreneurial marketing (EM) positively influences small and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs) performance. While most studies have examined the relationship in a stable environment, EMs’ effectiveness during environmental instability remains uncertain. Therefore, the study aims to investigate the influence of EM on Indian manufacturing-based SMEs’ performance during the COVID-19-induced environmental instability. Additionally, it explores the mediating role of innovative performance in the relationship between EM and SME performance.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected by distributing a structured survey questionnaire to 302 owners/managers of SMEs. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM).FindingsThe result indicates that EM significantly impacts both innovation and SME performance. Furthermore, the innovative performance partially mediates the link between EM and SME performance. The findings suggest that even within severely affected sectors (manufacturing) during the pandemic, SMEs can achieve growth and innovation through effective EM practices.Research limitations/implicationsThis study validates the theoretical notion that EM remains effective even in unpredictable environments such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings offer valuable insights for SMEs seeking innovative strategies to enhance their performance, particularly those in emerging economies.Originality/valuePrior studies have relied on a single layer of abstraction to analyze the impact of EM. The present study is the first to extend standard construct (EM) conceptualization. Furthermore, it evaluated the efficiency of EM in situations characterized by instability, which is rare in the EM and SME literature.

Optimal Timing Strategies in the Evolutionary Dynamics of Competitive Supply Chains

This study investigates the dynamics of endogenous order placement timing among competing retailers within a single period, driven by the evolution of demand-forecast information. Despite the critical role of accurate market trends and demand forecasts in determining firm success during selling seasons, the existing literature lacks a comprehensive understanding of how firms strategically adjust their order timing with imperfect and evolving information landscapes. By leveraging resources such as predictive analytics systems operated by big data and social media, firms tend to enhance their market demand precision as the selling season approaches, aligning with market practices. With this background, we aim to address the strategic behaviors of competing retailers in timing their orders, filling the aforementioned research gap. We construct a non-cooperative game-theoretical model to analyze the strategic behaviors of competing retailers in timing their orders. The model incorporates factors such as imperfect and evolving information landscapes, considering how firms leverage resources to enhance their market demand precision as the selling season approaches. Our analysis shows two primary equilibria, each shedding light on distinct strategic choices and their implications. First, the better-informed firm decides to execute early orders, capitalizing on the first mover’s advantage, particularly when initial information imprecision exceeds a specific threshold. Conversely, a second equilibrium emerges when the better-informed firm delays its orders, yielding the first mover’s advantage to the less-informed competitor. These equilibria highlight the correlation between order timing strategies and the trajectory of information evolution within the competitive landscape. Additionally, our study extends beyond equilibrium analysis to investigate these strategic choices on supply-chain performance.

Sustainable marketing dilemmas: moral, ethical, and practical in business communication perspectives

Abstract In recent years, corporations' sustainable marketing practices have gone beyond just selling mere products or services and present significant challenges. This study examines the moral, ethical, and practical challenges encountered by sustainable marketing, specifically from the standpoint of business communication. This research explains the notion of sustainable marketing and discerns its ethical dilemmas by examining the current body of scholarly literature. The discussion focuses on stakeholder theory, ethical consumerism, and communication theories. The study employs a qualitative research methodology, gathering data through comprehensive interviews and case analysis. The participants comprise marketing professionals, consumers, and companies that place sustainability as a top priority. The findings illustrate that organisations face many moral and ethical challenges while creating and executing sustainable marketing strategies. For example, challenges arise when trying to balance the desire for genuineness and openness and the success of marketing communications, as well as conflicts between moral evaluations and business goals. These challenges substantially impact the company's communication strategy, as they are directly connected to consumer trust and brand image. This study offers valuable insights for companies creating and implementing sustainable marketing strategies. It highlights the crucial role of managing moral and ethical factors to achieve long-term success. Moreover, the discoveries can aid policymakers and regulatory agencies formulate criteria and recommendations to foster sustainable corporate practices. 

Multiobjective design optimization of reinforced concrete beam coupled with market practice based constructability function using simulated annealing

Multiobjective design optimization of reinforced concrete beam coupled with market practice based constructability function using simulated annealing

AI IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT: EXPLORING THEORETICAL MODELS FOR DECISION-MAKING AND RISK MANAGEMENT

This paper explores the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in personalized marketing. It highlights how AI can analyze vast amounts of customer data to create targeted messages, recommendations, and real-time interactions that resonate with individual needs and preferences. This personalized approach fosters deeper consumer engagement, leading to increased satisfaction, brand loyalty, and business success.  The paper discusses the future potential of AI in shaping personalized marketing experiences. However, responsible implementation will be paramount in ensuring a positive future for both brands and consumers. Enhanced version of the abstract incorporating additional insights, this paper delves into the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in personalized marketing. It explores how AI algorithms can analyze a multitude of customer data points, including purchase history, website behavior, and social media interactions. This rich data empowers brands to create highly targeted messages, recommendations, and real-time interactions that resonate with individual customer needs and preferences. By fostering deeper consumer engagement, AI-powered personalization unlocks a pathway to increased customer satisfaction, brand loyalty, and ultimately, significant business growth. However, the paper acknowledges the ethical considerations that accompany AI implementation. Responsible data practices are paramount, ensuring data security and mitigating bias in AI algorithms to prevent discriminatory marketing practices. Transparency in how data is collected and used builds trust with consumers, fostering a mutually beneficial relationship. Looking ahead, the paper explores the vast future potential of AI in personalized marketing. Imagine AI-powered Chat bot offering personalized product recommendations in real-time, or virtual reality experiences tailored to individual preferences. The future of marketing lies in creating genuine connections with consumers, and AI provides the tools to personalize the customer journey at every touch point. However, navigating the ethical landscape and prioritizing responsible data practices will be crucial in ensuring a positive future for both brands and consumers.
 Keywords: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Personalized Marketing, Customer Engagement, Customer Data, Marketing Strategy.

Sustainable Marketing Model: Market Research, Marketing Capability and Entrepreneurial Orientation in Indonesia

This study explores the application of the Sustainable Marketing Model in Indonesia's ever-changing corporate environment. The study involved 275 organizations from a variety of industries, and the sample size was large. This allowed for important insights into how market research, marketing expertise, and entrepreneurial spirit shape sustainable marketing strategies. The associations between the important variables were investigated using measurement model analysis, structural model analysis, and descriptive statistics. Positive developments in sustainable marketing practices are shown by the results, which also show strong and substantial relationships between market research, marketing competence, entrepreneurial orientation, and sustainable marketing. Measures of goodness-of-fit provide evidence for the model's general suitability. Specific tactics to improve market research, marketing skills, and entrepreneurial attitudes are among the implications for firms. The study establishes the foundation for other research projects and adds to the developing field of sustainable marketing in Indonesia