Marketing Communication Campaigns Research Articles

Using interdisciplinary teams to develop comprehensive integrated digital marketing communication campaigns

The need for interdisciplinary experiences has been well documented by policymakers, governmental agencies, higher education stakeholders and major funding organizations. The goal of these groups h...

Influences on choices to inform a persuasive communications campaign to reduce non-urgent Accident and Emergency attendance

Focus groups and a discrete choice experiment survey were conducted to inform a persuasive communications campaign to reduce non-urgent Accident and Emergency (A&E) attendance. One hundred and sixty-eight response questionnaires were included in the final analysis. The research found that respondents generally saw themselves as ‘sensible’ users of National Health Services (NHSs) and they felt that they think carefully before deciding which NHS to engage with. It was also felt that a lack of understanding, was the most powerful barrier to appropriate use of non-urgent and emergency services, with people not knowing what else is available, not knowing how to find alternative services and not understanding the ‘healthcare system’. Broadly, there are four generic barriers to appropriate use of services:• Convenience (using services that are the easiest option)• Service unaware (not knowing what else is available and not understanding the system)• Worried user (anxious and risk averse about the health of another, e.g. child, old person) and• Emotionally attached (a strong attachment to A&E as most reliable option).Therefore, to respond to this lack of understanding and reduce the perceived barriers, a marketing communications campaign will need to concentrate on creating a conversation about ‘what to do when you do not know where to go and you are not sure how bad things are’, invoking new beliefs and values rather than focusing on what to do when something is ‘urgent’. Any marketing campaign will ultimately need to focus on stopping people accessing urgent healthcare services incorrectly. Therefore, when individuals are assessing the circumstances and the ‘potential seriousness’ of the condition in terms of pain or discomfort, they believe the benefits of attending non-A&E services, i.e. primary care outweigh the perceived ‘convenience’ of attending A&E and that these actions are indeed possible and easily accessible. Influences on choices to inform a persuasive communications campaign to reduce non-urgent A&E attendance.

Non-conscious Effects of Marketing Communication and Implicit Attitude Change: State of Research and New Perspectives

The article shows that many psychological effects of the marketing communication, sometimes called “non-conscious effects”, really produce implicit attitude changes. We show that the theoretical and methodological framework of implicit attitude is well adapted to study these effects and to open new perspectives to study the persuasion in a marketing communication context. On the basis of research conducted within advertising contexts, product placement and TV sponsorship, four types of non-conscious influences are examined: a) non-conscious perception of brands, b) low-attention and forgotten exposures, c) attitude conditioning, d) brand insertion into emotional contexts. While discussing the contributions and limitations of major research methodologies, we highlight new perspectives likely to further the progress of research. We open up new perspectives first to increase the ecological and theoretical validity of methodologies; secondly, to improve the validity of effects measure. At a practical level, we posit that the measures of effects currently used by advertising agencies and advertisers underestimate the effects of marketing communication campaigns. A third research perspective endeavors to better understand the links between implicit and explicit attitudes on the one hand, and behavior on the other hand. The article gives some basis to the field called by some people neuromarketing.

Non-conscious Effects of Marketing Communication and Implicit Attitude Change: State of Research and New Perspectives

The article shows that many psychological effects of the marketing communication, sometimes called “non-conscious effects”, really produce implicit attitude changes. We show that the theoretical and methodological framework of implicit attitude is well adapted to study these effects and to open new perspectives to study the persuasion in a marketing communication context. On the basis of research conducted within advertising contexts, product placement and TV sponsorship, four types of non-conscious influences are examined: a) non-conscious perception of brands, b) low-attention and forgotten exposures, c) attitude conditioning, d) brand insertion into emotional contexts. While discussing the contributions and limitations of major research methodologies, we highlight new perspectives likely to further the progress of research. We open up new perspectives first to increase the ecological and theoretical validity of methodologies; secondly, to improve the validity of effects measure. At a practical level, we posit that the measures of effects currently used by advertising agencies and advertisers underestimate the effects of marketing communication campaigns. A third research perspective endeavors to better understand the links between implicit and explicit attitudes on the one hand, and behavior on the other hand. The article gives some basis to the field called by some people "neuromarketing".

Green Marketing: A Study of Consumer Perception and Preferences in India

Concerns have been expressed by manufacturers and customers about the environmental impact of products during recent decades. Consumers and manufacturers have directed their attention toward environment friendly products that are presumed to be “green” or environment friendly like low power consuming (energy-efficient) electrical appliances, organic foods, lead free paints, recyclable paper, and phosphate free detergents. Indian marketers are also realizing the importance of the Green Marketing Concept. Although a variety of research on green marketing has been conducted across the globe; little academic research on consumer perception and preferences has been carried out in India. This research provides a brief review of environmental issues and identifies the green values of the consumers, their level of awareness about environmental issues, green products and practices. This paper highlights the consumers’ perception and preferences towards green marketing practices and products with the help of a structured questionnaire. A study was conducted on 106 respondents. High level of awareness about green marketing practices and products was found among the consumers. Green values were also found to be high among the respondents. Research has given good insights for marketers of the green products and suggests the need of designing the marketing communication campaigns promoting green products due to high green value among the consumers. Results of regression analysis reveals the view that overall green values, awareness about green products and practices and the perception regarding seriousness of marketing companies towards green marketing had positive significant impact on consumer persuasion to buy and prefer green products over conventional products.

In the mood for [the right kind of] social marketing communication

Purpose – The effectiveness of social marketing communication should depend both on message features and on the psychological characteristics of message recipients. This premise was tested in an experiment focused on why consumers may respond differently to different types of pro-recycling advertisements. The message feature was the way in which the advertisements were framed. The psychological characteristic of the message recipient was the respondent's mood. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Hypotheses were tested in the context of an experiment focused on paper recycling. Findings – It was hypothesized that congruity between mood and the frame of the message would result in more favorable message evaluations and higher intentions to recycle than incongruity. Supporting the study's hypotheses, the data showed that participants in a negative mood had higher intentions to recycle paper and evaluated pro-recycling advertisements more favorably when the ads emphasized avoiding negative consequences as opposed to attaining desired benefits. Among participants in a positive mood, desired benefit advertisements induced higher intentions to recycle paper and were evaluated more favorably than advertisements framed in terms of avoiding negative consequences. Practical implications – A clear message placement strategy is suggested to increase the effectiveness of social marketing communication campaigns. Originality/value – This mood congruity effect has not been reported before in the context of pro-environmental communication. Furthermore, the study provides empirical evidence of the underlying psychological mechanisms that cause the observed interaction. The evidence suggests the data could be predictive of similar response patterns in other social marketing communication domains (e.g. in response to health messages, volunteering, charity, etc.).

"Exploring Privacy-related Aspects Of The Consumers' Direct Approach "

Organizations design marketing communication campaigns by using both the‘traditional‘ (press, radio, television, outdoor) and/or direct media (mail, telephony, mobiletelephony, and the internet),in order to attract the consumers and determine them to buy or beinterested in the company's products, services and/or brands. Consumers are concerned about howthe personal data they provide to organizations, as a response to the marketing campaigns theywere exposed to, is captured, processed and employed. The paper explores some aspects related toconsumers' attitudes towards the disclosure of personal data to companies and public entities, theassessment of aggressiveness and their perception about privacy in relation to the directcommunication tools they were approached by - and presents the results obtained at the level of asample including Romanian consumers.

(Re)Writing the body: a prosumption analysis of pregnancy

PurposeTheories of prosumption offer social marketers an opportunity to improve market segmentation strategies and health campaigns by improving understanding of audiences. The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework to understand how women produce and consume ideologies of pregnancy.Design/methodology/approachA total of 19 pregnant women ages 24‐38 years completed qualitative, in‐depth interviews. Data analysis included a grounded theory approach and constant‐comparative method using open and axial coding to reduce the data and identify themes across the data.FindingsThis study addressed prosumption in three meaning‐making sites: the physiological basis of pregnancy; perceptions of medicine and the biomedical model during pregnancy; and perceptions of media surrounding pregnancy.Research limitations/implicationsThis study applied prosumption theory in a new social context: pregnant women. Findings articulate the importance of gender and the necessity of incorporating women's lived experiences into theories of prosumption.Practical implicationsSocial marketers benefit from improved understandings of pregnant women's body identity, perceptions, and opportunities for empowerment and agency in reproductive health. The proposed “purist pregnant woman” myth impacts effective strategies in social marketing and health communication campaigns. Findings suggest that pregnant women may serve as a receptive audience for a range of health issues.Social implicationsThis study extends our understanding of prosumers, suggesting that prosumption of pregnancy reduces alienation, humanizes and demedicalizes health care and the birthing process.Originality/valueThis study offers theoretical and practical implications for social marketing and health communication campaigns to improve pregnancy health outcomes through an improved understanding of prosumers.

Consumer information search and credence services: implications for service providers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the involvement levels and the information search activity of consumers purchasing credence services, in terms of the extent of the search and the information sources used. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was undertaken (n=400) examining consumers ' information search practices for a range of credence services in comparison to non-credence services (search and experience services). Findings – Involvement in the search process is high in terms of importance but not interest. Somewhat surprisingly, consumers of credence services do not undertake a more comprehensive information search than non-credence service purchasers in terms of the use of external sources of information. They do, however, depend more on the opinion of salespeople, the experience of friends and the content of consumer reports. Research limitations/implications – The results of this study differ from similar work that was previously undertaken with students and also in the USA. It would be useful to establish more strongly whether age and culture have an impact on information search. Originality/value – This is the first time that the information search patterns of consumers of credence services have been undertaken for a wide range of common purchases in the UK. It is also original in this area of research in that it utilises a cross section of the population and not students. Its findings are important to the providers of credence services when considering their marketing communications campaigns because it reveals which marketing communication tools are considered by the consumer to be influential.

Exemplars' impacts in marketing communication campaigns

This study expands upon research on exemplification persuasiveness by examining advertising messages. Using the issue of organ donation, Study 1 compares the effect of exemplar versus base-rate information on credibility, emotionality (arousal, pleasure, and dominance), and the intention to donate. Results show that participants exposed to exemplars demonstrate higher behavioral intention, emotional arousal, and credibility than those exposed to statistical arguments. Study 2 evaluates the effect of two stylistic characteristics of exemplars, the use of photographs and quotations, on the same dependent variables. The findings illustrate that the use of only the exemplar's pictures has a significant impact on the intention to donate and emotional arousal.

S91 Improved Lung Cancer Survival and Reduced Emergency Diagnoses Resulting from an Early Diagnosis Campaign in Leeds 2011

BackgroundLung cancer survival in the UK lags behind other developed nations, and excess early deaths following diagnosis suggest advanced disease at presentation. Patients diagnosed with lung cancer following emergency presentation...

New opportunities in social media for ad-restricted alcohol products: The case of ‘Yeni Rakı’

The rapid diffusion and technological evolution experienced in the new format of the Internet, particularly social media, have forced many brands to keep pace with this ongoing process in order to engage with their customers. Social media utilize multiple Internet-based communication platforms, including, but not limited to, blogs and social networking sites. This paper aims to examine how social media can be used to interact with consumers in the case of ad-restricted alcohol products, providing a case study from Turkey. The explored case provides an example of a well-planned, creative campaign that successfully exploits the opportunities provided by interactivity. The analysis of an alcohol product is critical due to the fact that such products face many restrictions, thus calling for a more creative and efficient approach to the design and implementation of social media practices, and their integration into integrated marketing communication (IMC) campaigns. This case will contribute to the articulation of the best ways to shape both business-to-consumer and consumer-to-consumer dialogue and fruitful applications of this new IMC tool.

Information Needs, Information Sources and Information Search Strategies of International Air Travellers in Nigeria

This study examined the information needs, sources and search strategies of international travellers in Nigeria within the backdrop of unfavourable events in the aviation sector in the past 10 years. Accidental sampling technique was used to select 203 willing respondents from an undefined number of travellers found at the departure wings of the 14 international airlines operating at Nigeria's busiest international airport: the Murtala Muhammad International Airport Lagos, Nigeria, during June to September 2010. Data collection was guided by a questionnaire covering demographic characteristics, information needs and information sources of the passengers as well as travel variables. Chi-square analysis was used to reveal statistically significant relationships in the proportions for different groups. The travellers were a little above middle age on the average; mainly women, about 1 of 3 being self-employed, about 3 of 10 Christians and a little more than half were married, and 9 of every 10 reported residing in Nigeria. Travellers required information about fare more than they did about safety. Travel agents were the major sources of information to travellers; less number of travellers used the Internet, and lesser were solely reliant on the strategy. There is a significant difference in all the groups examined. Travellers from Nigeria seemed not to show any apprehension about safety; they prefer sourcing information from travel agencies probably because it takes away from them the troubles of logistic arrangements. This research is useful to travel agencies and airline operators in modelling their marketing management decisions and designing effective marketing communication campaigns and service delivery.

An Experimental Approach to Testing IMC Effects on Consumer Attitudes, Behavioral Intentions and Recall

The objective of this study is twofold: to build upon the thin body of academic experimental research in the field of Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), and to provide practitioners with methods they can use to test the effectiveness of marketing communication campaigns. On the first account, significant results were observed for attitude toward the ad (Aad), but only for a subset of the sample. Despite this, the experiment provides a framework for future academic studies of IMC effects and suggests specific ways that methods can be refined in future experiments. On the second account, the study’s design suggests opportunities for practitioners. Smaller brands could employ some of the methods described here to inexpensively measure the relative effectiveness of alternative marketing communications campaigns. Larger brands could also benefit if the study spurs efforts among managers and their vendors to work more closely to better coordinate their marketing communications efforts.

HIV/Aids marketing communication and the role of fear, efficacy, and cultural characteristics in promoting social change

The HIV/Aids pandemic is a major concern in Africa, and South Africa's major marketing communication campaigns do not seem to be producing the expected results. This study investigates whether the use of fear appeal marketing communication increases the likelihood of adopting appropriate social behaviour, and if different cultural or racial groups vary in their perception of different fear appeals, namely high, medium, and low fear, pertaining to HIV/Aids marketing communication. The role of fear and efficacy beliefs is analysed by using experimental research techniques to ascertain the influence of different levels of fear appeals. The findings indicate differences amongst cultural or racial groups pertaining to levels of fear and efficacy experienced after exposure to high fear appeals compared with lower fear appeals. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Initiating an integrated marketing communications campaign at TMC

PurposeReviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.FindingsIn January 2009, ADACH (The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage) and WOMAD (World of Music, Arts and Dance) agreed to stage the first ever WOMAD event in the Middle East in April 2009 (WOMAD Abu Dhabi) and the contract for launching the festival was awarded to TMH (The Media House), Dubai.Practical implicationsProvides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.Social implicationsProvides strategic insights and practical thinking that can have a broader social impact.Originality/valueThe briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format.

Branding capability of technology born globals

Born globals – young, rapidly internationalising small and medium enterprises – face the signifi cant challenge of building an international brand with scarce resources. In this article, we study international brand strategy and implementation of such fi rms, and defi ne the components of brand value to customers in technology B2B markets, which many born globals operate in. On the basis of the fi ndings, we discuss specifi c branding capability of technology born globals. A longitudinal in-depth case study of a Danish technology born global has been undertaken. The richness of data collected over 2.5 years (25 per cent of the firm's history) allows for the observing of strategies, activities and discussing related organisational capabilities. We fi nd that superior technologies and the founder's strong brand vision are the enabling factors for building an international brand. Continuous technological leadership and focused marketing activities lead to customer pull for building an ingredient B2C brand. In our brand value model for technology B2B markets, tangible performance-, price- and distribution-related components have shown to be of the highest importance. The study provides evidence of the possibility of building an international technology brand based on technological excellence and without expensive marketing communication campaigns. (Less)

Trying to complain: the impact of self‐referencing on complaining intentions

AbstractThis paper introduces the Theory of Trying to complaining behaviour, and argues that complaining intentions can be explained by the model. Moreover, we model propensity to self‐reference (SR) as a moderating variable, and suggest that the effects of the causes to complaining intentions depend on the SR‐level held by consumers. A sample of undergraduate business students participated in the study, where the goal was to get a better understanding of complaining intentions. Our study provides new and additional insights in the drivers of complaining by also taking dispositional personality differences into consideration. The results demonstrate that boundary conditions for main‐effect models like the theory of trying can be fruitfully addressed through the notion of individual differences.The research documented that customers' propensity to complain systematically differed as a function of their level of self‐referencing. This is both good and bad news to managers. The good news is that a proportion of the customers rely less on their previous experiences in the complaining domain when they form intentions to complain. The bad news is that some others do. The obstacle is that managers cannot tell by the look if they are talking to an individual with high or low propensity to self‐reference. As the customer base contains both types case could be taken in designing marketing communication campaigns that target the groups differently.

International perspectives on the physical inactivity crisis—Structural solutions over evidence generation?

Many programs to increase physical activity have been evaluated in developed countries, where ‘leisure time physical activity’ is the most frequent domain for interventions. In developing countries, and also with reference to global obesity prevention, different kinds of interventions targeting ‘total physical activity’ are needed. This requires efforts across agencies and sectors, and in the domains of work, active transport, reduced sitting time, as well as leisure time physical activity promotion. In considering possible solutions, this commentary examined the use of complex systems, where integrated efforts across sectors and agencies might, in combination, contribute to increasing total physical activity. The key sets of actions required globally to increase physical activity were, in our opinion, [i] efforts to disseminate individual-level behavior change programs to reach much larger populations rather than volunteers, [ii] social marketing and mass communication campaigns to change social norms in the community and among professionals and policymakers, [iii] efforts to influence the social and physical environment to make them more conducive to physical activity, and [iv] the development and implementation of national physical activity plans and strategies, with sufficient timelines and resources to achieve measurable change.

The planning and implementation of integrated marketing communications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to illustrate the tasks involved in the planning and implementation of integrated marketing communications using an interesting, real‐life case study.Design/methodology/approachA mix of secondary and primary research is used: analysis of academic literature, market research data and organisational data, as well as interviews conducted with members of the Renault Marketing Team.FindingsThe planning and implementation of integrated marketing communications is complex and involves a wide range of different management tasks. These include: situation analysis and identification of marketing communications opportunities; choosing the right marketing communications agency; campaign development and implementation, including the selection of the marketing communications mix, creative execution and media planning; campaign evaluation; planning of follow‐up campaigns; and managerial coordination between all tasks and parties involved to ensure integration of marketing communications initiatives throughout the campaign.Originality/valueApplies marketing communications theories to a real‐life example and illustrates comprehensively the management tasks involved in the planning and implementation of integrated marketing communications campaigns. Provides hyperlinks and references to organisations and bodies relevant to the marketing communications industry as well as academic literature.