Anjali Bal

Placing a Hand in the Fire: Assessing the Impact of a YouTube Experiential Learning Project on Viral Marketing Knowledge Acquisition

The goal of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an experiential learning social media project that was integrated into a graduate marketing class. As part of the semester-long project, students were required to work within a team and create a spoof video, which was posted on YouTube. Students’ success was partially determined by the number of views made of the particular video. After reviewing the results obtained by a semistructured survey, the research indicates that the inclusion of an experiential project into the core curriculum was associated with student motivation, engagement, team management, and communication skills. Furthermore, this integration promoted learning of technical and theoretical knowledge related to consumer-generated advertisements and virtual viral marketing. Results and implications are discussed.

Engaging Students with Social Media.

The importance of social media for marketing professionals has grown immensely as consumers turn to it to connect with products, brands, and brand communities. Yet limited research investigates the uses of social media to teach core marketing concepts. This article analyzes coursework in foundational marketing classes, with a specific focus on the effectiveness of social media for teaching core marketing concepts. Through the use of multiple social media platforms, the courses sought to engage students in active learning and provide a medium for the students to apply marketing concepts and market real companies to a public audience. Survey data provide insights into the effectiveness of social media as a tool for teaching core course concepts.

Second Best in Second Life: Teaching Marketing Cases in a Virtual World Environment

Institutions have begun to integrate pedagogical multimedia platforms such as distance learning and videos into courses. In this exploratory study, one such platform, Second Life, was used as a medium for interaction and a tool for the rebirth of case teaching. Experiences of instructors and students are included in the exploration.

Monet’s, Nympheas…

Today’s international fine art market annually accounts for billions of dollars in revenue, millions of jobs, and boasts consumers who are among the world’s wealthiest and most influential individuals. Outside of the financial impact of the industry, the fine art market is unique in that it provides value for consumers on multiple levels: social, financial, and aesthetic. Despite the complexity and enormity of the fine art market, limited research has been conducted related to consumer behavior within it. A qualitative, interview based, study was conducted in order to build theory and extend the literature about consumer motivations in the purchase and sale of fine art, and how intimacy can be created between the consumers of fine art and the creators of it.

11 Million; Rothko’s, White…

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a theory of consumer and product orientation in the realm of political branding to illustrate how politicians can choose to position and present themselves to voters. It is evident that some politicians play an active role in shaping the beliefs and actions of their constituents, while others are more influenced by voter sentiment. The effectiveness of the political strategy is highly influenced by the market realities of the voting body in question. Design/methodology/approach A dichotomy is presented to shed light on how consumer and product orientation might influence the way in which politicians choose to address the public. Specifically, four modified strategic orientation archetypes are presented and analyzed with particular focus on political brands and strategy. Findings Product and consumer orientations have been shown to also be applicable to the strategic positioning of political brands. While it can be argued that no strategy is superior over another, careful consideration of the political environment in question and subsequent execution of an appropriate stance can be used to better manage the relationship between the electorate and politicians. Research limitations/implications This study provides academics in this area with a comprehensive examination of strategic orientation literature in political contexts, and lays out a strong groundwork for future studies. In this burgeoning area of research, there are several opportunities for marketing and political strategy academics to dive deeper into the intricacies that drive politicians to adopt specific strategic orientations, and how these strategies evolve over time and in differing political environments. Practical implications This analysis suggests that there are opportunities for political strategists to explore the relationship between the identified strategic orientations and political brands, and for political marketing scholars to investigate the modes of focus presented. Originality/value This analysis provides better understanding of how politicians can influence voters and voters can influence political brands, and how the strategic orientation archetypes can be used to influence decisions about political strategy.

73 Million; My Youngest Son’s, The Burial of Our Dog Rover… Priceless!: Consumer Behavior in the Fine Art Market

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how consumers view sponsorship tattoos. This study specifically addresses three research questions: first, how consumers view the idea of sponsorship tattooing; second, how the brand of the tattoo alters acceptance of the tattoo; and third, how the placement on the body of the athlete affects acceptance of the tattoo. Design/methodology/approach To address these research questions, focus groups were conducted. Findings Findings highlighted three important themes related to tattoos, sponsorships and brand perceptions: meaning of the tattoo itself, meaning related to the brand and the tattoo and meaning related to the tattoo and athlete. Practical implications For practitioners, this research highlights the complexity between consumers’ interaction with brands through sponsorship tattoos, which is a complicated, multi-dimensional process during which meaning can be assigned to multiple facets of the sponsorship relationship. Originality/value For scholars, this research offers a glimpse into an emerging trend that ties together the multi-billion dollar sports and tattoo industries. In sum, this research identifies ways in which consumers interpret meaning related to the tattoo itself, the brand and the athlete based on placement, sport and brand perceptions.

How customer and product orientations shape political brands

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze an integrated marketing model that includes operations in the real and virtual worlds.Design/methodology/approach – The authors selected a marketing campaign conducted by a real world enterprise (Tourism Dublin) and examined the virtual world business (Virtual Dublin) model through that lens.Findings – At the “slope of enlightenment” stage of the Gartner technology hype cycle, it is found that Second Life offers value for its business clients who understand the use of an immersive virtual experience as part of a strategic marketing program.Practical implications – The paper shows that strategic use of a simulation that provides an immersive experience, such as the virtual exploration of a tourist destination, as part of an integrated marketing program can deliver tangible results and add value to a marketing campaign.Social implications – With a range of products and services that were previously inaccessible before purchase, consumers can “try before they...

Tattooing and brand sponsorship: how far is too far?

This special session includes assistant professors with varying levels of experience, discussing several topics outlining what to expect from the final year in the doctoral program, the first semester as an assistant professor, and the first few years on the job. Discussants will speak on topics such as: The Job Market Conference: focusing on how to go about applying for jobs, what resources are most useful, tips to improve your success, navigating the conference interviews, following up after the conference, etc. Balancing the Job Search and Finishing the Dissertation: focus here is on how to manage one’s final year in the program between potentially flying out for job interviews, teaching classes, and also finishing the dissertation, which is of paramount importance. The First Semester Expectations vs. Reality: The focus here is on effectively balancing the transition from doctoral school to assistant professorship. Considering how overwhelming it may be to discover a new town and understand the workings of the new job, while also working that job, this topic is important to pass along helpful tips. The First Year, Expectations, and Reality, Where Has the Time Gone: This continues the theme from the previous discussion, but extends it to include understanding the realities of the first year on the job. Effectively Managing Your Time: The focus here is intertwined with the advice been put forth in the previous two topics. Managing one’s time is essential in order to successfully navigate the first semester and year. Tenure Clock: The focus here lies in understanding the necessary steps to take, in order to avoid the panic as the dreaded tenure clock ticks away.

e‐Marketing Ireland: cashing in on green dots

This conceptual paper proposes Carnival as a relevant and useful theory with which academics and practitioners can better understand concepts such as consumer generated advertisement and how to better engage consumers in positive brand communications. We propose that the Internet can provide the necessary conditions for modern day Carnival to take place. Consumer generate advertising is becoming an increasingly popular form of caricature and ridicule. Individuals in society with traditionally low societal power have access to the Internet and are able to upload videos and caricatures mocking brands, politicians and individuals. Prior to the Internet, individuals would not have had access to the mass distribution capabilities of YouTube, Facebook, My Space and more. Russian philosopher and theorist Mikhail Bakhtin (1895–1976) explores themes related to communication and protest through the concept of carnival. In today’s society, similar themes are increasingly prevalent in modern communication channels, specifically the Internet. With the increasing popularity of consumer- generated content related to brands, consumers often engage in mass public dialogues like those originally developed and discussed by Bakhtin.

Endings and Beginnings: Transitioning to the First Year of a Tenure Track Job

Marketing faculties, as well as business schools in general, are placing increasing importance on finding ways to better tie theoretical concepts to real-world situations. In the article that follows, we describe a project wherein students were given an opportunity to apply core consumer behavior concepts to a simulated advertising project with the aim to prevent suicide. A post hoc qualitative survey was conducted, and a series of propositions were generated. We propose that students have high levels of recall when studying in a real-world simulation. Additionally, our findings suggested that when students use core concepts in real-world simulation projects, they are able to later apply those concepts in actual real-world situations. Finally, we propose that simulations are an effective way of teaching sensitive subject matter.