Cheryl L. Buff

Building brand community membership within organizations: a viable internal branding alternative?

Purpose – This paper seeks to propose and test the appropriateness of a brand community within an internal branding framework.Design/methodology/approach – Using the multidimensional constructs of brand community and the strengths of internal branding strategies, this study explores the theoretical underpinnings of combining the two constructs.Findings – Intraorganizational brand communities are presented as a viable strategic possibility for targeting internal branding participants. Results lend strong support to the need for and efficacy of internal brand communities, and provide an opportunity to examine the strategic synergies of pursuing such a strategy for internal as well as external audiences.Research limitations/implications – The study was delimited to domestic participants. Additional studies are recommended to further test the constructs of brand community membership in an internal brand community.Practical implications – External branding initiatives and communications can be used internally,...

Bundles = discount? Revisiting complex theories of bundle effects

Purpose – The paper seeks to propose and test a theory of the psychological impact of price bundling that is derived from bundlings economic impact. It is called the inferred bundle saving hypothesis. In the absence of explicit information about bundle savings, consumers infer a bundle saving when presented with a bundle offer. It is suggested that inferred bundle saving provides a simple, parsimonious explanation for pre‐ and post‐purchase bundle effects.Design/methodology/approach – The theory is tested in two laboratory studies that employ partial replications of two prior price bundle studies.Findings – The results show that the inferred bundle saving effect is robust in both product and service contexts, and can potentially explain the bundle effects found in these two studies.Research limitations/implications – Additional experimental studies are recommended to further test the proposed theory.Practical implications – First, contrary to convention, it is not always optimal for firms to integrate pr...

How Will They Know Right from Wrong? A Study of Ethics in the Mission Statements and Curriculum of AACSB Undergraduate Marketing Programs

This article focuses on mission statement content and ethics course requirements for domestic AACSB member schools with undergraduate marketing degree programs. Looking at the mission statements and curriculum requirements of 286 schools, results revealed that 64% of the schools either had mission statements that included ethical content, ethics course requirements, or both. Public institutions (30%) were less likely to have an ethics course requirement than private institutions (68%). Implications for marketing education and developing ethical marketers are discussed.

Consumer perceptions of bundles

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to test inferred bundle saving versus loss aggregation as explanations of consumer evaluations of bundles. Inferred bundle saving posits that consumer impressions of bundles are anchored in the daily economic reality that collections of goods as bundles are usually marketed at a discount to the same collection not bundled. Loss aggregation theory posits that consumers perceive an aggregation of prices as being less than the sum of its parts because they perceive prices as losses, and losses have a concave value perception; that is a small loss is perceived as large relative to its physical amount.Design/methodology/approach – Previous research has shown that inferred bundle saving is a plausible alternative to loss aggregation. This research tests the two theories against each other in three experimental studies where they make opposite predictions. A meta‐analysis of the first two studies provides added evidence.Findings – The predictions of inferred bundle saving w...

Actual self‐concept versus ideal self‐concept: An examination of image congruence and consumers in the health club industry

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to investigate the extent to which actual and ideal self‐congruities (image) are associated with health club patronage, a conspicuous consumption situation. Previous studies which have examined the applicability of the image congruence hypothesis to consumer behavior have scarcely examined its effect in the services industry. An integrative model of self‐concept, self‐congruity and health club image provides the foundation for hypotheses development.Design/methodology/approach – A survey‐based methodology was employed in the current investigation, as paper‐and‐pencil surveys were administered on‐site at several local health clubs and an on‐line version of the questionnaire was made available to college students.Findings – Consumers’ actual self‐image, rather than ideal self‐image, was more strongly associated with their perception of their health clubs brand image and, thus, served as a stronger indicator of health club patronage.Practical implications – Health c...

Marketing Career Speed Networking: A Classroom Event to Foster Career Awareness

This paper describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of a marketing career speed networking event held during class time in two sections of the consumer behavior class. The event was coordinated through a partnering effort with marketing faculty and the colleges Career Center. A total of 57 students participated in the event, providing feedback as to its relevance, effectiveness, and impact. Results suggest that students found this to be an engaging and enjoyable way to receive career-related information. Further more, students indicated that the identified learning outcomes had been achieved. Feedback from students and presenters is provided as are suggestions for implementing future speed networking events.