David M. Woisetschläger

How to Make Brand Communities Work: Antecedents and Consequences of Consumer Participation

ABSTRACT The majority of brand community literature deals with the exploration of the nature of brand communities and the measurement of community effects. However, existing literature on how to implement and to manage company-run brand communities is rare. In the present article, we conceptualize drivers and consequences of consumer brand community participation and empirically test our model with a data set of 1,025 members of a virtual brand community. Results indicate that identification with community, satisfaction with community, and degree of influence explain most of the variance in consumer participation. Moreover, positive influences of participation on recommendation behavior, brand image of the community sponsor, and intention to continue community membership can be confirmed.

The Effects of Country of Origin and Corporate Reputation on Initial Trust: An Experimental Evaluation of the Perception of Polish Consumers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the simultaneous effects of country of origin (COO) and corporate reputation on initial trust in a transition economy, and to compare these effects across two service industries. The model broadens COO research by incorporating initial trust as a key driver of success in the context of services internationalization. Design/methodology/approach – Poland is the transition economy studied. A total of 184 respondents evaluated different service combinations (high vs low reputation/home country vs foreign country) in two different service categories (high risk vs low risk). Relationships between constructs are tested, employing a between‐subject experimental design. Findings – Both reputation and the risk level of service have a significant main effect on initial trust. Furthermore, results indicate a highly significant interaction effect: a positive COO effect leads to a higher level of initial trust only in the case of a risky service. Research limitations/implications – As with all laboratory studies, external validity is limited. Further research should focus on other instruments for gaining initial trust (e.g. warranties), especially in the case of a negative COO image. Practical implications – International marketers of services must carefully consider COO information as a means of building initial trust. Positive effects only apply in the case of high‐risk services. Originality/value – A major contribution is the introduction of initial trust as an important mediator in COO‐related international service marketing literature. As a second contribution, COO effects were compared across different service categories with respect to perceived risk. Furthermore, investigating COO effects in transition economies is of particular interest, as such markets are gaining attraction for international service providers.

Sponsorship congruence and brand image

Purpose – Existing research on sponsorship effects shows that the congruence (i.e. fit) between sponsor and sponsored cause is critical for a change in brand image. Congruence between sponsor and sponsored cause is seen as static in nature. From a dynamic perspective it is unclear why congruence should be seen as constant, and why it is critical for sponsorship effects. This paper aims to address this issue.Design/methodology/approach – This paper analyzes effects of sponsorship evaluative congruence on brand image over time using individual difference measures. Individual level data were obtained from two surveys before and after the 2006 FIFA World Cup™, including 268 respondents who participated in both surveys.Findings – Findings show significant positive effects of learning and remembering of a sponsorship stimulus on brand image over time. In contrast to existing literature, positive incongruence of brand image (i.e. sponsor) and event image (i.e. sponsored cause) in the pre‐analysis results in a si...

Fans’ resistance to naming right sponsorships: Why stadium names remain the same for fans

Purpose – The aim of this article is to contribute to the literature by analyzing potential determinants of fan resistance to naming right sponsorships. Although sports sponsorships mostly trigger neutral or positive reactions by fans, the authors find empirical support which provides evidence for fan boycott or resistance. Design/methodology/approach – The authors empirically test a model using a sample of 798 soccer fans and thereby quantify structural relations between determinants and fan resistance. They use a logistic regression to assess potential determinants of fan resistance. Findings – Results indicate that sponsee- and sports-related variables, such as fan/regional identification and attitude toward commercialization, contribute to higher fan resistance. Furthermore, fans see themselves as in-group members who discriminate out-group members. As the sponsoring company takes over control and imposes a “threat” (the change of a stadium’s name) on the group’s ritual place, this results in strong n...

Attenuation of negative sponsorship effects in the context of rival sports teams’ fans

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to understand the occurrence, formation and magnitude of negative effects for sponsors of rival sports teams and to identify means to counteract negative sponsorship effects. Design/methodology/approach – Surveys measure fans’ identification with their team as well as attitudes toward rival teams and their sponsors in a soccer context. An experiment introduces sponsorship communication activities that aim at mitigating negative sponsorship effects by shifting the focus of the sponsorship. Findings – Results from surveys and experiments demonstrate that identification with a sports team negatively affects perceptions of a rival team, negative perceptions of a rival team negatively affect perceptions of its sponsors, this effect is stronger for fans with higher levels of team identification, companies can improve perceptions of rival team sponsors by shifting the focus of sponsorship-linked communication activities, but attenuating negative sponsorship effects is more ...

Inferring Corporate Motives. How Deal Characteristics Shape Sponsorship Perceptions.

Sponsoring joins brands with sports, the arts, and events in mutually beneficial partnerships. In the context of sports, the authors examine how sponsorship deal characteristics affect consumer inferences, attitudes, and behavioral intentions toward a sponsor and a sport property in a partnership. The authors develop a conceptual framework that links a holistic set of sponsorship deal characteristics (i.e., contract length, regional proximity of the sponsor, sponsorship fee, and sponsorship type) to individual consumer perceptions. Study 1 tests the framework in a field study of 2,787 consumers across 44 sponsorships. Study 2 largely confirms the findings of the field study in an experimental study. Overall, the results show that regionally proximate and long-term partnerships benefit as consumers make positive inferences about partnership fit and sponsor motives. In contrast, consumers associate high sponsorship fees, international sponsors, and naming-rights relationships with calculative motives and perceive these factors negatively. For managers, finding that sponsorship deal characteristics matter is important not only for sponsor–property relationships but also for relationships between the sponsoring brands and consumers.

Relevanz der Intermodalität für CarSharing‐Konzepte

Die Notwendigkeit einer nachhaltigeren Mobilitat mit einer spurbar erhohten Energieeffizienz und verkehrstragerintegrierenden Losungen gilt in der verkehrspolitischen Diskussion als ausgemacht. Deshalb sind die Hoffnungen, die mit der Einfuhrung von CarSharing‐Konzepten verbunden sind, seit Jahren gros [44].

Putting service relations to the test: how can negative consumer reactions of price increases be reduced?

ABSTRACT Price increases seem to be an adequate way to improve the earnings of companies. This fact becomes especially crucial because of increased price competition in many markets. Price increases might lead to negative customer reactions, such as a lower perceived utility or a lower loyalty intention. Therefore, the question for managers remains how prices can be increased without losing customers. Results of our experimental study suggest that customers of energy suppliers rate the perceived utility of the offer relatively better when the price increase is combined with an additional modification of the product or accompanied by a new service. It becomes clear that intensifying service relations can offset the negative effects of price increases.

Marketing von Solutions

Der in vielen Branchen zunehmenden Wettbewerbsintensitat und der damit einhergehenden oftmals starken Fokussierung auf den Preis als Marketinginstrument versuchen viele Unternehmen zu begegnen, indem sie sich als Anbieter von Losungen bzw. Solutions positionieren (vgl. DAVIES, BRADY und HOBDAY 2006; TULI, KOHLI und BHARADWAJ 2007). Die Ergebnisse einer empirischen Studie aus dem Jahr 2002 deuten darauf hin, dass sich die uberwiegende Mehrheit (63%) der befragten Fortune 100-Unternehmen eher als Solution Seller denn als Anbieter „bloser“ Produkte oder Dienstleistungen sieht. Im Zuge der immer weiter steigenden „Commoditization“ ihrer Produkte stehen heute immer mehr Unternehmen vor der Fragestellung, ob eine Positionierung als Solution Seller eine Moglichkeit darstellt, eine langfristig profitable und verteidigungsfahige Wettbewerbsposition aufzubauen – dies gilt sowohl fur Grosunternehmen als auch fur den Mittelstand. Der Trend zum Angebot von Losungen ist eng mit dem Wandel in der Sichtweise des Marketings verknupft. Das Produkt ist nicht mehr der ausschlaggebende Tauschfaktor, vielmehr geht es in der Service Dominant Logic darum, dass Kunden durch einen Kauf ihre eigene Situation verbessern wollen (VARGO und LUSCH 2004, 2008). Dieser Wandel wird mit den Worten von GUMMESSON (2006) besonders verdeutlicht: „Customers do not buy goods or services: They buy offerings which render services which create value […] The traditional division between goods and services is long out-dated. It is not a matter of redefining services and seeing them from a customer perspective; activities render services, things render services. The shift in focus to services is a shift from the means and the producer perspective to the utilization and the customer perspective.”

An Examination of Conditions that Moderate Negative Effects of Sponsorship Terminations on Fan Attitudes Toward the Former Sponsor

The sponsorship literature devotes considerable attention to the early stages of a sponsorship relationship and the effects of sponsorship on consumers’ awareness of and attitude toward sponsors (Cornwell 2008). Relatively little research has studied the impact on fan behaviour caused by a termination of a sponsorship relationship (Ruth and Strizhakova 2012). While a sponsorship termination might result out of reasonable causes for the sponsor, it usually has an unfavourable impact on fans’ attitudes toward the sponsor, particularly when the termination is perceived as unjustified. This paper draws on personal relationship theory to identify conditions that influence negative effects of sponsor initiated sponsorship terminations on perceptions of the (former) sponsor brand.