Emily Treen

Operation Valuation Teaching Pricing Concepts in an Experiential Environment

Although marketing education has seen a dramatic shift toward hands-on, experiential learning in recent years, the teaching of pricing has fallen behind complementary elements of the marketing mix in pedagogical execution. Although the teaching of pricing has shifted focus from economic-based models to value-based pricing in theory, available pedagogical tools for teaching value-based pricing are scarce. This article proposes and outlines an experiential class assignment that engages students in a real-world, applied, market exchange environment. While avoiding the inherent risks of using actual money for transactions, this assignment enables students to explore the consumer motivations and perceptions of value central to value-based pricing.

A 23-Year Bibliometric Study of the Journal of Food Products Marketing

ABSTRACT This article presents a statistical review of the Journal of Food Products Marketing publication for the past 23 years, from the journal’s inception in 1992 through to 2014. The intent of this article is to highlight the publication’s contribution to discourse within the global food industry. A total of 505 papers were analyzed through bibliometric techniques to identify the journal’s most significant findings and trends. An appropriate introduction of the journal’s nature and scope in the industry allowed for further analysis of research articles within the journal. From this analysis, five major themes emerged for further study, which include content, manuscript, citations and reference, authorship, and special editions.

Exploring emotions on wine websites : finding joy

ABSTRACT There is little research on the emotions expressed by wine estate websites and whether the emotions conveyed are related to or can significantly predict the positive or negative sentiment articulated by these websites. In order to examine the emotions and sentiment of wine estate websites, content from the websites of 10 wine estates from 5 countries well known for their diverse and high-quality wines (South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, France, the USA) were selected and analyzed using IBM’s Watson. IBM’s Watson assessed the emotions and sentiment expressed on each website, and an output was then used in a multiple regression analysis with emotions predicting sentiment. The findings show that emotions are not related significantly to the overall sentiment on the winery websites. Finally, this research shows how wine estates and wine marketers can test whether the content of their websites mirrors the emotions that they desire to express to consumers and visitors, which can assure that appropriate expectations are set for the consumption experience.

A Measurement Construct for Social Media: The SM Value Chain—An Abstract

As social media continues to grow, the challenge for companies remains measurement. Few companies are able to concretely show the impact of social media on their business. Literature suggests this challenge is partly due to the lack of strategy and objectives, as well as a lack of understanding of the value of social media.

How customer and product orientations shape political brands

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.

Evidence From a Large Sample on the Effects of Group Size and Decision-Making Time on Performance in a Marketing Simulation Game

Marketing instructors using simulation games as a way of inducing some realism into a marketing course are faced with many dilemmas. Two important quandaries are the optimal size of groups and how much of the students’ time should ideally be devoted to the game. Using evidence from a very large sample of teams playing a simulation game, the study described here seeks to answer two fundamental questions: What effects on performance does group size have? And, is it possible for groups to spend too much time on decision making? The results indicate that performance increases in line with group size until teams have five members, and then tapers off. Furthermore, performance is shown to rise as time spent on decision making increases, up to a point, after which additional time spent on the game is shown to detract from performance. Implications for marketing instructors are discussed.

Twenty-five years and counting: an analysis of the Journal of Strategic Marketing

Abstract This article presents a content analysis of the Journal of Strategic Marketing (JSM) over 24 years from the journal’s inception in 1993 to 2017. No similar attempt on an analysis of JSM has been found. Analyses were completed to examine how the journal has developed and to uncover relevant information for editors, reviewers, researchers and future authors of JSM by analysing research themes, author and manuscript characteristics, and citation metrics. The findings reveal an increase in multi-authored articles, an increase in empirical research and in the internationalization of researchers. These and other factors illuminate sources and implications of the journal’s current state. The relevance of these findings is discussed as it pertains to the future success and publishing opportunities in the Journal of Strategic Marketing.

How Truthiness, Fake News and Post-Fact Endanger Brands and What to Do About It

Abstract Brands can interact both directly and indirectly with fake news. In some instances, brands are the victims of fake news and, other times, the purveyors. Brands can either finance fake news or be the targets of it. Indirectly, they can be linked via image transfer, where either fake news contaminates brands, or brands validate fake news. To control the risk of negative image transfer, the authors propose technical actions to address false news and systemic steps to rethink the management of brands in order to inoculate against various forms of “fakery” and to reestablish stakeholder trust. Systemic solutions involve a rethinking of brands and branding. Too often, brands have become uncoupled from the reality of the offerings they adorn. But brands are not ends in themselves, they are the result of outstanding offerings. They can act as interpretive frames, but they don’t unilaterally create reality, as many seem to believe. Brands should not be seen and managed as objects but as perceptual processes.

Content Analysis in Marketing Strategy: Applications of Hart’s Theory of Word Choice and Verbal Tone: An Abstract

The amount of data from which organizational and consumer insights can be drawn is vast and increasing. Yet, the type of data that is becoming more rampant, for example, from social media, is changing to include text, images, and video. Consequently, new methods and techniques for analysis are emerging and producing fruitful insights. Yet, marketing practitioners and researchers still focus on traditional analyses from experimental or survey techniques. This paper breaks down content analysis into its theoretical underpinnings in order to shed light on its foundation as it pertains to marketing theory and practice. We draw upon Hart’s theory of word choice and verbal tone to show how content analysis can be used in a variety of marketing research and strategy phenomena, both at the individual and organizational levels. Aligning with Hart’s dimensions and calculated variables, which make up the theoretical foundation of DICTION, we present a number of applicable areas in marketing where content analysis can provide exceptional results. The theoretical framework proposed in this paper underscores the potential for content analysis as a viable marketing research and strategy tool for organizations.

Quantitative Insights from Qualitative Data: Using the Doubling Technique in Correspondence Analysis: An Abstract

We describe a study that began as a qualitative research piece, involving a series of depth interviews with a wide spectrum of art collectors. Text data from these interviews were analyzed using Watson, a natural language processing content analysis software that enables an identification of the main personality traits of each respondent. This software produced output percentile scores on the Big Five personality traits. The Big Five is the most widely used personality model and describes how a person engages with the world based on five dimensions: intro-/extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness. This data in turn became the input for a statistical analysis tool, correspondence analysis, which enabled us to group the respondents according to their personality traits and distinguish among different subgroups of art collectors to form more homogenous groups of art collectors based on the personality profiles.