Esmeralda Crespo-Almendros

The quality of internet-user recall: : a comparative analysis by online sales-promotion types

The present study investigates whether different online sales promotion types influence Internet-user recall quality and help create brand awareness. The work also analyzes whether the quality of recall depends on whether or not the Internet-user clicks on the promotional banner. Based on a sample of 676 individuals, the authors found that nonmonetary online sales promotions (i.e. free gifts) generated a higher level of brand and product recall, while monetary online sales promotions (i.e. price discounts) generated a higher level of product recall. The implications of this study will help managers offer the online incentives that best align with their business objectives.ABSTRACT The present study investigates whether different online sales promotion types influence Internet-user recall quality and help create brand awareness. The work also analyzes whether the quality of recall depends on whether or not the Internet-user clicks on the promotional banner. Based on a sample of 676 individuals, the authors found that nonmonetary online sales promotions (i.e. free gifts) generated a higher level of brand and product recall, while monetary online sales promotions (i.e. price discounts) generated a higher level of product recall. The implications of this study will help managers offer the online incentives that best align with their business objectives.

Toward an understanding of online information processing in e-tourism: does national culture matter?

ABSTRACT Tourism is undoubtedly among the industries that better reflect the effects of globalization, technological advances (i.e. the Internet) being one of the most relevant drivers. Given the current market saturation of this sector, a better understanding of how tourists from different cultures process online information and forge their attitudes and behavioral intentions is called for. Nevertheless, national culture may have a major influence on the effectiveness of online tourist marketing activities. This study contributes to the extant body of knowledge via the analysis of the influence of perceived risk on how tourists process the information while browsing a tourist destination website, form their attitudes and behavioral intentions toward the destination. The effect of national culture on such antecedents is examined via a cross-cultural research to compare Spanish and British cultures. A theoretical model is proposed to integrate the effect of perceived risk and variables regarding technology acceptance on tourist responses.

Do adhocracy and market cultures facilitate firm-wide integrated marketing communication (IMC)?

The conceptualization of integrated marketing communication (IMC) has evolved from the marketing communications-centered approach (in the early 1990s) to a broader, firm-wide organizational perspective. The latter is adopted in this research to define IMC as a multidimensional concept. This study was conducted to develop a measurement instrument to assess IMC and examine the role of organizational culture in IMC implementation. Data were gathered via an online survey conducted among CEOs and other senior managers. The findings provide evidence of the reliability and validity of the proposed IMC scale and demonstrate that the dominance of an adhocracy (vs. market) culture contributes to building a more IMC-friendly organizational environment.

The Mediating Role of Integrated Corporate Communication on the Relationship Between Organizational Culture and Market Performance

Since the appearance of its first definition as Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) in the early 1990s, the concept of integration has been increasingly attracting the attention of both academics and professionals (Hackley 2010; Laurie and Mortimer 2011; Kliatchko and Schultz 2014). However, the theoretical background still appears to be fairly disjointed and confused, mainly due to the lack of scholarly consensus over the definition and, especially in the last decade, the terminology to be used to name the concept (Christensen et al. 2008; Smith 2013). This conceptual confusion has hindered the development of valid and reliable measurement scales, preventing scholars from conducting robust empirical research. Based on an extensive literature review, this chapter develops a theoretical framework for “Integrated Corporate Communication” (ICC), opting for a terminology that enables us to explicitly embrace a more holistic approach which holds that the locus of integration is the whole organization. The authors of this chapter define ICC as the stakeholder-centered interactive process of cross-functional planning and alignment of organizational, analytical, and communication processes that allows for the possibility of continuous dialogue by conveying consistent and transparent messages via all media in order to foster long-term profitable relationships that create value. Tactical consistency, interactivity, stakeholder-centered strategic focus, and organizational alignment are identified in the present research as the ICC dimensions. Several driving factors and effects of integrated communication have been examined in previous studies, mostly taking a conceptual approach, while empirical research is still fairly scant. In fact, many scholars (Taylor 2010; Laurie and Mortimer 2011; Kliatchko and Schultz 2014) have called for further and more robust empirical efforts to reveal the factors that foster or hinder integration and to demonstrate the positive effects that can be obtained via ICC in terms of market performance. Thus, the chapter aims to empirically analyze the influence of organizational culture on ICC to determine whether ICC fully mediates the relationship between organizational culture–market performance and to prove the beneficial effects derived from ICC in terms of economic–financial results, brand-related outcomes, and customer satisfaction.

Examining the Mediating Role of Integrated Marketing Communication on the Relationship between Adhocracy Culture and Brand Advantage

Despite over twenty years of intense academic research on Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC), this concept “continues to stir debate, discussion and, in some cases, confusion” (Kliatchko and Schultz, 2014, p. 373). Several authors (Kliatchko, 2008; Porcu, Del Barrio-Garcia and Kitchen, 2012) have highlighted the lack of consensus among academics over the definition of IMC. Since its very emergence, the IMC concept has expanded from a narrowly focused marketing communications approach to a more holistic ‘firm-wide’ organisational perspective (Duncan and Moriarty, 1998; Cook, 2004; Christensen, Firat and Torp, 2008; Munoz-Leiva, Porcu and Del Barrio-Garcia, 2015).

The Moderating Role of Language in the Relationship Between Perceived Risk, Perceived Usability, and Satisfaction Online

The Internet can be considered one of the greatest contributors to the globalization of markets (Constatinides et al. 2010). Within this context, it is vital to take into account the cultural differences that exist between different markets (Rey et al. 2013), as well as the particular language that is most advisable for each context. There are currently 7106 living languages in the world, spoken by 6200 million people, with the most widely spoken as first languages (L1) being Chinese (1197 million users), Spanish (414 million users), and English (335 million users) (Lewis et al. 2014). On the Internet, these three languages are also the most widely used but English is in top position with 800 million users, followed by Chinese (649 million), and Spanish (222 million) (Internet World Stats 2014). Some 80 % of those who browse in English use it as their second language (L2) (Internet World Stats 2014). These data are of particular interest to firms operating in international markets as, depending on the language in which users process information, consumer behavior may vary. Language conveys cultural references that shape cognitive processing (Luna et al. 2008).

Building Brand Image Through Online Sales Promotion: A Comparative Study Between the Web User’s Experience and Their Promotion-proneness

In the online medium, firms consider brand image to be a key asset that must be carefully managed, given that consumers cannot physically inspect products in this virtual ‘establishment’ and that therefore their perception of risk increases (Rowley, 2004). Those brands that enjoy a strong reputation and high brand value generate a reduced perception of risk for the client, along with greater credibility and brand preference – thereby encouraging their purchase (Grewal, Iyer and Levy, 2004; Korgoankar and Karson, 2007).