Gary L. Geissler

Market Mavens' Attitudes Towards General Technology: Implications for Marketing Communications

Market mavens may become more important marketplace influencers, mainly due to their potential for helping other consumers deal with numerous product choices and to the growing acceptance of new technologies (e.g. the World Wide Web) as viable means for consumers to communicate with many other consumers. To date research has not provided a clear demographic profile of mavens and psychographical research concerning mavens has been lacking. This article examines attitudes towards general technology and several personality traits in order to determine whether they are related to mavenism. The findings indicate that affinity for technology is positively related to market mavens. Dispositional optimism, need for cognition and self‐efficacy are also positively associated with both mavenism and affinity for technology. Marketing communications implications and future research directions are discussed.

The overall theme park experience: A visitor satisfaction tracking study:

The theme park industry has experienced steady growth for many years, and it has developed into a global phenomenon. Monitoring visitor satisfaction is critical to help ensure a satisfying overall experience, customer value, and repeat visits. Here, we examine ten years of customer satisfaction tracking data collected at a major US theme park. The study focuses on identifying significant factors influencing customer evaluation of and satisfaction with the overall theme park experience. The key findings reveal that visitors evaluate the theme park primarily on overall park experience and value, park food quality, value, and variety, and park cleanliness and atmosphere. Satisfaction with the total cost of the park visit is primarily predicted by perceptions of the admission price/value, general enjoyment, and customer expectations of the experience. Additional findings concerning the important role of expectations and prior park experiences in visitor satisfaction are detailed.

An Examination of the Golf Vacation Package-Purchase Decision: A Case Study in the U. S. Gulf Coast Region

ABSTRACT The hospitality and tourism industry accounts for nearly 22 percent of the large U.S. golf economy. Of all golf-related trips, golf vacation trips represent the largest category. Golf vacation packages are an important promotional tool used by marketers to attract more golfers to a particular destination, especially during the off-peak seasons (i.e. non-summer seasons). Thirty in-depth, personal interviews were conducted among male golfers along the Alabama Gulf Coast, primarily to identify important factors associated with the golf vacation package-purchase decision. The findings indicate that vacationing golfers seek to reduce the inherent risks associated with their golf vacation purchase by initially relying heavily on word-of-mouth communications and later on their own experiences. Important factors in selecting (or not selecting) a golf vacation package include: weather; golf course availability/accessibility; perceived value; restaurants and nightlife; time constraints. The theoretical framework involves service convenience, which is seen as an important overriding consideration in the purchase decision. Related hypotheses are developed. Managerial implications and possible directions for future research are discussed.

Healthy food at work? An examination of a proposed catering service concept.

The U. S. catering industry has experienced tremendous growth in recent years. A major trend in the overall foodservices industry involves the healthy eating movement among consumers. Along with restaurants and foodservice contractors, caterers are responding to growing consumer demand for healthier fare. While caterers serve various target markets (e.g., event organizers, charities, civic groups, individuals), there is a need to research the viability of providing healthy food to the business market. A service concept test among decision makers at 36 companies is used here to provide an evaluation of a proposed catering service specializing in healthy food that would serve local businesses. The findings indicate that the healthy eating movement does extend to todays workplace. Overall, respondents are favorably disposed to the proposed service. Indeed, businesses appear to be a promising target market for caterers offering healthy food.

Targeting tourists: an exploratory study of a proposed online grocery delivery service.

While the Internet and the Web continue to grow in importance, marketers are becoming more realistic about the difficulties associated with generating profits online. The online grocery market is a prime example of such struggles. There is a need to examine the viability of online grocers targeting their marketing efforts to specific consumer segments and to smaller niche markets. A concept test among 141 target consumers is used here to provide a preliminary evaluation of a proposed online grocery delivery service designed exclusively for Alabama Gulf Coast tourists. The findings indicate that the service concept is appealing only to a small subsegment of consumers. Concept refinement may broaden its appeal. Nevertheless, niche marketing may be an appropriate strategy for the proposed service, as well as for many online businesses.