Gwarlann de Kerviler

Investigating the Relationship Between Co-creation and Corporate Social Responsibility: The Role of Co-creation Type, an Extended Abstract

The massive use of the Internet and the development of online communities and interactive platforms allow companies to interact more directly with their consumers, offering them the possibility to co-create. Co-creation refers to the process whereby companies and customers together, in interactions, create value (Gronroos and Voima 2013; Prahalad and Ramaswamy 2004) and has become a major challenge for marketing managers (Roberts et al. 2005; Maklan et al. 2007; Roberts and Adams 2010). Many companies—such as Apple, Danone, or Lego—are today using co-creation strategies to optimize some parts of their marketing mix, stimulate support for their brand and products, and develop closer relationships with their customers (Ramaswamy and Gouillart 2010). In other words, companies have started to treat their customers as active collaborators (Gustafsson et al. 2012). In addition to developing co-creation strategies related to their marketing activities, many companies also invite consumers to co-create the design and implementation of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities (Korschun and Du 2013), which, broadly speaking, reflects “the responsibility of enterprises for their impacts on society” and involves a process whereby companies “integrate social, environmental, ethical, human right, and consumer concerns into their business operations and core strategy in close collaboration with their stakeholders” (Commission of the European Communities 2011, p. 6). Prior research endeavors have highlighted how the co-creation of CSR activities can generate value for both the company and society (Bhattacharya and Sen 2011; Biggemann et al. 2014; Korschun and Du 2013). Yet, research on the relationship between CSR and co-creation is still in its early stages, and more research is needed to better understand the connections between the notions of co-creation and CSR. This research addresses this issue by investigating (1) whether different types of co-creation strategies affect the extent to which the company is perceived as socially responsible by other consumers (who have not been involved in the co-creation activities) and (2) the psychological mechanisms that may underlie this effect.

Adoption of Proximity M-Payment Services: Perceived Value and Experience Effect (An Abstract)

The increasing penetration rate of smartphone changes behaviors based on mobile unique features. The present research provides a first attempt to better understand a particular new emerging behavior which transforms the shopping experience: adoption of in-store smartphone usage to facilitate and enhance a brick-and-mortar experience. In order to probe the in-store mobile usage, we distinguish in-store mobile information search (in-store m-infosearch) which consists in collecting information about products (e.g., scanning QR codes, comparing prices) from in-store proximity mobile payment (p-m-payment), which enables customers to access and redeem coupons through their smartphone, link automatically their loyalty program membership to the m-payment app, digitally save receipts, pay quickly without queuing at the cashier, and finally load value into a store account. We aim more particularly at understanding in-store proximity m-payment as the rate of adoption appears to be still much lower than for any other mobile task (GfK 2015).

Special Session: Evolution of the Luxury Industry in a Digital World

Luxury brands, who have built at least part of their value on traditions and heritage, cannot ignore the increasing expectations from younger generation on digitalization. How luxury marketing can develop an optimal strategy remains a key question for both managers and practitioners.

Consumer Brand Relationship in the Age of Instagram

In order to target ultra-connected consumers, and with the success of the fashion blogosphere, ready-to-wear brands are willing to be visible in C-to-C communication, such as Instagram and personal blogs. Brands encourage their clients to mention them and use hashtags on social networks, in the hope of answering shoppers’ need for identification by showing their clothes worn by ordinary consumers. Our research aims at better understanding the consumer’s perception of “fashion brands sharing.” More particularly, the goal is to contribute to past research on customer brand relationship and analyze the relational impact of associating oneself to a particular brand on social network. To answer these questions we conduct a qualitative study about motivations to share clothing style pictures mentioning brands and use hashtags as well as the relational impact of such practices. Results show that consumers feel like they are helping brands gain visibility but that they are not particularly interested in deepening the relationship. They want to be seen as “commercial” partners by brands and expect a return in terms of strengthening their online self-presentation and influence. To take advantage of fashion blogs and Instagram users’ influence, brands should thus develop a balanced relationship and help their customers to be seen as fashion experts and to enlarge their audience.

Se considérer comme un client fidèle affecte-t-il l'évaluation des bénéfices reçus?

Cette recherche propose 1) d’approfondir la notion de fidélité perçue envers une marque en la distinguant de la fidélité mesurée par l’entreprise, et 2) d’étudier la façon dont la fidélité perçue influence l’évaluation des traitements préférentiels accordés par les entreprises. Deux études (qualitative puis quantitative) identifient d’abord les quatre caractéristiques prototypiques du client fidèle qui déterminent la fidélité perçue : continuité de la relation, exclusivité envers la marque, confiance et recherche d’informations. Prenant appui sur la théorie de la justice, une troisième étude (quantitative) teste ensuite l’effet de deux bénéfices d’intensités différentes sur la légitimité perçue et la satisfaction à l’égard du traitement préférentiel. Les résultats indiquent que le fait d’être trop récompensé au regard de sa fidélité perçue suscite un sentiment d’iniquité qui génère une insatisfaction immédiate. Par contre, ne pas être suffisamment récompensé à un instant t ne génère pas nécessairement d’insatisfaction à cet instant donné, les consommateurs ayant l’habitude de recevoir des récompenses étalées dans le temps.

Does self-perception as a loyal customer affect one’s evaluation of benefits received?:

This research sets out to (1) develop the notion of perceived loyalty to a brand by distinguishing it from loyalty as measured by the company and (2) study the way in which perceived loyalty influences evaluations of the preferential treatment offered by companies. Two studies (qualitative and quantitative) are used first of all to identify the four prototypical characteristics of loyal customers that determine perceived loyalty: continuity of the relationship, brand exclusivity, trust and the search for information. Drawing on the theory of justice, a third (quantitative) study is then used to test the effect of two benefits of different intensities on perceived legitimacy and satisfaction towards preferential treatment. The results indicate that being overly rewarded for one’s perceived loyalty produces a feeling of iniquity that generates immediate dissatisfaction. In contrast, not being sufficiently rewarded at time t does not necessarily result in dissatisfaction at that point in time, as consumers are accustomed to receiving deferred rewards over time.