Rossella Chiara Gambetti

The concept of engagement: a systematic analysis of the ongoing marketing debate

Consumer.engagement.is.emerging.as.a.central.concern.in.brand.management.strategies ..Nonetheless,. the. concept. is. new. in. market. research. and. has. been.dealt.with.so.far.in.widely.differing.and.sometimes.contradictory.ways.in.both.the. academic. and. professional. literature,. so. understanding. the. true. nature.of.engagement.is.now.both.timely.and.necessary ..The.basic.aim.of.this.study.is. to. outline. and. explore. the. different. perspectives. in. the. current. debate. on.engagement.by.conducting.an.exploratory.and.systematic.content.analysis.(using.purpose-designed.T-lab.software).of.the.concept.of.engagement.in.the.marketing.and.communication.literature,.both.academic.and.professional ..The.results.of.the.analysis.raise.urgent.managerial.and.methodological.issues.relating.to.the.concept.and.practice.of.engagement,.and.point.to.future.research.directions.aimed.at.a.broader.and.deeper.understanding.of.the.concept .

Ambient communication: how to engage consumers in urban touch-points

This article examines the concept of ambient communication, its evolution, basic categories, and experiential marketing principles. It explores the variety of heterogeneous out-of-home communication tools, whose diversity and innovativeness have so far resulted in a lack of clear understanding and a failure to exploit their full marketing potential. By taking the urban landscape as the core feature of all conventional and unconventional outdoor communication tools, marketers can develop a comprehensive approach to improving ambient communications effectiveness by focusing on its impact on consumer brand engagement.

Value co-creation between the 'inside' and the 'outside' of a company: insights from a brand community failure

Our study is focused on the case of a company-managed online brand community in the soda drink sector, which failed in facilitating value co-creation. The aim was to explore the meaning-making processes taking place inside the company, among brand decision-makers, to highlight the factors hindering value co-creation between company and consumers in the brand community context. The study followed a qualitative multi-method design based on three interlaced motivational, semiotic and narrative research phases. The results reveal how some key misalignments rooted in inner tensions in the meaning-making processes among brand decision-makers resonate in an ambiguous community identity, which is then reflected into a detached and opportunistic consumer experience of the community, to the detriment of its value co-creation potential. The study points at the theoretical relevance of analysing the meaning-making processes occurring among brand decision-makers, since their internal fine-tuning represents a precondition for value co-creation processes with consumers in the community context.

Brand wars: consumer–brand engagement beyond client–agency fights

Engaging consumers with their brands has emerged as a priority in marketers’ agenda. Brand decision-makers share a clear representational view of consumer-brand engagement (CBE). Despite this agreement, practitioners are currently finding hard to practically achieve CBE. The clash between an ideal representation of CBE focused on consumer protagonism and its fragile execution urges a rethinking of consumer-brand relationship modes and timeframe. We argue that this clash is nurtured by the long-established conflicting relational dynamics among brand decision-makers illustrated by client–agency (CA) disputes of which consumers represent the ending-point recipient. This paper reflects on how consumer protagonism as an inherent component of CBE is currently reshaping the relation dynamics among all brand actors. We represent CBE as a relational hub resting upon a co-creation rather than a separation logic. We finally provide a pragmatic reflection on the relationship culture required by CBE among actors beyond the CA dyad.

Re-visiting the supply chain: a communication perspective

Purpose – This study is aimed at revisiting the supply chain (SC) of a company, highlighting how communication supports SC management, emphasising how SC relationship-based processes are fostered by communication flows, and exploring how SC performance may be enhanced through coordinated management of interpersonal and internet-mediated communication forms. Design/methodology/approach – The study follows a two-step qualitative methodological approach encompassing the building of a preliminary conceptual mapping, and preliminary testing, integration and revision of the conceptual mapping. Findings – The findings highlight communications primary role in identity management and image building of the SC, and its supporting role enhancing strategic and operational SC processes. Communication seems to act as a “cultural glue”, a “trade-off and compensation”, a “knowledge creation and dissemination”, a “relationship development and maintenance”, and an “alignment and integration” activity along the SC, fosterin...

Reshaping the boundaries of marketing communication to bond with consumers

Brands have been traditionally built focusing on continuity and mass media exposure controlled by marketers with the aim of pursuing linear contacts with target markets that could benefit brands. Linearity typically translated into a brand communication approach characterized by a one-to-many message exchange and targeting, which was designed according to a unilateral communication logic (Schultz, Block, and Raman 2012). On that logic rested the classic marketing concept that was built on market control relying on desk-defined market scenario and competitive analysis, segmentation, targeting, positioning and marketing tactics implementation (i.e., the 4Ps). This kind of market approach cannot work anymore. We currently live in a fuzzy world which is always in turmoil and whose pace of innovation and change is increasingly fast and disruptive. Consumers are eager to cocreate and self-produce meaningful contents, whether iconic, audio-visual, textual, to relate to their brands and companies (Cova, Dalli, and Zwick 2011; Merz, He, and Vargo 2009) in an ongoing network of conversations. They claim to be listened to, to be involved in, to be entrusted with the production of brand-related contents. They wish to act as the protagonists of the relational exchange with companies and brands (Gambetti, Graffigna, and Biraghi 2012). They deeply feel the need to celebrate their existence by sharing with others in the ‘here and now’ who they are, who they want to be, what they are doing, where and how. On the other side, companies are striving to satisfy consumers’ needs by getting closer to them to establish a deeper relational bond that may make sense for them and be perceived as valuable. That with the ultimate aim to enhance companies’ capability to compete on quality, on distinctiveness, on service, on innovation, to regain customer loyalty and defend profitability from the inexorable erosion brought about by the current price war forcing branded products to compete on promotions (Schultz and Block 2012). Nowadays companies need to put themselves in the shoes of their consumers, to grant them that relational protagonism they so powerfully demand in their interactions with the brand (Finne and Grönroos 2009). And it is important for companies to do this spontaneously, rapidly and in a credible way. Satisfying consumers and bonding with them in an empathetic and meaningful relational exchange increasingly implies the abandon of the traditional sender-biased and controlled communication model (Christensen and Cornelissen 2011; Christensen, Firat, and Cornelissen 2005), to systematically adopt an emergent communicative model that is not desk-defined and planned by the company (Schultz and Kitchen 2004), in which organizational members and consumers have equal status and can all activate, impair, spread, share and quit a dialogic process of meaning co-creation. Hence, marketing communication strategies are currently expected to define a common experiential frame reflecting companies’ and consumers’ sensitivities,

Grounding consumer-brand engagement: A field-driven conceptualisation

Consumer-brand engagement (CBE) is a priority in the current marketing agenda. However, there is still a lack of empirically based studies appraising its essence. Hence our study is aimed at investigating the distinctive characteristics and the development phases of CBE. Our study adopted Grounded Theory methodology. Data were collected throughout semi-structured interviews on a theoretical sample of 41 Italian consumers of both genders, aged between 18 and 35, all having a favourite brand belonging to different market sectors. The evidence allowed us to build a conceptual framework of the CBE construct and of its development. This framework highlights that a brand is perceived by consumers as engaging when it is emotionally lived as a ‘life mate’. Furthermore CBE emerges as a dynamic process that evolves in three progressive relational phases: friendship, intimacy and symbiosis. Hence, to engage consumers, brands should get into their life, activating them both emotionally and physically, and establishing with them a deep and authentic relationship that gets increasingly intimate, private and exclusive over time. To achieve this goal, marketers should carry out a brand strategy based on brand personification, value-based affinity and affective bonding with consumers. The original value of our study lies in that it has been designed to anchor a new marketing concept such as CBE in the deep understanding of consumers’ meaning-making processes and relationship stories with a brand to get a comprehensive picture of the construct and how it develops that may better orientate current and future marketing practice.

Using ambient communication to reduce drink-driving: Public health andshocking images in public spaces

Brand communication specialists are paying increasing attention to new unconventional methods of communicating messages. One such method is ambient communication; a complex form of communication that uses elements of public spaces to convey messages designed to increase customer engagement in corporate objectives. Health communication experts agree that these methods are potentially capable of increasing both an individuals engagement with health communication and the chances that preventive information become part of peers’ discourses. However little research has been done to assess the condition under which these new, alternative methods can effectively communicate health promotion messages. This article is based on the preliminary results of a qualitative study aimed at assessing the effectiveness conditions of ambient communication to prevent unsafe practices. The study considers an ambient initiative recently promoted in Brescia (Italy) by the public institutions to reduce drink-driving by young people. It is important to study the influence of the actual risk context on the effectiveness of a health preventive message. Although the findings of the study indicate the potential ability of ambient communication to sensitise young people towards safe conducts. However, the communication actually had little impact on perceptions of the dangers of drink-driving. To be more effective preventive ambient communication needs to be both part of a more complex and articulated communication mix and designed according to a deep and ecological understanding of real social contexts especially the ways in which young people use public spaces.

An ecological definition of ambient communication: A discursive conceptualization

Ambient communication (AC) is currently a widespread consolidated brand practice at the international level. However, a clear understanding of its conceptual boundaries is still missing, which may better orient branding strategies. Our study is aimed at providing a comprehensive picture of AC, attempting to cast light on its distinctive conceptual dimensions. The study is designed according to a focused ethnography approach based on 15 in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of agency professionals. Transcripts were analysed following a discursive technique that systematically explores the ways in which the interviewees conceived of and articulated the concept of AC. Findings show that, although explicitly recognized as a central element in branding strategies, AC is ambivalently represented by advertising professionals, which uncovered a fragile perception of its implicit value. This reveals a limited unfolding of its potential, which is due to a lack of adequate conceptualization that has thwarted the development of strategic guidelines on how to conceive of, approach, and appraise this type of communication. Moreover, this shows a lack of maturity on the part of agency professionals who are still in need of proving themselves in the eyes of their clients as strategic partners. This proves to be detrimental to the potential expression of AC. Based on our evidence, we put forth a conceptualization that views AC as a relational hub, which can trigger multiple patterns of interaction dynamics according to a fuzzy network-based logic. This conception points to AC as a media-neutral communication form, which is inherently and practically lived and experienced by consumers, encapsulating and activating different interaction modes.

The CCO: appointed or organic leader? The rise of conversational leadership

Purpose – Studies that inquire in-depth into whether the Corporate Communications Officer (CCO) is an entrusted corporate executive and enacts a genuine leadership of his/her own style are generally neglected. The purpose of this paper is to unravel the leadership nature of the CCO beyond the managerial role. More specifically, the authors collected accounts of the span of the professional life and job experiences of CCOs, with the aim of understanding how their leadership, if any, can be depicted. Design/methodology/approach – The authors developed a qualitative research design to grasp the complexity of the CCO job experience. The authors chose a narrative approach involving a purposive sample of CCOs operating in global companies based in Italy to elicit and nurture their spontaneous reconstruction of the significant moments of their working lives. Findings – Based on the interpretive analysis, the capability of the CCO to overcome the trap of the formal appointment seems to rely on the organic emergen...