Simon J Pervan

Marketing orientation and arts organisations: the case for business sponsorship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the implications of a greater marketing orientation among arts organisations and its impact on funding through sponsorship.Design/methodology/approach – Utilising a qualitative methodology, the study employs case studies for the purpose of formulating tentative and emergent knowledge.Findings – The case study observations reveal the adoption of a marketing orientation across the sample and most significantly for the purposes of securing and consolidating sponsorship relationships. But contrary to popular academic theory this is managed without significant threat to artistic integrity or adaptation of theatrical productions.Research limitations/implications – Data were derived from a purposive but limited sample. The advantages of a qualitative method in producing rich data is well established, however a longitudinal study would facilitate the understanding of the temporal shifts in arts sponsorships and counter the limits of the cross‐sectional nature of t...

Product placement in US and New Zealand television soap operas: an exploratory study

Although the soap opera as a television genre has consistently captured the imagination of millions of people around the world, surprisingly little has been written about it in the marketing literature. Understanding the consumption imagery in soaps may allow marketers to assess the relevance of product placement for their promotion strategy better, as well as providing valuable insight into the consumption habits of their considerable viewing audiences. Data were collected through content analysis from two soap operas, one in the USA and one in New Zealand. The results indicated a high level of consumption imagery, including brand references. Furthermore significant differences in the types of product and the emotional outcome of product use were found between the countries.

Message framing: keeping practitioners in the picture

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how message framing is commonly used by magazine advertisers.Design/methodology/approach – Following the classification suggested by Levin et al., the frequency and nature of message framing in magazine advertising is explored using a content analysis of 2,864 advertisements in a sample of popular US magazines.Findings – Results suggest a lack of consistency between marketing practice and academic findings. Contrary to academic recommendations, advertisers used positive framing in almost all advertising messages. Further, the use of attribute framing and combined attribute and goal framing was more popular than pure goal framingResearch limitations/implications – Although the findings are limited by a judgement sample of US magazines, they do suggest the need for academics to conduct more research on the effectiveness of combined attribute and goal framing techniques.Practical implications – Of equal importance is the need for practitioners to explore the ...

How the tone and wording of advertisements interact

This research investigates how the tone and wording of advertisements interact. This previously neglected area of research is explored in the context of television advertisements for mobile phones. Reports on an experiment with two independent variables – affective tone and message framing – shows how these variables interact regarding attitudes towards the ad, and recall, for a New Zealand sample. Results suggest that incongruous matching works best, namely happy ads with negative frames, and sad ads with positive frames, providing new insights for advertising practitioners and academics. Theoretical and managerial implications and directions for future research are also discussed.

A decade of change in Australia's DBA landscape

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the dynamics of the Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) in Australia through the lens of a changing higher education landscape. The paper reflects on issues raised in a previous analysis of DBA programmes undertaken a decade ago, and highlights persistent challenges and emerging opportunities for professional Doctorate programmes in the Australian context. Design/methodology/approach – Interviews were undertaken with higher degree research directors, deans of graduate schools, and DBA programme directors from all 18 Australian institutions offering the DBA in 2013. Quantitative data on enrolments, accreditation requirements, course structures; and demographics are contextualised within a qualitative view of programme purposes, student and institutional motivations, rationales and concerns. Particular focus is given to perceptions of the difference between traditional research doctorates (PhDs) and professional doctorates, especially the DBA. Finding...

Examining the boundary conditions of customer citizenship behaviour: a focus on consumption ritual

Customer citizenship behaviour (CCB) is discretionary activity by a customer, over and above the normal requirements of an exchange, which benefit the firm. In this study, a review is conducted of the range of activity positioned as customer citizenship behaviour and a call is made to broaden the boundary conditions within which this activity falls. A four by three framework is developed in terms of exchange focus and time of exchange. Through this lens, new behaviours are identified, including marketing hype and consumption rituals. Qualitative research is presented on consumption rituals in a major sporting event: premiership rugby. Findings suggest that managers need to understand the time, space and practices within which their brands can have relevance. This will enable firms to position their brands to both benefit from CCB activity as well as form part of CCB activity.

The engagement of customers beyond their expected roles

In the last 20 years we have witnessed organisations investing in technology and systems to facilitate customer participation in the production and/or delivery of the service. Although this increased level of participation was ‘sold’ to the customer in terms of benefits such as increased convenience, perceived control, economic and/or time savings and even enjoyment (Bitner, Brown, & Meuter, 2000; Mills & Morris, 1986) leading to improved service outcomes, ultimately customers had no choice but to comply as traditional channels of service delivery were phased out or made too expensive to use. Indeed, customers could not help but feel that this increased level of effort and required knowledge was now their expected role. More recently organisations have begun to appreciate customer participation beyond their ‘defined’ role. Referred to as customer voluntary performance (Bettencourt, 1997), customer citizenship behaviour (Groth, 2001) or customer helping behaviours (Johnson & Rapp, 2010), these terms share the characteristic of being ‘voluntary and discretionary behavior of individual customers that is not directly or explicitly expected or rewarded but that, in the aggregate, leads to higher service quality and promotes the effective functioning of service organizations’ (Groth, 2001, p. 13). Unlike in-role behaviours these discretionary behaviours can be withheld by customers with little or no effect on the core service received and thus are not easily managed by firms. As firms derive added brand value by using customers as an operant resource (Vargo & Lusch, 2004) it is important to understand the drivers of both in-role and extra role behaviours. Appreciating that the drivers of ‘willing’ extra role behaviours are different to ‘enforced’ in-role behaviours (Groth, 2005), this special issue takes a small step forward to gaining a better understanding of both the potential drivers and consequences of customers engaging beyond their expected roles. Linda Hollebeek begins the journal by identifying that brand engagement is one route by which customers can act beyond their expected roles. She defines customer brand engagement as ‘the level of a customer’s cognitive, emotional and behavioral investment in specific brand interactions’ (p. 555) and identifies three key themes or dimensions of brand engagement. These are immersion (being engrossed in, absorbed in or focused on); passion (being obsessive, loving, adoring, fanatic about); and activation (willingness to spend significant time and/or effort interacting with the brand). Adesegun Oyedele and Penny M. Simpson also empirically examine why consumers may go beyond their prescribed roles and help the service firm. Transferring some of the findings from the volunteering literature they explore the roles of customer traits such as self-efficacy and conscientiousness; intrinsic motives such as altruism, social enhancement and protection; and extrinsic motives such as social norms and incentives on the likelihood of engaging in shopping-related citizenship behaviours. The customer citizenship behaviours examined included completing a survey, participating in a research

Framing the socialisation process of the DBA candidate: what can universities offer and what should candidates bring?

ABSTRACT In Australia, the Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) remains a popular program but considerable anguish persists within the university sector over just what it is offering students. In this article, we use the process of postgraduate socialisation to understand how candidates, supervisors and administrators navigate pathways to successful completion and offering of a DBA program. We identify four modes of knowledge applicable to the DBA and suggest that universities and candidates may draw on one anothers cultural capital to determine which mode(s) can be offered. We also illustrate how candidates exercise agency through their cultural and social capital as they move through the program. We present a conceptual framework to help guide future research, and resource allocation on the DBA.

The Rise and Fall of the Australian DBA.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and discuss the drivers behind the rise and fall of the Australian Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) and to assess its future. Design/methodology/approach – Data covering the period 1993-2013 was sourced from the Commonwealth Department of Education and Training to provide a comprehensive analysis of the rise and fall of the Australian DBA. Findings – In Australia, the DBA was introduced in 1993. In the first 11 years of the programme, enrolments increased from only nine candidates in 1993 to 1,505 candidates in 2004. However, by 2013, the number of candidates had fallen to 869 candidates. The authors argue that the principal rationale for the dramatic fall in enrolments points to the challenges and issues of managing overseas candidates by second tier and regional universities rather than a decline in the market per se. Practical implications – The challenge for universities is to determine whether they can or are able to offer the DBA under a qual...

Influence of made with renewable energy appeal on consumer behaviour

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which consumer purchasing behaviour is influenced by advertised information that a product is made with renewable energy. It also seeks to identify why some consumers might respond more favourably. Design/methodology/approach Three experiments were conducted using two samples of university students enroled in Australia. The first experiment tested the main effect of this research, the second tested the potential amplifying effect of locus of control and the third tested the temporal orientation. Findings Consumer respond favourably to products promoted as made with renewable energy. The possible explanation for this is that future temporal orientation (FTO) influences attitude towards the brand, attitude towards the advertisement, purchase intention and willingness to pay a premium for brands. The observed interaction effect between perceived greenness of the advertisement and FTO is also robust to scepticism. Research limitations/implications Results presented here are also derived from responses made by students at a regional Australian university. Although atypical in their profile with most over 30 years of age, findings cannot reliably be generalised to the larger population. Determining how much importance a renewable energy appeal has when it is positioned among other green appeals would reveal the relative usefulness of the focal promotion to marketers. Practical implications Promoting a firm’s use of renewable energy presents an important opportunity to achieve desirable outcomes, and the efficacy of this is magnified within individuals that habitually focus on the future. Social implications These findings benefit society because they contribute towards increasing the frequency of sustainable business practices. It should also encourage policy-makers to implement policy changes (e.g., removing subsidies that prevent renewable energy from attaining cost parity with non-renewable sources of energy), which can result in beneficial economic outcomes. Originality/value This research is the first of its kind to be conducted in an Australian context, providing findings that assist both firms’ and policy-makers’ decision-making.