VALUE FROM ONLINE CONSUMERS: AN ACADEMIC APPROACH TO MARKETING AND BRANDS Part 1

November 24, 2014

Written by Kristina Persson

Introduction

Changes in technology over the past decade have influenced the way consumers engage and participating in activities online. The web is an environment for creation, consumption, and socialising (Seraj 2012). Marketers realise the potential to capitalise on consumers as creators, advertisers and advocates for their brands through co-creation of products and experiences, in turn generating value. By understanding roles consumers take when engaging online, marketers can better target, reach, engage and interact with the right audience for their brand. 

Purpose

This paper provides an overview of online marketing, branding and consumption, to explain why and how marketers can adapt their strategies online to create value. Consumers participate on social media platforms to fulfil personal needs, which can also generate value for brands. This paper seeks to explain the concept of value, the roles consumers take, and provide considerations to 'why and how should marketers generate value from consumers?'

Ideas presented in academic literature will provide the basis for defining these concepts. The analysis will outline why and how marketers can adapt their activities in the context of the internet. Finally, some conclusions will provide a summary of the findings and encourage readers to ask themselves where they find value when engaging online. For brand managers, taking a marketer's perspective, they may consider where are potentials source to exploit to capture and create value and meaning for their brands. Readers may consider their own consumer roles, and how their social media activity might appear outwardly to their friends, communities, followers, and the millions of internet users with access their information, blog posts, comments and conversations online, and marketers who may be monitoring them (Varadarajan & Yadav 2009:19). The paper is presented in two parts, the first part outlining the theoretical framework and definitions, and the second addressing the 'why' and 'how' aspects of analysis and discussion about marketers generating value from consumers.

Theoretical Framework

This paper is written from a social viewpoint, considering roles of marketers and consumers and social interaction online, with a theoretical perspective of postmodern consumerism (Firat and Venkatatesh 1995:259). Postmodernism expresses the possibility to create spaces outside the market system, in a 'lifeworld', for example in social spaces, community and civic life (Firat and Venkatesh 1995:259) to explain consumption occurring in these spaces, beyond pure markets. Zwick, Bonsu and Darmody (2010:168) explain that brands are becoming embedded in these 'consumer lifeworlds', which means marketing itself is entwined with consumers, who are producing and consuming, and partners in brands creative and production processes (Zwick, Bonsu and Darmody 2010:168).

Value creation is considered from a perspective of neo-liberal Marxism, where marketers manage and seize creativity, knowledge and communication to generate economic value (Zwick. Bonsu & Darmody 2008:177). Seraj uses a definition that explains value as consumers perception and assessment of 'what is received and what is given' (2012:209). Co-creation and constructing 'productive social relations' for capitalist growth (Zwick. Bonsu & Darmody 2008:177) is used to describes how marketers can generate value from consumers interacting with corporations, or brands, and with each other (Zwick. Bonsu & Darmody 2008:177; Winer 2009:109). Brands manufacturing involvement and emotional and social attachments around products, which gives them value (Zwick Bonsu & Darmody 2008:186).

Definitions and concepts

Marketing

'Traditional marketing' (Armelini & Villaneva 2011:29) 'old' marketing (Zwick, Bonsu & Darmody 2008:164) or 'offline marketing' (Christodoulides 2009:141) is characterised by its one-way nature and corporate brand-directed messages broadcast to audiences. This style of marketing has also been called 'one-sided', where marketers and brand hold the power and information and opportunity to have their say (Christodoulides 2009:142) and consumers reactions to marketing are limited by their expression of choice to participate in the market, and purchase, or not (Muñiz Jr & Schau 2011:209).

New marketing is characterised by its interactivity, and digital nature (Winer 2009:110). Electronic versions of traditional 'one-way' advertising in banners, billboards and static messages and content online are found in addition to podcasts, video streams, as well as platforms of social communities where two-way and multi-way dialogue is possible (Winer 2009:110; Muñiz Jr & Schau, 2011:209; Seraj 2012:209). Akar and Topcu  highlight that marketers, involvement in social media, and communications affect the internet, and the lives of people using the internet (2011:58).

Consumers

Consumers engage in social acts of consumption and production, symbolic acts, in moments where meanings, relationships and social definitions are interpreted and reinforced (Firat and Venkatatesh 1995:242). That is, activities and social exchanges that people take part in generating meaning.  In social online communities, people fulfil individual and social needs such as desires to seek information, experiences, express creativity, develop identity, and escape (Seraj 2012:209, Eisenbeiss et al 2012:12).

Lifeworlds

Varadarajan & Yadav explain the market place extending beyond the physical market, into electronic, and a technology and internet-enabled one (2009:11). Eisenbeiss et al. (2011) describe Virtual Worlds, where people assume identities, have experiences, cooperate and interact, and take part in virtual activities, such as travel, business and relationships, in virtual worlds with virtual markets (2011:5,17). This may be one clear 'lifeworld' that can be understood as a social community, however market and social transactions or 'exchange processes' do occur (Eisenbeiss et al. 2011:5; Firat and Venkatesh 1995:240). 

Online marketing, can therefore be understood as social marketing, groups of people, including consumers and brands communicating in all directions - that is, creating, receiving, and responding to messages. This is enabled by the internet and communications technologies, particularly with Web 2.0 tools (Christodoulides 2009:143; Varadarajan & Yadav 2009:21) and virtual worlds (Eisenbeiss et al 2011).   

The types of social environments online include webs of content, which have value (Akar &Topcu 2011:35). Social media channels allow observers to become participants are platforms for influencing users (Hanna Rohm & Crittenden 2011:267) and  include, social Media channels such as Twitter, Facebook and other Web 2.0 platforms, including Youtube, MySpace and Flicker (Akar & Topcu 2011: 36; Hanna Rohm & Crittenden 2011:266)

Branding

Park, Jaworski & MacInnis (1986:135) define branding as activities that firms, or corporations,  engage in to convey an image effectively to a target market, to maintain a market position and improve performance. Brand Concept-Image Management is a complete system for firms to develop, maintain and control brand image (Park, Jaworski & MacInnis 1986:135) and manage it long term (Park, Jaworski & MacInnis 1986:144). Managing a brand's image is considered important as a brand itself, alongside firms resources and products, can be seen as something worthy of long term investment, and source of long-term competitive advantage (Park, Jaworski & MacInnis 1986:144). With or without physical presence, brands are sources of economic value, which makes them something worth valuing and protecting (Christodoulides 2009:141)

Christodoulides view of branding incorporates activities that take place in social networks, as dynamic environments enabled by computer and technology (2009:141-142). Rather than managing, brand 'hosts' conversations and manage customer perspectives about their experiences with brands based on their products and services (Christodoulides 2009:143). This branding activity occurs  in social media spaces, in groups, blogs, networking sites, where consumers create, define and dictate messages and advertising about the brand  (Christodoulides 2009:143). Marketers can listen and follow the conversations and messages being communicated in the social media ecosystem (Hanna, Rohm and Crittenden 2011:266).

Continue reading Analysis and Discussion

How Social Media Investments Can Increase Purchase Intentions among Consumers – A Four Step Approach Addressed Brand Managers in the Fashion Industry Part 1

October 9, 2014

Written by  Masters Student at Lund University

PART I

THE NEW ERA

The many and comprehensive developments within the technology sector are something that has had a tremendous effect on how individuals and firms live and work today (Wind, 2008). We have been able to see a new marketing era and it has become a rule rather than an exception for fashion brands to invest and focus in social media activities (Winer, 2009) where established accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and blogs are the new common used communication tools (Phan, 2011). Even if theorists seem to advocate social media investments as a recipe for success, I know of companies operating in the fashion industry who do not know how to succeed with their social media activities. Scandinavia’s largest fashion PR agency is a good example of this, where I as an intern, early noticed the bureau manager’s lack of knowledge concerning how to manage their social media investments in order to increase purchase intentions among consumers.

This paper is therefore devoted to answer this question. By presenting relevant theory which subsequently will result in my own analytical recommendations, fashion managers will be inspired about how they can progress with their social media investments.

BRANDS, INTEGRATION AND COMMINICATION IN THE SOCIAL MEDIA

The Brand

It has been investigated among theorists that social media investments generate increased purchase intentions with consumers (Kim & Ko, 2012; Themba & Mulala, 2013; Wang et al. 2012). Even though, the customer’s intention to buy increases only if the brand achieves to deliver an added value to the customer, and even more so if the brand in question have transparent and strong values from the beginning- namely through value equity and brand equity (Kim & Ko, 2012).  Even if the fashion brand is highly present in the social media world and constantly updating and communicating in new creative ways, about 35 % of the respondents still perceive the brand as old- fashioned (Phan, 2011, example Burberry). This really demonstrates the strong correlation between a liking of a certain brand and the purchase intention. Therefore, there is no impact of social media investments on the purchase intentions if the customer does not like the brand from the beginning (Phan, 2011). Additionally, the perception a customer gets from different buzzes in the social media, is based on already existing thoughts and perceptions of the brand (Powers et al., 2012).

Recommendation #1:  Examine your brand

It is important to remember that an investment in social media activities will not increase purchase intentions if a consumer do not like the brand from the beginning, and that new information received will be based on already existing thoughts of the brand (Kim & Ko, 2012; Phan, 2011). It is therefore crucial that the brand image is the same perceived in the consumers’ eyes and in the brand manager’s. If the manager believes that the brand stands for good products and values but the reality occurs to be the reverse, the social media investments will be vain. I therefore have faith in building a clear image where the brand strives to be in the future and compare it, with the help of customer surveys, how they are perceived today. By doing this, the managers know in what areas they have to improve and where the major gaps are between the customer’s and manager’s brand perceptions. Managers must know what they have to work with and what negative rumors they might have to counter in order to be successful in their social media activities. It is essential to build a good image from scratch.

Interaction and e-WOM

The interaction and communication between consumers in the social media is something that has been investigated deeply and broadly (Wang et al, 2012). The research have contributed to the insight that  the way consumers interact with each other in Social Media forums, affect the way the consumers think in their purchase decision (Wang et al. 2012). The social media forums works as a kind of market place where the communication between individuals helps people correspond and argue with each other which further often leads to changed attitudes of brands and products (Wang et al, 2012).

A developed and established concept in the area of online communication is “e-WOM”, electronic word of mouth (Henning et al. 2004). It is a good idea for fashion retailers to invest in social integrated activities since it could be an easy way to create positive e-WOM traffic (Henning et al., 2004). Since e-WOM has been found to be a trustworthy source for information-seeking consumers, it is important that businesses in the fashion industry realize the importance of it (Themba & Mulala, 2013). Noteworthy is also that when a fashion retailer wants to intensify the spread of positive e-WOM, they must reflect upon the commitment of the customer in relation to the brand as well as the consumer’s commitment to fashion overall. If a customer is highly committed to a certain fashion brand, then his or hers engagement in social media activities in relation to that brand will increase (Wolny & Mueller, 2013). Furthermore, customers who have a high need of social interaction in general, are those consumers who are more collaborative in the social media than others (Wolny & Mueller, 2013). The more a brand manages to create a positive and comprehensive e-WOM related to the brand or to the product, the more the purchase intention from that consumer will increase (Themba & Mulala, 2013).

Communication Through Customer Reviews

Customer reviews are a part of the interaction era we experience today and are often to be found in different social media forums, in one way or another. It is important to not underestimate the impact of the reviews, since a positive customer review in some social media can affect the purchase intention among other consumers (Park et al., 2007). The reviews have a function of being both informative and recommendatory and are therefore playing an important role in the customer purchase decision process. The more and the better the reviews are, the more they have an impact on others (Park et al., 2007). One exception is consumers who are highly involved with a brand and its products. Those customers only learn and take note from it when he or she perceives the quality of the review to be rewarding (Park et al., 2007).

One could find it hard to understand that individuals, who are reading reviews online, are so credulous. It has therefore been discussed and investigated if it is good or not to reveal the demographical characteristics of social media engaged customers (Naylor et al. 2012). Does the disclosure have an impact on the purchase intentions and brand opinions of future potential customers or not? The results reveal that even if the presence of those social media involved individuals is virtual and sometimes not very active, their demographical characteristics do have an impact on another customer’s purchase intention and brand evaluation (Naylor et al., 2012). This could be an interesting angel for managers to discover in the quest to reach out to their target markets as well as in business comparisons with competitors (Naylor et al., 2012).

Recommendation #2: Create the right image

Since e-WOM is to be considered to be a trustworthy source when it comes to the consumer’s purchase decision process (Themba & Mulala, 2013), it is important for fashion managers to try to control and make sure that positive buzzes and perceptions about the brand are created and spread from the start. To spread a good brand image and to get new customers, I suggest that fashion managers should turn to their already existing customers, who are highly active in Social Medias, but also who have a strong predilection for that particular brand. In this way, the spread will be broad and the message will be positive. I also think it will be a good idea if managers additionally choose to reveal the promoting customer’s demographics, since the whole investment and activity will be even more trustworthy (Naylor et al., 2012). I believe that consumers, who experience detection and identification, are more likely to trust the reviews and also spread the buzz further. By doing this, it will attract like-minded audience and it gets easier for the fashion brand to reach out new target customers and to increase purchase intentions

END PART I

Which social media forums will be chosen and why? How can managers know if the investment has been profitable? For answers to those questions, look in part two where I also present the central conclusion.