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- Cause-related marketing: do managers understand and use this tool?Publication . Miranda, Mafalda M.; Silva, Susana Costa e; Duarte, Paulo; Glaser-Segura, DanielDesign - We relied on data obtained from in-depth interviews with managers. Data categorization allowed the application of the main constructs of the UTAUT model and the unveiling of the level of acceptance of Cause-Related Marketing (CrM) campaigns by managers and its use as a marketing strategy. Purpose – Most of the research on CrM emphasizes the benefits of these campaigns for charities and donors. The purpose of this study is to decode what managers think about CrM campaigns and try to discern and understand the principal motivations, benefits, and inherent risks to implement these campaigns. Findings - Managers recognize CrM benefits mainly relating them with an increase in reputation and image of the company, making it possible to differentiate and increase its notoriety. However, the social nature of this tool is what weights in the most on the decision of managers, since they recognize that being socially responsible is a competitive factor. The greatest constraints identified have to do with the effort on the implementation of the campaign and with the consumer’s scepticism, especially in transactional campaigns. Originality - With this research we were able to realize that there is a misunderstanding between the CrM concept and purely philanthropic marketing, which can somehow inhibit managers from recognizing the potential of this tool. Regarding CrM use, the position of managers shows a clear concern about the importance of harmonizing values between the company and the cause, betting on long-term campaigns with transparent communication and investing in the process of planning, implementing, and monitoring campaigns to improve their performance. This needs to be taken into account in future assessments of CrM campaigns.
- Evidence of a glocal marketing strategy: a case study in the Brazilian telecommunication marketPublication . Duarte, Paulo; Yamasaki, Viviane; Rocha, Thelma Valéria; Silva, Susana Costa eThis article is devoted to analyse and discuss the level of control and autonomy that multinational enterprises (MNEs) should grant to their subsidiaries. It analyse the impact of subsidiaries' capacity to innovate and develop new products and services to the Brazilian telecommunications market, based on the case-study of Telefónica business, a subsidiary of Telefónica, a Spanish multinational communication company. The Lasserre's global integration/local responsiveness framework was applied to the data obtained from face-to-face in-depth structured interviews with key actors in Telefónica business (TNB) to investigate the relationship between global integration strategy and local adaptation in the Brazilian telecommunications market. The results show that Telefónica uses a glocal approach since its subsidiary has the autonomy to create and adapt its products when the headquarters recognise that global decisions might not meet local demands. By showing that Telefónica has successfully used a glocal approach on the Brazilian market, as its subsidiary had the autonomy to create and adapt products when global company products might not meet local demands, this study is useful for other multinational companies when going to new markets.
- Healthy eating as a trend: consumers' perceptions towards products with nutrition and health claimsPublication . Duarte, Paulo; Teixeira, Mariana; Silva, Susana Costa ePurpose: The number of food products containing nutritional or health claims, such as added calcium for stronger bones, has been increasing. Accordingly, we aimed to understand consumers’ perceptions towards products that are considered to be healthier and to know how these perceptions affect their purchase intentions. Theoretical framework: Based on consumer perception theory and how consumers process and interpret information, we sought to better understand consumer behavior in relation to the use of nutrition claims in marketing communication. Design/methodology/approach: A survey was conducted via an online questionnaire and responses were obtained from 477 Portuguese consumers. Findings: The results show that the most relevant characteristics when purchasing food are price and taste. However, the addition of a claim can increase purchase intentions. Practical & social implications of research: The reasons behind the new offerings by the food industry are related to the growing demand from individuals for products aimed at improving their health status, which has been deteriorating due to factors such as sedentary lifestyles, longer life expectancy, and a poor diet in terms of nutrition. It is important to know if these claims translate into effective changes in purchasing behavior. Originality/value: The results lead to the conclusion that claims are important in the food choices of the Portuguese respondents, who are less keen on “light” and “lean.” When it comes to using claims in communication, in Portugal, it is always better to use a direct, transparent, and rigorous approach; otherwise the consumer will not be induced to buy.
- Orthorexia nervosa: can healthy eating food trends impact food companies marketing strategies?Publication . Duarte, Paulo; Silva, Susana Costa e; Pisco, Ana Margarida Sintra; Campos, João Moreira deThe purpose of this article is to explore foods companies’ knowledge of food trends and assess how orthorexia nervosa may affect food companies’ marketing decisions. Data was gathered through a multiple case-study approach, and four semi-structured interviews to CEOs/CMOs of food companies from four distinct non-competing sectors of the food industry. The results show that although marketing managers are conscious of the existence of consumer behavior changes regarding food habits, they are not particularly concerned neither interested in micro-segments as they are not profitable. Despite the deficiencies on CMOs’ knowledge of particular food trends they declare to be attentive to the changes in consumer behavior and prepared to respond to competitors moves. This research adds to the existing knowledge on the food industry since it is the first study to explore the impact of food trends on food companies’ management marketing decisions from the company point of view.
- Need-for-touch and online purchase propensity: a comparative study of Portuguese and Chinese consumersPublication . Duarte, Paulo; Silva, Susana Costa eThis study analyses the impact of Need-for-Touch (NFT) on online purchase propensity by evaluating the influence of the consumer's country of origin. Although NFT has been a major topic of research over the past years, the link between NFT and purchase propensity has rarely been empirically proven. For assessing the relationship an online questionnaire was made available in Portugal and China. A total of 295 complete responses were obtained and the data studied through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, namely multivariate analysis of variance and structural equation modeling using AMOS. The results indicate that the consumer's country of origin seems to affect the relevance of the sense of touch for apparel. Consumers with high levels of NFT are more likely to engage in additional brand touchpoints and consequently having stronger brand experiences. The impact of perceived information credibility and brand experience on the perceived product quality influences the propensity to search and to purchase online. Consumer NFT was shown having no direct influence on online purchase propensity but instead is mediated by other variables such as brand experience and the online research propensity. This study is innovative by comparing the NFT between two very different cultures and by providing insights on the relationships between cultural differences and NFT, which could be of great interest for Portuguese companies planning on investing in the Chinese market and vice versa.
- Cause-related marketing in online environment: the role of brand-cause fit, perceived value, and trustPublication . Silva, Susana Costa e; Duarte, Paulo; Machado, Joana César; Martins, CarlaThis article explores how cause-related marketing influences consumer response in an online environment, by analyzing the relationships between consumers’ perceptions of Cause-related Marketing (CrM) and their behavioral intentions toward an online store. Data was collected through an experiment using a sample of Portuguese respondents focusing on the effects of the cause–brand fit and consumer–cause identification on online stores perception and purchase intention. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. The results show that consumer–cause identification has a positive impact on perceived value and that the relationship is moderated by brand–cause fit but it does not influence online purchase intention. Brand–cause fit was shown to have a positive influence on trust and online purchase intention, which is also impacted by perceived value. Trust was found to be a predictor of perceived value but not of the online purchase intention. The main contributions of the findings include the improved understanding of the importance of the fit to consumer’s perception and efficacy for online cause-related marketing campaigns.
- The role of consumer-cause identification and attitude in the intention to purchase cause-related productsPublication . Duarte, Paulo Alexandre de Oliveira; Silva, Susana Costa ePurpose – The purpose of this paper is to extend prior research on the influence of consumer-cause identification on the intention to purchase products from the companies supporting the cause and re-evaluates the role of attitude toward the cause as a mediator of the relationship between identification and intention to purchase. Design/methodology/approach – Using a questionnaire, a sample of 156 Portuguese consumers evaluated their personal identification and attitude to one of four causes. Partial least squares path modeling was used to evaluate the proposed conceptual model. Findings – The results reveal that more than identification, a positive attitude is vital to be able to predict the intention to purchase. Together, consumer-cause identification and attitude explain 35.1 percent of the variance in purchase intention. The findings show also that attitude acts as a mediator in the relationship between the identification with the cause and intention to purchase. Several differences regarding gender and age are also revealed. Originality/value – While the majority of studies were single cause evaluations, the current results are based on the assessment of multiple causes. Consequently, the findings are more comprehensive and robust, providing important insights to researchers. The conclusions confirm within a wider context the role of attitude as a mediator of the identification and intention to purchase and can further assist companies in designing better targeted cause-related marketing campaigns.
- Environmental concerns – uniting generations for a global cause in turbulent timesPublication . Silva, Susana Costa e; Duarte, Paulo; Martins, Carla; Collaço, PauloA radical set of social and structural shifts in the last years has transformed the world, bringing a confusing order that few have been able to predict. Common sense information and myths about Millennials’ generation define them as being very homogeneous and different from other generations, which would be already a complex dimension to analyze. However, the complexity increases according to some studies that suggest that other generations have a flawed perception of Millennials. Based on this, the purpose of this chapter is to assess the self-image Millennials regarding consumption behavior and compare it with how they are perceived by other generations, namely, Boomers and Generation Xers. Identifying and understanding the differences could assist in improving the ability to market to them. To conduct this study, a survey was developed to collect data from each group of interest located in the same institutional setting to avoid institutional distance. The constructs included were Technology Savviness, Social Responsibility, Environmental Concern, Status Consumption, and Brand Loyalty. The final sample consisted of 342 participants where 182 were Millennials (53.8%) and the remaining 160 were either Baby Boomers or Generation Xers (42.8%). The current results support the idea of differences between self and other perception, although not in every dimension. The results show that Millennials and older generations have different perceptions regarding Millennial technology savviness, social responsibility, status consumption, and brand loyalty. Environmental concern was the only dimension where the self-opinion of Millennials did not differ from the other generations. Current findings are pertinent because differences in Millennial’s behaviors are important for companies addressing international markets. These results challenge research conducted in other cultural landscapes and call for the need to validate the typical pattern, which lays over the idea that there are significant differences among Millennials’ self-perception and perception of others about them. Because this information provides useful knowledge for brands to become more effective, it is crucial for managers of companies conducting business in a global context to be acquainted with it. This will promote the possibilities to create and maintain close relationships with the Millennials, taking into account the institutional setting in which they grew up. Finally, this study emphasizes the importance of environmental concerns in the current world, which may have the power to unite different generations for a single global cause, thus sorting out some of the confusion.
- Multichannel versus omnichannel: a price-segmented comparison from the fashion industryPublication . Silva, Susana C.; Duarte, Paulo; Sundetova, AnelPurpose – The purpose of this study is to explore and compare how fashion and apparel brands are using the multiple available channels to increase the number of touchpoints with clients by evaluating the use of multichannel and omnichannel strategies. Design/methodology/approach – To determine the differences between fashion and apparel brands in terms of marketing channel used, a multiple case study approach was selected based on a sample of nine wellknown and successful fashion brands from three different price segments. The research was carried out by analysing the online and mobile presence of the brands, company reports, news, magazines, and other types of articles. Findings – The results illustrate that fashion brands tend to act in the same way and have only slight differences concerning the number of channels and features available to clients despite the price segment they belong. The findings indicate that the brands under study have good channel integration, order tracking, online communication, and social media. Overall, the findings allow concluding that irrespective of the price segment, all fashion brands act almost in the same way and present only slight differences between the number of channels used and features available. Originality/value – The current study provides an innovative price-segmented comparison on channel use and integration by fashion brands’ and additional valuable information about channel strategy that can be used to guide new comparative research and helps new brands defining points-of-parity and points-ofdifference with regard to market standards.
- How to increase engagement on social media using the honeycomb model: a case study in a Portuguese HR companyPublication . Silva, Susana Costa; Feitosa, Wilian; Duarte, Paulo; Vasconcelos, MartaPurpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand how a company could improve public engagement on social media (SM) analysing the case of Alento, which is a human resources and consulting company located in Portugal. The company’s presence on Facebook was analysed by using the honeycomb model for SM functionality, by Kietzmann et al. (2011), as a theoretical framework. Design/methodology/approach – The authors implemented some actions to change procedures on SM management. Monitoring five months of data, the authors could compare the SM engagement before and after changes on SM management. Then, a convenience sample of 205 useable questionnaires was collected. The population of the study comprised Portuguese Facebook users who liked the Alento Facebook Fan Page. An analysis of honeycomb dimensions was performed. Findings – The engagement level on Alento’s SM was increased by changing procedures identified on survey. In five months, Alento’s number of followers was increased by just 4.5 per cent, interactions were increased by 35 per cent, views were more than twice (+122 per cent) and fans who clicked on Alento’s Facebook page’s links were increased by 146 per cent. Research limitations/implications – There were also some limitations related to the sample, since the authors only obtained 205 responses. Therefore, the second suggestion for future investigations would be to conduct the survey on a larger number of people. This study just considers five months after changing procedures. A longer range of time could produce different results. Practical implications – The most relevant contribution of the current study is the offer of some insights into the use of a simple tool such as the honeycomb model of Kietzmann et al. (2011) for the analysis of the social engagement from a firm’s perspective, regardless of their nature. Social implications – The importance of SM to spread good content and to reduce media costs is reinforced in this study. Originality/value – This study is innovative, as it identifies a need of change on SM management, proposes and implements new procedures, checking its results. SM marketing is a new wagon of study, and the problem of how to increase engagement on professional SM is on top priorities of the field.