The influence of COVID-19 pandemic on consumer–brand relationships: evidence of brand evangelism behaviors

The paper reports findings from a two-stage study of consumer–brand relationships conducted between April 2021 and June 2021, at a time the COVID-19 pandemic had forced consumers to live through social distancing mandates and school/office closures. Initial exploration via focus groups began in April 2021 for the purpose of generating grounded theory, hypotheses, and measurement scales relevant to their experiences of brand consumption during this period. The second study tested the grounded hypotheses based on a nationwide sample of consumers in June 2021. The study finds evidence of three distinct brand-related behaviors in response to the COVID-19-induced stresses;i.e., heightened intentionality about brand choices, heightened concern for brand sponsors' ethical behaviors toward their employees, and engagement in brand evangelism behaviors.

Conscientious business-to-business organizations: Status quo and future research agenda

Nowadays, manifold business-to-business (B2B) organizations are embracing corporate social responsibility (CSR) to contribute to society. However, and largely due to several bad past practices, stakeholders are increasingly skeptical of CSR initiatives, often perceiving them as insincere and manipulative. This skepticism has been further accentuated during the COVID-19 pandemic, and stakeholders have started to demand organizations for a broader and more holistic approach to contributing to society. In this editorial, we present ‘conscience' as such broader and more holistic approach, and describe how the papers included in our special issue examine organizational conscience in the B2B context from different angles, including identity, leadership, relationships, communication, activism, social impact, corporate purpose, and co-creation. Finally, we propose several future research opportunities that can further advance knowledge in relation to conscientious organizations.

Modelling the significance of celebrity endorsement and consumer interest on attitude, purchase intention, and willingness to pay a premium price for green skincare products.

Due to the major shift in online purchasing during the COVID-19 lockdown, celebrity endorsement marketing has gained traction. Concurrently, COVID-19 has also transformed consumers' attitudes toward using eco-friendly products, such as green skincare products, to ensure a healthier lifestyle. This study developed a comprehensive framework based on the stimuli-organism-response theory and the parasocial interaction theory to empirically evaluate the impact of celebrities' credibility attributes and consumers' interests in celebrities on their attitudes towards advertisements for endorsed green skincare products, their intentions to make a purchase, and their willingness to pay a premium price for these products. 778 Malaysian consumers participated in the online survey, and their responses were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results showed the positive effects of credibility traits (trustworthiness - ß = 0.100, p-value = 0.026; exquisite personality - ß = 0.075, p-value = 0.028; dignified image - ß = 0.152, p-value = 0.001; expertise - ß = 0.221, p-value <0.001), and customer attention to celebrities (ß = 0.184, p-value <0.001) on their attitudes toward endorsed advertisements. Likewise, credibility features (exquisite personality - ß = 0.116, p-value = 0.002; dignified image - ß = 0.112, p-value = 0.017; expertise - ß = 0.207, p-value <0.001) and customers' companionship with celebrities (ß = 0.142, p-value = 0.001) also have a significant positive impact on attitudes towards brands. Finally, consumers' purchasing intentions and willingness to pay premium prices for green skincare products were strongly influenced by their attitude toward advertising (ß = 0.484, p-value <0.001) and brands (ß = 0.326, p-value <0.001). Evidently, the findings of this study may help players in the cosmetics industry enhance their marketing and promotion tactics for eco-friendly beauty and personal care products.

COVID-19 pandemic business innovations in luxury marketing: Building a theoretical toolbox

Successful luxury brands are reimagining their future marketing strategies with innovative solutions to thrive in a post-pandemic era. This analysis explores how luxury businesses benefit from resilient adaptation to garner a competitive advantage going forward. From the lens of competitive advantage theory, luxury brands can improve their value propositions with meaningful focus on environmental, social, governance, and sustainability factors. From the perspective of institutional theory, luxury brands can translate market pressures arising from customers' concern for safety, limited travel, and lockdowns into adaptive and visionary omnichannel commerce. From the view of resource-based theory, luxury firms can redeploy their resources and capabilities in inventive ways that best meet a challenging business environment disrupted by the pandemic. This conceptual research also discusses implications for future marketing research and informs practice for luxury brands as we move to a "new normal" in an evolving post-pandemic era. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022. All rights reserved.

THE BRAND LOGO TYPEFACE AND ITS EFFECTS ON COSTUMER'S BEHAVIOR AND SATISFACTION: IN ONLINE TAXI COMPANIES

The use of online services has become very popular among consumers nowadays, especially since the outbreak of the Coronavirus. One of the most visible services is the use of online taxi. In this regard, the brand and the logo are the first step of introducing the company, so its crucial role cannot be ignored. In this study, we examine the positive effect of brand logo typeface on brand attitude, consumer satisfaction and strengthening the intention to buy and brand preference by customer satisfaction. The statistical population was randomly selected. We design a conceptual model and then prepare a standard online questionnaire. After collecting the data through the software Smart-PLS3, we start the analysis. According to Cronbach's alpha and AVE, the findings show that the brand logo typeface has a positive and direct influence on customer attitude and satisfaction, and customer satisfaction mediates the purchase intention and brand preference.

The Willingness to get Vaccinated Against SARS-CoV-2 Virus among Southeast Asian Countries: Does the Vaccine Brand Matter?

The current study uses data surveyed with 2,500 respondents during August and September 2021 in Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia to examine the willingness to get vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 virus with six COVID-19 vaccines. The willingness to get vaccinated varies according to the vaccine brands and selected influential factors. Particularly, the percentage of respondents who are willing to get vaccinated with Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca dominates that of those who are willing to get vaccinated with Sinopharm, Janssen and Sputnik V vaccines. Results generated from the binary logistic regressions show that the impact of the selected influential factors on the willingness to get vaccinated varies in terms of magnitude and direction, and depending on the vaccine brands. The results indicate that additional scientific evidence on the efficacy and safety of the vaccines is essential for the respondents to decide whether to vaccinate or not. Such evidence can be made available in multiple formats and provided through appropriate channels and vaccination communication campaigns.

Chinese Gen Z's emotional dimensions for fashion design during the pandemic

Known for being passionate about fashion, Chinese Generation Z (CGZ) is a powerful consumer group in the China fashion market today, but a psychological shift in their perceptions has been driven by COVID-19, arousing the attention of the fashion field. As visual product, fashion product elicits consumers' emotional reactions. Existing research in fashion design has noted consumers' emotional needs but still lacks focus on them in specific cultural contexts. To fill the gap, we employed a Kansei Engineering (KE) method to detect consumers' emotional responses to fashion design. This study uncovered CGZ's preferences, perceptions of fashion styles, and demographic influence. Further, we clustered CGZ's emotional needs into four classifications based on the relationship between the participants and dressing, others, and the environment. This study serves as a theoretical guideline for fashion design by translating consumers' emotional needs into a conceptual framework.

Purchase Behavior of Generation Z for New-Brand Beauty Products: Exploring the Role of Blockchain

Consumers get innumerable product options, making it crucial to study their selection among brands vs. new brands. The study explores how in a post-COVID world, the online purchase behavior of Generation Z female consumers is impacted for new-brand beauty products. Using qualitative methods, the authors explored the online purchase behavior of Generation Z females for the purchase of beauty products in emerging economies and how blockchain technology (BCT) can play a crucial role in influencing consumer decision-making. Five focus group discussions were conducted. The study's findings reveal four key themes-"It's too hard to be an innovator," "Online stigma," "New brand reservations," and "BCT and new brands purchase decisions." The authors portray that Generation Z consumers don't feel competent enough to buy new brands online without extrinsic motivation. They do not entirely trust the information marketers provide them in the current form. They are expected to buy new brands online if the authenticity of the complete product details can be verified using blockchain mechanisms.

An exploration of comfort brands and the theory of brand comfort

This paper advances a new theory of brand comfort that arises from physical comfort, combined with cognitive components (driven by rational trust judgements of quality and reliability) and emotional components (driven by perceptions of affective trust, authenticity, nostalgia and brand love). Two exploratory studies reveal that consumers frequently crave, seek out and attain comfort through branded comfort foods as well as non-food comfort brands. Further, the studies each uncover that attaining comfort through brand consumption yields feelings of emotional support, safety, nostalgia and social connectedness. Findings suggest that consuming comfort brands is an extremely widespread practice, especially in the current era of fear, isolation and social distancing. © HENRY STEWART PUBLICATIONS.

Interactive technologies of brand formation of territories for their promotion in the market of tourist and hotel services

In the context of the intensification of digital technology development and the increasing impact of modern challenges, the problem of attracting innovations in the field of tourism and hotel services is becoming more urgent. Growing trends in competitiveness in the market of tourism and hotel services necessitate increasing the parameters of brand formation of territories to promote them, and interactive technologies become an effective tool for this. The purpose of the article is theoretical and applied aspects of the study of interactive technologies for the formation of brand territories to promote them in the market of tourism and hotel services. The methodological basis of the study consists of such methods of economic analysis and scientific cognition as system analysis, synthesis, scientific ion, statistical analysis, analogy, comparison, functional analysis, cluster analysis (based on the k-means method), grouping, tabular, graphical, generalization and systematization. The results of the study have revealed that the use of interactive technologies in the formation of the brand of territories for their promotion in the market of tourist and hotel services is a necessity of our time and is due to the latest challenges and global dangers. It has been established that the formation of the brand of territories for their promotion in the market of tourist and hotel services is a complex and multi-stage process that requires the definition of tactical features and strategic priorities for its development. The results of empirical research have proven a significant dependence of the formation of the brand of territories for their successful promotion in the market of tourism and hotel services on the influence of factors and challenges of our time. It has been established that the COVID-19 pandemic did not contribute to a decrease in the share of tourists to highly developed countries in Europe, in particular, in 2020, 86.9 million people went to France, 81.8 million people to Spain, 58.3 million people to Italy, 37.7 million people to the UK, 37.5 million people to Germany, 29.5 million people to Austria, 27.2 million people to Greece and 21.2 million people to Portugal. It was achieved owing to the well-known brands of the territories of these countries and the transition to modern innovative interactive technologies for attracting customers and providing tourism services. The necessity of strengthening the innovative component of tourism and hospitality development in transit countries is substantiated, which is due to the inefficiency of their use of the existing tourism potential.

Application of interactive technologies to promote tourism services

The issue of using interactive technologies to promote tourism services plays a key role for tourism enterprises. This is due to the transformation of the market due to global challenges such as the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine. The problem of studying the quality of interactive technologies is to analyze the necessary infrastructure and tools for implementation in the work of a corporate institution aimed at attracting new customers. The use of interactive technologies provides the tourism market with many advantages. First of all, it makes it possible to enter the international market and strengthens the brand's presence in the digital environment. Furthermore, interactive technologies with the help of digital infrastructure can create video materials and any media files used in an advertising campaign. The article aims to analyze the application, structural components, and effective methodology for implementing interactive technologies for activities in the tourism market. Moreover, key trends in the use of interactive technologies and popular mechanisms for their implementation are outlined in the article. Attention is paid to the variability of the digital environment and both theoretical and practical means of implementing a tourism promotion campaign are considered. An important issue is the further prospects for the development of digital technologies for their gradual integration into the practice of tourism enterprises. The results of the study may be useful for tourism enterprises planning to conduct commercial activities based on the use of interactive technologies.

Consumer Response Model for Luxury Brands

Even though the Covid-19 epidemic has affected the marketing of goods and services, this has not deterred people from purchasing luxury brands. Brand owners that wish to reach a large number of customers via social media marketing, including engaging and transacting on virtual platforms, have also discovered this. Social media marketing will assist customers in selecting things without their needing to physically visit the business. It must be acknowledged that purchasing things, particularly luxury items, demands accuracy hence, brand-owning corporations require their own marketing strategies. For instance, product photographs must be realistic so that they resemble actual items. Product specifics must be expanded upon and, most significantly, brand involvement must be increased. If customer participation in the brand is correctly achieved, then consumer reaction will be good and luxury brand sales will grow. This research is to assess marketing efforts on social media and luxury brand participation in relation to customer reactions when engaging and transacting on virtual platforms. A content analysis is used to draw the conceptual framework in this study. It is anticipated that the empirical contribution of this study will contribute to the advancement of science, particularly on the issue of consumer responses to marketing activities on social media. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

The digital communication tools and citizens' relationship with local governments: a comparison of Georgian and Polish cities

This article aims to explore the impact of digital communication tools application by citizens and the perceived usefulness of social media on the relationship between citizens and local authorities. The data were gathered in April–September 2020 through a survey (CAWI) among citizens of Poznan, Poland (n=502), and Kutaisi, Georgia (n=504), and were analyzed with structural equation modeling. The findings show that the intensity of digital communication tools usage for participation in the city branding and the perceived usefulness of social media contribute to the lasting relationships between citizens and local authorities in both countries. The novelty of this research concerns comparing two countries with different levels of development. Georgia is a developing economy in Europe and is in the process of modernizing the local governance across the cities. Poland, however, is a mature economy with a post-transformation heritage, where its cities benefit from considerable experience in building and developing citizen participation policies. Furthermore, the research was conducted amid the COVID-19 pandemic and evidenced the growing popularity of digital tools adoption by citizens in city matters. This study contributes to understanding the impact of digital tools on the relationship between citizens and local authorities in terms of city brand management. Citizens' participation in the city branding process via various digital communication tools increased citizen commitment towards long-lasting collaboration with local authorities. Moreover, citizens' perception of social media usefulness positively influences their desire to engage in the city branding process online, supporting the trust-building and collaboration between citizens and local authorities. Points for practitioners The intensiveness of digital tools usage – governments should identify the tools already trusted and popular among their audience and employ those tools to a greater extent to maximize the chances of feedback, high citizen participation, and commitment. Citizens' perception of social media – such characteristics as ease of use, transparency, ease of communication with the municipality, and safety encourage citizens to get involved in the city brand management process. Consequently, local authorities should consider the features mentioned above and develop the online tools quality.

The future of consumer behavior post COVID-19

The COVID-19 virus, which emerged in December 2019, has been labeled a worldwide epidemic (pandemic) due to its speed of spread and lethality, like all epidemics in history. It will surely be remembered as one of the most influential. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the coronavirus has infected 308.458.509 around the world and caused 5.5 million people to die as of January 11, 2022. The implementation of lockdowns, social and physical distancing policies has led to a slowdown in economic activities and caused panic buying by people who thought that shortages came. The slowdown in the economy triggered changes in global trends. The way people behave, buy goods, and live has changed. The overall e-commerce around the world has grown rapidly due to the virus. Panic buying due to the thought of shortage or unnecessity of some products during the pandemic caused the rapid demand changes either as an increase or decrease in sales of many products. The COVID-19 pandemic disordered many people and industries globally. This study investigates the future of consumer behavior post COVID-19 from the perspective of impacts of vaccination, changing business environment, and consumer expectations from brands with the new normal period. It also argues whether these rapid changes will be permanent or temporary. © 2022 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

Exploring the Perceptions of Grocery Retail Managers on Private Label Brands in South Africa

The phenomenon of private label brands has been widely studied from various contexts, with South Africa as no exception. The pervading economic climate across the globe, as a consequence of the Covid 19 pandemic, has brought the study of private label brands to the fore. Private label brands (PLBs) are considered a cheaper alternative with comparable levels of quality to manufacturer products, which creates a value proposition for consumers (Cuneo et al., 2019). Notwithstanding the plethora of research in this field, these studies are pointed towards customer perceptions and purchase behaviours for private label brand products rather than the perceptions of grocery store retailers. This paper explored the perceptions of grocery retail managers concerning private label brands (PLBs) by delving into the views of these managers concerning the reasoning behind consumer purchase behaviour when it comes to these private label products. The study's main finding was that grocery retail managers believe that customers primarily purchase private label brands due to the trust that they display towards a grocery retailer rather than the emphasis placed on the pricing or quality of these products. Moreover, the confidence exhibited by customers extends towards repeat purchases of private label brands as the products match or exceed expectations, which further encourages the faith they have in these brands. These findings indicate that grocery retailers opine that customers' view private label brands positively. We recommend that grocery retailers invest more in the awareness of private label brands (PLBs), thereby creating more knowledge of private label products. Customers are more educated in this respect and can draw better conclusions between the cost/quality dichotomy that has always plagued the adoption rate of these products within a South African and African context. © 2023 Sbonelo Gift Ndlovu and Shalen Heeralal.

Branded websites and marketplace selling: Competing during COVID-19

I consider a market for differentiated products with an online marketplace (the platform) and two types of firms. Marketplace firms sell through the platform. Branded firms sell to consumers directly and, if they choose, through the platform. When a branded firm joins the platform, the firm expands its reach beyond its branded website/physical store(s) to consumers who visit the platform for all their purchases. The drawback is that the firm has to pay a referral fee for all sales on the platform, some of which are from its loyal consumers who would otherwise have purchased from the firm directly. I investigate the role of the firm composition in determining the equilibrium outcome. Interestingly, a higher fraction of branded firms translates into more firms on the platform and intense price competition. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers who used to shop at physical stores turn to the platform. I show that if they do (do not) consider other products, more (fewer) branded firms will join the platform in equilibrium. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Content posted by Spanish automotive sector brands on YouTube: branded content, insights and environmental commitment

PurposeThe main objective of this study is to analyze content posted by automotive sector brands on their YouTube channels, identifying the use of a branded content format, the application of insights to creative conceptualization and the dissemination of messages related to messages' environmental commitment.Design/methodology/approachA descriptive study was conducted using qualitative content analysis as the methodological approach. The sample is made up of 691 videos posted on YouTube from September 2020 to August 2021 by the ten automotive brands with the biggest advertising budgets in Spain (InfoAdex, 2021).FindingsThe findings reveal a predominance of the advertorial format in content posted on YouTube by automotive sector brands, while the branded content format is less popular. Creative concepts based on insights are rare and limited to videos with an advertisement format. The theme of respect for the environment is used mainly in connection with the discourse on vehicle features and not so much as a commitment by the brand in response to consumer concerns or the changes that the automotive sector is undergoing.Originality/valueThe originality of the study lies in the approach it takes to content posted by automotive brands on YouTube. The paper's contribution is innovative in that the study monitors posts by brands in the sample on YouTube over the course of a year, rather than just during the specific periods when these brands run advertising campaigns.

Athlete interrupted: exploration of athletes' personal brand management in times of crisis

Times of crisis impact the careers and brand management of athletes. The COVID-19 pandemic serves as the research context as we explore how athletes react, cope with, and respond to external disturbances through modifications in their personal brand management. We employed a qualitative approach, drawing on semi-structured interviews with elite athletes (N=15). The themes were verified by reviewing participants' Instagram posts. The findings show that the COVID-19 context has created unique challenges for athletes' careers and personal branding, including emotional distress, interruptions of athletic labor, and a void in the sports-related content they rely upon in their branding. Through emotional capital, coping, and identification of marketing opportunities, the athletes addressed the challenges, increasingly leveraging digital channels to preserve and expand their brand and remain relevant in the market. Findings have implications for athletes experiencing temporary career and brand-related interruptions such as during external disturbances, illness, pregnancy, or injury.

Exploring the impacts of FDA temporary food labeling flexibility among the food allergy community during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Special Issue: The impact of the covid-19 pandemic and the foodservice industries.)

In an attempt to improve access to food distribution systems during the Covid-19 pandemic, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued temporary flexibility in food labeling requirements. This requirement affects the Top 8 allergens and could lead to accidental allergen ingestion. The purpose of this study was to utilize a qualitative method to collect and analyze comments to FDA that were available via Allergic Living's website from May 22, 2020, to June 18, 2020, following the release of the food labeling change. In total, 3,033 comments were analyzed using the thematic analysis six-phase framework approach. Various themes were extracted relating to the emotional responses of the new labeling including fear, safety concerns, and trust of certain food product brands among the food allergy community. This research has implications for a broad spectrum of the U.S. food industry including restaurants, grocery stores, specialty food associations, and consumers. Stakeholders and experts in the food allergy community should be consulted when a policy change is occurring, especially during a pandemic affecting access to safe food.