Transformative service research approaches for visitor experiences in major sporting events

PurposeThis research conceptualises the hallmark event, Melbourne Cup in Australia, as a major sporting brand experience. While numerous studies have explored consumer engagement and experiences in major sporting events, few research studies highlight the negative issues, such as alcoholism, gambling and violence, that may affect consumer engagement and experience. This article addresses the challenges and opportunities of providing immersive and transformative experiences through transformative service research (TSR) approaches when such negative issues are swirling around.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is conceptual. It uses the example of Melbourne Cup to illuminate aspects of the conceptual framework.FindingsThe article unpacks a myriad of positive and negative immersive brand experiences and contributes a conceptual framework to understand the sporting brand experience phenomenon and shows how authentically responsible marketing approaches can improve the sport spectator experience.Research limitations/implicationsInsights from the extended TSR framework presents implications for various organisations that are involved with strategic destination marketing approaches. It guides key stakeholders to engage in dialogue and collaborate in order to improve the attendee transformative experience. Inviting collaborators will facilitate the exchange of ideas that will improve event organisation. Consistent approaches among hospitality service providers would improve alcohol service and create a safe environment for attendees. The TSR framework guides players of the experience to engage in meaningful dialogue with a common goal to improve consumer wellbeing. Education and training therefore are key elements in the consumer sporting brand experience.Practical implicationsThe adapted TSR framework offers insights to destination marketers such as sporting agencies, tour operators and sporting organisations/clubs. Marketers may promote bigger sporting events and organise tours via travel agencies and ignore key elements that may influence attendee decision. Destination marketing organisations (DMOs) can use the framework to promote effective planning and the key initiatives that the iconic event is involved with. The framework can be used as a guide to manage similar international events. Events of major or mega size and international reputation need specific frameworks that address crowd behaviours of similar sizes.Originality/valueAn extended transformative service approach is being conceptualised for major sporting brand experiences. Practical implications are also highlighted for DMOs when raising the profile of city brands.

Exploring the influence of artificial intelligence technology on consumer repurchase intention: The mediation and moderation approach

Digital technologies have dramatically changed business practices and consumer buying behavior. This study integrates artificial intelligence technology, consumer engagement on social media, conversion rate optimiza-tion, and satisfying consumer experience to examine consumer repurchase intentions in the hospitality industry. Data was collected from 308 hotel customers from different regions of Oman who had an online hotel booking experience. SmartPLS was used to examine the data and proposed hypotheses. The findings of this study revealed that artificial intelligence technology positively influences consumer engagement on social media and conversion rate optimization. Similarly, consumer engagement on social media and conversion rate positively influence satisfying consumer experience, leading to increased consumer repurchase intentions. Finally, consumer habit positively moderates the relationship between satisfying consumer experience and repurchase intention. This study facilitated the understanding of artificial intelligence technology to influence consumer engagement on social media and conversion rate to boost consumer satisfaction and repurchase intention and offers suggestions for developing impeccable service business strategies. Marketers must think about making posts more interesting through videos, images, and animations, which will satisfy consumers, ultimately boosting their desire to use, share, and generate content on social media platforms for hospitality organizations.

An Evaluative Study on Strategic Directives for Brand Delight and Its Impact on Customer Retention in Indian Food Industry Amidst Covid-19

This study is an evaluative study on strategic perspectives on brand delight and its impact on Indian fast-food Industry amidst Covid19. The global crisis and turmoil have crippled and transformed the entire operations of the globe. The Indian fast-food industry has been closed for almost six months. There is a need for revamping and restarting this industry for economic and social contributions.As social distancing, wearing masks and following the government norms has become the order of the day, this has also led to change in consumer's perceptions and attitudes. The study by nature evaluates strategic perspectives which could lead to brand delight in Indian fast food industry. This would also ensure brand retention in these challenging times. As there has been very little empirical investigations which have been attempted in this industry during these tough times in India, this study addresses the research gaps and also provides practical inputs for Indian fast-food industry on consumer perception towards brand delight and retention, which is the need of the hour. This is an empirical and quantitative study which attempts to provide strategic perspectives for Indian fast-food industry by collecting primary data through Questionnaire. The primary data for the study has been collected with 64 fast food consumers from Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Amritsar and Calcutta. Stratified random sampling has been used in this study. The collected data has been analysed using SPSS tools as correlation, Wilcoxon signed rank test and Friedman two-way non-parametric Anova test has been conducted in this study. In this study it is found that brand communication can be made very effective using Digital display & advertisements &SEO Tools getting next Social media like FB getting least ranking which is very surprising. In this study it is also found that image of the product and awareness, popularity of fast-food leads to more purchase of fast-food products. It is found from this study that there is a positive correlation between the factors of satisfaction with fast food products and engagement and expectation of more products in fast food industry. It was also found that majority of the respondents love Indian dishes and Indian restaurants, Dominos, Pizza hut, McDonald are their favourite choices and also, they expecting to have more spicy and vegetarian varieties in fast food industry. The factors for customer retention have been provided in this study which includes Pleasing environment and good food are my preferences for happiness and satisfaction, Variety of dishes and menu has attracted customers to this food and customers are happy with the experience and would come again, & Communication of staff is very essential which makes consumers happy and satisfied. From these findings it is concluded that Indian fast-food industry must have these strategic perspectives for brand delight and customer retention.Copyright © 2020 Ubiquity Press. All rights reserved.

Methods for living guidelines: early guidance based on practical experience. Paper 2: consumer engagement in living guidelines.

OBJECTIVES: To describe and reflect on the consumer engagement approaches used in five living guidelines from the perspectives of consumers (i.e., patients, carers, the public, and their representatives) and guideline developers. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: In a descriptive report, we used a template to capture engagement approaches and the experiences of consumers and guideline developers in living guidelines in Australia and the United Kingdom. Responses were summarized using descriptive synthesis. RESULTS: One guideline used a Consumer Panel, three included two to three consumers in the guideline development group, and one did both. Much of our experience was common to all guidelines (e.g., consumers felt welcomed but that their role initially lacked clarity). We identified six challenges and opportunities specific to living guidelines: managing the flow of work; managing engagement in online environments; managing membership of the panel; facilitating more flexibility, variety and depth in engagement; recruiting for specific skills-although these can be built over time; developing living processes to improve; and adapting consumer engagement together. CONCLUSION: Consumer engagement in living guidelines should follow established principles of consumer engagement in guidelines. Conceiving the engagement as living, underpinned by a living process evaluation, allows the approach to be developed with consumers over time.

Experiences of Caregivers and At-Risk Children Enrolled in a Prospective Pregnancy-Birth Cohort Study into the Causes of Type 1 Diabetes: The ENDIA Study.

BACKGROUND: We sought research experiences of caregivers and their children were enrolled in the Environmental Determinants of Islet Autoimmunity (ENDIA) study. METHODS: ENDIA is a pregnancy-birth cohort investigating early-life causes of type 1 diabetes (T1D). Surveys were sent to 1090 families between June 2021 and March 2022 with a median participation of >5 years. Caregivers completed a 12-item survey. Children ≥ 3 years completed a four-item survey. RESULTS: The surveys were completed by 550/1090 families (50.5%) and 324/847 children (38.3%). The research experience was rated as either "excellent" or "good" by 95% of caregivers, and 81% of children were either "ok", "happy" or "very happy". The caregivers were motivated by contributing to research and monitoring their children for T1D. Relationships with the research staff influenced the experience. The children most liked virtual reality headsets, toys, and "helping". Blood tests were least liked by the children and were the foremost reason that 23.4% of the caregivers considered withdrawing. The children valued gifts more than their caregivers. Only 5.9% of responses indicated dissatisfaction with some aspects of the protocol. The self-collection of samples in regional areas, or during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, were accepted. CONCLUSIONS: This evaluation identified modifiable protocol elements and was conducted to further improve satisfaction. What was important to the children was distinct from their caregivers.

Social media, brand communication and customer engagement in Michelin-starred restaurants during a time of crisis

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to analyse the brand communication on social media (SM) made by two- and three-starred restaurants and the customer reaction in terms of engagement effects during a crisis. The research highlights the connections between brand communication and engagement dynamics on Instagram by looking for differences in the strategies of two and three-starred restaurants and by highlighting the changes in the background engagement drivers.Design/methodology/approachUsing data collected from 5,666 Instagram posts by 34 Italian Michelin-starred restaurants, the authors analysed the crisis-driven changes in online communication and customer engagement comparing three phases of the COVID-19 pandemic by applying a linear regression model with fixed effects.FindingsMichelin-starred restaurants changed their strategies of brand communication to overcome the effects of the crisis. The findings highlight the importance of SM as a tool to stay in touch with consumers and the pivotal role of customers in engagement, especially during a pandemic.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this is among the first studies to investigate the changes in brand communication and the effects on customer engagement during a pandemic, with a focus on Instagram. It contributes to understanding the role of platform and the main drivers of engagement on Instagram, as well as suggesting how managers can improve brand value using SM.

Gen Y consumer perceptions of web-based sustainability communications - the case of luxury fashion

Past research has outlined a paradox between sustainability and luxury fashion products, which has changed more recently in that studies highlight the importance of sustainable luxury. Accelerated by COVID-19 sustainability information shown on luxury brands' websites has increased, where they provide analogous information to engage their consumers, yet the impact of which remains unknown. This study utilises sustainability communication as a theoretical underpinning to address this gap. This study is based on a qualitative inquiry into how Gen Y consumers perceive and engage with the information broadcasted on luxury companies' websites. Twenty-five semi-structured interviews were conducted and carefully analysed, thereby highlighting three levels of consumer engagement in communication. Findings thus, contribute to the debates surrounding sustainability communication by looking at information conveyed on companies' websites from consumers' perspective. The results provide novel insights into sustainability communication theory, outlining three unique layers that have different outcomes in terms of awareness and action. The findings also provide some suggections for luxury fashion companies to effectively manage their sustainability communication on their companies' websites.

What and how driving consumer engagement and purchase intention in officer live streaming? A two-factor theory perspective

To reduce the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, local government officers conducted live streaming to sell and endorse local products. Understanding factors and mechanisms affecting consumer engagement and purchase intention in officer live streaming have a profound effect on local economic recovery and rural revitalization. By integrating the two-factor theory, source credibility model, and Stimuli-Organism-Response (S–O–R) framework, the authors conduct an online survey to investigate how characteristics of officer live streaming drive consumer engagement and purchase intention. The results show that: (1) Motivation factors of officer live streaming include officer streamer physical attractiveness, interaction friendliness, altruism, expertise, product price attractiveness, and product local uniqueness;hygiene factors include product authenticity, officer streamer trustworthiness, and government credibility;(2) Utilitarian benefit, hedonic benefit and risk perception mediate the effects of motivation factors and hygiene factors on consumer engagement and purchase intention;(3) Power distance belief and consumer region (local-shoppers vs out-shoppers) moderate these effects. © 2022 Elsevier B.V.

The Effect of Storytelling Associated with COVID-19 on Engagement

The main objective of this investigation is to understand how the posts in form of stories published by brands associated with the COVID-19 pandemic affected engagement with their consumers. Regarding the stories, plot, characters and verisimilitude have been evaluated. With regard to consumer engagement (CE), affective, emotional and cognitive involvement have been assessed. This study uses a qualitative methodology with a netnographic approach that takes into account the comments of the advertisements published on two social networks, Facebook and Instagram, by nine Portuguese brands. The results of this research reveal that in order for the stories associated with COVID-19 to have a greater level of influence on the customer, they must use their elements as a whole, to encourage positive consumer engagement. © Universidade de Santiago de Compostela.

I am more inclined to buy online–novel social media engagement stimulated purchase intentions post-COVID-19: a case of Pakistani market

Purpose This study sheds light on the differential impact of social media brand engagement on two distinct types of purchase intentions, i.e. online and physical, in the special context of the post-COVID-19 situation in Pakistan. It has shed light on the factor (trust in online purchases during COVID-19) that has shaped the post-pandemic purchasing attitude. The above-stated association is unlocked based on the mediating role of brand equity. Design/methodology/approach The people who followed the social media pages of major sellers (apparel, grocery, food items and medical supplies) in Pakistan were included as the target population. A time-lagged web-based survey method was employed to collect primary data which generated 308 responses. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0. After checks for validity and reliability, mediation and moderation analysis were run by Hayes PROCESS model 4 and 14 respectively. Findings Results show that brand equity mediates the relationship of social media engagement with both online and physical purchase intentions. Further, results confirm that trust in online purchases during COVID-19 19 weakens the relationship of social media engagement with physical purchase intentions but strengthens with online purchase intentions. Originality/value This study attempts to unveil the moderation of trust in online purchases during COVID-19 on the relationship of social media engagement with online and physical purchase intentions through the mediation of brand equity.

How emotions from content social relevance mediate social media engagement: evidence from European supermarkets during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the antecedents of consumer engagement with supermarkets' social media accounts. Drawing on regulatory fit theory and social sharing of emotions theory, the authors test if the content posted on the social media brand pages of supermarkets dealing with a topic of high social relevance, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, stimulates social media consumer engagement and if and how the engagement is mediated by the arousal of positive and negative emotions. Design/methodology/approach The authors retrieved data from the Facebook accounts of the top 20 European supermarkets identified in the Deloitte 2020 Global Powers of Retailing report during the first wave of the pandemic from 1 March to 30 June 2020, collecting a sample of 2,524 posts from 8 different countries. After a content analysis to classify COVID-19 content, the authors applied the Baron and Kenny (1986) methodology to verify the hypothesised relationships. Findings The findings highlight a positive direct relationship between the social relevance of a topic (COVID-19) and social media consumer engagement mediated by the arousal of positive and negative emotions. Originality/value To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is one of the earliest empirical research using Facebook data to investigate the role of the social relevance of content as an antecedent of social media consumer engagement with a specific focus on supermarkets. The paper contributes to the stream of social media literature investigating the antecedents of social media engagement behaviour, exploring the role of topics' choice and aroused emotions, which to date are both under-investigated.

Fostering consumer engagement during an omnipresent victim crisis: understanding the role of values in pandemic-themed advertising

Many brands have launched pandemic-themed advertising campaigns, aiming to build rapport with their customers in this unprecedented moment. Yet it is challenging for brands to know how to communicate efficiently. To fill this gap, the current research aims to provide a systematic framework that could guide advertisers in designing pandemic-themed advertisements to stimulate consumer engagement on social media by examining the role of values in context-specific brand communications. In particular, we analyze a large corpus of 286 brand YouTube videos posted between the onset of the COVID-19 and the fall of 2020 through a combination of qualitative induction, coding, and big data analytics. The results demonstrate that brands can incorporate various values in their brand communications when the world is combating a victim crisis like the current pandemic. Our findings reveal that hedonism, universalism, conformity, security, and tradition values positively predict consumer engagement (i.e., commenting), whereas stimulation value negatively predicts consumer commenting. We develop a new type of victim crisis - omnipresent victim crisis - and offer a theorization of this sub-type of victim crisis to delineate the pandemic or crises alike (e.g., environmental issues) for future research. We further highlight the role of value embodiment in crisis communication and advertising literature and offer rich theoretical and practical implications.

Agile Marketing and Future of Indian Retail Industry - A Review

Agile methodology is adapted now in many industries globally. The robust framework has converged to critical factors affecting the success of a project around people, processes, organization culture. Globally distributed teams collaborate using improved technology, and communication methods effectively. The involvement of senior management and key stakeholders has shifted to the program manager's level. Certain businesses like retails, operations, and the manufacturing sector use agile and remain unmapped. Post-Covid -19 pandemic restrictions on travel, operating hours for shops, and free movement of people had a deep impact on the retail industry. Consumer behavior has seen a significant shift from typical operation hours to 24/7 online stores. Accessibility to the internet and the use of mobile phones have opened up new opportunities. Product availability in stores, at warehouses, and its logistics, have faced different challenges that we have never seen before. The use of IoT smart sensors has become affordable. Retailers want to keep their consumers engaged and happier on shelves to enable them to be brand ambassadors. Online purchases have become the new normal. Consumers' experience has seen a shift over time due to the introduction of digital marketing and noticed a behavior change in the way consumers refer to, search, purchase, use the product and expect after-sales behavior in omnichannel and multi-brand stores. This paper refers to using Agile methodology and IoT technology in the Retail industry. This case study based on a dipstick survey also shares pilot project findings, the feasibility of RFID -based inventory management, and its effectiveness while adopting Agile in the Retail Industry in developing countries like India.

Reimagining consumer involvement: Resilient system indicators in the COVID-19 pandemic response in New South Wales, Australia.

BACKGROUND: Reflections on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic often evoke the concept of 'resilience' to describe the way health systems adjusted and adapted their functions to withstand the disturbance of a crisis, and in some cases, improve and transform in its wake. Drawing from this, this study focuses on the role of consumer representatives in healthcare services in initiating changes to the way they participated in the pandemic response in the state of New South Wales in Australia. METHODS: In-depth interviews were conducted with two cohorts of consumer representatives. Cohort A included experienced and self-identified consumer leaders, who worked together in a COVID-19 Consumer Leaders Taskforce; Cohort B included participants outside of this group, and purposively included consumer representatives from rural and regional areas, and culturally and linguistically diverse communities. RESULTS: The pause in consumer engagement to support health service decision-making in responding to the pandemic forced consumer representatives to consider alternative approaches to participate. Some initiated networking with each other, forming new collaborations to produce consumer-led research and guidelines on pandemic-related patient care. Others mobilized support from community and politicians to lobby for specific healthcare issues in their local areas. CONCLUSION: The response to the COVID-19 pandemic made visible the brittle nature of previous engagement processes of involving consumers in organizational design and governance. However, the momentum for proactive self-organization in an unexpected crisis created space for consumer representatives to reset and reimagine their role as active partners in health services. Their ability to adapt and adjust ways of working are key assets for a resilient health system. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: This project is a collaborative study between academic researchers and health consumer (patient and public) representatives. It followed the principles of codesign and coresearch, whereby both consumer representatives and academic researchers contributed equally to all stages of the project. The study was cofunded by both academic institutions and consumer representative organizations.

Promoting social resilience in service communities: a molecular biology perspective

Purpose This research aims to examine pathways for providers to facilitate social resilience in service communities to promote collective well-being and engagement. Design/methodology/approach Using abductive and metaphorical analysis, this study develops insights leveraging: the transdisciplinary field of molecular biology where 150 years of research demonstrates how cells build resilience through clustering together in a hostile environment;and case data collected with nonprofit service communities to help ground and elaborate upon the metaphorical analogues of cellular concepts. Findings This analysis uncovers the emergent processes of communal protection, communal adaptation and communal training within customer-to-customer service interactions. Findings identify novel drivers, such as the sharing of vulnerability markers and pre-training for community stressors, as well as pathways through which social resilience within service communities promotes habitual and transformative value, as well as collective well-being. Practical implications Service leaders can build upon the ideas in this research to understand the nature of social resilience and to intentionally design communal experiences and interactions that promote greater well-being and brand engagement. Originality/value The recent COVID-19 pandemic, along with the UN Development Goal for building a more resilient society, highlights the acute needs for a deeper understanding of social resilience. However, resilience-related research in marketing primarily focuses on individual-level coping. This research provides a deeper understanding of the drivers and outcomes of social resilience in service communities and offers a catalyst for future research on the topic.

Early Implementation and Evaluation of StepUp for Dementia Research: An Australia-Wide Dementia Research Participation and Public Engagement Platform.

Recruiting participants for dementia research takes time. For those who are interested, opportunities to participate can be ad hoc. Delays in finding the right participants can result in studies taking longer to deliver, often requiring funding extensions, and ultimately increasing the cost and limiting the effectiveness of research and evaluation. To address these issues, a digital platform, StepUp for Dementia Research, was developed in 2019 and evaluated through ongoing data analytics, researcher feedback and annual volunteer surveys in 2019 and 2021. Using innovative matching technology, StepUp provides volunteers with an opt-in, secure way of registering interest in dementia studies and allows researchers to access matched volunteers in Australia. As of June 2021, 1070 volunteers registered (78% female), and 25 organizations became 'champions' for StepUp promotion. Of 122 registered researchers, 90 completed training. Forty studies from 17 research/health institutions recruited participants using StepUp. The evaluation demonstrated program feasibility and recruitment efficiency with a high level of satisfaction from users. Evaluation outcomes highlighted disparities in public participation in dementia research (e.g., gender, education and race/ethnicity) and provided valuable insights for further enhancements of StepUp. A concerted and strategic effort is needed by leading registries such as StepUp to ensure narrowing volunteer participation gaps in dementia research.

"Could you give us an idea on what we are all doing here?" the Patient Voice in Cancer Research (PVCR) starting the journey of involvement in Ireland.

BACKGROUND: Involving patients and their carers in research has become more common, as funders demand evidence of involvement. The 'Patient Voice in Cancer Research' (PVCR) is an initiative led by University College Dublin (UCD) in Ireland. It encourages and enables people affected by cancer, and their families to become involved in shaping and informing the future of cancer research across the island of Ireland. Its aim is to identify the questions and needs that matter most to (i) people living with a cancer diagnosis, and (ii) those most likely to improve the relevance of cancer research. The initiative commenced in April 2016. METHODS: This paper presents a reflective case study of our journey thus far. We outline three key stages of the initiative and share what we have learnt. At the core of PVCR, is a focus on building long-term relationships. RESULTS: We have developed over time an inclusive initiative that is built on trust and respect for everyone's contributions. This work is grounded on collegiality, mixed with a good sense of humour and friendship. CONCLUSION: The development of PVCR has taken time and investment. The benefits and impact of undertaking this work have been immensely rewarding and now require significant focus as we enhance cancer research across the island of Ireland.

Indirect Impacts of COVID-19: A Case Study of Evidence, Advice and Representation From Consumer and Community Members in New South Wales Australia.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect health care systems globally, and there is widespread concern about the indirect impacts of COVID-19. Indirect impacts are caused by missed or delayed health care-not as a direct consequence of COVID-19 infections. This study gathered experiences of, and perspectives on, the indirect impacts of COVID-19 for health consumers, patients, their families and carers, and the broader community in New South Wales, Australia. A series of semi-structured virtual group discussions were conducted with 33 health consumers and community members between August 24 and August 31, 2020. Data were analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis approach. The analysis identified 3 main themes: poor health outcomes for individuals; problems with how health care is designed and delivered; and increasing health inequality. This case study provides insight into the indirect impacts of COVID-19. Health systems can draw on the insights learned as a source of experiential evidence to help identify, monitor and respond to the indirect impacts of COVID-19.