The effects of customers’ perceptions of brand personality in casual theme restaurants

Although existing studies recommend that restaurant chains develop and communicate salient brand personalities, no research to date provides empirical evidence that perceptions of unique brand personality by consumers lead to positive outcomes in the restaurant business. Therefore, using a sample of 336 adults, this research models the causal relationships between brand personality perceptions, brand preference, attitudinal loyalty, and positive word-of-mouth (W-O-M) behavior for the Olive Garden and Chili's restaurant chains. It was found that for both chains, brand personality perceptions have a positive effect on brand preference and attitudinal loyalty, brand preference has a positive impact on attitudinal loyalty, and attitudinal loyalty has a positive influence on positive word-of-mouth (W-O-M) communication. In addition, for the Olive Garden and Chili's brands, it was also found that there is a direct link between brand preference and word-of-mouth behavior.     

Impacts of cruise industry corporate social responsibility reputation on customers’ loyalty: Mediating role of trust and identification

Despite the high relevance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in service businesses, investigations of its influence on the cruise sector are scarce. Relying on institutional theory, this study proposes a model with cruise customers’ trust and identification as the key factors between CSR reputation and customers’ loyalty. Using data from 292 cruise customers, results support the impact of customers’ perceived CSR reputation of cruise companies on two relational constructs and loyal behavior. Only customers’ identification mediates the relationships between reputation and brand loyalty. Thus, findings suggest that cruise customers likely form high-level loyal behavior when they perceive companies’ CSR activities and their similarities with such companies. From these significant findings, the authors draw several theoretical and practical implications, including the importance of enhancing the company’s focus on its CSR reputations. This study also provides directions to promote identity strengths for enhancing the impact of CSR reputation on company performance.     

How Customer Personality Traits Influence Brand Loyalty in the Coffee Shop Industry: The Moderating Role of Business Types

This study examines how perceptions associated with customer personality traits can affect customer satisfaction, customer brand identification (CBI), and involvement as well as the development of brand loyalty. Social identity theory was applied to explain these effects as it relates to coffee shop businesses and further investigate relationships between customers and a brand. The verified model with a survey sample of 743 customers confirmed that customer personality traits had significant effects on customer satisfaction and CBI. Customer satisfaction had positive effects on CBI, involvement, and brand loyalty. CBI had significant influences on involvement and brand loyalty. Involvement was, in turn, positively associated with brand loyalty. In addition, the relationships between these variables were moderated by business type (i.e., independent coffee shop vs. franchise coffee shop).     

Enhancing customers’ brand loyalty via branded hotel apps

Many hotels have launched their own branded mobile applications to develop relationships with customers. Yet, research examining the benefits of branded hotel apps on brand loyalty is scant. The current research investigates the role of branded hotel apps on brand loyalty through customer engagement and brand trust in the hotel industry, based on uses and gratifications theory. Results identified cognitive and social benefits of the branded hotel apps positively influenced customer engagement and brand trust. Hedonic benefits positively influenced customer engagement and they indirectly influenced brand trust through customer engagement. Both customer engagement and brand trust positively influenced brand loyalty. Moreover, mediation effects of customer engagement and brand trust were identified. Results highlight how branded hotel apps serve as a facilitator of brand loyalty, providing theoretical and managerial implications.     

Human baristas and robot baristas: How does brand experience affect brand satisfaction,brand attitude,brand attachment,and brand loyalty?

This study investigates the antecedents and consequences of brand satisfaction with the moderating role of type of barista. For this, data were collected from customers who used a coffee shop operated by robot baristas and customers who used a coffee shop operated by human baristas. The data analysis results showed that the four types of brand experience, such as sensory, affective, behavioral, and intellectual brand experiences, help to enhance brand satisfaction, which positively affects brand attitude, brand attachment, and brand loyalty. Finally, the type of barista plays a moderating role in the relationship between (1) sensory brand experience and brand satisfaction and (2) intellectual brand experience and brand satisfaction.     

乡村旅游地品牌个性与游客忠诚：以场所依赖为中介变量

文章以西安市长安区＂农家乐＂为例,实证分析乡村旅游地品牌个性与游客忠诚的关系,并探讨场所依赖的中介作用。结果显示：（1）乡村旅游地品牌个性中的实惠、喜悦、闲适、健康和逃逸5个维度对场所依赖（包括场所依靠和场所认同）具有显著的正向预测作用,而对游客忠诚具有显著正向预测作用的仅有实惠和闲适两个维度;（2）场所依靠和场所认同在实惠维度与游客忠诚关系间起到了部分中介作用,而在闲适维度与游客忠诚关系间起到了完全中介作用;（3）场所认同在实惠与游客忠诚关系间的中介作用以及它在闲适与游客忠诚关系间的中介作用都是相对较大的,而场所依靠在实惠与游客忠诚及闲适与游客忠诚关系间的中介作用相对较小。     

旅行社品牌忠诚度细分研究

随着市场竞争的愈加激烈,忠诚顾客管理逐渐成为热门话题.本文通过电话调查的方法,运用分层聚类法从行为和态度忠诚两个维度把旅行社团队旅游产品顾客分为3类细分市场.即真正忠诚者、潜在忠诚者和虚假忠诚者.前者的态度和行为忠诚变量值最高;潜在忠诚者的行为忠诚变量值最低,而虚假忠诚者的态度变量值最低.这些特征很好地验证了已有品牌忠诚模型.文章最后讨论针对3类细分市场应该采取的营销策略,并指出后续研究的问题.     

More is better? The influencing of user involvement on user loyalty in online travel community

Since user stickiness is low in most online communities due to user easy transferability, assessing the influence of user involvement on user loyalty is paramount. Using an online travel community and a four-level consumer cognitive structure model as a theoretical basis, this study combines semi-structured interviews and scenario-based questionnaires to investigate this relationship. Results suggest that breadth of involvement has an inverted U-curve effect on user loyalty, while depth of involvement has a positive influence. Sense of virtual community both moderates and mediates the relationship between breadth of involvement and loyalty, but does not moderate and only partially mediates depth of involvement and loyalty. Both service value to peaceful life and service value to social integration partially mediate user involvement and loyalty, but service value to social recognition does not.     

Branding destinations versus branding hotels in a gaming destination—Examining the nature and significance of co-branding effects in the case study of Macao

This paper considers destinations and hotels operating within a gaming destination as co-branded experiential choice products. Specifically, it examines the overall and individual effects of visitors’ perceived brand equity of a gaming destination and their perceived brand equity of various hotels, including ‘flagship’ or branded hotels, in terms of influencing their reaction to a hypothetical brand loyalty scenario in which their intended and preferred hotel was unable to provide accommodation thus forcing them to either: (1) choose an alternate hotel in the destination and continue with the visit, (2) cancel the trip and choose another destination to visit, or (3) insist on staying at the preferred hotel but postpone the trip at another period. The study's expectation is that visitors’ response to such a hypothetical scenario is moderated by the relative influence of their perceived brand equity for the destination and for hotels. The emergent gaming destination of Macao is used as a case study for this purpose. The study's findings indicate that visitors’ overall destination brand equity perceptions—rather than hotel brand equity perceptions—is robustly significant when it comes to influencing visitors’ response to the brand loyalty scenario. Results of the study indicate several relevant implications for destination management organizations (DMOs) seeking to enhance their destination-branding efforts and for hotel operators, especially internationally branded hotel chains.