The role of social presence in mortality salience effects

Terror management theory (TMT; Greenberg et al., 1986) suggests that reminders of death intensify the desire to express cultural norms leading to culturally prescribed behavior such as charitable giving, church attendance, and exorbitant spending. Living up to these norms provides high levels of self-esteem, which can serve as a buffer against existential anxiety. The present paper argues that people can experience an extra self-esteem boost when they act in accordance with cultural norms while others can observe this behavior. More specifically, the present studies hypothesized and found that the presence of others (i.e., social presence) moderates mortality salience effects on consumption-related behavior. Study 1 demonstrates that consumers, under conditions of mortality salience, express more favorable attitudes towards a luxury brand (valued in Western cultures) when they know that other can observe their behavior. Study 2 extended these results to non-luxury brands. Under conditions of mortality salience, consumers express less favorable evaluations of non-luxury (non-valued brands) when they are aware of the presence of others. These results imply that consumers derive self-esteem indirectly from the knowledge that others observe their appropriate behavior rather than directly from following the cultural values or norms of one's society.     

When managers pressure employees to behave badly: Toward a comprehensive response

Over the last 10 to 15 years, a disturbing number of well-publicized cases of unethical worker behavior have made national headlines. These events have been associated with tragic consequences: countless people have lost their jobs and the associated health insurance and retirement benefits on which they depended; investors have lost their nest eggs; and the trust in the corporate world that is so critical to a thriving economy has been sullied. Pundits have offered simple explanations for these events (e.g., greed) and equally simple solutions (e.g., punish the wrong-doers). In this article, I draw attention to a trigger of unethical work behavior that has received less attention than is warranted: pressure to behave unethically (PBU) perpetrated by organizational authorities. Many instances in which employees violate ethical standards reflect acquiescence to managerial pressure. Herein, I introduce a comprehensive approach to reduce the frequency with which managers execute acts of PBU. My approach draws on a recent influence framework to target managers’ motivation to perform PBU, and ability to achieve personal and organizational goals without resorting to PBU.     

Antecedents of brand citizenship behavior in retailing

There has been increased interest in retail branding yet there is a dearth of internal branding research in this industry. The purpose of this study is to explore the antecedents of Brand Citizenship Behavior (BCB) in a retail environment. The role that the frequency of employee contact with customers plays will also be examined. A further aim is to give guidance to retailers on how they should develop an internal branding management strategy. A conceptual model provides a foundation for the study. A literature review of the brand citizenship behavior and the related constructs was undertaken to inform the model. The results show support for the hypothesized relationships. Significant differences between managers and associates as well as between full-time and part-time associates were found. Recommendations are presented to retailers.     

The uninvited brand

Brands rushed into social media, viewing social networks, video sharing, online communities, and microblogging sites as the panacea to diminishing returns for traditional brand building routes. But as more branding activity moves to the Web, marketers are confronted with the stark realization that social media was made for people, not for brands. In this article, we explore the emergent cultural landscape of open source branding, and identify marketing strategies directed at the hunt for consumer engagement on the People's Web. These strategies present a paradox, for to gain coveted resonance, the brand must relinquish control. We discuss how Web-based power struggles between marketers and consumer brand authors challenge accepted branding truths and paradigms: where short-term brands can trump long-term icons; where marketing looks more like public relations; where brand building gives way to brand protection; and brand value is driven by risk, not returns.     

Modeling the brand extensions' influence on brand image

Brand-extension strategies enhance success chances of new products, even though they expose brand image to dilution risks. The present work analyzes how brand-extension evaluation can affect the current brand image and proposes a theoretical model formed by five main factors related to brand associations, extension congruency and extension attitude. The model estimation includes structural equation analysis using data from 699 surveys developed under market conditions. The results verify that extension attitude influences brand image, whereas initial brand associations and perceived fit between the new product and either the remaining products (category fit) or the brand image (image fit) are able to strengthen consumer attitude. The study also explains the role of consumer innovativeness as a moderating factor, suggesting that the characteristics of consumer personality could be more important than expected.     

Introduction: Special issue on advances in brand management

This special issue of the Journal of Business Research contains 13 articles presented at the Spring 2007 Thought Leaders International Conference on Brand Management. Following a blind reviewing process 69 papers were presented at the conference then authors were invited to revise their papers for inclusion consideration for this special issue. A further round of blind reviewing resulted in the selection of those 13 articles. This introduction presents a review of the research into brand management.     

Social versus psychological brand community: The role of psychological sense of brand community

In the quest for building long-term successful brands, many marketers have become increasingly interested in how to create and foster successful communities of brand users. The appeal of such an approach to relationship marketing lies in the recognition that members of brand communities tend to exhibit favorable brand-related behaviors and intentions. Research examining the social influence and creation of such social relationships among admirers of a brand has revealed substantial insights about the social processes that underlie customers' involvement in brand communities. Curiously, the psychological underpinnings of a customer's perception of community with other users of the brand remain unexplored. We offer the perspective that the observable, core components of brand community outlined in previous research may represent markers of social brand communities, while psychological brand communities may be characterized by an unobservable, psychological sense of community that could precede, or even work in lieu of, social interaction.     

Developing a measure to capture marketing faculty's perceptions of unethical behavior

The study explores the factor structure of the Sirgy et al. [Sirgy MJ, Johar JS, Gao T. Toward a code of ethics for marketing educators. Journal of Business Ethics 2006; 63(1): 1-20] measure of marketing faculty's perceptions of unethical behavior and tests its predictive validity. We surveyed members of the Academy of Marketing Science regarding their perceptions of acceptability of 142 behaviors that marketing faculty may encounter in their roles as teacher, researcher, administrator, consultant, professional colleague, and college professor. We used exploratory factor analyses to reveal the factor structures of the items grouped by four faculty roles: teaching, research, administrative service, and professional service. We then tested the measure's predictive validity by testing for demographic differences (gender, age, rank, tenure, and level of education) with respect to the 23 types of unethical faculty behaviors. The final measure can be used by marketing-related associations to gauge the norms of faculty conduct, which in turn can help them develop their own academic code of ethics.     

30年广告镜像:社会价值观念的嬗变(1979-2008)

本研究从中观层面入手,把中观层面的广告经营观变革分为五个阶段：产品力阶段（1979-1983）、文化力阶段（1984-1993）、媒介力阶段（1994-1997）、营销力阶段（1998-2003）和品牌力阶段（2004-2008）。在对广告界多位资深人士进行问卷调查和深度访问基础上,从中遴选出最具代表性的15个经典案例或事件。考察各阶段广告传播的微观波动——消费观,并从宏观角度寻找其与中观、微观律动的深层原因——时代观,以此管窥中国社会价值观念的变迁机制。     

Strategic personal branding—And how it pays off

Unlike companies or products, individuals possess intrinsic personal branding as a result of personality qualities, past experience and development, and communication with others—whether they know it or not. In this sense, every person already has a personal brand of some kind. The challenge is to manage that brand strategically. We offer a process for doing so, beginning with self-analysis. Then we review published sources and summarize interviews about the personal brands of 33 U.S. and European sales executives and managers, salesforce members, and professionals who sell their own services. The interviews indicate roughly equal emphasis on competence and personal qualities in creating personal brands, as well as significant interest in distinctiveness, and the respondents provide a range of examples of how personal branding pays off. This investigation leads to our basic recommendation: Follow a strategic self-branding process based on one’s values and competencies, similar to the branding methods of companies and products, but with the understanding that personal branding will change as one’s career advances.     

Risky business: Taking a stand on social issues

When company executives take a stand on social issues, the repercussions can be significant. Not only does the company run the risk of alienating employees, but taking a stand on a controversial issue can impact the company's image and ultimately consumer purchasing behaviors. However, research on corporate social responsibility generally supports the notion that when companies get involved in societal issues, it can positively influence bottom-line financial performance. This article evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of taking a corporate stand on sensitive social issues and suggests guidelines that leaders should consider to increase the probability of success. Specifically, we found that oftentimes it is not the stand a leader takes but rather how that leader takes that stand. Moreover, we encourage business leaders to consider the delicate balance between fiduciary responsibility and social activism, to use a strategic approach, and to understand the legal repercussions before taking a stand on a social issue.     

Towards an identity-based brand equity model

In the context of increasingly interchangeable product and service offerings, brands are crucial drivers for product purchasing and usage decisions. Thus, they constitute a substantial intangible asset for most companies. In order to maximize this asset, current research has developed various brand equity models. However, the majority of these base their approach on an outside-in perspective by focusing on buyer perceptions of the brand and their related buying behavior. An integrated approach including for example employees as an important internal source of brand equity, has so far received little attention. The following paper aims to close this gap by developing a new integrated brand equity model. This research explores the sources of brand equity from both internal and external perspectives at the behavioral and financial level in order to achieve a more accurate and sustainable brand equity measurement approach.     

Consumer–brand relationship quality: When and how it helps brand extensions

Two studies demonstrate that strong brand relationship quality (BRQ) enhances consumer judgments about brand extensions. Different methods (survey vs. experiment), participants (real consumers vs. college students), and cultural contexts (Korea vs. Canada) demonstrate that this effect generalizes. Study results suggest that this effect only occurs for two moderately-low-fit extensions: the extension and the parent are similar product categories with inconsistent attributes, or dissimilar product categories with consistent attributes. Two different cognitive processes underlie the BRQ effects depending on these conditions.