Dr Qing Shan Ding

Many brands have employed virtual advertising strategies as their main technique of advertising. In the recent years, many brands used Social Media Influencers (SMIs) to help them to change the customer attitudes. SMIs aimed to convey authenticity and belonging feelings to their followers; however, the fear of missing out (FOMO) has been seen more within the followers and the impact of it on impulsive buying. The trust of SMIs’ followers has a considerable role in the increase of Urge-to-Buy (UTB). Dinh and Lee (2021) argued that influencer imitation has a significant impact on social comparison, captured in the fear of missing out (FOMO) effect, which affects the purchase intention of the endorsed product. Furthermore, followers of SMIs have shown impulsive purchases of fashion and cosmetic products (Prihana Gunawan & Permadi Iskandar, 2020). The trust gained by SMIs has a significant role in enhancing the urge-to-buy (UTB) impulsively on social networking sites (Shamim & Islam, 2022). On the other hand, SMIs are considered role models with a high impact on their follower’s behaviour, and they are also responsible for any ethical and unethical behaviour they exhibit on their platform. For instance, some SMIs end up using fake authenticity campaigns or unsustainable consumption which leads to fast fashion and impulsive purchases. This chapter will focus on exploring the impact of the virtual world on UTB and impulsive behaviour because of FOMO.

Despite the prevalence of tobacco use, Egypt lacked smoking cessation treatments to combat the nation's rising smoking population and studies on smoking cessation were limited in the majority of low- and middle-income countries. There is an urgent need to study the enablers of smoking cessation. This study adopted a quantitative research approach to test the conceptual framework. Data were collected using two sampling methods: a random sample in the first phase followed by a snowball strategy. A total of 569 ex-smokers who had successfully stopped smoking completed self-administered questionnaires. Structural equation modelling was adopted for the data analysis. The findings of this study indicate that the accumulation of Cultural Capital could serve as an independent cause for successful smoking cessation behaviour in Egypt. Egypt should invest in cultural activities and educational establishments which not only help its smoking population acquire new skills but also contribute to successful and sustained smoking cessation. To the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to expand Self-determination Theory and combine Cultural Capital to understand successful smoking cessation behaviour. While most studies focused on current smokers and intentions to quit, this study assessed ex-smokers who had successfully ceased smoking. It confirmed that Cultural Capital alone could contribute to behavioural and sustained behavioural change.

With this balanced and comprehensive approach, this book is an essential resource for anyone interested in the future of advertising. Saloomeh Tabari is a Lecturer in Marketing and Strategy at Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University.

Purpose Restaurants’ outdoor signage plays an irreplaceable role in attracting potential diners, as it conveys important functional and symbolic meanings of the businesses. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of typographic design elements of outdoor signage on consumers’ perceptions of authenticity. This study also tests the linkage between authenticity and willingness to dine, as well as the moderating effect of frequency of dining in ethnic restaurants on the relationship. Design/methodology/approach Using a 2 (simplified vs traditional Chinese characters) × 2 (calligraphy vs computer font) × 2 (vertical vs horizontal text flow) between-subject design, the authors did two experiments with 786 Chinese diners. Restaurant authenticity and willingness to dine are dependent variables, and openness to ethnic cuisine is the control variable. Findings Display characters and text flow significantly affect restaurant authenticity. Furthermore, the results of this study demonstrate that display characters interact with typeface to influence restaurant authenticity. Consumers’ perceived authenticity significantly increases their willingness to dine. The frequency of dining in ethnic restaurants moderates the relationship between restaurant authenticity and willingness to dine. Practical implications Ethnic restaurateurs should pay attention to the outdoor signage design, as it affects potential consumers’ authenticity perceptions. Specifically, in Mainland China, traditional Chinese characters and vertical text direction increase potential consumers’ authenticity perceptions. Originality/value This study extends the semiotic theory and applies the cue–judgment–behavior model in the hospitality literature. This study also provides new understanding of authenticity by identifying the influence of typographic design on authenticity, which confirms the semiotic theory that certain semiotic cues affect consumers’ judgments.

Marketing accountability and the measurement of marketing performance have long been reported as a significant challenge for management globally. To address the increasing demand for marketing accountability, companies across the world are investing resources in developing and improving their marketing performance measurement (MPM) practices. MPM practices in Irish firms were reported to be less well developed than those reported in other countries. This study aims to investigate if and how MPM practices have changed since then, by means of a comparative analysis which contrasts secondary data collected by O'Sullivan in 2007 and primary data collected in 2015. This study also seeks to examine the impact of MPM practices on firms’ marketing capabilities and firm performance. Based on survey data collected from 210 Irish managers, this study finds that companies adopting comprehensive MPM practices tend to develop enhanced marketing capabilities and achieve better firm performance than those adopting less comprehensive MPM practices.

The study intends to increase the marketing quantity of various commodities and promote the comprehensive development of the market. The study first discusses the principle and current situation of the emerging Immersive Marketing. Then, it analyzes the Deep Learning (DL) Neural Network (NN) model. Finally, a Personalized Recommendation System (PRS) is designed based on the Immersive Marketing environment using the Graph Neural Network (GNN) model. The proposed PRS based on the Immersive Graph Neural Network (IGNN) model has reflected higher advantages over other recommendation systems. The experiment results suggest that Immersive Marketing can fully reflect commodities’ essential attributes and characteristics, improve users’ shopping experience, and promote sales. Meanwhile, the IGNN-based PRS reported here gives users an elevated and immersive shopping experience and entertainment process. Lastly, the model comparison finds that the proposed IGNN outperforms other models. The optimal model parameters are verified as P@20 and R@20 to gain the highest composite index values. In particular, parameter R@20 gives the model a better performance over P@20. The study provides technical references for improving the marketing process of various commodities and entertainment products and contributes to marketing technology development.

Purpose This study proposes marketing strategies for global fast-moving consumer good (FMCG) brands to survive and thrive in the turbulent economic environment created by COVID-19. The authors investigate the indirect effects of consumer ethnocentrism (CET) and consumer confidence (CC) on customer equity drivers (CEDs)’ effectiveness in influencing repurchase intention (RI) for global FMCG brands. Design/methodology/approach This study uses the mall-intercept technique. Respondents were randomly approached at popular retail and shopping destinations in Athens, Greece, and 228 customer participants completed the survey. Findings CET and CC weaken the positive relationship between certain CEDs and RI of FMCG brands. Particularly, the effects of relationship equity (RE) and value equity (VE) on strengthening repeated purchases are higher for low-confidence or low-ethnocentric consumers. Thus, marketing strategies for enhancing value and creating stronger consumer–brand relationships are more effective in boosting repeated purchases during economic turbulence. Practical implications Practitioners and academicians can use the insights obtained from this study to determine how to allocate resources and adopt the most effective marketing strategies in local environments based on consumer preference for domestic or global products and consumer morale and expectations for future financial status. Originality/value This research unveils the mechanism behind the moderating effects of CET and CC on the effectiveness of CEDs in global FMCG settings using social identity and system justification theory. Turbulence in international and local markets due to the pandemic has revealed that marketing function needs to redesign strategies and coordinate practices to boost repeat purchases.

There is no doubt that celebrities and social media influencers improve trust and investment from brands and advertisers, but the potentially problematic impact on society and consumers is less examined, especially the negative influence on materialism and mental health among adolescents. As suggested by Belk ( 1985), materialism does not necessarily lead to negative outcomes; it could increase compulsive buying behaviour (Islam et al., 2017) willingness to purchase counterfeit products (Furnham & Valgeirsson, The Journal of Socio-Economics, 36(5), 677–685, 2007) and reduced psychological well-being (Christopher et al., 2009). Lou and Kim ( 2019) concluded that influencers played a significant role in cultivating adolescents’ materialistic views and increasing their intentions to purchase endorsed products. Influencers could utilize multiple social media platforms, such as blogs, YouTube and Instagram, to affect every stage of fashion buyers’ decision-making process (Sudha & Sheena, 2017). Instagram influencers play an active role in shaping fast fashion buyers’ attitudes and purchase intentions towards the latest must-have items. They are considered experts in fast fashion and trendsetters and are the crucial persuading factors in deciding fast fashion brand choices (Kharuhayothin & Patarapongsant, 2022). As one of the most polluting industries, the environmental impact of fast fashion is under increasing scrutiny (Niinimäki et al., 2020), the growth of fashion waste (Jang et al., , 2012) and damage to water quality (Bailey et al., 2022) raised serious concerns around the world. The negative impact of influencers on our societal and environmental well-being cannot be ignored.

Purpose Drawing on signalling theory and focusing on independent restaurants, this study aims to investigate how business signals (transparency information and exposure) affect business transparency, food authenticity and, ultimately, purchase intentions. Design/methodology/approach Using a 2 × 2 between-subject experimental design, Study 1 examines the recipe and an internet-famous restaurant, and Study 2 assesses the food supply chain and a celebrity-owned restaurant. Analysis of covariance and PROCESS are used to analyse the data. Findings The results suggest that while revealing information on recipes and food supply chains positively affects business transparency, exposure has no significant impact. Additionally, secret recipes and revealed food supply chains contribute to higher food authenticity, whilst being a celebrity owner or internet-famous restaurant negatively affects food authenticity. Research limitations/implications Restaurant managers must be strategic and selective about the kinds of business signals they wish to reveal to customers. Secret recipes lead to higher food authenticity, whereas the revealed recipes and revealed food supply chains elicit higher business transparency. Independent restaurants should not rely on celebrity owners or seek internet fame, as neither type of exposure contributes to transparency or authenticity. Originality/value This study advances the theoretical understanding of signalling theory relating to the determinants of transparency and food authenticity in a hospitality context. Contrary to previous studies, it reveals that exposure, as a transparency signal, has no impact on either business transparency or food authenticity. It extends knowledge and understanding of different types of independent restaurants, especially internet-famous restaurants.

Service quality (SQ) and customer experience (CX) have become critical indicators of the success of a business in today’s competitive environment. The rapid advancement of technology has fundamentally transformed customer interactions, particularly within the telecommunications sector. Service quality impacts customer experience, especially in digital service interactions and service delivery. High-quality service in digital environments leads to positive customer perceptions, satisfaction and loyalty and is the foundation of a good customer experience in digital touchpoints. The more seamless, reliable, efficient, and personalised the service, the better the customer experience Purpose - This research examines the impact of digital touchpoints on electronic service quality (ESQ) and customer experience (CX) within Ghana's telecommunications sector. With service quality and digital interactions becoming critical determinants of customer satisfaction and loyalty, the study explores the limitations of the traditional SERVQUAL model in capturing the nuances of digital service encounters. The aim is to enhance the SERVQUAL model by integrating digital touchpoints and digital-specific constructs, such as trust and perceived value, which reflect the realities of modern service delivery. The objectives of this research are threefold: (1) to examine the effectiveness of digital touchpoints such as websites, mobile applications, and social media in delivering quality service experiences; (2) to assess customer and provider perspectives on digital service delivery using SERVQUAL dimensions refined for digital contexts; and (3) to compare the service offerings and performance of the two leading telecom providers, MTN Ghana and Vodafone Ghana, in managing digital customer interactions. Methodology - A mixed-methods research strategy underpins this study, guided by a pragmatic paradigm. Qualitative data were collected through six semi-structured interviews, three from each company, comprising CX experts and digital service staff. Quantitative data were obtained from 400 customer responses to an online survey distributed across the two companies. NVivo was used for thematic analysis of qualitative data, while Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) via SmartPLS was applied to test the measurement and structural models from the quantitative data. Findings - The findings reveal that digital touchpoints significantly influence customer perceptions of service quality, particularly in areas such as responsiveness, reliability, personalisation, and ease of use. Trust and perceived value also emerged as strong predictors of customer satisfaction and loyalty in digital environments. Furthermore, the study highlights the need for an integrated omnichannel strategy that blends traditional and digital service quality dimensions to optimise the overall customer journey. Originality - This research not only refines the SERVQUAL model for digital applications but also provides practical recommendations for MTN and Vodafone Ghana. It contributes to the empirical literature on ESQ, digital touchpoints, and omnichannel customer experience, offering strategic insights into how telecom providers can enhance service quality, customer engagement, satisfaction, and loyalty in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine consumer ethnocentrism (CE) in China and clarify whether CE impacted on Chinese consumers’ product preferences between local and foreign products. Design/methodology/approach Street surveys and mall intercepts were conducted, 367 questionnaires were collected with 170 from Shenyang – Northern China and 197 from Shenzhen – Southern China. Findings CE is low in China, it poses no serious threat to foreign products. Consumers living in second tier Northern city like Shenyang have higher ethnocentric beliefs than those living in a first tier like Shenzhen in Southern China. CE’s impact varies between product categories and availability of domestic alternative could be a key issue. Age and education level have significant moderating effects. Research limitations/implications It only collected from two Chinese cities, distribution pattern of CE data determined non-parametric data analysis methods were adopted. Practical implications Regional differences in China matters, first tier Southern cities like Shenzhen could be less challenging destinations for foreign retailers. Targeting young and highly educated consumers could be more effective. Although CE level is low in China, a cautious approach beyond first tier cities is recommended, especially when facing competent local rivals. Originality/value It clarified that CE did affect product preferences amongst Chinese consumers, highlighted China’s regional differences in terms of North-South divide and first and second tier cites. It also identified that availability of domestic alternative is a key factor that cannot be ignored. This study provided evidence to demonstrate that with unprecedented uncertainties on global free trade, there is no grassroots support for protectionism and isolationism in China.