The purpose of this research is to assess, examine, and compare the effects of user-generated content (UGC) and firm-generated content (FGC) on consumer buying behaviour for telecommunications products and services. A descriptive quantitative methodology was applied to attain this purpose. The targeted population for this research includes all telecommunications users in Saudi Arabia. The main data were derived from 1206 online surveys from a quota sample of consumers who recently acquired telecommunications services and have active social media profiles. SPSS version 23 was utilized to test the hypotheses. Among the UGC dimensions, both content valence and information richness have a statistically significant positive impact on the consumer buying process (CBP). While all FGC dimensions have a significant positive impact on the CBP, valence has the biggest impact, followed by trustworthiness, and then information richness. FGC influences CBP for telecommunications products and services more than UGC. This paper bridges the literature gap about the comparative effect of UGC and FGC for these kinds of products and services, and the adopted methodology and large obtained sample provide statistically supported evidence for the study’s main results. This contributes to the broader discourse on content marketing and consumer trust by refining the conditions under which UGC or FGC is more influential, this research highlights that industry-specific factors play a critical role in shaping content credibility perceptions. Discussion and future research orientation are provided.

The purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of the HEdPERF model on positive electronic word of mouth (eWOM) through mediating variables of student commitment, satisfaction, and university brand identification in HEIs. Data were gathered using a survey questionnaire via Google Forms involving a sample of 501 currently enrolled students in HEI. SEM was used to test the proposed relationships. This study shows that most of the service quality dimensions in HEdPERF model have a significant impact on student commitment, satisfaction, and university identification. In contrast, this study did not show any significant positive effect of program issues on both university identification and student commitment. The present research contributes to the concept of relationship marketing theory, suggesting that increased positive eWOM to HEI can be enhanced by improving HEdPERF dimensions, which will lead to enhanced commitment, satisfaction, and university identification and ultimately positive eWOM.

The research aims to provide actionable insights to a Dubai-based digital payment company following a leadership-driven organizational transformation. Semi-structured interviews with executives and staff were supplemented by observations and field notes. The study found that foreign employees experienced confusion due to a lack of clear communication or information. Hierarchical work environments and legacy problems hindered employee change. Fear and distrust prevented employees from voicing their concerns. Employees and executives shared similar opinions on the work environment and organizational culture. Leaders did not place enough importance on early worker involvement, communication, and information flow, which hindered their vision and evaluation of employees' conduct. Earlier discussion and resolution of these issues may narrow the gap between the CEO and employees.

This paper presents a qualitative research study to explore how social pressures contribute to normative behaviour of adult smokers. Drawing from theories of social learning, behaviour change and cognitive dissonance from a literature review, the research questions are framed in an empirical social perspective by giving attention to social cues to study smokers and their behaviour changes. The findings reveal that despite media communications from government agencies and public bodies about the dangers of smoking and health risks, ignoring or defying such messages are linked to deeply embedded reasons of smokers’ social norms, cognitive factors and addiction to nicotine. Exploring dissonance behaviour in smokers provides in-depth insights into their feelings and attitudes towards smoking restrictions. Participants in the research sample were found to experience acts of social and cultural stigmatisation when smoking bans reinforce negative feelings of non-smokers toward smokers. The paper concludes that messages and images communicated about inducing behaviour change in smokers from government and public sector organisations should seek to foster social inclusion with policies to support behaviour change in smokers.

PurposeThe aim of this study is to examine the role of relational benefits and brand experience measurements on willingness to pay more (WPM), effects of word of mouth (WOM) and repurchase intention (RI) in fast-food restaurants (FFR).Design/methodology/approachEmploying an online questionnaire survey with a sample size of 503 respondents, the quantitative methodology included multiple regression and factor analysis to facilitate the analyses of data.FindingsRelational benefits and their dimensions (confidence, special treatment and social benefits) found to positively impact WPM, WOM and RI. With reference to brand experiences, the current study found that behavioural and intellectual experiences have significant and positive effects on WPM, WOM and RI. Surprisingly, no positive significance was identified between sensory experiences and WPM, WOM and RI.Practical implicationsThe findings show that relational benefits and brand experience dimensions play an essential role in improving brand loyalty.Originality/valueThe current study subscribes to the concept of relationship marketing theory, suggesting that loyalty to FFRs can be enhanced by offering customers relational benefits and augmenting their brand experiences.

The aim of this chapter is to provide a conceptual framework for big data, marketing research and decision-making. It defines big data and explores how it his developed and is continuing to evolve. It investigates the role of marketing research in making use of big data sources and how big data has caused the focus of marketing research to some extent move from the provision of data to its interpretation, The case study of Netflix is used to show the kind of big data that can be used to provide insight.

Instagram's growth has drawn the interest of many corporations that are searching for new ways to boost their customer relationships. Given the rapid adoption of Instagram marketing and the inadequate research in that field, the objective of this paper is to examine whether "following" brands on Instagram fan pages enhances consumer–brand relationship from the consumer perspective. The data were collected from consumers who follow Instagram fan pages of the four telecommunication companies that are operating in Egypt using an online questionnaire. The telecommunication industry is one of the major industries that rely heavily on Instagram marketing in Egypt. The results indicated that fan page following positively and significantly influences the consumers' brand love and sense of brand community. Also, the findings indicated the consumers' brand love positively impacts consumers' purchase intention and word of mouth. Finally, it showed that consumers' sense of brand community impacts their purchase intention and word of mouth positively. This article contributes theoretically by expanding the focus of brand community literature to fan pages as an innovative form of social media brand communities. Furthermore, it provides recommendations to practitioners to follow when managing Instagram fan pages.

This chapter focuses on how service quality and customer satisfaction affect customers' behavioural loyalty in Islamic banks and the service quality policies required for banks to succeed in managing their customers well. The results show that compliance, tangibility, responsiveness, assurance and empathy significantly and positively impact behavioural loyalty, with compliance and assurance appearing the most influential factors leading to customer behavioural loyalty. The study's recommendations to Islamic banks include a focus on continuous improvement of service quality due to the direct effect on customer behavioural loyalty. It is essential for Islamic banks to review and endorse all policies and procedures to ensure that their documents and investments are undertaken in line with Islamic law requirements.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to develop a conceptual framework that identifies the determinants leading to B-to-B firms' motivations and subsequently to their intentions to become members of a new digital platform from a multi-stakeholders' perspective, while mapping factors that encourage the intention and actual registration of B-to-B players to use the particular digital platform. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative methodology is adopted as the research study has semi-structured interviews in order to gain in-depth responses with firms, using the context of "This is Crowd Ltd," a Business to Business firm from the creative industry.

This chapter develops hypotheses and scenarios about the evolution of marketing research. It considers the impact on marketing research of the appearance and development of new digital data sources and of the rise and rapid rise to market dominance of new companies that create and then exploit this data. It investigates the role of academic research versus that of grey literature and how the relative roles of these two ways of publishing research may change. It also considers how digital developments may affect decisions about whether to use primary or secondary research approaches. It investigates the rise of the discipline of customer or consumer insight and how this affects the world of marketing research. We then consider how these developments might change what clients need and how marketing researchers might respond to their new and ever-changing needs, using several scenarios whose characteristics and probabilities are discussed.

The main objective of this paper is to investigate how service quality and customer satisfaction are correlated to self-reported loyalty intentions in Islamic banks. The paper presents primary data collected by self-administered questionnaires involving a sample of 655 respondents from all local Islamic Banks in Jordan. The results show that compliance, tangibility, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy positively linked to self-reported loyalty intentions, with compliance and assurance appearing as the greatest correlation with self-reported loyalty intentions compared to other service quality dimensions. Islamic banks should focus on continuous improvement of service quality due to the direct correlation with customer satisfaction and loyalty. It is important for Islamic banks to review and endorse all policies and procedures to ensure that their documents and investments are undertaken in line with the requirements of Islamic law. Managers should pay special attention to the service quality provided by their employees and develop their skill set through training and education programmes based on Islamic principles. As the first study of its kind in Jordan, the paper’s contribution stems from filling the research gap in examining the relationship between the various service quality dimensions and self-reported loyalty intentions in Islamic banks using the CARTER model.

This chapter is aimed at academics carrying out marketing research projects. It investigates in detail the difference between primary and secondary data and how the interpretation of these definitions is changing under the impact of digital marketing. It suggests how both primary and secondary data can be and will be used in the future to support academic and commercial research. It considers how different statistical techniques can be used to interpret data, and the use and sources of case studies. It also includes brief coverage of the use of story-telling rather than standard statistical reporting to explain marketing research findings. It concludes with a case study of the use of secondary data to identify how well different countries managed their early response to COVID-19.

This chapter explores issues of trust, privacy and information security as they apply to new types of consumer data arising from digital marketing and social media. It identifies how consumers might be concerned about the extent of disclosure, and what their motivations to disclose their data and their attitudes to subsequent use of that data might be. and attitudes The chapter investigates in depth the issue of user-generated content. It examines the relevance of theories of social gratification and social identity. It then moves on to the wider context in building profiles, communities, sharing of information, institutional trust, brand image, technological innovation and personalisation. It considers the implications of these issues for marketing researchers.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to bring theories of branding and relationship marketing together under the lens of the brand manager and reseller relationship for integrating into a single paradigm. The conceptualization bridges a gap in theory and practice by explaining how a brand can be managed by brand managers building empathetic relationships with resellers and understanding their requirements. Design/methodology/approach It draws upon qualitative methodology and data collected from 12 business-to-business resellers for brands and 8 brand managers working for international brands in India. Findings Brand personified and represented in research questions investigated showed the enablement aspects of brand representatives in competitive reseller networks. Practical implications The findings of this study will be very useful for brand managers aiming to penetrate markets through individuals who could represent their brands to resellers. Social implications This study will help brand managers to create a stronger brand-reseller relationship marketing strategy by incorporating the emotional aspect of personification to benefit a socially driven relationship. Originality/value This study offers new insights into the temporal aspects of branding for business-to-business markets.

Purpose This study aims to fill a gap in branding literature concerning the effect of corporate brand relationships on brand value through the case study method in a business-to-business (B2B) context. The objectives of this study can be framed in the following three questions: what are the main constituents of a corporate brand; how does a corporate brand generate tangible and intangible brand value for their business customers; and how do tangible and intangible brand benefits influence relationship initiation and management practices of the case companies? Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a qualitative multiple cases study design by using archival data and both in-depth telephone and online interviews with senior representatives of the case study companies to investigate corporate branding and associated issues in a B2B context. Findings From a managerial perspective, this study reveals that corporate business culture, brand relationships, products and corporate identity and personality as the main constituents of a corporate brand in a B2B context. The results show that a corporate brand can generate intangible and tangible brand value benefits for business customers. The findings also note the importance of brand value in enhancing relationship initiation. Originality/value The study contributes to the branding literature by developing a conceptual model that explains the development and role of the corporate brand in a B2B context with its associated value creation and brand management outcomes. The findings advance brand management literature on business relationships, which addresses a gap in B2B contexts rather than mainly about product brand management and value creation in business-to-consumer contexts.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the CARTER model impact on attitudinal loyalty in Islamic banks. Design/methodology/approach The paper presents primary data collected by self-administered questionnaires involving a sample of 655 respondents from all local Islamic banks in Jordan. SPSS was used to analyse the data and AMOS was used to analyse confirmatory factor analysis. Findings In terms of the dimensions of CARTER model, the results show that empathy, assurance and compliance are the most influential factors leading to attitudinal loyalty. Insignificant relationship between tangibles and attitudinal loyalty was found. The findings also show that customer satisfaction plays as a mediating variable between dimensions of service quality and attitudinal loyalty. Practical implications Islamic banks should focus on continuous improvement of service quality because of the direct effect on attitudinal loyalty. Managers should pay special attention to the quality provided by their employees and develop their skill set through training and education programmes using Islamic knowledge. They should make sure that all activities are carried out in the right manner the first time and every time to enhance customer loyalty at all times. They also are recommended to comply with the Shariah board alliances and collaboration and other decisions of the Islamic Fiqh Academy. Originality/value As the first study of its kind in Jordan, the paper's contribution stems from filling the research gap in examining the effects of the various service quality dimensions on the impact of attitudinal loyalty in Islamic banks using the CARTER model.

This paper contributes to the literature on nation branding. We investigate how a country's attributes, as reflected by its cinema, built travel destination attractiveness for consumers. Our field study adds to the literature on the role of cinema in consumer place branding. The research model analysis results show that a country's infrastructural, cultural, political, social and environmental attributes influence nation branding. Travellers' personal traits act as moderators, and travellers positively view these country attributes through the lenses of their own experiences. As practical implications, the findings are valuable to country managers whose responsibility is building the brand image of their nations.

Purpose of the paper: The paper explores use of big data in innovation and market leadership in B2B relationships. It provides a framework to analyze the impact of big data, supported by four case studies. Methodology/approach: This is a conceptual paper, supported by case studies, offering the opportunity for concept generalization. The case study organizations are innovating to stay ahead in the market and to expand activity, using big data to exploit marketing opportunities and create new offerings. Findings: Organizations are recipients of and are collectors of big data, partly created by the increasing volume of business and customer transactions online. The qualitative exploration of the cases shows that big data and its analytics and applications can be taken as indicators of organizations' ability to innovate to respond to market opportunities. Research limitations/implications: The online marketing environment is a dynamic one, where organizations must innovate to survive. A limitation is that the cases in the paper do not deal with those lagging in innovation, for whom survival is an issue. The paper's examples are limited to successful organizations where big data, data mining and analytics led to strategic business success. Practical Implications: B2B organizations that operate in markets where their own products or services have a significant impact on how the products and services of their B2B customers provide value to end (B2C) customers should, in their innovation activity, engage fully with the end B2C market, together with their B2B customers. This has implications in every area from strategy to human resources. If the B2B organization's pedigree includes B2C activity parallel to that of their customers but not competitive, this can give them an advantage in marketing, but if their B2C activities start to encroach on the B2C activities of their customers, this may cause conflict and loss of business. This implies that if marketing strategy becomes siloed between the different branches of the business, the potential for conflict increases. Originality/value of the paper: The paper's value is in contributing to understanding big data's role in business innovation, specifically in business to business organizations and where their innovation can transform customer experience at the end of the value chain, i.e., with final consumers. Therefore, the paper helps to address a research gap in the literature, which tends to focus on how such innovation affects business-to-business relationships.

This article investigates the factors that affect consumers’ attitudes towards Instagram advertisements in Egypt. Furthermore, it studies the effect of consumers’ attitudes towards these advertisements on the development of their attitudes towards brands. An online questionnaire was used to collect data from 412 Instagram users in Egypt. The results suggest that the level of consumers’ perception of informativeness, entertainment, credibility and lack of irritation in the Instagram advertisements is strongly related to their attitudes. Moreover, the results confirm the positive effect of consumers’ attitudes towards Instagram advertisements on their attitudes towards the advertised brands. The current study contributes theoretically by presenting the factors that can make consumers hold favourable attitudes towards advertising on their Instagram accounts. This expands the focus of the theory of consumers’ attitudes towards advertisements to social media which has largely replaced traditional advertising media. Additionally, this article contributes practically by providing some guidelines for marketers to follow when advertising on Instagram.