Purpose- This paper aims to the intricate relationship between digital influencers (DIs) and their followers, aiming to develop a comprehensive framework that explains how influence works in the digital world. It focuses on understanding the cultural aspects that shape these relationships in today's global and digital marketplace. Design/methodology/approach- This study employs a holistic methodology, intertwining historical, cultural and theoretical insights to decode the DI phenomenon. Applying a Grounded Theory approach, this paper coded articles into categories, developed abstract concepts and refined them through cycles of literature collection and analysis that allowed identifing gaps in the Influencer Marketing field. This comprehensive review and inductive analysis of globalization, mediated communication and digital interactions aim to unravel the intricacies of digital and virtual influence. This paper's theoretical development advances propositions that dissect the facets influencing digital adoption, usage, interest and value perception, leading to a detailed model of digital influence grounded in both theory and real-world examples. Findings- This research uncovers the significant impact DIs have, driven by global connections and the way we communicate in the digital age. Historical context situates DIs within the broader narrative of mediated persuasive communication. A preliminary typology of DIs and influence contexts forms the foundation for further exploration. Research limitations/implications- This study enhances the discussion around DIs by considering the influence of technology and culture together. It draws from the thoughts of leading thinkers on how technology connects us, providing a strong foundation for future studies. Practical implications- As digital influence and the surrounding technology continue to change, it's important to think critically about these trends. This research offers valuable insights for businesses looking to navigate the digital landscape effectively, helping them make better strategic decisions about their online presence. Originality/value- This study breaks new ground by offering a detailed categorization of DIs and proposing a fresh way to understand their role. It links important ideas from the past about persuasion through media to the current state of digital influence, offering insights into how digital trends might affect communication strategies.

The introduction of new consumer technologies has renewed research focus on their acceptance. This paper's goal is to empirically examine several antecedents of behavioural intentions towards a new grocery shopping innovation through an online survey of Brazilian consumers. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modelling are used to verify the proposed research model. The findings support consumers' Shopping Motivation, Technology Orientation as significant antecedents of Behavioural Intentions mediated by the Perceptions of Technology. These antecedents are affected by the consumer's gender and age. Technology Orientation also has a direct effect on Behavioural Intentions. The research expands our understanding of the antecedents of behavioural intentions and finds support for the mediating role of the Perceptions of Technology.

Technologies, especially Internet-based digital ones, are reshaping choice processes – actual considerations and actions, as well as perceptions of these – in massive, often fundamental, ways. In this paper, our goal is to explore choice processes in general, and especially choice processes in hyperdigital marketspaces (i.e., with massively, pervasively interconnected things) with examples drawn from U.S. macro consumption contexts. We start with a short review of discourses on choice and choicelessness and then shift to the emerging era of technology-shaped choice processes that are especially observable in contemporary hyperdigital marketspaces. For the increasingly large swaths of market segments that consume, indeed live, digitally, we find deft symbolic sublimations and inversions happening, wherein manipulation is perceived as autonomy enhancing.

Purpose In a very personal reflection, this paper aims to trace the academic trajectory of a female marketing academic in a very male-dominated discipline. It also highlights the struggle balancing work and family, as well as protecting an immigrant identity in a foreign culture. Design/methodology/approach Given the period and unique conditions of the author’s academic journey, this highly personal retrospective account is based on recall of significant events that have shaped my singular experience. It attempts to capture the experience of an immigrant female novice navigating not only a foreign culture but also a very male-dominant discipline. Findings While times have changed and gender barriers are lower today, challenges remain. In addition, the set of choices faced by women with partners in the same discipline differ significantly and complicate the family-work balance decisions. There is no one set of path that can be followed. Practical implications While there is a professional cost to deviating from the mainstream, pursuing alternatives to the dominant topics is vital to advancing the health and relevance of the marketing discipline. The relationships between marketing and development have been an important topic for me; however, these macromarketing topics continue to be neglected. Given the current socio-economic-political conditions globally, perhaps future marketing scholars will devote greater attention to these topics. Originality/value This is purely the author’s personal reflection of a journey that began accidentally. It also occurred in the 1970s when women were rare in the business world, particularly business academia. It offers a retrospective comparison to male peers who, aside from their individual talents and history (Belk, 2017; Firat, 2014; Holbrook, 2017), were achieving their professional goals at a similar period. It also provides some historical context that can be compared to experiences of other female pioneers in marketing academia and marketing practice (Bolton, 2017; Tadajewski and Maclaran, 2013; Zeithaml, 2017).

This article is the first to empirically assess two known measures of country of origin (COO) constructs to determine their relative effectiveness. Two empirical studies employing real brands from the U.S. and South Korea were conducted. Brand origin recognition accuracy (BORA) and brand familiarity were assessed, in addition to consumer judgments. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the relative contribution of alternative COO constructs. The results show that brand familiarity has the largest influence on product quality and purchase intentions. When the two alternative measures of COO are compared directly, in the absence of brand familiarity, the traditional measure of COO captures the effects better than the Stereotype Content Model (SCM) measure. If only one measure of COO is used, both are effective. In addition, both BORA and brand familiarity help us to better understand the conditions that influence COO effects.

This paper aims to summarize the technology perspectives and innovative scenarios applied in the Amazon region. A call for papers for the Special Issue yielded four accepted articles that serve as the source for the summary. All these articles focus on specific cases in the Legal Amazon region and provide empirical evidence supported by theories and relevant literature. All the articles emphasized the need for investment in the form of networks for development and innovation. A descriptive, qualitative approach using the bibliometric software WordStat 8® identified the words most frequently used in the four papers included this special issue. The most relevant terms identified were: network, innovation, firms, production, research and development. In total, these articles point to varied partners and institutions necessary for building networks to further development and innovation. This Special Issue is a first step to building a knowledge base focused on the Amazon region that is missing in the academic literature. Future contributions must build and expand the discussion of empirical cases and reflect different disciplines that contribute to industries, policies, society and networks. This is necessary to improve innovation and economic development of this important region.

It is now common to see consumers post their own purchases on social media to communicate feelings and/or thoughts about the consumption items to their social media audience. The authors conducted two surveys with a student sample and an Amazon MTurk sample to investigate factors leading to such behavior. The results show that purchase type predicts the consumption-related posting behavior-experiential purchases are more likely to get posted than material purchases, and materialism serves as a moderator in the influence of purchase type on the posting behavior. Specifically, lower-materialism consumers are more likely to post experiential purchases on social media than material purchases, while higher-materialism consumers do not show such a pattern. This article pioneers in investigating consumption-related posting behavior and provides important implications to research on user-generated content, materialism, and purchase type.

Large emerging economies like India present major challenges to international marketers as well as to academic theorists. The retail sector in India is particularly challenging because, numerically, it is the world's largest and most heterogeneous, with millions of tiny small traditional outlets competing with thousands of rapidly growing and expanding modern retail chain outlets. Based on extensive fieldwork in India entailing observation, interviews and secondary research, this paper presents a multifaceted view of how consumer patronage of small traditional stores provide competitive advantages to these small competitors. The empirical results suggest historical patterns do not apply in this context. Managerial and theoretical implications follow. The working conclusion is that retail developments in India and other major emerging economies would require not just innovations in practice but strong, ongoing efforts for theoretical renewal so that better explanatory frameworks are available for understanding marketing strategies and consumer behaviors in emerging settings.

Purpose The purpose of the present research is to investigate how consumers’ purchase posting behavior on social media influences their own happiness. Design/methodology/approach The paper presents three studies. Study 1 was an experiment that manipulated purchase and posting behavior. Studies 2 and 3 utilized surveys which asked participants to report their actual purchases and posting behaviors. Data were examined using regression and bootstrap mediation analysis. Findings Posting purchases on social media has a positive influence on consumers’ happiness through the mediating roles of perceived impact of purchases on self and interpersonal relationships. Research limitations/implications This paper contributes to the research on social media by demonstrating that because of its remarkable characteristics, posting purchases on social media significantly increases consumers’ happiness. It fills the research gap of how word-of-mouth and conspicuous consumption influences the storyteller’s happiness. It is also the first research which suggests that user-generated content of purchases actually can be a new carrier of conspicuous consumption. The findings shed light on the substantial influences of posting purchases on the use/consumption stage of consumer behavior. Practical implications Because posting purchases on social media increases consumers’ happiness, marketers can develop strategies to encourage consumers to post about their purchases more. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is the first to demonstrate the positive effect of social media purchase posting on consumers’ happiness and identify the mechanism under which this effect occurs.

Educational institutions, as part of the service sector, face unique challenges in developing and implementing an internal brand management (IBM) program. Internal stakeholders generally resist branding strategy. A case study of a public U.S. university describes the branding approach, which incorporated the multiple interests into an integrated strategy. The article contributes to our understanding of “doing branding” in the higher education sector and the unique role of IBM before, rather than after, a branding strategy has been developed.

This retrospective commentary looks back to the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and later decades to trace the originating ideas, intellectual influences, personalities, academic ventures and other events that spawned and shaped the International Society of Markets and Development (ISMD), the parent sponsoring organization of Markets, Globalization & Development Review (MGDR). From this rich history, this commentary hopes to inspire existing and emerging generations of authors to explore the areas of interest to ISMD and MGDR, and to contribute to this journal.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how art production and marketing in China is attempting to move up the value chain as increasing number of Chinese replica-selling galleries seek to break free from the image of Chinese art towns as skilled but imitative centres of art production. Design/methodology/approach – In-depth interviews were conducted among seven gallery owners in Wushipu art village over three weeks to discover how art production in China has evolved and to chart its future growth. Findings – In the Chinese setting with its distinctive cultural patterns, tensions between the emergent national pride in original art and the facile and commercial moneymaking potential of simply selling industrially produced art are revealed. Practical implications – The changing dynamics of arts markets in China provide marketers and researchers a glimpse into a parallel trend: the gradual but rising shift to innovation, originality and luxury occurring in the China-based manufacturing centres of material goods. Social implications – The attempts to break from the imitative mass production of art and strike a balance between creating and meeting the art needs of the Chinese consumer indicate how domestic market priorities and economic growth are likely to serve as the new fuel for contemporary China’s socioeconomic development. Originality/value – Via an interpretive look at contemporary Chinese modes of arts production and marketing, the paper revisits the antagonism between the creation of original art and the production of industrial art in a context not well-known in the west, the massive art production centres of China.

The rapid rise in available cloud based big data on marketing transactions and consumers and the increasing sophistication of data mining methods is transforming scholarly research and managerial practice. Following an historical review of marketing research, this entry focuses on trends and challenges of big data for scholarly and commercial marketing research with respect to data acquisition, data analytics, data privacy, and security. Critical issues pertaining to the new analytical approaches for data mining, as well as theory building and knowledge creation, are summarized. A key issue for future marketing research is how to divide efforts between fast and accurate customer response prediction with the help of big data – employing artificial intelligence, machine learning, and neural networks – and research aimed at developing in-depth understanding of big data-led changes in markets, consumers, and social networks. Keywords: big data; market research; mass customization; neural networks; personalization; social media

Shrinking financial support from governments and forecast declines in the college-going population have combined to exert tremendous pressure on institutions of higher learning. Branding as a strategy has become more popular as a way of differentiating an institution from its competition, but the complexity of higher education makes branding an even more difficult task than in traditional, commercial contexts. This paper describes the process adopted by a particular state university in the USA to navigate the branding terrain. Armed with research evidence, the university defined a brand position and implemented it through creative executions that resonated with diverse stakeholders. The paper suggests that the branding process, by taking several factors into account, generated a successful branding campaign measured in terms of receptivity to communication messages, but still does not answer the difficult questions about the role of branding in higher education.

Purpose: The objectives of this research are to differentiate mobile internet users in terms of their physical context orientation and identify market segments that help companies and policy makers address user needs and behaviors. Design/methodology/approach: Two methodologies - focus groups and a large scale survey – were used to develop and validate a scale measuring context orientation and cluster analysis was used to identify segments of mobile internet users.Findings: Mobile internet users are sensitive to four dimensions of place, time-task, social environment and control. This orientation differentiated four segments - flying spenders, corporate surfers, leisurely retired and domestically rooted – with distinct demographics and behaviors. Implication: The segmentation allows marketers to target mobile users more efficiently and helps policy makers better assess user privacy needs. Originality/Value: The research contributes a new construct of context orientation that explains usage diffusion of mobile devices and adds depth to our understanding of consumer behaviors in a technologically transforming environment.