This research, comprising three experiments with a total of 1718 population-representative participants, investigates the strategies Muslim organizations can utilize to sustain trust and positive perceptions in the direct aftermath of terrorist attacks. It evaluates the effectiveness of different crisis communication strategies as outlined by the Situational Crisis Communication Theory. Additionally, it examines the effects of a positive pre-crisis reputation, statement framing and the publishing source on attitudes towards Muslim organizations, Muslims in general and Islam. Three experiments with several reference groups were conducted. Multivariate analyses underscore the critical importance of active crisis communication in cultivating positive attitudes and trust in Muslim organizations. Across experiments, the findings indicate that the act of issuing a statement itself holds more substantial influence than the specific crisis response strategy employed. In addition, the source of publication played a notable role in shaping perceptions; statements released through personal channels resulted in more positive reactions compared to statements released by a public source.

Within the studies investigating the consumer-brand relationships, brand hate has been partially disregarded as a research topic. This paper aims to extend the analysis of the brand hate outcomes by considering both their offline and online nature (i.e., offline/online negative word-of-mouth (NWOM) and offline/online complaining) and by also testing the role of concern for others and venting negative feelings as possible mediators on the relationship between brand hate and both offline/online behavioural outcomes. To reach this objective, structural equation modelling has been employed on a sample of 493 consumers. Findings reveal that concern for others is mainly involved when consumers perform NWOM in the offline context among their friends/family, while venting negative feelings is the main motive in the online context and for complaining to the company. The paper provides managerial implications useful to manage the consumers' offline/online behaviours in the brand hate context.

Muslim organizations play important roles in shaping the publics’ reaction to terrorist attacks with Islamist background. The present study uses methods and models from the Situational Crisis Communication Theory to investigate whether and which response strategies affect attitudes toward Muslims and attention to positive and negative information about Muslims. Specifically, an eye tracking experiment was conducted with 202 residents of Germany. We found more positive attitudes after active vs. passive response styles. Effects on attention as measures with eye tracker were not observed. Across all experimental conditions, negative information about Muslims was inspected longer than positive information. The findings are discussed with regard to SCCT and possible ways to improve the media coverage in the aftermath of terrorist attacks.

Research on crisis communication related to terrorism deals mostly with governmental institutions and states as actors, but little on non-state actors attempting to influence perceptions of Muslims in society. The present article scrutinizes crisis communication of Muslim organizations in Germany after terrorist attacks with Islamist background and Islamophobic attacks. We analyzed all publicly available statements as reported in press releases, social-media accounts, and newspaper quotations from Muslim organizations in response to attacks between 2015 and 2020. In total, 226 statements and eight different categories of responses were identified and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. When responding to Islamist attacks, Muslim organizations highlighted general responsibility of the society, and the ways in which Muslims are themselves victims of such attacks but avoided taking more direct responsibility. When responding to Islamophobic attacks, Muslim organizations gave more background information on the attacks. Press releases by more active organizations were taken up more frequently in newspapers than press releases by less active organizations. Overall, the strategies that Muslim organizations utilize to minimize harm to the reputation of their organization and Muslims as a group are in some respects like those employed by enterprises. More research into the effectiveness of these different strategies is needed.

The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine has adverse effects on Russians residing outside of their home country. To test whether a crisis communication strategy by a Russian association can mitigate the adverse effects, a 3 × 2 online experiment with 404 participants representing the general German population was implemented. Crisis communication strategy (denial vs. diminish vs. bolstering) and framing (emotional vs. rational) of a statement given by a Russian cultural organization in Germany on the news about Russian war crimes in the Ukraine were manipulated. By an intervention tournament design, two reference groups (comment declined vs. no manipulation) were employed. Our results show that a statement by the Russian association significantly positively affects respondents’ attitudes toward this association. Furthermore, when the statement was framed emotionally, participants had a more positive attitude toward the association. The type of crisis communication strategy used is of minor importance if a comment is provided.

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to respond to the call for exploring and empirically testing both antecedents and outcomes of brand addiction and compulsive buying behaviour. The focus of the study is on the food habits of young female consumers.Design/methodology/approachTo test the hypotheses, a survey design gathering cross-sectional primary data from 325 female Italian consumers and a structural equation modelling have been adopted.FindingsFindings show that brand addiction is positively influenced by consumer resilience, leading to increased life happiness and self-esteem, while compulsive buying behaviour is negatively influenced by consumer resilience and positively influenced by impulsivity. Compulsive buying is also associated with brand addiction and emotional overeating. Emotional overeating is additionally influenced by impulsivity and the control variables of enjoyment of food and loneliness. Moreover, loneliness has a negative impact on life happiness and self-esteem.Originality/valueThe study applies the proposed theory by Mrad and Cui (2020) on the relationship between brand addiction and compulsive buying to food consumption. Furthermore, it expands on this research by investigating consumer characteristics as determinants and behavioural outcomes.

PurposeThe study aims to provide a detailed definition of Destination Cultural Reputation while also exploring its impact on tourist satisfaction through an investigation of the dynamics between these two elements. Additionally, the potential moderating role of on-site engagement in sustainable activities has been investigated, examining whether satisfaction prompts tourists to exhibit behaviors such as the intention to return and recommend the cultural destination.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve these objectives, a survey and a structural equation model, based on a sample of 647 visitors to an important UNESCO World Heritage site (i.e. Urbino), have been adopted.FindingsFindings confirm tourists' recognition of the destination's cultural reputation, supporting its relationship with visitor satisfaction. Additionally, tourist satisfaction is positively associated with destination loyalty. However, on-site sustainable activities negatively moderate the relationship between destination reputation and tourist satisfaction. This suggests that a favorable cultural reputation should align with quality sustainable activities in the destination to prevent tourist dissatisfaction.Practical implicationsThe paper offers valuable practical insights for destination managers and policymakers aiming to enhance appeal and sustainability.Originality/valueThe study contributes to enhancing the understanding of the complex relationship between reputation, satisfaction, and loyalty in cultural destinations. In addiction it measures the reputation of tourist destination through the specific cultural dimension.

Purpose The study aims to analyze the relationship between tourists' satisfaction and their sense of belonging in a specific cultural destination by also investigating the moderating role of their on-site involvement, both offline (on-site activities at the destination) and online (social media activities). A further objective lies in exploring the relationship between tourists' sense of belonging and their adoption of environmentally responsible behavior while at the destination. Finally, the paper attempts to determine whether said behavior can predict tourists' pro-environmental behavior and recommendation intention. Design/methodology/approach To reach these objectives, a survey and a structural equation model, based on a sample of 647 visitors of an important world Heritage site UNESCO (i.e. Urbino), have been adopted. Findings Findings reveal a positive influence of sense of belonging on satisfaction and environmentally responsible behavior, which, in turn, influences pro-environmental behavior and Recommendation intention, thus triggering a virtuous process in the tourists' formation as responsible and loyal travelers. Moreover, results underline how the relationship between satisfaction and sense of belonging is significantly strengthened when tourists' on-site activity involvement increases. Conversely, the moderating role of social media involvement is not supported. Practical implications The present study offers important implications for different actors in the tourism sector, such as policy makers, destination marketing organizations (DMOs) and tourism operators. Social implications The present study explores the role of social media involvement, specifically during the tourist's holiday. Originality/value This study enriches the empirical evidence in the cultural tourism through an analysis focused on the tourists' perspective, especially by investigating the relationship between satisfaction and emotional constructs (i.e. sense of belonging) that are able to bring environmental and loyalty benefits to the destination. Moreover, although existing research has highlighted the positive influence of the tourists' involvement on their experience, there is a paucity of studies jointly analyzing the on-site and online activities in the sustainability field.

Fitness apps have become increasingly popular tools that aid health-conscious individuals to reach their fitness goals. In Germany, one of the most widely used fitness app is Runtastic, with 41,000 active users as of August 2019 (Statista, 2019). Globally, Runtastic has more than 147 million users. Studies have shown that users tend to be loyal to an app that they are currently using, and loyalty, in this case, is viewed in terms of users' willingness to continue using a specific app. In this study, the factors influencing German Runtastic users' intention to continue using the app were identified using data from 193 app users. Structural equation modelling reveals that the perceived usefulness and ease of using the app, as well as trust, influence usage continuation intention. Trust and privacy risk perceptions have no significant effects on usage continuation intention. Results of the study have relevant design-related implications.

PurposeThe COVID-19 has brought with it valuable opportunities for the retail sector. Notably, online channels have assumed a key role for businesses that can rely less on physical channels due to the pandemic's restrictions. Within this context, the study aims to identify the main antecedents leading to the formation of the male and female customers' continuance intention of using online food delivery services (OFDS) in the restaurant industry.Design/methodology/approachA web-based self-completion survey and a subsequent structural equation modelling have been employed on a sample of 360 participants.FindingsFindings reveal that perceived healthiness, quarantine procedures, perceived hygiene, perceived ease of app use and attitude significantly influence continuance intention. Moreover, the moderator analysis corroborates that male consumers' continuance intention is mainly influenced by perceived healthiness, quarantine procedures and perceived hygiene. Conversely, female customers' continuance intention is predicated on perceived healthiness and attitude.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the adoption of a sample of young customers (18–29 years) guarantees good research internal validity, findings are not generalizable.Practical implicationsThe study provides valuable contributions for restaurants related to the (1) creation/management of their own OFDS platforms; (2) selection of the right third-party platforms.Originality/valueThe paper is one of the first studies examining the predictors impacting on customers' OFDS continuance intention in the COVID-19 context by also focusing on gender differences.

PurposeThe paper analyzes the effect of country of origin (COO) image, word-of-mouth (WOM) and brand distinctiveness toward overall brand equity (OBE) and its dimensions (brand awareness/associations; perceived quality; brand loyalty) in the brewing sector.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative research has been conducted by adopting the survey technique and structural equation modeling based on a sample of 401 Italian beer consumers.FindingsResults corroborate a positive effect of (1) COO image and brand distinctiveness on brand awareness/associations, perceived quality and brand loyalty; (2) WOM on perceived quality and brand loyalty; (3) brand awareness/associations and brand loyalty on OBE. Findings also verify the mediating effects of the OBE dimensions on the relationships between the analyzed antecedents (COO image, WOM and brand distinctiveness) and OBE.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the selection of a sample composed of Italian students guarantees good research internal validity, findings are not generalizable.Practical implicationsThe study offers valuable strategies for brewing firms to reach high levels of brand equity. In particular, it identifies the key role of COO image, WOM, brand distinctiveness and OBE dimensions in realizing careful brand management processes.Originality/valueThe paper focuses on analyzing the influence of COO image on brand equity in the brewing industry, thus enriching an area of investigation that requires further insights within an under-investigated sector.

Social media has become an influential communication channel, and brands are increasingly using an informal style in their social media communication. Nonetheless, despite this development, little research has addressed the influence of social media communication style on brand perceptions. Hence, this study addresses the question on how the interaction of employing different communication styles and different hotel positioning strategies affects consumers’ perceptions and booking intentions in the hotel industry. Additionally, this study explores whether the fit between communication style and hotel positioning mediates the relationship on brand attitude and booking intention. A 2x2 between-subjects full-factorial design with 336 participants was conducted. Results of the experiment show that an informal communication style can be harmful for a utilitarian positioned hotel. A perception of fit between brand positioning and communication style leads to a more favorable brand attitude and higher booking intention. Despite the tendency for brands to increasingly use an informal style in their social media communication, only little research has analyzed the impact of communication style on consumer perceptions. Furthermore, considering a hotel’s positioning represents an important moderator in this relationship.

Purpose This paper aims to empirically test the influence of brand characteristics on brand addiction, as well as the consumers’ behaviors caused by this construct. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopts a Web-based self-completion survey by achieving a total of 529 completed surveys. Then, structural equation modeling has been employed by using SPSS AMOS. Findings Results highlighted how the brand characteristics of self-expressiveness, innovativeness and authenticity have a positive influence on brand addiction; brand addiction leads consumers to feel emotions of irritability and to adopt obsessive and compulsive behaviors toward the brand. Research limitations/implications Even if the choice of using a survey’s sample composed of students attending an Italian University ensures good internal validity of research (owing to the homogeneous character), the results are not generalizable (except for this population group). Practical implications The study identified two different spheres of brand addiction (one connected to the brand’s characteristics and the other to the consumers’ psychological-behavioral outcomes), along with possible strategies firms could adopt to strengthen the possibilities to transform their customers into addicted ones and to avoid/reduce the negative consequences deriving from brand addiction. Originality/value The paper provides a response to the call for more studies into the brand addiction analysis by empirically testing possible antecedents and outcomes, thus enriching the existing quantitative research focused on this concept.

In diesem Beitrag verwenden wir ein Auswahlexperiment bzgl. der Auswahl von Aktienfonds, um die Präferenzen junger Erwachsener für nachhaltige Anlagen im Vergleich zu konventionellen Investmentfonds zu schätzen. Unsere Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass der traditionelle Trade-Off zwischen dem Risiko und der Rendite von Aktienfonds auch bei der Auswahl nachhaltiger Investmentfonds Bestand hat. Der Fokus auf die Umwelt ist bei der Wahl nachhaltiger Anlagen wichtiger als soziale oder Governance-Aspekte. Latente Verhaltensmerkmale (Gewissenhaftigkeit, Bedeutung der Auswirkungen von Direktinvestitionen auf die Nachhaltigkeit, Risikoaversion, Finanzwissen) sind ebenfalls wichtig, um die Entscheidung für nachhaltige Fonds zu erklären.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the brand hate phenomenon for service products in a cross-channel setting (offline/online environment). To reach this objective, structural equation modeling was employed on a sample of 265 consumers. Findings reveal that brand hate positively influences offline negative word-of-mouth (NWOM), online complaining, and non-repurchase intention. Furthermore, while offline NWOM has a positive effect on non-repurchase intention, online complaining has a negative one. Finally, a mediated path was identified, which starts from brand hate and ends with non-repurchase intention through online complaining and offline NWOM. The study provides implications for firms’ marketers and practitioners.

Higher education institutions (HEIs) have experienced severe cutbacks in funding over the past few years, with universities examining options for alternative funding streams, such as alumni funding. Identifying the factors influencing their alumni's intentions to invest in their alma mater can be of significant importance when establishing a sustainable revenue stream. Within this context, empirical research on the potential role of trust is scarce. This paper aims to deepen the analysis of the relationship between alumni trust and engagement as well as three outcomes, namely support, commitment, and attitude toward donation. A structural equation model was tested on two samples of US (n = 318) and Italian (n = 314) alumni. Although both countries are affluent and developed countries, the USA has an established tradition of alumni donations, which is not such a developed practice in Italy. For both countries, results confirm that engagement is an antecedent of trust, which in turn leads to the three investigated outcomes (support, commitment, and attitude toward donations). In contrast, the effect of commitment on attitude toward donations is significant only for the USA universities. The paper has interesting theoretical and managerial implications. From a theoretical point of view, the study aims to address a gap concerning the role of trust in the HE context. Managerially, the study has significant implications for universities that want to change alumni attitude toward donations.

Recently, the negative consumer-brand relations received increasing attention (Davvetas and Diamantopoulos 2017). Although this growing relevance, researchers confirm how this area is still underdeveloped (Fournier and Alvarez 2013). Managerially, these negative feelings toward brands could become extremely dangerous since they are today instantaneously and broadly diffused through the Internet. In this networked scenario, the contents widespread through websites, and social media platforms can easily damage brands’ online reputation by influencing consumers’ perceptions and consequently their purchase decisions (Grégoire et al. 2009). Among these negative feelings, the brand hate concept represents a relatively new concept largely disregarded as a topic of research (Zarantonello et al. 2016). Conceptually, different studies examined the brand hate’s outcomes without simultaneously considering their online and offline nature (Hegner et al. 2017; Johnson et al. 2011). Moreover, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is a scarcity of studies dedicated to a specific target composed by consumers who hate a brand they already used and experienced. Notably, these customers represent the most fearsome brand haters with significant negative impacts on firms and brands’ performances (Kucuk 2015). In this regard, the objectives of the study are three-fold: (i) to analyze the brand hate from the actual customers’ perspective; (ii) to examine the possible relationships between brand hate, offline negative word-of-mouth (NWOM), online complaining, and non-repurchase intention; (iii) to test the possible mediating effects of offline NWOM and online complaining on the relation between brand hate and non-repurchase intention. To reach these objectives, structural equation modeling has been employed on a sample of 408 actual consumers.Findings reveal that brand hate positively influences offline NWOM, online complaining, and non-repurchase intentions. Furthermore, offline NWOM has a strong positive effect on non-repurchase intention, as opposed to online complaining. Results also show that only offline NWOM mediates the effect between brand hate and non-repurchase intention.The study provides several theoretical implications by extending the brand hate analysis in a cross-channel setting (online/offline environment), and by extending the taxonomy of brand hate outcomes, thus including offline NWOM, online complaining and non-repurchase intention in the negative consumer-brand relationships’ framework. The paper also analyzes the relations between non-repurchase intention and both offline NWOM, and online complaining by identifying a significant relation only with offline NWOM. This result can be explained in light of the fact that the context’s nature (online/offline) in which consumers complain about a brand can influence their non-repurchase intention. Managerially, possible strategies, for firms, to monitor consumers’ brand hate, both in the online and offline context, have been proposed.

People have become increasingly conscious of the moral implications of their meat product consumption. The view that farm animals deserve moral considerations has generated widespread public attention to those animals' welfare. Meat products from ethically raised animals are distinguished from non-welfare products using animal welfare-friendly (AWF) labels, such as the Better Life Trademark in the Netherlands. AWF meat products have become popular in the Netherlands, as evidenced by a substantial growth in product sales. To address the question concerning the factors influencing people's intention to purchase AWF meat products and the extent to which those factors relate to one another, an online survey was implemented with 233 consumers from the Netherlands. Structural equation modeling results confirm the complexity of the mechanism behind people's willingness to buy AWF meat products. Two factors strongly predict purchase intention-attitude and moral obligation. Furthermore, the effects of predictors such as knowledge of and trust in AWF labels on purchase intention are not direct but go through attitude and moral obligation.

Human values—life goals—guide our attitudes and actions. Brands such as Patagonia, TOMS, Warby Parker, Chobani, and Nike successfully position their marketing around human values such as safety, harmony, seeking pleasure, or social welfare. Evidently, consumers attach importance to brands whose values align with their own values. However, the alignment of values (value congruence) and the resulting effects on (re)purchasing behavior are scarcely discussed in the marketing literature. The effects of “traits” and “functional congruence” on purchasing behavior receive considerably more attention. Since human values are conceptually distinct from personality traits, the following question is posed: What is the role of value congruence in the process of consumer brand selection compared with that of trait and functional congruence. An online survey ( N = 1182) is conducted to study the effects of these different types of congruence on re-purchase intentions for a range of product categories. Multiple regression and mediation analyses reveal that value congruence is a significant predictor of re-purchase intentions and that it is more important than trait congruence for the categories of services and durables, but not for consumables. This study offers insights into when brand marketing should be aligned with personality traits and human values, respectively.