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Casinos operate in a competitive environment. Relationship marketing has become a central focus of casino marketing practice. However, the literature lacks any clearly identified marketing strategies for customer acquisition and retention. This article employs a systematic literature review method to identify and delineate acquisition and retention strategies for the casino sector. The findings revealed measures and antecedents for customer acquisition, retention, casino consumption, and loyalty. The study draws on these findings to present a conceptual model that categorizes customer acquisition and retention strategies. Suggestions and recommendations are highlighted for practitioners and researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The public sector's possibilities of using geospatial technologies are vast and can improve public management. In the Brazilian Federal Government, the use of geospatial technologies is unknown, nor is it known the main applications and public and private actors involved. This research proposes to analyze the geospatial technologies market in the Federal Government between the years 2011 and 2019 through public data of contracts. Through the individual analysis of 600 contracts, we concluded that R$ 804,747,626.99 were negotiated during the period. The contracts mainly involved Remote Sensing and Aerophotogrammetry (50%) and Geographic Information Systems (33%) solutions, applied primarily in the thematic areas of Oil & Gas (39%), Infrastructure (19%), and Environment & Natural Resources (10%). Fototerra was the leading company, providing R$ 155,553,107.03 in products and services. The foremost acquiring institution was the Ministry of Mines and Energy, contracting R$ 410 million, of which Petrobras acquired R$ 311 million. This paper showed how different federal institutions use Geography's technological bases to fulfill their missions, improve social well-being, and contribute to a more developed, less unequal, and fairer country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study presents the integrated model that explores how the relationship marketing tool constructed on the bases of trust, commitment, and communication helps achieving customer satisfaction in fast food industry. The underpinning theories of this study are relationship marketing theories, trust-commitment theory on key mediating variables and confirmation/ disconfirmation theory for satisfaction. A Two Staged Structural Equation Modelling -- Artificial Neural Network Approach is used to validate the findings of the research. The findings reveal that Trust has the highest impact on customer satisfaction, followed by Commitment and Communication. Both the Smart PLS and ANN analyses support this result, validating its significance. The finding highlights the importance for the fast-food industry to prioritize quality, service, and relationship marketing strategies as key factors for long-term success and sustained customer engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Along with increasing competition in cultural industries, museums have emerged as a research subject of the marketing field. Accordingly, two research streams, experiential consumption-oriented and customer experience management-oriented studies, have evolved. Experiential consumption-oriented studies focused on the experience types and outputs that occur in the museum. On the other hand, customer experience management-oriented studies discussed service-related stimuli in the museum. Although these studies offered diverse findings, they remained insufficient in identifying types and outcomes of experiences that emerge in the museum comprehensively. Thereby, this study developed a detailed conceptual model that includes experience types and outputs by employing a systematic literature review on experiential consumption-oriented studies. The findings contribute to the museum and marketing literature and related professionals. Especially, an innovative perspective is offered to the literature by identifying environment-based experiences, which were previously neglected, as experience type along with the visitor-based experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As relationship marketing research evolved, a number of key constructs emerged. Some scholars have argued that these constructs are not conceptually or empirically distinct. We investigate this phenomenon based on the premise that sustained research effort towards studying conceptually overlapping/redundant constructs, while treating them as independent, can hamper the development of the field. We use prototyping, a method adopted from psychology, to examine consumers’ views of these constructs, and then identify relationship contexts where constructs are distinct or redundant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to publish the results of a bibliometric analysis of digital marketing and its relationship with e-commerce, its main trends, its evolution in scientific production, main authors and journals of publication. A bibliometric review methodology was used in an observation window between 1997 and 2020. The results recognised 480 research article-type documents from a search equation formulated in Elsevier's Scopus and 132 documents in Thompson Reuters' Web of Science (WoS). Finally, with the VOSviewer software, six bibliographic clusters (BC) are presented, where new lines of documentary and field research are possibly identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This research aims to investigate the moderating impact of product shadows in gestalt versus component product frames on ad effectiveness perceptions. It offers insights on shadow-compatible and incompatible modes of product presentation color as well as consumer visual processing modes that offer optimal advertising effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach: This research begins with a content analysis of some popular print magazines and builds on qualitative findings from interviews conducted with two industry executives. It then undertakes four experiments to test the proposed hypotheses following a more deductive approach. Findings: Results reveal that incorporating product shadows increase ad effectiveness for gestalt products presented in black-and-white, but lower ad effectiveness for component products presented in color. Additionally, ad effectiveness for a gestalt (component) product presented in black-and-white (color) increases (decreases) in the presence of product shadow when consumers are currently processing in a compatible, gestalt (component) visual mode. Research limitations/implications: In addition to extending the limited marketing research on product shadows, this research contributes to the literature studying information communication theory (ICT) and advertising effectiveness, Construal-Level Theory (CLT), Heuristic–Systematic Model (HSM) of information processing and stylistic visual cues used in advertising. Practical implications: This research is focused on advertising effectiveness, providing a tangible outcome of interest to practitioners. An optimal use of this simple, inexpensive and stylistic ad element can help managers design effective communications without forgoing established brand equity. Originality/value: Limited marketing research on product shadows has only looked at their impact on product luxury implications (Sharma, 2016), experiential versus functional brand evaluations (Sharma, 2018) and product heaviness perceptions (Sharma and Romero, 2020). To the best of the authors' knowledge, this work is the first to investigate specific gestalt versus component product contexts and the role of black-and-white and colored product presentations, along with specific consumer visual processing modes where shadows either increase or decrease the overall ad effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Sensory experience profoundly impacts consumer cognition and behavior. This paper aims to illuminate the structure and development of sensory and experiential marketing research, to condense knowledge and to stimulate future research. Design/methodology/approach: In all, 156 articles with 9,670 references serve as this paper's database. The factor analysis on co-citation patterns of the top-cited 148 articles reveals the main research streams. The social network analysis unveils the degree of intellectual exchange between and within these schools of thought. The authors also map the temporal emergence of research streams and condense insights into an overarching framework that guides future research. Findings: Early research in experiential marketing and store atmospherics emphasized the importance of affective reactions. Grounded and embodied cognition revised the understanding of the role perception plays in cognition. These developments culminated in the now most central research stream of sensory marketing, which bridges other research streams. Research limitations/implications: Although the research field is strongly interconnected, integration with other marketing disciplines potentially enriches the discourse. Practical implications: This paper is useful for any reader who wants to gain a synthesized overview of the research field of sensory marketing. The framework presented in this paper can serve as a starting point for new sensory marketing research. Originality/value: This paper offers a structured and unbiased account of sensory marketing and merges findings from diverse research backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research sets out to explore the tourists' experiences at local markets in Phuket by analyzing the online reviews from TripAdvisor. This research adopts a novel method by combining the KNIME Analytics Platform with the Naïve Bayes algorithm to undertake the sentiment analysis of 2,934 reviews from seven local markets in Phuket. According to the frequency, salience, and valence, this research has identified five positive and five negative terms to provide a comprehensive understanding of tourists' experiences at these local markets. Moreover, this research also provides a nuanced understanding of their experiences by highlighting the deviation for those positive terms that have negative valence at certain individual market(s) and vice versa. The findings of this research provide significant practical implications for tourism practitioners and local stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Administração FACES Journal is the property of Revista de Administracao FACES Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Increased attention to sustainability issues and advancing digitalization motivate organizations to collaborate on sustainability issues in projects with various stakeholders in and around global value chains. In sustainability co‐creation, stakeholders' specific knowledge and competencies will be combined to achieve common sustainability goals more effectively while better targeting individual goals. However, sustainability co‐creation can pose various challenges that affect the possible input factors (e.g., insufficient or unequal digital resources, skills, motivation), the process of cooperation (e.g., conflicting goals, inappropriate timing and methods) and the output (e.g., lack of commitment about target achievement and communication). This paper proposes a conceptual input–process–output framework of sustainability co‐creation in the context of digitalized global value chains. It highlights major managerial challenges and implications drawing on relationship marketing research. Recommendations and practical examples for designing sustainability co‐creation's input, process, and output are provided, useful for managers. Besides, avenues for future research are derived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Administrative Sciences / Yonetim Bilimleri Dergisi is the property of Canakkale Onsekiz Mart Universitesi, Terzioglu Kampusu and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Eutopía: Revista de Desarrollo Económico Territorial is the property of Eutopia: Revista de Desarrollo Economico Territorial and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Cause-Related Marketing (CRM), defined as profit motivated giving, is an effective strategy that can be used to demonstrate to students the "good side" of marketing. This paper outlines an experiential project that allowed students to gain a better understanding of marketing principles while also gaining an appreciation for corporate citizenship. Students were able to generate $11,796.11 in total profit, and collaborate with 34 unique local, national, and international nonprofits. Qualitative data indicated that students gained a deeper understanding and appreciation of marketing, market research, and marketing as a tool for CRM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Literature from across design studies and innovation management, as well as food marketing research evidence, is examined to highlight the interdisciplinary and experiential research approaches to food consumption and well-being. This conceptual paper aims to address the need to expand the food industry's goals by considering its contributions to the consumer's overall food well-being. Food experience design (FED) seeks to understand how food professionals can design healthy and pleasurable food experiences aimed at enhancing people's food well-being. FED does so by proposing a holistic and integrative framework. Design/methodology/approach: This approach examines design thinking by conducting an analysis of the multidisciplinary literature. This paper addresses the gap in the literature by advancing the theoretical and empirical understanding of food design thinking through the lenses of experiential theory and consumer well-being. Findings: This review paper clarifies the scope of FED scholarship and offers a call for collective efforts to establish a focused body of knowledge that leads food marketing professionals and scholars to adopt an experiential perspective to food consumption and production focused on experiential pleasure of food as a driving force for consumer's well-being. Research limitations/implications: The review paper addresses the need to expand the food industry's goals by considering its contributions to the consumer's overall food well-being. FED seeks to understand how food professionals can design healthy and pleasurable food experiences aimed at enhancing people's food well-being. FED does so by proposing a holistic and integrative framework. Practical implications: This research provides designers with the operative tools to create innovative food experiences and increase the food well-being of consumers. Toward that end, designers need to extend their skills and evolve their language and competencies to create valuable dialogues with other stakeholders involved. Collaboration requires many other premises. This paper contributes to the discussion by identifying and clarifying them. Originality/value: This research highlights the imperative to take multidisciplinary, transformative and experiential approaches to researching food innovation strategies from a consumer's well-being perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Influence tactics have been an important issue in the fields of management, organisational psychology and marketing research. This study aims to investigate the impact of influence tactics on customer trust, the link between customer trust and buyer–supplier long-term relationships and the mediating effect of customer trust between influence tactics and buyer–supplier long-term relationships. A structural equation model is used to test the hypotheses with a sample data of 306 purchasing managers from business to business (B2B) firms in Vietnam. Empirical results indicate a significant effect of influence tactics on customer trust. Information exchange, recommendations, promises, ingratiation and inspirational appeals tactics are found positively related to customer trust, except for threats tactic. Customer trust also has a positive influence on buyer–supplier long-term relationships. In addition, customer trust mediates the relationship between influence tactics and buyer–supplier long-term relationships. Findings provide important implications for academic researchers and business managers in the fields of influence tactics and relationship marketing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the main objectives of today’s marketing strategy is to create holistic experiences that approach multisensory techniques, a goal that was accomplished due to the appearance of experiential marketing strategy. Despite its advantages, in Romania, this relatively new concept is not yet very popular among companies or marketing agencies. Therefore, qualitative marketing research was conducted to identify experiential marketing activities, the technology used, and marketing effectiveness metrics applied by six marketing agencies. The results have shown that experiential marketing is becoming quintessential as a modern-day communication arsenal, amplifying the customer's direct contact with a brand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revue d'Économie Régionale & urbaine is the property of Librairie Armand Colin and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Trust has been referred to as the single most powerful relationship marketing tool available to marketers with robust empirical support for the trust—loyalty relationship. However, are there contexts where consumers discount trustworthy providers in their loyalty decisions? Informed by institutional theory, the current study examines consumer evaluations of institutional context as a moderator for the trust—loyalty relationship. Structural equation modeling is used to test a sample of 775 auto parts retail shoppers. Results show that the received wisdom of the trust—loyalty mechanism in the relationship marketing theory is supported only when the institutional context is evaluated as ambivalent where trust/distrust evaluations co-exist. However, institutional context evaluations dominated by trust as well as distrust support retailer value as a mechanism for retailer loyalty. Implications for relationship marketing research and practice from the institutional theory lens conclude the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This issue of the Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science (JGSMS) is a tribute to the contributions of Shelby D. Hunt to the marketing discipline. There are nine contributions by – Dennis B. Arnett, Vishag Badrinrayanan, Kshitij Bhoumik, Pelin Bicen, Mayukh Dass, Linda Ferrell, O.C. Ferrell, Shelby D. Hunt, Sreedhar Madhavaram, Heejung Park, Mark Peterson, Rajan Vardarajan, and Scott J. Vitell – that not only pay homage to Professor Hunt's significant contributions, but also make original contributions that can potentially take the marketing discipline forward. Collectively, the contributions from the special issue are unequivocal on the significance of Professor Hunt's contributions to the marketing discipline with reference to: (i) theory development in marketing, (ii) programmatic research on marketing theory, marketings' philosophy debates, channels of distribution, macromarketing and ethics, relationship marketing, resource-advantage theory, and marketing management and strategy, (iii) impact on the marketing discipline, (iv) implications for marketing scholarship, pedagogy, and practice, and (v) advancing the marketing discipline. In conclusion, on the foundations of Professor Hunt's contributions to research on marketing theory, marketing strategy, marketing ethics, macromarketing, resource-advantage theory of competition, and channels of distribution, compelling opportunities are abound for marketing scholarship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The time is right for an assessment of the current and (hopeful) future states of SCM research, so that theoreticians and practitioners can increase the length of their strides as they propel the field forward with increasing speed, relevance, robustness, and rigor. However, the field is also at an inflection point in terms of its historical ties with the domain of marketing, as the fields appear to be drifting apart. Here, I examine the reasons for this drift, and argue for continued research at the boundary of marketing and supply chain management to maintain relevance moving forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relationship marketing (RM) is an umbrella term for a loose collection of ideas and concepts that emerged in different empirical contexts from the late 1970s. Informed by diverse research traditions, it represented at one and the same time an extension of existing ideas within marketing management and a very different way of thinking about marketing. Though cooperation has not been a core element of the marketing management lexicon, debates about cooperation and competition predate the 1970s. Moreover, re-engaging with relational perspectives raises important questions about managerial autonomy and about the utility of the market as a regulating force. The paper calls for the development of a more realistic theory of networks with inputs from both business and consumer marketing contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Many firms strive to create relationships with customers, but not all customers are motivated to build close commercial relationships. This article introduces a theoretical framework that explains how relationship-specific attachment styles account for customers' distinct preferences for closeness and how both attachment styles and preferences for closeness influence loyalty. The authors test their predictions with survey data from 1199 insurance customers and three years of purchase records for 975 of these customers. They find that attachment styles predict customers' preferences for closeness better than established marketing variables do. Moreover, attachment styles and preferences for closeness influence loyalty intentions and behavior, controlling for established antecedents (e.g., relationship quality). Finally, exploring the underlying process, the authors show that preference for closeness partially mediates the effect of attachment styles on cross-buying behavior. This research provides novel customer segmentation criteria and actionable guidelines that managers can use to improve their ability to tailor relationship marketing activities and more effectively allocate resources to match customer preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the pitfalls of dyad-centric approaches to solution marketing and, via the case findings and analysis, the interest to be had in adopting a market-centric approach. It provides, on the one hand, an improved understanding of business-to-business (B2B) solution approaches, whilst at the same time contributing to Service-Dominant (S-D) logic thinking via market-shaping theory. On the other hand, it contributes towards market-shaping conceptualisation. The research is based on case study materials and methods originally collected and implemented in the B2B relationships area. The materials have subsequently been subject to re-examination with focus on data on the ‘outskirts’ of the case. Findings reveal, first, that solution offering considerations span from dyadic through to market-wide phenomena. This pleads accordingly for a market-centric approach from an S-D logic stance, as contrasted with present-day firm and customer-centric tendencies. Moreover, as regards market-shaping theory, multiple versions or forms of markets can be seen to exist. In the case at hand, a bipolarisation of the market is generated. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Studies reveal that marketing synergy is related to the market performance of new products, and thus is considered to be a factor of their success. The goal of the article is to present results from an empirical study of the impact of marketing synergy on new product results in Bulgarian companies. The article outlines research on the resource theory as a base for the concept of marketing synergy, and presents different views of marketing synergy as a success factor in new product development. Marketing synergy is regarded as congruency between the existing marketing skills of the firm and the marketing skills needed to execute a new product initiative successfully. A methodological approach for research of the marketing synergy has been developed. Results of the empirical study reveal that there is a link between the level of marketing synergy and the indicators for measurement of new product results, but there isn't a link between the level of marketing synergy and the level of new product success. The theoretical and practical implications of the article are related to the development of a methodological approach for research of the marketing synergy and receiving specific results for the relationship between marketing synergy and new product success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The YouTube SEO Project directs students to research a target market's needs using consumer search demand, create an engaging mobile video that responds to this demand, and use search engine optimization (SEO) to optimize and publish the video for searchers on YouTube.com. Students completing the project reported positive learning outcomes and consistently produced videos that generated their own search traffic by ranking well in YouTube search results. The project gives students practical experience with market research, video creation, and SEO while teaching them to consider consumer needs as well as the competitive landscape in order to identify market opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Currently, online chat is in common use in e-commerce. By adding social interaction to the online context, companies hope to increase customers' purchasing intentions. However, previous studies have not investigated how social presence is embedded in online business-to-business (B2B) chat conversations between buyers and sellers. Moreover, the functions of online chat in B2B sales have not been investigated. Design/methodology/approach: The data was collected at a case company over the course of four years, from which the authors analyzed 157 online chat conversations between buyers (n = 157) and sellers (n = 9) with a theory-driven thematic analysis. In addition, data from the company's customer relationship management system was collected to specify buyer types. Findings: The results reveal that social presence was embedded in online B2B chat via buyers' interactive, affective and relationship maintenance responses. Social presence differed depending on the type of buyer, with only existing customers having relationship maintenance responses. E-commerce B2B chat functions can be described as multiple and changing depending on the buyer–seller relationship stage. Research limitations/implications: Having data only from one case company limits the results to one type of industry. Practical implications: The results can be used in sales training and when developing online chat services. Originality/value: Results bring scientific utility to B2B sales and marketing research, as the authors build a bridge between social presence, the existing theoretical model on B2B buyer–seller relationship development and online chat as a communication medium. Other researchers may use this understanding when exploring B2B buyer–seller interaction in different digitalized communication media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Future Studies Research Journal: Trends & Strategies is the property of Future Studies Research Journal: Trends & Strategies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Following the idea of the life event cycle, relationships between organizations and customers are characterized by recurring gaps in interaction. This article provides an overview of theories on maintenance strategies, particularly in the context of long-distance relationships in social sciences, and transfers existing theories to relationship marketing. A relationship maintenance management model is proposed that can serve as a framework for future research and management approaches. Many unanswered questions demonstrate the great potential and need for studies on this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A qualitative study of subsistence consumer–merchants (SCMs) in Chennai, India, reveals that they sustain relationships in three interdependent relationship domains: vendor, customer, and family. Relying on long interview data, the authors interpret the subsystems as closed-loop and self-sustaining relationships. Subsystems are managed by SCMs through buying and selling activities alongside the receiving and granting of credit, and these activities engender three facets of commitment: continuance, affective, and normative. Different facets of commitment underlie the relationships in the three subsystems. Through different role-based activities, SCMs enhance or diminish commitment levels to keep all three types of relationships viable while moving their scarce time, energy, and financial resources into the domain with the greatest need. Activities and the management of commitment are performed within 24-hour business cycles, with negligible resources, and in highly unstable environments, providing valuable theoretical insights and managerial implications that guide recommendations for firms wanting to serve subsistence markets successfully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most theories of relationship marketing emphasize the role of trust and commitment in affecting performance outcomes; however, a recent meta-analysis indicates that other mediating mechanisms are at work. Data from two studies—a laboratory experiment and a dyadic longitudinal field survey—demonstrate that gratitude also mediates the influence of a seller's relationship marketing investments on performance outcomes. Specifically, relationship marketing investments generate short-term feelings of gratitude that drive long-lasting performance benefits based on gratitude-related reciprocal behaviors. The authors identify a set of managerially relevant factors and test their power to alter customer perceptions of relationship marketing investments to increase customer gratitude, which can make relationship marketing programs more effective. Overall, the research empirically demonstrates that gratitude plays an important role in understanding how relationship marketing investments increase purchase intentions, sales growth, and share of wallet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research has found that the announcement of marketing alliances tends to produce no effect on firm value creation in a high-tech context. This article reexamines this issue and investigates whether the characteristics of a firm's network of alliances affect the firm value created from the announcement of a new marketing alliance. The authors investigate whether network centrality, network density, network efficiency, network reputation, and marketing alliance capability influence firm value creation. They examine this question using an event study of 230 announcements for marketing alliances in the software industry. The results indicate that, in general, marketing alliance announcements create value (i.e., abnormal stock returns) for the firm in the announcement period event window. Furthermore, network efficiency and network density have the strongest positive impact when they are moderate; network reputation and network centrality have no effect. These results point to the greater role of relational network characteristics than size-/status-based benefits. Finally, marketing alliance capability, which reflects a firm's ability to manage a network of previous marketing alliances, has a positive impact on value creation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The turbulent technological and competitive environment in which marketing operates is evident among recent business events. Microsoft's fines for abuse of its dominant competitive position and its pursuit of Yahoo, Egg's move to cancel cards and the ensuing consumer and press backlash and Toshiba's decision to exit from the production of HD DVD players and recorders following film studio backing for Sony's Blu-ray format, provide a backdrop to the arena which academic research investigates. In several of the recent editions of the Journal of Marketing Management, numerous papers have dealt with the changing nature of marketing applications as well as shifting theoretical perspectives of the academic subject. In this edition, however, what we see are several papers offering fresh perspectives on some enduring themes in marketing: understanding customers, their purchase and consumption decisions and the fundamental nature of relationships in markets. It might be said these are topics of relevance to the companies in the recent headlines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three experiments demonstrate that the simultaneous introduction of two brand extensions can have a positive influence on their evaluations independently of parent–extension similarity. This “synergy” effect occurs when the extensions are complementary (e.g., a digital camera and a digital photo printer) but is not evident when they belong to the same category (two models of digital cameras) or to unrelated categories (a digital camera and a snowboard). In addition, the effect is restricted to extension products that are introduced by the same manufacturer. Finally, it occurs only among participants who are promotion focused and therefore are disposed to consider the benefits of owning the extensions rather than the disadvantages of doing so. These and other results suggest that the synergy effect is due to the appeal of completing a set of related products from the same manufacturer rather than the physical or functional similarity of their features to those of either the parent or each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides an integrated utility-maximizing framework for households' multicategory purchase incidence, brand choice, and purchase quantity decisions. On a store visit, households maximize utility across several categories subject to an overall budget constraint. Then, they choose to purchase a subset of categories, in which they select a specific brand and an associated quantity level. Under their assumptions for the stochastic terms in the specification, the authors obtain closed-form expressions for the household demands, the marginal and joint purchase incidence, and the brand choice probabilities along with conditional purchase quantities. The authors show that the modeling framework accounts for both coincidence and complementarity/substitutability across categories. In addition, it accounts for unobserved heterogeneity in the estimation. Thus, the three key features of multicategory models proposed in the literature are all reflected in the framework. The authors provide an empirical application of the methodology using four categories from the Stanford market basket data—laundry detergent, fabric softener, toilette tissue, and paper towel. The results indicate that, in general, cross-category effects, as measured by the cross-category price elasticities between brands in the categories, are small, and they arise mostly through consumers' joint purchase incidence decisions rather than at the purchase quantity decision conditional on brand choice. This finding indicates that the effects of coincidence are larger than the effects of complementarity in these data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four theoretical perspectives currently dominate attempts to understand the drivers of successful interorganizational relationship performance: (1) commitment–trust, (2) dependence, (3) transaction cost economics, and (4) relational norms. Each perspective specifies a different set and distinct causal ordering of focal constructs as the most critical for understanding performance. Using four years of longitudinal data (N = 396), the authors compare the relative efficacy of these four perspectives for driving exchange performance and provide empirical insights into the causal ordering among key interorganizational constructs. The results demonstrate the parallel and equally important roles of commitment–trust and relationship-specific investments as immediate precursors to and key drivers of exchange performance. Building on the insights gleaned from tests of the four frameworks, the authors parsimoniously integrate these perspectives within a single model of interfirm relationship performance consistent with a resource-based view of an exchange. Managers may be able to increase performance by shifting resources from “relationship building” to specific investments targeted toward increasing the efficacy or effectiveness of the relationship itself to improve the relationship's ability to create value. Moderation analysis indicates that managers may find it productive to allocate more relationship marketing efforts and investments to exchanges in markets with higher levels of uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although combining friendship and business in the same relationship can be beneficial, it can also create conflict. A source of this conflict is incompatible relational expectations. True friends are expected to be unmotivated by benefits that can be used beyond the relationship (e.g., money, status), whereas business partners are, by definition, at least partly motivated by these more “instrumental” concerns. Using a role theory framework and data collected from a survey of 685 direct-selling agents, this article reports evidence that a conflict between friendship and instrumentality can undermine some of the business outcomes that friendship might otherwise foster. It also suggests that this conflict is more severe for friendships that become business relationships than for business relationships that become friendships. Study conclusions do not suggest that friendship is entirely “bad” for business and, instead, propose that friendship's influence can be both positive and negative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the prevalent use of loyalty programs, there is limited evidence on the long-term effects of such programs, and their effectiveness is not well established. The current research examines the long-term impact of a loyalty program on consumers' usage levels and their exclusive loyalty to the firm. Using longitudinal data from a convenience store franchise, the study shows that consumers who were heavy buyers at the beginning of a loyalty program were most likely to claim their qualified rewards, but the program did not prompt them to change their purchase behavior. In contrast, consumers whose initial patronage levels were low or moderate gradually purchased more and became more loyal to the firm. For light buyers, the loyalty program broadened their relationship with the firm into other business areas. The findings suggest a need to consider consumer idiosyncrasies when studying loyalty programs and illustrate consumers' cocreation of value in the marketing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a study of 362 buyer–salesperson dyads using triadic data (from buyer, salesperson, and sales manager), the authors examine both a customer's overall loyalty to the selling firm and the customer's loyalty vested specifically in his or her salesperson. They find that only salesperson-owned loyalty, a newly identified construct, directly affects the more tangible seller financial outcomes of sales growth and selling effectiveness, whereas both salesperson-owned loyalty and loyalty to the selling firm increase the customer's willingness to pay a price premium. A longitudinal study verifies that the positive effect of salesperson-owned loyalty on sales growth persists over time. However, because salesperson-owned loyalty simultaneously increases the seller's risk of losing business if the salesperson defects to a competitor, managers need to manage effectively the benefit–risk trade-off. Increasing relationship-enhancing activities and value received by the customer builds both salesperson-owned loyalty and loyalty to the selling firm. The loyalty-building impact of relationship-enhancing activities is moderated by selling-firm consistency and by the selling firm's and salesperson's loyalty-capturing strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many companies collect substantial information about their interactions with their customers. Yet information about their customers' transactions with competing firms is often sparse or nonexistent. As a result, firms are often compelled to manage customer relationships from an inward view of their customers. However, the empirical analysis in this study indicates that (1) the volume of customers' transactions within a firm has little correlation with the volume of their transactions with the firm's competitors and (2) a small percentage of customers account for a large portion of all the external transactions, suggesting the considerable potential to increase sales if these customers can be correctly identified and incentivized to switch. Thus, the authors argue for a more outward view in customer relationship management and develop a list augmentation--based approach to augment firms' internal records with insights into their customers' relationships with competing firms, including the size of each customer's wallet and the firm's share of it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study used a grounded theory methodology where in-depth interviews and related literature were integrated to form a process model depicting the evolution of the consumer mindset toward marketing mix strategies (CMSm) over the adult life span. Influences on the evolving CMSm were found to be mainly factors external to the consumer. Marketing forces, that is forces managed by the marketer, were the second most common influence on the CMSm . The model provides a basis for further research to inform marketers on ways to influence consumer behavioural intentions over the consumer's life span. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors develop a conceptual model of factors that determine behavioural intentions to buy co-branded products. The model is an extension of the Simonin/Ruth model. Structural equation modelling serves to test the hypotheses. Product fit has the strongest effect (of the exogenous factors) on behavioural intention. Marketers should gain a detailed understanding of consumers' perceptions of product and brand fit with partner brands and establish positive associations before leveraging a brand as a co-branded product. Buying intentions for co-branded products can be increased by marketing to brand-conscious consumers, consumers with variety-seeking tendencies, and highly involved consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Firms invest billions of dollars in sales technologies (STs; e.g., customer relationship management, sales automation tools) to improve sales force effectiveness and efficiency. However, the results expected from ST investments are often not achieved. This article proposes relationship-forging tasks that are critical to the link between ST use and key aspects of salesperson performance (i.e., a salesperson's relationship-building performance with customers and administrative performance). The authors evaluate relationship-forging tasks in the context of a model that considers the antecedents and consequences of three different uses of ST: accessing, analyzing, and communicating information. In general, the results of a field study, which is analyzed using block-recursive structural equation modeling, support the relationship-forging theory and show that relationship-forging tasks predict 57% of the variance in a salesperson's relationship-building performance with customers. The findings also support hypotheses that using ST either to analyze or to communicate information has mediated positive effects on a salesperson's relationship-building performance with customers. However, a salesperson's use of ST to analyze information has negative influences on administrative performance, creating an unexpected trade-off for sales and marketing managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many creative and unique plans for serving the distance learning population are being designed to stay in compliance with the ACRL Guidelines for Distance Learning Library Services (2004). These guidelines promote providing services for the distance learning community that are equivalent to those provided for students and faculty located in a traditional campus setting. The guidelines also acknowledge that designing services for this population may result in a more personalized approach than the campus community might expect. This paper will examine the application of relationship marketing, defined as mutual interest between companies and customers that emphasizes customer retention and long term relationships, to the design of library services for distance learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relationship marketing (RM) has emerged as one of the dominant mantras in business strategy circles, though RM investigations often yield mixed results. To help managers and researchers improve the effectiveness of their efforts, the authors synthesize RM empirical research in a meta-analytic framework. Although the fundamental premise that RM positively affects performance is well supported, many of the authors' findings have significant implications for research and practice. Relationship investment has a large, direct effect on seller objective performance, which implies that additional meditated pathways may explain the impact of RM on performance. Objective performance is influenced most by relationship quality (a composite measure of relationship strength) and least by commitment. The results also suggest that RM is more effective when relationships are more critical to customers (e.g., service offerings, channel exchanges, business markets) and when relationships are built with an individual person rather than a selling firm (which partially explains the mixed effects between RM and performance reported in previous studies). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preference heterogeneity is a major research stream in marketing aimed at quantifying and understanding the diversity of demand for product attributes and attribute levels. In experimental settings, in which consumers are presented with simple descriptions of product offerings, continuous distributions of heterogeneity, such as the multivariate normal, provide a useful representation of preference. However, in more complex cases in which respondents have value for only a few of the benefits associated with an offering or cognitive constraints that result in selective attention to a subset of the information available, continuous distributions of heterogeneity do not reflect the possibility that a subset of the variables has nonzero effect sizes for different respondents. Identifying which attributes are used in a brand choice decision is closely related to the statistical procedure of variable selection. This article extends variable selection methods to accommodate heterogeneity across consumers and data contexts, conditions frequently encountered in marketing studies. The authors apply the methods to a discrete-choice conjoint study in which data are collected in both full-profile and partial-profile formats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the light of the redefinition of 'marketing' by the AMA in service/relational terms, and a recent review of the current vector of research in marketing (Littler and Tynan 2005), it seems an appropriate time to provide a substantial review of the past, present and likely future of what has become known as Relationship Marketing, together with an extensive list of key RM literature. This paper will take a reader through the origin, development and current state of RM research, with notes on the future of the research and practice of RM. The paper concludes that RM is here to stay, whether or not it is recognised as the dominant logic/paradigm of marketing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]