EXPLORING HOW BRANDS CREATE AND MAINTAIN ONLINE RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH THEIR WEBSITES, FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM BRAND PAGES

Luisa Pinto,Sandra Maria Correia Loureiro,Paulo Rita,Eduardo Moraes Sarmento 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2018 Global Marketing Conference Vol.2018 No.07

Introduction In the context of online interactions, social media has becoming a crucial part of people‟s everyday lives, where they converge to exchange, debate, communicate and participate in any form of social interaction (Ryan & Jones, 2009). They post and share new content but also review and rate products/services and/or brands, share experiences and expertise and exchange opinions (Ryan & Jones, 2009). As a result, the growing popularity of social media, the competitors‟ presence on social networking sites and the cost reduction pressure derived from the financial crisis and consequent necessity to find cheaper solutions for brand promotion, motivated companies to use social media as part of their marketing and brand building activities (Tsimonis & Dimitriadis, 2014) and to create brand fan pages in different social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, among others. Due to this attractiveness, social media is becoming the media channel of choice across the world (Dong-Hun, 2010). However, traditional media still plays an important role for both consumers and marketers, being a central component of brands‟ communication strategies. Yet, several questions still remain unanswered regarding social media effectiveness and influence on consumer engagement. In the current study we intend that we intend to contribute to fulfil the second. Thus, the objective of the current study is to explore how brands create and maintain online relationships with consumers through their Websites, Facebook and Instagram brand pages . Theoretical development The concept of engagement was originally employed in different fields of study including psychology, sociology and organizational behaviour. Now is attracting marketers‟ attention especially in the field of relationship marketing (e.g., Brodie et al., 2011; Hollebeek, 2011). Accordingly, two central concepts consumer engagement and online brand engagement need to be defined. First, consumer engagement, refers to the intensity of a person‟s participation and connection with company‟s offerings and activities that can be initiated by the consumer or the organization (Vivek, Beatty, & Morgan, 2012). Online brand engagement, on the other hand, can be defined as a consumer‟s cognitive and affective commitment to partake in an active relationship with a brand on a website or other computer-mediated platform designed to communicate brand value (Mollen & Wilson, 2010). Online brand engagement measures how much and how frequently users interact with a firm‟s page and its social media content. When consumers make the effort to like, favourite or comment a brand‟s post, they are vigorously engaging with that content. Engagement metrics display audience action, an important feature for social media health and growth (Dunham, 2014). As social media provides numerous ways for users to get involved with organizations (Waters, Burnett, Lamm, & Lucas, 2009), marketers must find rightful strategies to nurture relationships with the public. Dialogue has been one of the topics under research by several scholars. Including this two-way form of communication is crucial to “understand how organizations can build relationships that serve both organizational and public interests” (Kent & Taylor, 2002: 21), thus several studies use dialogic communication to investigate the influence of online strategies for relationship building (Loureiro & Gomes, 2016). Three crucial strategies have been used in numerous studies (Waters et al., 2009; Loureiro & Gomes, 2016; Men & Tsai, 2012) to build and maintain relationships online: disclosure or openness, information dissemination, and interactivity and involvement. First, disclosure or openness refers to the companies‟ willingness to be transparent in their online communication activities. Waters et al. (2009) suggest that companies must provide information such as company‟s full description, its history and mission. Organizations should use hyperlinks connected to their websites and use logos and visual cues to enhance brand recognition. Information dissemination concerns posting photos and videos, announcements about products, as well as answering questions to address stakeholders‟ needs, concerns and interests (Men & Tsai, 2012; Loureiro & Gomes, 2016). Posting links to external news content related to the company and its business and including press releases and campaign summaries can maximize the impact of a company‟s online presence (Waters et al., 2009). Finally, interactivity and involvement can be seen as the most important strategy, out of the three, since it is essential to foster relationships with the public and represents one of the main advantages of using different social media platforms (Haigh, 2014). This strategy is often analysed as a whole, with no distinction between the two terms (Men & Tsai, 2012; Loureiro & Gomes, 2016) however, interactivity can be analysed separately from involvement according to research done by Haigh (2014). Involvement regards connecting with consumers. Providing information such as organizational contacts, giving users the ability to stay in touch with the company is one way to involve them. Interactivity, on the other hand, is often defined as “the extent to which users can participate in modifying the form and content of the mediated environment in real time.” (Steuer, 1992: 84). When considering computer-mediated environments, Liu (2003) also studied interactivity, developing a scale to measure interactivity on websites. According to the study, interactivity should be defined as the degree to which two or more communication parties can act on each other, on the communication medium, and on the messages and the degree to which such influences are synchronized” (Liu & Shrum, 2002: 54) and three dimensions should be included when discussing this topic: active control, two-way communication and synchronicity. Active control regards users‟ capacity to voluntarily participate and usefully influence communications. Two-way communication concerns the bifacial flow of information. Synchronicity evaluates the speed of the interaction. This led to the definition of interactive communication: “communication that offers individuals active control and allows them to communicate both reciprocally and synchronously” (Liu, 2003: 208). Finally, human-to-content interactivity refers to the ability to contribute to the organizational online content by commenting on organizational posts and to reply to other users‟ posts. (Loureiro & Gomes, 2016; Men & Tsai, 2012). Thus, considering the above-mentioned, the following research question is proposed: RQ1: What strategies are Portuguese companies incorporating to create and maintain relationships with publics on their Websites, Facebook and Instagram pages? Research design We conducted an exploratory content analysis to investigate online relationship cultivation strategies by Portuguese brands (RQ1). Following Loureiro and Gomes (2016), first we retrieve a list of the 50 most valuable Portuguese brands of 2016 provided by Brand Finance, “…the world’s leading independent branded business valuation…” (The Brand Finance Group, 2016). This list is made with regards to the brand value (USD $ millions) and the brand rating in the year under analysis, therefore raking the top 50 Portuguese brands. Afterwards, from this initial sample of 50 companies, brands are analysed in terms of their presence in social media by verifying if they have an official website and brand fan Pages on Facebook Instagram. After examining their social media presence, the sample included 47 companies with a website, 28 companies with a Facebook page and 19 with an Instagram account. Pages without information or not maintained by the organisation were not considered. Coding categories used in this analysis are adapted from previous research (Waters et al., 2009; Men & Tsai, 2012; Haigh, 2014; Loureiro & Gomes, 2016). The categories coded are the same for Website, Facebook and Instagram pages. Based on Waters et al.‟s (2009) method for coding online relationship cultivation strategies, the website and social media pages are examined to identify the presence of items representing organizations‟ strategies of disclosure, information dissemination and involvement. The units of analysis are the website corporate profile page on Facebook and Instagram page. We evaluate whether each strategy and item occurred, hence categories are coded with „yes‟ or „no‟ depending if the information was present (Haigh, 2014). On websites, the first step is to go to the homepage and see if the website provided a site map to easily find the items belonging to each strategy. When site maps are not available, each tab inside the website would be inspected to look for the information needed for each strategy. Since websites are more complex, with information spread across them instead of reunited in one single page as in Facebook and Instagram the following analyses were simpler. On Facebook the first page of each corporate profile is studied. This is the page that users see after signing in and where they have access to all the main elements, including the photo album and the message board. The details examined on each page are items that are readily observable (Men & Tsai, 2012). On Instagram, the analysis is similar to Facebook. Here, most of the page is visually-based (photos and videos) with the exception of to the brief description below the profile picture or logo (where usually companies also insert the URL to the Website). Thus, we look to photos‟ descriptions to get more insights about the content shared and the cultivation strategies implemented. Users‟ comments are also considered to evaluate, whether or not companies reply to them and initiate conversations with consumers. Intercoder reliability was tested using Perreault & Leigh‟s (1989) formula. Main results and conclusions Websites perform better in the first two strategies (disclosure and information dissemination) by frequently displaying a brief description about the business as well as brand history, logo and visual cues, news links and information about achievements and awards. However, in what concerns the last strategy, interactivity and involvement, websites lack interactive features that allow firms to engage with consumers such as commenting and sharing opportunity. Generally, actions to foment online participation are not implemented. This could be explained by the fact that Websites‟ main purpose is, according to Keller (2009), to express ambitions, history, products as well as the firms‟ vision therefore they act more as sources of information than as sources of interaction. However they still have to be attractive enough to encourage repeated visits (Keller, 2009). By contract, brand fan pages on Facebook and Instagram disclose and disseminate less information about firms and their activities (more evident on Instagram) and perform better in the interactivity and involvement strategy. In accordance with (Jahn & Kunz, 2012), brand fan pages main goal is to promote a communicative and interactive channel that creates a bond between the user and the brand, therefore it is expected that the main strategy used to nurture relationships on these social networks is the one that enables interaction and encourages involvement. Finally, comparing the three SNS‟s, Facebook seems to be the more consistent channel to combine and implement the three strategies altogether, since it displays a better overall performance. However, each social networking site has its own role, therefore companies should consider which network works best for each strategy and for each type of consumer and build an overall plan that maximizes the potential to connect with consumers, remembering that the image they build online should present an accurate representation of the brand and should align with other marketing efforts to present consistent messages to customers. Regarding consumer engagement, brands should focus on creating interesting and captivating content instead of posting too regularly just to have an active online presence. Posting more often does not necessarily lead to online brand engagement. Moreover, having more followers is not necessarily good on its own. Fans need to feel connected to the brand and its content and usually, smaller audiences are more engaged with brands. Therefore, brands should work on strategies that allow them to grow their audience while keeping the perks of interacting with smaller audiences. Also, audience growth rate is a helpful measure to evaluate performance on each network, identify which one is generating the highest rates and investigate how to gain more followers on all networks. Additionally, it may be useful in tracking specific campaigns‟ success.

SMART WELLNESS ROBOTS: HOW SERVICE ROBOTS AFFECT CONSUMER WELL-BEING

Sandra Loureiro,Jo?o Guerreiro 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2023 Global Marketing Conference Vol.2023 No.07

Technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics are emerging as a new way to improve services, readjusting and impacting all business industries and relationships among people (Loureiro et al., 2021; Makridakis, 2017; Mingotto et al., 2020). The hospitality industry is no exception to this (Mingotto et al., 2020) since a quick growth in the use of robots and AI in this industry has registered a turnover of 249 million U.S. dollars (International Federation of Robots, 2021). However, very few of the existing studies highlight the customers’ perspective and sentiments on service robots (Luo et al., 2021) or the robot-human interactions/ customer service experience (Choi et al., 2021). Thus, further studies in the enhancement of human well-being through transhumanistic technologies, close relationship marketing capabilities, and the evolution of the engagement process between humans and AI-enabled machines are necessary (Loureiro et al., 2021). This research intends to understand how different types of robots influence customers’ perception of the service provided. Therefore, the following research questions are proposed; Can humans develop feelings of identification with a service robot? Can the identification that customers perceive between themselves, and service robots be strong enough to influence the creation of a close relationship between both parties? What are the features of service robots that heighten customer well-being?

Following up the article “Effects of atmospherics on emotions and intention with respect to involvement in different shopping environments” by Loureiro, Koo, and Ribeiro

Loureiro, Sandra Maria Correia,Koo, Dong-Mo Informa UK (TaylorFrancis) 2018 마케팅과학연구 Vol.28 No.2

Following up the article “Effects of atmospherics on emotions and intention with respect to involvement in different shopping environments” by Loureiro, Koo, and Ribeiro

Sandra Maria Correia Loureiro,구동모 한국마케팅과학회 2018 마케팅과학연구 Vol.28 No.2

The present article aims to present the follow - up of the article published in the Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science entitled: Eff ects of atmospherics on emotions and intention with respect to involvement in diff erent shopping environments. The article develops the inter-connection between the mentioned article and other articles published in the fi eld. Finally, the current article provides new insights about the new research published employing the S-O-R framework.

HOW SOCIAL ROBOTS ENHANCE MY WELL-BEING IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

Ana Filipa Rodrigues,Sandra Maria Correia Loureiro,Jo?o Marques Guerreiro 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2023 Global Marketing Conference Vol.2023 No.07

Technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Robotics are emerging as a new way of improving services, readjusting and impacting all business industries and relationships among people (Loureiro et al., 2021; Makridakis, 2017; Mingotto et al., 2020). The hospitality industry is no exception to this (Mingotto et al., 2020) since a quick growth in the use of robots and AI in this industry has been seen, registering a turnover of 249 million U.S. dollars (International Federation of Robots, 2021). This demonstrates that these technologies have a huge potential to grow, being relevant to deeply study them. Since very few of the existing studies highlight the robot-human interactions, further studies on the enhancement of human well-being through transhumanistic technologies, close relationship marketing capabilities, and the evolution of the engagement process between humans and AI-enabled machines are needed (Loureiro et al., 2021). To address the existing gaps and consider Susan Fournier’s (1998) study on customer-brand relationships, the main goal of this study is to find support for this researcher by associating customer-brand relationship studies with a customer-robot relationship. It also aims to understand individuals’ attitudes towards different types of social robots and the relationship process between social robots and humans, in the hospitality industry, and the influence of identification in the creation of attachment, connection, and commitment. The possible contributions of the customer-robot emotional relationship on customers’ feelings of wellness were also studied.

Temporal Bone Imaging Opportunities With Ultra-High-Resolution Computed Tomography

Loureiro Rafael Maffei,Sumi Daniel Vaccaro,Soares Carolina Ribeiro 대한청각학회 2023 Journal of Audiology & Otology Vol.27 No.1

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Migrant’s Love(s) : The Changing Nature of Relationships in Post-Earthquake Pakistan-administered Kashmir

LOUREIRO, Miguel 이화여자대학교 아시아여성학센터 2013 Asian Journal of Women's Studies(AJWS) Vol.19 No.2

The earthquake that struck Pakistan-administered Kashmir (PaK) in October 2005 brought with it obvious destruction and perceived change. In this article, I analyze the ongoing changes in family relationships in rural PaK following this event. Changes in the domestic organization-perceived as due to the refashioning of housing during post-earthquake reconstruction-often continued pre-existing patterns linked primarily to migration. In other words, rather than creating change, both the earthquake and post-earthquake reconstruction reinforced and crystallized pre-existing processes of social change that were already underway at the level of the house and the home. Using people’s narratives of everyday life, as opposed to their narratives of change, I show that there was no breakdown per se of the classical patriarchy, as households continued to create, negotiate and reinforce family ties in their everyday lives, so as to increase their social and symbolic capital, as well as to access informal social protection. Pakistani Kashmir me ane wala 2005ka zalzala apne sath tabahi aur wajhe tabdeeli laya. Mai ismazmoon mein zalzale ke bad khandani taloqatmein ane wali mussalsal tabdeeliun ka tajzia karta hun. Gharelotanzim mein ane wali tabdeelian, jo zalzale se taba shuda gharon ki tamir-e-nause mansub ki ja rahe thein, amuman phele se jari labor ki benulaqwaminaqal makani ki wajhan se thein. Dusre lafzon mein, zalzala auruske bad ki tamir-e-nau nay sirf pehle se shuru samajee tabdeelion ko taqwiatdi, jo pehle se he ghareloo satha par jari thein.Makami logonka tabdeeli ke bare mein byan se hatt kar mein unke rozmara kirawaiton ko istamal karte hue, ye zahir karta hun ke zalzale ki wajan se rawaitipider shahi (patriarchy) mein koi khaas farq nahin para. Gharanay ussi tarhankhandani aur rasmi talukat phela rahay aur mazbut kar rahay hain take unkasamaji aur alamati sarmaia barhay aur vo ghair rasme samaji tahafuz kawaqt-e-zaroorat faida utha sakain

Migrant’s Love(s): The Changing Nature of Relationships in Post-Earthquake Pakistan-administered Kashmir

Miguel LOUREIRO 이화여자대학교 아시아여성학센터 2013 Asian Journal of Women's Studies(AJWS) Vol.19 No.2

The earthquake that struck Pakistan-administered Kashmir (PaK) in October 2005 brought with it obvious destruction and perceived change. In this article, I analyze the ongoing changes in family relationships in rural PaK following this event. Changes in the domestic organization—perceived as due to the refashioning of housing during post-earthquake reconstruction—often continued pre-existing patterns linked primarily to migration. In other words, rather than creating change, both the earthquake and post-earthquake reconstruction reinforced and crystallized pre-existing processes of social change that were already underway at the level of the house and the home. Using people’s narratives of everyday life, as opposed to their narratives of change, I show that there was no breakdown per se of the classical patriarchy, as households continued to create, negotiate and reinforce family ties in their everyday lives, so as to increase their social and symbolic capital, as well as to access informal social protection.

An Investigation on the Properties of Magneto Rheololgical Fluids for Assisting Upper Limb Movement Disorders on ADL

Rui Loureiro,William Harwin,Lawrence Normie 한국과학기술원 인간친화 복지 로봇 시스템 연구센터 2003 International Journal of Assistive Robotics and Me Vol.4 No.1

  Movement disorders (MD) include a group of neurological disorders that involve neuromotor systems. MD can result in several abnormalities ranging from the almost inability to move, to severe constant and excessive movements. The limitations however, can in most of the known diseases affect the speed, quality and easiness of movement. Tremor is a widespread, potentially disabling symptom that occurs with a diversity of neurological conditions and has great impact on the quality of life of people suffering from this disease, particularly in the activities of the daily living (ADL). In this paper it is discussed the possibility of using Magneto Rheological Fluids (MRFs) in the design of smart orthoses to suppress tremor, based on the concept of mechanical loading, for patients suffering from upper limb movement disorders. The first part of the paper concentrates on background to tremor, current state of the art and the second part presents a preliminary study being carried out under a European project to evaluate MRFs suitability for the development of ambulatory tremor suppression orthoses.

Polyurethane Foam Reinforced with Fibers Pineaplle Crown Biocomposites for Sorption of Vegetable Oil

Isabella Loureiro Muller Costa,Francisco Maciel Monticeli,Daniella R. Mulinari 한국섬유공학회 2020 Fibers and polymers Vol.21 No.8

The concern in reducing the environmental impacts caused by human interference is increasing. Thus, theobjective of this study was to generate a sustainable solution for sorption of vegetable oil. It was developed and characterizedbiocomposites obtained from polyurethane derived from castor oil reinforced with fibers from the crown of pineapple forsorption of vegetable oil. The biocomposites were obtained by mass mixing the polyol with the prepolymer (1:1) andreinforced with 5 to 20 % (wt/wt) pineapple crown fiber in 18 and 35 mesh granulometry. The biocomposites and purepolyurethane were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), optical microscopy (OM), X-ray Diffraction(XRD), porosimetry, contact angle, and density. Sorption tests were carried out on the biocomposites and pure polyurethane(PU). The sorption capacity of the biocomposites was evaluated as a function of the fiber content inserted in the matrix. Results of the sorption tests showed that the biocomposites reinforced with fibers of 18 mesh (20 % wt) presentedapproximately twice the sorption capacity when compared to pure PU and others biocomposites results, due to high porositycombined with high surface area, which influenced directly in the oil sorption. Response surface methodology (RSM)tecnique confirmed the influence fibers granulometry and content on oil sorption.