Generating leads with sequential persuasion: should sales influence tactics be consistent or complementary?

Firms are becoming increasingly systematic in sales lead generation activities and recognize that multiple interactions are often required to generate leads and to reassure buyers of the benefits of an offering. However, the literature is contradictory regarding what types of persuasive messages should be used across these multiple interactions. This paper investigates what combination of sales influence tactics (SITs) should be used when customers are approached more than once regarding the same offering, that is, sequentially. Should the SITs be consistent (the same), or complementary (different)? Consistent vs. complementary SIT approaches were tested in two field experiments, one with an electronics manufacturer in a single communication channel setting and one with a financial services provider in a cross-channel setting. The results supported our hypothesis and indicated that the use of complementary SITs across interactions, regardless of the order, increases lead conversion.     

Familiarity breeds contempt: perceived service and sales complacency in business-to-business relationships

Relationship marketing and its strategic focus on long-term exchanges is an engrained practice in today’s business-to-business (B2B) environment. B2B relationships are important given the reciprocating benefits they offer to offset the resource-intensive investments necessary for relationship initiation and maintenance. However, the reality of the marketplace shows customer defection rates remain a concern, dark side relationship mechanisms emerge as exchanges persist, and suppliers shirk on investing the effort necessary to service their customers. Research is needed to better understand customer defections and the nuanced assessment of perceived supplier complacency in B2B service relationships. To inform this research agenda, the authors assess depth interviews with 56 executive participants across 35 post-mortem customer defection cases. Findings identify thematic representations of perceived supplier complacency within the customer-supplier service provision (i.e. service complacency), as well as during the sales renewal process (i.e. sales complacency).     

Beyond Beauty: Design Symmetry and Brand Personality

Our research explores connections between a fundamental element of visual design, namely symmetry, and consumer inferences regarding brand personality. In contrast to prior work focused on broad affective responses, we propose that symmetry plays an additional, nuanced role in the communication of brand personality. Results of four experiments reveal that asymmetry in visual brand elements is associated by consumers with brand excitement, and that the effect is driven in part by the experience of subjective arousal. These findings contribute to growing interest in visual design and consumer processing, while extending current understanding regarding the communication of brand personality.     

Already here: Metaverse in touch and sound

This commentary questions two common assumptions underlying discussions of how digital technology can enrich the consumer experience. First, broad conceptualizations tend to accommodate augmented reality and virtual reality under a single metaverse umbrella. This commentary draws attention to differences between the two and to the present-day prevalence of augmented reality experiences. Second, discussions of the metaverse tend to focus on visual experiences. This commentary draws attention to the impact that augmented reality is having through other senses. I argue that augmented reality experiences are ubiquitous because smartphones and wearables enrich our everyday life with haptic and sonic information.     

Consumer Well-Being (CWB): The Effects of Self-Image Congruence, Brand-Community Belongingness, Brand Loyalty, and Consumption Recency

Consumer well-being (CWB) refers to the extent to which a particular consumer good or service creates an overall perception of the quality-of-life impact of that product. We developed a model that posits that CWB related to a specific product is heavily influenced by self-image congruence and brand-community belongingness. Self-image congruence is also hypothesized to influence CWB moderated by brand loyalty. Similarly, brand-community belongingness is hypothesized to influence CWB moderated by consumption recency. Our survey data of 275 undergraduate students reporting on their coffee consumption showed the following: (1) CWB was significantly predicted by brand loyalty and brand-community belongingness; (2) the effect of brand loyalty on CWB was moderated by self-image congruence, and (3) the effect of brand-community belongingness was moderated by consumption recency.     

A Review of Sensory Imagery for Consumer Psychology

This review of mental imagery research has the core objective of fostering more research on the topic of sensory imagery. The review is organized around a conceptual framework highlighting (a) how mental imagery is formed, (b) the elicitation and elaboration of mental imagery, (c) the multi-modal nature of sensory imagery, and (d) the consumer behavior consequences of mental imagery. This conceptual framework provides many new lenses through which researchers can view prior findings, and thereby motivates innovative new research ideas. Future research directions are provided in each section of the review, with additional unexplored opportunities presented in a final section.     

Corporate sponsorships may hurt nonprofits: Understanding their effects on charitable giving

While prior research suggests that corporate sponsorship can positively affect consumers' perceptions of sponsors, little research to date has investigated the impact of such sponsorships on an individual's willingness to support nonprofits. This paper investigates the psychological processes that underlie whether and how corporate sponsorship impacts an individual's willingness to support nonprofit organizations and suggests that unintended negative outcomes may emerge. Specifically, results from five studies suggest that exposure to sponsorship information can reduce prospective donors' willingness to support a nonprofit because people believe that their individual contributions will matter less. In addition, this research identifies a potential mechanism (i.e., donor-company identification) that can mitigate these negative effects.