Suchergebnisse

Purpose
With the emergence of social media, online influencers have played a major role in brand marketing. This study aims to examine how Malaysian young adults perceive advertising endorsements of celebrities and online influencers within the framework of parasocial relations and multiculturalism.

Design/methodology/approach
This study engaged 42 Malaysian young adults aged 18–24 in semistructured interviews. They were asked to share a television commercial with celebrity endorsement and explain why it was impressive. They were then asked explicitly to compare traditional celebrities and online influencers in terms of attractiveness, credibility and endorsement effects.

Findings
Advertising execution strategies and emotional attachment to advertising endorsers are the two main reasons for making an advertisement impressive. Interviewees demonstrate strong emotional attachments to celebrities who are national icons. Online influencers are perceived as more relatable, authentic and credible than traditional celebrities. Interviewees perceive that endorsements by traditional celebrities were more effective for luxurious brands and brands targeting older consumers. On the other hand, endorsements by online influencers were perceived to be more effective for low-involvement product categories and brands that target younger consumers.

Research limitations/implications
This study presents a summary of the parallel perceptions of online influencers and celebrities to explain how young consumers evaluate advertising with celebrity and social media influencer endorsement.

Practical implications
Malaysian young adults perceive endorsers as people who guide their experiences with ads. Adopting an endorser who is young, has a trendy image, and has a similar cultural background enhances the relatability of ads for young adults. National sports heroes can serve as nation-building agents through celebrity endorsement in advertising.

Originality/value
Few studies directly compare the endorsement effects of celebrities and online influencers in a multicultural setting. This study provides marketing and theoretical insights to unravel the influencing mechanism of parasocial relations and multiculturalism.

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the common attributes of brick-and-mortar retail shops liked by young adults in the digitalized retail context. The 7Ps of the marketing mix were used as a framework to shed insights for marketing strategies.


Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative study using personal interviews was designed. A convenience sample of 24 young adults from 20 to 22 years of age was asked to take photos, showing the exterior and interior of their favorite shop in Hong Kong. They were interviewed face to face to explain why they like these shops. Other information about the shopping context, including frequency of visits and whether shopping alone or with friends, was collected.


Findings
The favorite shops of young adults are clothing retailers and stores for snacks. Attributes of favorite shops include stylish product design, variety of choices, cozy physical environment, technology-assisted shopping process and customer-friendly return policy. Young adults seek taste and artistic presentation in consumption. Self-expression and social communication of consumption play a major role in retail brand love.


Research limitations/implications
The sample size of this study was small and may not be generalizable to populations of different socioeconomic status. A quantitative survey can be conducted to further examine the topic.


Practical implications
This study deepens the understanding of how young adults perceive product, store and process attributes of shops that are related to retail brand love. Tangible qualities such as product and physical space played a more important role than intangible attributes such as friendly frontline or sales staff. The results imply that retailers need to pay attention to a shop's product offering, interior design, as well as develop a seamless integration of online and offline shopping processes to engage customers.


Originality/value
There are very few studies of young consumers and retail brand love using qualitative methods. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of young consumers' perception of the retail stores that they love in the digitalized retail landscape.

AbstractThe bulk of the particulate matter (PM) emissions generated during construction projects are significantly released during the earthwork and foundation stages. To reduce and control these emissions, it is necessary to have reliable data on their characteristics. However, construction PM are poorly characterized because their composition depends on several factors (e.g., weather and reduction measures) and various on-site activities whose effects may interact. To address these challenges, a long-term quantitative empirical study using advanced statistical methods was performed on a real construction project during the whole earthwork and foundation stages. The upwind-downwind method was used to collect data on PM emissions throughout the earthwork and foundation construction process, and correlation analysis, paired samples t-test, and partial least squares regression (PLS) were used to analyze TSP, PM10, and PM2.5 emissions and their relationships with various influencing factors. The results showed that both earthwork and foundation constructions generate substantial PM emissions because there were differences with statistical significances in the PM levels measured upwind and downwind of the construction site. TSP and PM10 emissions correlated moderately with humidity and wind speed. However, temperature and atmospheric pressure did not correlate significantly with any of the measured emissions. The main activities responsible for PM emissions during the earthwork and foundation construction stages were hammer piling, waste stacking, and materials transportation. Water spraying was found to effectively reduce TSP and PM10 emissions, while the use of a fog cannon more effectively reduced PM2.5 emissions. Construction PM is an important source of atmospheric pollution in cities; the findings presented herein provide cornerstone and knowledge to guide efforts for reducing its impact.