Environmental marketing claims : consumer interpretation and policy implications

Environmental claims communicate the concept of green brands. The purpose of this paper is to examine if environmental claims yield satisfactory results. Secondly, what policy measures would best encourage the adoption of environmental claims by businesses? Finally, how should businesses address practical and theoretical implications?The results suggests that in order to avoid misleading consumers, policy makers need to evaluate the public’s understanding of the meaning of claims, disallow the use of nonstandard claims by businesses, establish an education program and mandate their usage. There is also an indication that the usage of recognisable third party environmental labelling may be a more reliable.

Students' perception of an online marketing subject : a qualitative approach

Extant literature supports the growing importance of offering flexible modes of learning delivery in order to meet the needs of a diverse student cohort. The increased use of information and communication technologies (ICT) has lead to an enriched learning experience, but has also posed a number of constraints and challenges for students. Although there is an abundance of research regarding students’ perceptions, attitudes and satisfaction with the online learning environment, most of this is taken from the perspective of the distance education student. The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine these issues from the perspective of a mixed cohort of students (both on and off campus), who are required to complete a core, undergraduate marketing unit exclusively online.

The web in marketing : information cue usage in two commercial domains

The study reported in this paper involves a comparison of Resnik & Stern’s (e.g., 1977) information cue usage in websites registered in two commercial domains of the World Wide Web (Web)—.com (global domain managed by VeriSign) and .com.au (a country domain, auDomain, managed by the Australian Domain Name Administrator—AUDA). The hypothesised higher use of information cues by digital marketers with .com registered domain names relative to .com.au registered domain names is not supported. Examination of the audited websites in the two-domain comparison confirms that the Web provides a richer marketing communication medium than other media analysed in a meta-analysis of 117 datasets by Abernethy & Franke (1996). The study is important given the acknowledged influence of advertising information on consumer responses to ads and the brands they relate, to both in traditional and new media (Aaker & Stayman, 1990; Brown & Stayman, 1992; Bruner & Kumar, 2000).

Experiential satisfaction with a wholly online marketing unit

This study examines the relationship between students’ satisfaction with a core undergraduate marketing unit, preference for online or face-to-face mode of teaching delivery and intent to major in marketing. The core undergraduate marketing unit was offered only in a wholly online mode, although many of the students had experienced traditional face-to-face classes in previous units. The sample was 112 undergraduate students. Findings indicated students’ preference for face-to-face mode of teaching delivery did not affect satisfaction with the marketing unit, but there was a significant relationship between unit satisfaction and students preference for online mode of teaching delivery. Mode of teaching delivery preferences suggested neither the online or face-to-face mode affected students’ choice in majoring in the marketing discipline, however, there was a significant relationship between student satisfaction and intent to major in marketing.

Outbound cause-related marketing at the West Coast Eagles : measuring awareness and impact

This paper examines sports sponsorship from the perspective of the sports organisation as the sponsor of charity and community events - an increasingly common practice. Most of these sponsorship activities fit within the framework of cause-related marketing, but their effectiveness and value to the clubs involved are not known. We examine the activities of one AFL club which is heavily involved in a range of outbound sponsorship activities. In order to assess the impact of theses activities, we surveyed season ticket holders of this club and examined issues such as their general awareness of these activities and the both the antecedents and outcomes of this awareness. We find that general awareness (recognition) levels were high, and that the correlated with loyalty, involvement and specific brand associations. The conclusion is that outbound sponsorship of charities and the community has a number of positive outcomes for sporting clubs, and should be encouraged.

Interaction perspectives of individuals and destination marketing organizations in the tourism network of Australia

This paper seeks to assess the nature, perspectives and characteristics of interactions in the tourism network in Australia. The pattern of interactions between network participants is crucial in defining the network and its boundaries. Ford and Hakansson (2007) develop a structure of interactions between participants in a network. Time dimensions of the interactions are sequence, ordering and trajectory. Relativity dimensions are jointness, interdependence and heterogeneity. Interaction can be problem solving both incurring costs and producing benefits.
There are two stages of this research. The first stage obtained the perspectives from 35 organizations regarding the challenges facing tourism, key growth segments, brand and promotional strategies and customer insights and satisfaction levels. The second stage of this research uses follow up personal interviews and assesses the interaction patterns among network participants. The sequence, ordering and trajectory of the interactions are examined as are the jointness, interdependence and heterogeneity of the interactions. A network map is produced based on the frequency and importance of the communications and interactions. The research will also address key questions identified by Johnston, Peters and Gassenheimer (2006). Is the network characterized by tighter or looser coupling? How important is collaboration to the survival (or success) of each participant?

Marketing cultural attractions : understanding non-attendance and visitation barriers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to draw together the previous academic and industry research on non-attendance of cultural attractions, followed by qualitative in-depth interviews to identify commonalities or gaps in the previous research on barriers, constraints and inhibitors, as well as to propose linkages between these.

Design/methodology/approach – A multi-method approach is used – where barriers, constraints and inhibitors are identified by means of thematic content analysis of the literature. A set of probing questions is developed based on these themes and is then examined in in-depth interviews with individuals that had not visited cultural attractions in the past two years, in an attempt to triangulate data, as well as to identify connections between barriers.

Findings – From the literature, eight interconnected barriers to visitation are identified: physical access; personal access; cost; time and timing; product; personal interest and peer group; socialisation and understanding; and information. The in-depth interviews generally support these, although it is also identified that there are complex interrelationships between the issues.

Originality/value – This paper addresses the neglected question of why people do not attend cultural attractions by triangulating thematic findings from the content analysis of diverse literature with in-depth interview responses from one non-visitor segment. This results in an interconnected model of barriers that can be used to assist managers to develop strategies addressing low visitation rates within targeted segments.