Nothing Special   »   [go: up one dir, main page]
Skip to main content
Springer Nature Link
Log in

Toward a theory of customer engagement marketing

  • Conceptual/Theoretical PAPER
  • Published:
Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Customer engagement marketing—defined as a firm’s deliberate effort to motivate, empower, and measure customer contributions to marketing functions—marks a shift in marketing research and business practice. After defining and differentiating engagement marketing, the authors present a typology of its two primary forms and offer tenets that link specific strategic elements to customer outcomes and thereby firm performance, theorizing that the effectiveness of engagement marketing arises from the establishment of psychological ownership and self-transformation. The authors provide evidence in support of the derived tenets through case illustrations, as well as a quasi-experimental field test of the central tenet of engagement marketing.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allison, P. D. (1990). Change scores as dependent variables in regression analysis. Sociological Methodology, 20(1), 93–114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, J. R. (1983). A spreading activation theory of memory. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 22(3), 261–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arndt, J. (1967). Role of product-related conversations in the diffusion of a new product. Journal of Marketing Research, 4(3), 291–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arnould, E. J., & Price, L. L. (1993). River magic: extraordinary experience and the extended service encounter. Journal of Consumer Research, 20(1), 24–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: the exercise of control. New York: Freeman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barney, J., & Arikan, A. (2001). The resource-based view: origins and implications. In M. Hitt, R. Freeman, & J. Harrison (Eds.), Handbook of strategic management (pp. 124–185). Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barris, M. (2015). Budweiser says Super Bowl digital strategy as important as ad buy. Mobile Marketer. Retrieved July 3, 2016 from http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/advertising/19580.html.

  • Barsade, S. G. (2002). The ripple effect: emotional contagion and its influence on group behavior. Administrative Science Quarterly, 47(4), 644–675.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Belk, R. W., & Costa, J. A. (1998). The mountain man myth: a contemporary consuming fantasy. Journal of Consumer Research, 25(3), 218–240.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bijmolt, T. H., Leeflang, P. S., Block, F., Eisenbeiss, M., Hardie, B. G., Lemmens, A., & Saffert, P. (2010). Analytics for customer engagement. Journal of Service Research, 13(3), 341–356.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowden, J. L. H. (2009). The process of customer engagement: a conceptual framework. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 17(1), 63–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brodie, R. J., Hollebeek, L. D., Juric, B., & Ilic, A. (2011). Customer engagement: conceptual domain, fundamental propositions, and implications for research. Journal of Service Research, 14(3), 252–271.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, J. J., & Reingen, P. H. (1987). Social ties and word-of-mouth referral behavior. Journal of Consumer Research, 14(3), 350–362.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burke, R. R., & Srull, T. K. (1988). Competitive interference and consumer memory for advertising. Journal of Consumer Research, 15(1), 55–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caillois, R. (1961). Man, play and games (translation, from 1958). New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chung, T. S., Wedel, M., & Rust, R. T. (2016). Adaptive personalization using social networks. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 44(1), 66–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cook, T. D., Campbell, D. T., & Day, A. (1979). Quasi-experimentation: design & analysis issues for field settings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crowd Tap Editor (2015). #ANAdigital recap: how Whirlpool taps into people-powered marketing. Crowdtap. Retrieved on July 3, 2016 from http://blog.crowdtap.it/2015/07/anadigital-recap-how-whirlpool-taps-into-people-powered-marketing/.

  • Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1975). Play and intrinsic rewards. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 15(3), 41–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cui, A. S., & Wu, F. (2016). Understanding customer knowledge in innovation: antecedents and impact of customer involvement on new product performance. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 44(4), 516–538.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Matos, C. A., & Rossi, C. A. V. (2008). Word-of-mouth communications in marketing: a meta-analytic review of the antecedents and moderators. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 36(4), 578–596.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DelVecchio, D., Henard, D. H., & Freling, T. H. (2006). The effect of sales promotion on post-promotion brand preference: a meta-analysis. Journal of Retailing, 82(3), 203–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dick, A. S., & Basu, K. (1994). Customer loyalty: toward an integrated conceptual framework. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 22(2), 99–113.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dodson, K. J. (1996). Peak experiences and mountain biking: incorporating the bike into the extended self. Advances in Consumer Research, 23, 317–322.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duncan, T., & Moriarty, S. E. (1998). A communication-based marketing model for managing relationships. Journal of Marketing, 62(2), 1–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Event Marketer (2015). Grand ex: Bud Light, mosaic, and the best campaign of the year. Retrieved on July 19, 2016 from http://www.eventmarketer.com/article/grand-ex-winners-bud-light-mosaic-best-campaign-year/.

  • Feick, L. F., & Price, L. L. (1987). The market maven: a diffuser of marketplace information. Journal of Marketing, 51(1), 83–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, L. (2013). The best social media campaigns of 2013. iMedia Connection. Retrieved on July 31, 2016 from http://www.imediaconnection.com/articles/ported-articles/red-dot-articles/2013/dec/the-best-social-media-campaigns-of-2013/.

  • Fuchs, C., & Schreier, M. (2011). Customer empowerment in new product development. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 28(1), 17–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fuchs, C., Prandelli, E., & Schreier, M. (2010). The psychological effects of empowerment strategies on consumers’ product demand. Journal of Marketing, 74(1), 65–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Godes, D., & Mayzlin, D. (2009). Firm-created word-of-mouth communication: evidence from a field test. Marketing Science, 28(4), 721–739.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harmeling, C. M., Palmatier, R. W., Houston, M. B., Arnould, M. J., & Samaha, S. (2015). Transformational relationship events. Journal of Marketing, 79(5), 39–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, A. F. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: a regression-based approach. New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, Conor M., Lena Steinhoff, & Robert W. Palmatier (2014). Consequences of customer engagement: how customer engagement alters the effects of habit-, dependence-, and relationship-based intrinsic loyalty. Marketing Science Institute Working Papers Series.

  • Hennig-Thurau, T., Walsh, G., & Walsh, G. (2003). Electronic word-of-mouth: motives for and consequences of reading customer articulations on the internet. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 8(2), 51–74.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hill, K. (2014). #McDstories: when a hashtag becomes a bashtag. Forbes. Retrieved July 19, 2016 from http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/01/24/mcdstories-when-a-hashtag-becomes-a-bashtag/#2e7ce7ef193f.

  • Hollebeek, L. D. (2011). Demystifying customer brand engagement: exploring the loyalty nexus. Journal of Marketing Management, 27(7–8), 785–807.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hollebeek, L. D., Srivastava, R. K., & Chen, T. (2016). SD logic–informed customer engagement: integrative framework, revised fundamental propositions, and application to CRM. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. doi 10.1007/s11747-016-0494-5

  • Howe, J. (2006). The rise of crowdsourcing. Wired. Retrieved on 3 July 2016 from http://www.wired.com/2006/06/crowds/.

  • Jaakkola, E., & Alexander, M. (2014). The role of customer engagement behavior in value co-creation a service system perspective. Journal of Service Research, 17(3), 247–261.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, L. (2015). Sour Patch Kids taps fan fiction writers to woo teens on valentine’s day: the new social media influencers? Ad Week. Retrieved on 3 July 2016 from http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/sour-patch-kids-taps-fan-fiction-writers-woo-teens-valentines-day-162934.

  • Johnson, L. (2016). Dove and Twitter built a tool to measure how positive or negative your tweets are. Ad Week. Retrieved on July 3, 2016 from http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/dove-and-twitter-built-tool-measure-how-positive-or-negative-your-tweets-are-170165.

  • Kahneman, D., Knetsch, J. L., & Thaler, R. H. (1990). Experimental tests of the endowment effect and the Coase theorem. Journal of Political Economy, 98, 1325–1348.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Katz, E., & Lazarsfeld, P. F. (1995). Between media and mass/the part played by people/the two-step flow of communication. In O. Boyd-Barrett & C. Newbold (Eds.), Approaches to media (pp. 124–134). New York: Arnold.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kozinets, R. V. (2002). Can consumers escape the market? Emancipatory illuminations from burning man. Journal of Consumer Research, 29(1), 20–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kozinets, R. V., Hemetsberger, A., & Schau, H. S. (2008). The wisdom of consumer crowds: ccllective innovation in the age of networked marketing. Journal of Macromarketing, 28(4), 339–354.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kozinets, R. V., De Valck, K., Wojnicki, A. C., & Wilner, S. J. (2010). Networked narratives: understanding word-of-mouth marketing in online communities. Journal of Marketing, 74(2), 71–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kozlenkova, I. V., Samaha, S. A., & Palmatier, R. W. (2014). Resource-based theory in marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 42(1), 1–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar, V. (2013). Profitable customer engagement: concept, metrics and strategies. India: SAGE Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumar, V., & Pansari, A. (2016). Competitive advantage through engagement. Journal of Marketing Research, 53(4), 497–514.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar, V., Aksoy, L., Donkers, B., Venkatesan, R., Wiesel, T., & Tillmanns, S. (2010). Undervalued or overvalued customers: capturing total customer engagement value. Journal of Service Research, 13(3), 297–310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar, V., Choi, JWB & Greene, M. (2016). Synergistic effects of social media and traditional marketing on brand sales: capturing the time-varying effects. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. doi 10.1007/s11747-016-0484-7

  • Lee, S. (2016). Absolut. Creative Brief. Retrieved on 31 July 2016 from http://www.creativebrief.com/agency/work/23280/8345/absolut-by-sid-lee?search=1.

  • Liu, P. J., Lamberton, C., & Haws, K. L. (2015). Should firms use small financial benefits to express appreciation to consumers? Understanding and avoiding trivialization effects. Journal of Marketing, 79(3), 74–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacInnis, D. J., & Price, L. L. (1987). The role of imagery in information processing: review and extensions. Journal of Consumer Research, 13(4), 473–491.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malthouse, E. C., Haenlein, M., Skiera, B., Wege, E., & Zhang, M. (2013). Managing customer relationships in the social media era: introducing the social CRM house. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 27(4), 270–280.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Markus, H., & Kunda, Z. (1986). Stability and malleability of the self-concept. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(4), 858–866.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maslow, A. H. (1964). Religions, values, and peak-experiences. Columbus: Ohio State University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McAlexander, J. H., & Schouten, J. W. (1998). Brandfests: servicescapes for the cultivation of brand equity. In J. F. Sherry Jr. (Ed.), Servicescapes: the concept of place in contemporary markets (pp. 377–402). NTC Business Book: Chicago.

    Google Scholar 

  • McAlexander, J. H., Schouten, J. W., Schouten, J. W., & Koenig, H. F. (2002). Building brand community. Journal of Marketing, 66(1), 38–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morgan, R. M., & Hunt, S. D. (1994). The commitment-trust theory of relationship marketing. Journal of Marketing, 58(3), 20–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morrissey, B. (2010). Media plan of the year 2010: Wieden + Kenney, Nike. Ad Week. Retrieved on 3 July 2016 from http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/media-plan-year-2010-102583?page=5.

  • Nambisan, S. (2002). Designing virtual customer environments for new product development: toward a theory. Academy of Management Review, 27(3), 392–413.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neff, J. (2015). Case study: how Whirlpool heated up sales by warming up ‘cold metal’. Ad Age. Retrieved on 3 July 2016 from http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/whirlpool-heated-sales-reframing-cold-metal/298882/.

  • Nohria, N., Groysberg, B., & Lee, L.-E. (2008). Employee motivation. Harvard Business Review, 86(7/8), 78–84.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nudd, T. (2014). Bud Light on secretly creating its own party town: this is content marketing on steroids. Ad Week. Retrieved on July 31, 2016 from http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/bud-light-secretly-creating-its-own-party-town-content-marketing-steroids-159322.

  • Palmatier, R. W., Dant, R. P., Grewal, D., & Evans, K. R. (2006). Factors influencing the effectiveness of relationship marketing: a meta-analysis. Journal of Marketing, 70(4), 136–153.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pansari, A. & Kumar, V. (2016). Customer engagement: the construct, antecedents, and consequences. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 1–18. (forthcoming)

  • Patel, K. (2009). Interactive street chalk at the Tour de France. Ad Age. Retrieved on July 3, 2016 from http://adage.com/article/cat-creativity-and-technology/nike-livestrong-chalkbot/137791/.

  • Pierce, J. L., Kostova, T., & Dirks, K. T. (2001). Toward a theory of psychological ownership in organizations. Academy of Management Review, 26(2), 298–310.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pink, D. H. (2011). Drive: the surprising truth about what motivates us. New York: Penguin Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Polizzi, M. (2015). Is the Sprite corner the future of brand experience design? Brandfolder. Retrieved on July 31, 2016 from https://brandfolder.com/blog/shared-story/is-the-sprite-corner-the-future-of-brand-experience-design/.

  • Price, L. L., Arnould, E. J., & Tierney, P. (1995). Going to extremes: managing service encounters and assessing provider performance. Journal of Marketing, 59(2), 83–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramani, G., & Kumar, V. (2008). Interaction orientation and firm performance. Journal of Marketing, 72(1), 27–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ranjan, K. R., & Read, S. (2016). Value co-creation: concept and measurement. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 44(3), 290–315.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rapp, A., Beitlspacher, L. S., Grewal, D., & Hughes, D. E. (2013). Understanding social media effects across seller, retailer and consumer interactions. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 41(5), 547–566.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roehm, M. L., & Brady, M. K. (2007). Consumer responses to performance failures by high-equity brands. Journal of Consumer Research, 34(4), 537–545.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rudmin, F. W., & Berry, J. W. (1987). Semantics of ownership: a free-recall study of property. The Psychological Record, 37(2), 257–268.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryu, G., & Feick, L. (2007). A penny for your thoughts: referral reward programs and referral likelihood. Journal of Marketing, 71(1), 84–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saw Horse Media (2016). Shorty Awards. Retrieved on 3 July 2016 from http://shortyawards.com.

  • Schau, H. J., Muñiz Jr., A. M., & Arnould, E. J. (2009). How brand community practices create value. Journal of Marketing, 73(5), 30–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmitt, P., Skiera, B., & Van den Bulte, C. (2011). Referral programs and customer value. Journal of Marketing, 75(1), 46–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schouten, J. W., McAlexander, J. H., & Koenig, H. F. (2007). Transcendent customer experience and brand community. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 35(3), 357–368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schultz, E. J. (2015). Absolut’s new digital play plugs partying with strangers. Ad Age. Retrieved on 3 July 2016 from http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/absolut-s-digital-play-plugs-partying-strangers/301579/.

  • SET Creative (2016). The Sprite corner: captivating urban youth at the corner of Bowery and Spring. Retrieved on 31 July 2016 from http://setcreative.com/work/sprite-brand-experience.

  • Sethi, R., Smith, D. C., & Park, C. W. (2001). Cross-functional product development teams, creativity, and the innovativeness of new consumer products. Journal of Marketing Research, 38(1), 73–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suddaby, R. (2010). Construct clarity in theories of organization. Academy of Management Review, 35(3), 346–357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trusov, M., Bucklin, R. E., & Pauwels, K. (2009). Effects of word-of-mouth versus traditional marketing: findings from an internet social networking site. Journal of Marketing, 73(5), 90–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tumbat, G., & Belk, R. W. (2011). Marketplace tensions in extraordinary experiences. Journal of Consumer Research, 38(1), 42–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Doorn, J., Lemon, K. N., Mittal, V., Nass, S., Pick, D., Pirner, P., & Verhoef, P. C. (2010). Customer engagement behavior: theoretical foundations and research directions. Journal of Service Research, 13(3), 253–266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Dyne, L., & Pierce, J. L. (2004). Psychological ownership and feelings of possession: three field studies predicting employee attitudes and organizational citizenship behavior. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25(4), 439–459.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Venkatesan, R., & Kumar, V. (2004). A customer lifetime value framework for customer selection and resource allocation strategy. Journal of Marketing, 68(4), 106–125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verhoef, P. C. (2003). Understanding the effect of customer relationship management efforts on customer retention and customer share development. Journal of Marketing, 67(4), 30–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verhoef, P. C., Reinartz, W. J., & Krafft, M. (2010). Customer engagement as a new perspective in customer management. Journal of Service Research, 13(3), 247–252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verlegh, P. W., Ryu, G., Tuk, M. A., & Feick, L. (2013). Receiver responses to rewarded referrals: the motive inferences framework. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 41(6), 669–682.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verleye, K., Gemmel, P., & Rangarajan, D. (2013). Managing engagement behaviors in a network of customers and stakeholders evidence from the nursing home sector. Journal of Service Research, 17(1), 68–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vivek, S. D., Beatty, S. E., & Morgan, R. M. (2012). Customer engagement: exploring customer relationships beyond purchase. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 20(2), 122–146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wierenga, B., & Soethoudt, H. (2010). Sales promotions and channel coordination. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 38(3), 383–397.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zimmerman, B. J., & Schunk, D. H. (2001). Self-regulated learning and academic achievement: theoretical perspectives. Mahwah: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Popper, K. (1962). Conjectures and refutations: the growth of scientific knowledge. Routledge.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Florida State University, 821 Academic Way, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-0111, USA

    Colleen M. Harmeling

  2. Louisiana State University, 2114D Business Education Complex, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

    Jordan W. Moffett

  3. Saint Louis University, 3674 Lindell Blvd, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA

    Mark J. Arnold & Brad D. Carlson

Authors
  1. Colleen M. Harmeling
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jordan W. Moffett
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mark J. Arnold
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Brad D. Carlson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Colleen M. Harmeling.

Additional information

Anne Roggeveen served as Area Editor for this article.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Harmeling, C.M., Moffett, J.W., Arnold, M.J. et al. Toward a theory of customer engagement marketing. J. of the Acad. Mark. Sci. 45, 312–335 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-016-0509-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-016-0509-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation