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International Journal of Market Research Vol. 52 Issue 6
The concept of engagement in the marketing literature
Engagement.is.a.new.concept.in.the.marketing.literature ..It.is.currently.seen.as. a. fundamental. driving. force. behind. postmodern. consumer. behaviour.and. decision. making,. though. a. clear. and. comprehensive. definition. of.the. new. concept. has. yet. to. be. provided .. Organisational. psychologists.have. tentatively. defined. it. as. a. sort. of. ongoing. emotional,. cognitive.and. behavioural. activation. state. in. individuals. (Kahn. 1990;. Schaufeli et al .. 2002;. Wefald. &. Downey. 2009),. while. advertising. academics. and.professionals. see. it. as. the. ‘turning. on. of. a. prospect. to. a. brand. idea.enhanced.by.the.surrounding.context’.(ARF.2006) .
Moreover,.engagement.has.been.defined.in.the.academic.marketing.and.advertising. literature. in. widely. differing. and. even. contradictory. ways,.either. as. a. somewhat. muddled,. all-inclusive. concept. (Bowden. 2009),.or. as. a. synonym. of. other. apparently. similar,. much. better. established.concepts.like.involvement.(Sawhney.et al. 2005),.activation.(Etgar.2008),.empowerment (Shaw. et al. 2006),. commitment. (Alloza. 2008),. retention (Carter.2008).and.loyalty (Kerr.2009) .
Hence,. there. is. now. the. need. for. a. wider-ranging,. more. consistent.exploration. of. engagement. as. a. complex. construct. in. postmodern.consumer.behaviour .
Empirical analysis
Aims
To. start. understanding. the. true. nature,. fundamental. drivers. and.consequences. of. engagement,. we. systematically. analysed. the. ongoing.debate. on. engagement. in. the. academic. and. professional. literature .. The.aims.of.the.analysis.were.to:
•. explore. the. main. dimensions. associated. with. engagement. in. the.marketing. and. communication. literature. (i .e .. how. is. engagement.conceived?. Which. variables. and. issues. are. related. to. it?. Are. there.different.types.of.engagement.or.is.it.a.unified.concept?)
•. identify. similarities. and. differences. in. the. vocabulary. most. often.associated. with. engagement. in. academic. peer-reviewed. journals. and.professional. journals,. and. in. the. contextualisations. of. engagement.most.commonly.used.in.the.marketing.and.communication.literature.(see.‘Method’,.below) .
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The. results. of. this. preliminary. analysis. raise. urgent. managerial. and.methodological. issues. relating. to. the. concept. and. the. practice. of.engagement,. and. point. to. future. research. directions. aimed. at. a. broader.and.deeper.understanding.of.the.concept .
The. word. ‘engagement’. was. not. considered. in. isolation. from. other.defining.or.contextualising.keywords.because.on.its.own.it.is.far.too.vague.and.decontextualised,.and.can.sometimes.verge.on.the.meaningless .
Instead,. we. considered. engagement. as. a. specific. conceptual construct.associated.with.the.main.contextual.dimensions.in.which.it.features.as.an.autonomous.concept ..Consequently,.our.analysis.covered.only.those.titles.and.abstracts.in.which.engagement.is:
Notes: The tables list thematic specificities of the factors that explain variance between elementary contexts (EC). The factors are interpreted on the basis of the threshold values of their constitutive elements (i.e. the words that are ‘more typical’/ ‘concentrated’ at each pole of the axes).
Figure 1 Factors explaining lexical/thematic variance of the analysed corpus in Thematic Analysis of Elementary Contexts (TAEC)
Polarity +
Type Elements Test valuesLEM Advertise 6.61LEM Consumer 4.42LEM Purchase 4.40LEM Message 3.96LEM Online 3.84LEM Internet 3.61LEM Medium 3.50LEM Research 3.41LEM Virtual 3.39LEM Growth 3.24
Polarity +
Type Elements Test valuesLEM Organisation 7.55LEM Individual 4.67LEM Trust 4.53LEM Estimate 4.50LEM Alliance 3.92LEM Decision 3.83LEM Formation 3.30LEM Loyalty 3.27
Polarity –
Type Elements Test valuesLEM Responsibility –2.04LEM Influence –2.08LEM Advertise –2.15LEM Corporate –2.30LEM Message –2.59LEM Co-production –2.71
Polarity –
Type Elements Test valuesLEM Business –7.04LEM Communication –6.10LEM Company –6.73LEM Employee –4.23LEM Internal –4.47LEM Corporate –4.65LEM Challenge –3.02LEM Opportunity –3.02LEM Plan –3.15LEM Change –3.16LEM Organisation –3.18LEM Strategy –3.32LEM Responsibility –3.49
Factor 1(The focus of the company relationships aimed at stimulating stakeholders’
engagement: internal, on employees vs external, on customers)
Factor 2(The kind of aspects related to the concept of engagement emphasised in company strategies: emphasis on soft, relational aspects of engagement vs
emphasis on pragmatic, managerial aspects of engagement)
International Journal of Market Research Vol. 52 Issue 6
The. first. cluster. (in. the. lower-left. quadrant. of. the. map). considers.engagement as a form of interaction between employee and customer,.and.emphasises.the.use.of.the.digital.environment,.and.virtual.communities.in.particular,.as.primary.interaction.tools.for.employee–customer.engagement.and.mutual.knowledge.enhancement.(see.Figure.3,.especially.such.words.as.product,.digital,.enhance,.knowledge,.interact,.community,.achieve) .
The. second.cluster. (in. the.upper-right.quadrant.of. the.map).considers.engagement as an alliance between company and customer,.and.emphasises.the. soft,. relational. aspects. of. engagement. as. ways. to. build. and. enhance.trust. and. loyalty. between. the. company. and. its. customers. (see. Figure. 3,.especially. such. words. as. organisation,. individual,. role,. trust,. loyalty,.alliance,.decision) .
The. third. cluster. (in. the. lower-right. quadrant. of. the. map). considers.engagement as co‑production of contents between company and customer,.and. emphasises. managerial,. pragmatic. aspects. of. relationship. building.between. the. company. and. its. customers,. in. particular. communication.programmes. and. plans. aimed. at. exploring. consumers’. attitudes. and.expectations.through.co-production.of.contents.(see.Figure.3,.especially.such.
The. fourth. cluster. (in. the. lower-left. quadrant. of. the. map). considers.engagement as a top management effort towards its employees,. and.emphasises.the.supporting.role.of.communication.channels.and.technology.in. developing. strategies. and. plans. to. encourage. and. manage. employee.engagement. (see.Figure.3,. especially. such.words. as. channel,. technology,.chief,.officer,.promotion,.control) .
Specificity Analysis. (SA).on.the. two.sub-corpora. identified.by.our. first.variable.(academic.sub-corpus.vs.professional.sub-corpus).was.then.carried.out.to.identify.the.main.thematic.specificities.of.engagement.and.ways.of.managing. it. in. the.academic.and.business.worlds ..SA. indicated. the.most.typical.words. (over-used. lemmas). and. those. typically. absent. (under-used.lemmas). in. each. subset ..A. chi-square. test.defined. the. significance.of. the.analysis.outcomes.(see.Figure.4) .
Figure 2 Semantic map of the four conceptual clusters of Thematic Analysis of Elementary Contexts (TAEC)
Engagement as alliancebetween company and
customer
Engagement as co-production of contents
between company andcustomer
Engagement as top management
e�ort towardsits employees
Engagement as interaction between
employee andcustomer
Emphasis on soft,relational aspects
of engagement
Emphasis on pragmatic,managerial, aspects
of engagement
Relationshipcompany–customers
Relationshipcompany–employees
–0.8 –0.6 –0.4 –0.2 0 0.2 0.4 0.6
–0.4
–0.2
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
Notes: T-lab makes possible a graphic representation of elementary contexts (EC) in a semantic map that casts light on their thematic similarities and di�erences. The map originates from two main factors (see Figure 1) that explain thematic variance between identi�ed ECs.
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Cluster 1: focus on employee–customer interaction (emphasis on virtual communities)
Notes: Each table describes the main features of each elementary context (EC). Each EC is composed of all words and phrases that share the same meaning context. Each table lists the elements (words) that proved significant in the chi-square test. The rows of each table also give individual word occurrences in the EC and the entire data corpus.
Figure 3 Words featuring in the four conceptual clusters of Thematic Analysis of Elementary Contexts (TAEC)
Notes: The tables list significant words and their corresponding chi-square values, occurrences of words in the considered variable level, and occurrences of the same words in the entire data corpus.
Figure 4 Specificity Analysis (SA) of the academic sub-corpus
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•. the.focus.on.soft,.relational.dimensions.of.engagement.is.particularly.evident;.in.addition,.engagement.has.a.strong.entertainment.dimension,.which. usually. points. to. an. alliance. between. company. and. customer.(Figure.4)
•. engagement.is.seen.as.a.process.(Figure.4),.i .e ..a.dynamic.phenomenon•. little. importance. is. attributed. to. pragmatic,. managerial. issues. of.
Notes: The tables list significant words and their corresponding chi-square values, occurrences of words in the considered variable level, and occurrences of the same words in the entire data corpus.
Figure 5 Specificity Analysis (SA) of the professional sub-corpus
The concept of engagement
814
•. The. focus. on. pragmatic,. managerial,. concrete. issues. of. engagement.is. particularly. evident. (see. Figure. 5,. especially. such. words. as.plan,. manage,. sale),. but. little. importance. is. attributed. to. long-term.engagement.initiatives.and.strategic.vision.(see.Figure.5,.‘vision’.as.an.under-used.word),.immediate.results.being.the.prime.objective .
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Figure 6 Word Association Analysis (WAA) of the academic and the professional sub-corpora
Academic sub-corpus
Professional sub-corpus
Notes: The graphs show the thematic elements most associated with the word ‘engagement’ in the two sub-corpora (academic and professional). The selection of associated thematic elements is based on an association index (Cosine Coe�cient). The association value of each thematic element is graphically represented in terms of distance from the key word (i.e. engagement).
ENGAGEMENT
ENGAGEMENT
DEMONSTRATE
MEDIUM
MEDIUM
AGENCY
SERVICE
MARKETDISCUSS
ARTICLE
STRATEGY
PERCEIVE
MESSAGE
PROCESS
INTERNET
MEASURE
MEASURE
PURCHASE
ADVERTISE
CONSUMER
CONSUMER
EMPLOYEE
DIRECTOR
INCREASE
COMPANY
CUSTOMER
CUSTOMER
COMMUNICATION
MANAGEMENT
CONCEPTUAL
MEDIATE
CREATE
MARKET
ARTICLE
MOBILEBRAND
BRAND
FOCUS
PLAN
REVEAL
FOSTER
ADVERTISE
The concept of engagement
816
The. professional. sub-corpus. reveals. a. strong. focus. on. operational.management. issues. of. engagement,. such. as. decision. making,. problem.solving.and.optimal.use.of.corporate.assets.(see.Figure.6,.especially.such.words.as.company,.strategy,.plan) .
•. at.its.positive.pole,.topics.mainly.relating.to.communication strategies aimed at enforcing brand values and image. (see. Figure. 8,. especially.such.words.as.brand,.advertise,.campaign,.message)
•. at. its. negative. pole,. topics. mainly. relating. to. customer management and service. (see.Figure.8,.especially.such.words.as.customer,.service,.consumer) .
It. is. interesting. to. note,. on. the. one. hand,. that. both. academic. and.professional.articles.are.positioned.at.the.same.level.on.this.axis,.indicating.
Figure 7 Thematic map of Correspondences Analysis (CA)
TYPE_ADVENG
TYPE_BRANDENG
FIELD-ACADEMIC
TYPE_CONSENG
FIELD_PROFESSIONAL
Customer managementand service
Brandcommunication
Engagementeffects/
implications
Engagementproduction/
management
Notes: Correspondences Analysis (CA) describes relationships between the semantic units (words) and variables that divide the corpus. The results are expressed as speci�c content similarities and di�erences between the various sub-corpora.
–1.0 –0.5 0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0
–1.0
–0.5
0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
The concept of engagement
818
Notes: Correspondences Analysis (CA) also identifies factors that explain inertia between variables. The factors are interpreted on the basis of the threshold values of their constitutive elements (i.e. words and the variables taken in account). The two factors generate a map that represents thematic similarities and differences between the sub-corpora.
Figure 8 Factors explaining lexical/thematic variance in the analysed corpus in Correspondences Analysis (CA)
Polarity +
Type Elements Test valuesLEM Believability 9.38LEM Mediate 6.89LEM Involvement 6.58LEM Effects 6.51LEM Strength 5.29LEM Advertise 5.26LEM Recall 5.13LEM Attitude 4.74LEM Perceive 4.72LEM Implication 4.48
Polarity +
Type Elements Test valuesLEM Brand 18.12LEM Advertise 6.53LEM Campaign 5.35LEM Message 3.61LEM Enterprise 3.59LEM Market 3.48
Polarity –
Type Elements Test valuesLEM Customer –6.63LEM Service –3.15LEM Application –2.03LEM Factor –2.44LEM Approach –2.44LEM Consumer –2.46LEM Performance –2.47LEM Plan –2.58LEM Technology –2.68LEM Strategy –2.68
Polarity –
Type Elements Test valuesLEM Digital –3.07LEM Online –3.30LEM Employee –3.46LEM Market –3.50LEM Campaign –3.54LEM Brand –3.63LEM Customer –3.69LEM Director –2.07LEM Manage –2.17LEM Employer –2.23LEM Company –2.24
Factor 1(Focus on engagement effects and implications vs focus on engagement
production and management)
Factor 2(Focus on brand communication vs focus on customer
management and service)
International Journal of Market Research Vol. 52 Issue 6
This. exploratory. study. is. a. systematic. content. analysis. of. academic. and.managerial.articles.dealing.with.the.role.of.engagement.in.the.theory.and.practice.of.marketing.and.communication ..The.results.are.both.provisional.and.preliminary,.therefore,.and.require.further.investigation ..It.would.also.be. advisable. to. perform. more. extended. software-aided. content. analysis.of.databases. (sub-corpora). that.are.more. similar. in. size.and.articulation ..From. this. perspective,. it. would. be. worth. including. in. the. databases. the.full.texts.of.articles.on.engagement.published.in.academic.and.professional.journals,.so.as.to.have.more.material.to.analyse .
This.may.suggest.that.closer.collaboration.between.academic.marketing.researchers. and. professional. marketers. could. combine. the. rigour. of. the.former.with.the.relevance.and.practicality.of. the. latter,. to. the.benefit.of.both. (Catterall. &. Clarke. 2000;. Boddy. &. Croft. 2007;. Mouncey. 2007,.2009;.Reibstein et al ..2009) .
In. conclusion,. our. study. shows. that,. owing. to. its. multi-dimensional,.heterogeneous. nature,. engagement. is. a. very. complex. concept. strongly.
To. further. this. aim,. we. are. working. on. a. study. that. aims. to. explore.and.model.the.process.of.consumer.brand.engagement.in.unconventional.communication. contexts .. The. study. is. based. on. a. Grounded. Theory.approach. to. qualitative. methodology. (Glaser. &. Strauss. 1967;. Clarke.2005;.Morse et al ..2009),.which,. thanks. to. its. flexible.design.and.data-collection. procedures,. may. offer. a. holistic. perspective. on. engagement.that. takes. full. account.of. its.multi-dimensional.nature ..The. study.design.
International Journal of Market Research Vol. 52 Issue 6
•. individuals.who.have.been.involved.in.unconventional.communication.initiatives. relating. to. specific. brands. (e .g .. ambient. communication.events. in. urban. contexts,. web-based. viral. communication. actions,.online. social. networking,. branded. entertainment,. user-generated.content. websites);. the. aim. is. to. explore. their. experience. of. brand.engagement.and.identify.the.features.of.unconventional.communication.that.make.it.effective.in.generating.consumer.engagement
•. marketing.managers.with.experience.of.various.brands.and.industries;.the. aim. is. to. explore. their. approach. to. consumer. engagement. and.enhance.the.strategies.they.use.to.foster.it .
Mindful. of. the. complexity. of. a. social. phenomenon. like. engagement,.the.study.design.includes.additional.data-gathering.and.analysis.strategies.such.as.observation,.discourse.analysis.and.visual.materials.analysis ..This.will. make. possible. a. more. complete. understanding. of. how. consumers.experience.brand.engagement,.and.the.contextual.conditions.that.enhance.or.impede.its.development .
We. believe. that. the. results. of. this. study. will. enable. us. to. construct. a.preliminary.consumer.brand.engagement.model.able.to.describe.the.basic.antecedents,. phases. and. consequences.of. the.brand. engagement.process,.and. a. consumer. brand. engagement. scale. to. be. tested. empirically. in. our.future.research ..We.believe.our.study.will.enable.us.to.identify.the.optimal.conditions.for.unconventional.communication.effectiveness.in.generating.consumer. brand. engagement,. and. that. this. will. offer. useful. support. to.marketers.when.formulating.strategies.and.plans .
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