Projective Techniques for Understanding Cyber-Market Mavenism in Social Network Sites.
| Autor | Farzin, Milad |
1 Introduction
The term "market maven," which was first introduced by Feick and Price (1987) in marketing areas, refers to a consumer who is willing to diffuse general market information among their peers and is able to influence the attitudes and behavior of other consumers (Zhang & Lee, 2014). Feick and Price (1987) describe such consumers as "individuals who have information about many kinds of products, places to shop, and other facets of markets, and initiate discussions with consumers and respond to requests from consumers for market information" (Feick & Price, 1987, p. 85). Market mavens are an important group of consumers who engage in word-of-mouth (WOM) through their social bonds (Farzin & Fattahi, 2018), and this has transformed them into a beneficial audience for businesses (Slama & Williams, 1990; Yoshida, Miyazawa, & Takahashi, 2014).
The literature on market mavens covers such topics as demographic profiles (Hoffman, 2015), personality characteristics (Clark, Goldsmith, & Goldsmith, 2008; Ruvio & Shoham, 2007), purchase alternatives (Yoshida et al., 2014), and drivers of market mavenism (Chelminski & Coulter, 2007; Clark & Goldsmith, 2005). In the above studies, there is no proper consensus on the profiling of mavens. In addition, the results of some of these studies are not compatible with the constructs (Flynn & Goldsmith, 2017). Since, on the one hand, we sought to gain an understanding of the underlying reasons, opinions, motivations, context, and environment, and on the other we sought to develop hypotheses for quantitative research, we conducted a qualitative study to explore the lived experience of mavens. Furthermore, the market maven construct has been investigated in many Western countries (e.g. Chelminski & Coulter, 2007; Clark et al., 2008; Goldsmith, Clark, & Goldsmith, 2006; Goodey & East, 2008; Ruvio & Shoham, 2007), but since Iran is very diverse in terms of cultural variables such as individualism/collectivism, conspicuous and invidious consumption, and religious beliefs (Farzin & Fattahi, 2018; Teimourpour & Heidarzadeh, 2011), it is necessary for us to investigate the comprehensiveness of this concept.
Cyberspace provides ideal platforms that are appropriate for mavens, since these platforms facilitate social interactions and they increase the potential to disseminate market information in terms of speed and reduced expenses, particularly nowadays where we see the proliferating growth of cyberspace-based economies (Barnes & Pressey, 2016). Even though the concept of "internet mavens" has attracted the attention of some researchers (Zhang & Lee, 2014), the scientific community has so far not studied cyber mavens and nor has it attempted to expand their behavior in cyberspace, such as social networks (Barnes, Mattsson, & Hartley, 2015). Considering the increasing importance of cyberspace and social media in consumption processes, studies on the behavior of cyber-market mavens have been considerably neglected. Cyberspaces have brought significant opportunities for marketing practitioners to disseminate product information and to expand virtual brands (Zhang & Lee, 2014). therefore, we consider extending the concept of market mavens to virtual environments and the cyber world in order to fill the research gap.
Unlike the studies carried out to date, the current study is well-timed for several reasons. First of all, mavens are exceptional distributers of product information and are considered to be one of the most important consumer groups to be targeted by product and services information (Parmentier & Magematin, 2014). So their identification in online contexts is very important. Second, previous research has acknowledged the existence of internet mavens, therefore, the study of mavens in virtual worlds is a natural extension of this concept and it helps to understand the transferability of mavenism among various communication channels and the comprehensiveness of this concept. Virtual worlds are important environments in which different theories and principles should be explored (Barnes & Pressey, 2016). This research is one of the few studies that examine this concept in cyberspace, and in this way it adds to the literature on the concept. Third, carrying out research in different environments can contribute to the comprehensiveness of the results on a phenomenon in the social sciences. By employing the phenomenological research tradition (Belk, Fischer, & Kozinets, 2012), we tried to better understand the essence of the phenomenon of market mavenism in online environments.
2 theoretical Background
Scholars have long advocated that marketers should focus their efforts on those consumers who exert disproportional influence upon other consumers' consumption decisions (Dawar, Parker, & Price1996). Seen as credible, objective, and hence risk-reducing sources of product information, market mavens introduce new ideas and norms to other consumers and wield considerable sway over their behaviors (Clarket al., 2008; Kiani, Laroche, & Paulin, 2016). Market mavens possess general market information and are willing to transfer it to others (Barnes & Pressey, 2012), and as such, they are considered a more reliable source of product and brand information relative to other sources of marketing information (Chu & Kim, 2011). Identifying market mavens and understanding their psychological and social makeup is critical for successful social network marketing campaigns, word-of-mouth marketing, and the diffusion of brand information (Iyengar, Van den Bulte, & Valente, 2011).
Previous studies have focused on such constructs as individualism (Barnes &Pressey, 2012; Edison & Geissler, 2011), affinity for technology (Barnes & Pressey, 2012; Geissler & Edison, 2005), self-confidence (Chelminski & Coulter, 2007; Clark et al., 2008), brand engagement and status consumption (Goldsmith, Flynn, & Clark, 2012), perfectionism, (Walsh & Mitchell, 2001), bargaining (Goldsmith, Flynn, & Goldsmith, 2003), altruism and commitment (Walsh, Gwinner, & Swanson 2004), self-esteem (Clark &Goldsmith, 2005), the need for uniqueness (Goldsmith et al.,2006), extraversion (Goodey & East, 2008), risk taking (Edison & Geissler, 2011; Ruvio & Shoham, 2007), and diversity (Edison & Geissler, 2011). In addition, areas such as decision-making styles (Walsh & Mitchell, 2001; Wiedmann, Walsh, & Mitchell, 2001), advertising (Abratt, Nel, & Nezer, 1995; Belch, Krentler., & Willis-Flurry, 2005; Chelminski & Coulter, 2007), household income level (Christiansen & Snepenger, 2005), and self-concept (Edison & Geissler, 2011) have also been examined in mavenism studies. Considering the various concepts that have been explored in this field so far, this study seeks to identify the characteristics of maven behavior in virtual worlds.
The concept of electronic mavenism (e-mavenism), which has been derived from the concept of market maven, places emphasis on information searches and diffusion on the internet. The actions of traditional market mavens are characterized by a variety of behaviors that have evolved in the world of the internet and the internet itself has facilitated the manifestation of such behaviors. But e-mavenism is different, in terms of behavior, from traditional market mavenism. Such differences include, for instance, spending more time on the internet, reading emailed bulletins (newsletters) more carefully, and initiating discussions about family purchases (Walsh & Mitchell, 2010). In addition, there is another difference between these two concepts that involves the type of dissemination of information, in that traditional mavens use verbal communication (Ruvio & Shoham, 2007), while the word-of-mouth advertising of e-mavens is often in textual and written forms (Walsh & Mitchell, 2010).
Due to the increasing proliferation of social media, there is an urgent need to examine how people engage in social media as well as to assess its role in shaping consumers' attitudes and behavior. Among the various types of social media, social network sites (SNSs) have received considerable attention from researchers, academics, and practitioners (Boyd & Ellison, 2010; Lin & Lu, 2011). SNSs have adopted the internet as a platform that enables online users to connect with each other through personal profiles, through which they invite friends and colleagues to access files and send instant messages to each other (Boyd & Ellison, 2010). With their high levels of self-disclosure and social presence (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010), SNSs have enabled consumers to connect with each other by exchanging information, opinions, and thoughts about products, services, brands, stores, and companies (Farzin & Fattahi, 2018). In addition, international brands have developed a new type of brand ambassadorship program that uses brand mavens to act as market information disseminators (Yang, 2013). For instance, in a campaign for new running shoes, Nike offered customers to try out a pair of brand-new sneakers in a virtual reality game and gave customers a one-of-a-kind experience worthy of social media buzz. Not only did this strategy result in a 7% increase in share value for the company, but marketing experts also agree that it was one of the top 20 marketing campaigns of the year (Adweek, 2018).
Furthermore, cyber-mavenism can involve a variety of online personalities that are more diverse than in the case of e-mavenism. That is to say, people enter social networks with unreal names or special avatars, and in cyber space and virtual worlds there is more interpersonal interaction, so they may become more or less sociable. In addition, cyber mavens may create much stronger and a greater number of social ties relative to e-mavens, given the nature of social networks (Farzin & Fattahi, 2018). Moreover, with regard to the presentation and dissemination of information, social media platforms have provided people with free access to unprecedented...
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