Digital humans integrating anthropomorphism into the performance and problem-solving features of AI offer innovative sources of insights and value that promotes a product, service, or brand. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of a digital human’s aura and anthropomorphism on perceived interactivity, attitude toward a brand, attitude toward a digital human, electronic word of mouth (eWOM) intention, and purchase intention. An entrenched digital human’s aura and anthropomorphism increase perceived interactivity, attitude toward a brand, attitude toward a digital human, eWOM intention, and purchase intention. This study contributes to the literature by clarifying the concept of the digital human’s aura and anthropomorphism and the relationships between perceived interactivity, attitude toward a brand, attitude toward a digital human, eWOM intention, and purchase intention.

With the development of social media, most people will use social media to watch the videos of digital influencers to get spiritual comfort, and they will think that digital influencers are like friends who are connected with their own lives. However, most of the previous studies focused on the influence of digital influencers on followers’ behavioral intentions (e.g. loyalty, and purchase intention). They rarely discussed the online social well-being obtained by followers after watching digital influencers' posts. Therefore, this study integrates the attributes of followers (loneliness, low self-esteem, empathy) and the characteristics of digital influencers (social attractiveness, expertise, homophily) to explore the influence of the parasocial interaction established between digital influencers and followers on followers’ online social well-being. This study uses the Internet to collect questionnaires and takes users who have watched digital influencers' posts on social media as the research object. A total of 597 valid questionnaires are collected. The research results show that: the characteristics of digital influencers (social attractiveness, expertise, and homophily), and followers' attributes (low self-esteem and empathy) have positively affected parasocial interaction. It is noteworthy that loneliness has no significant effect on parasocial interaction.

Consumers may not be fully aware of the level of personalization used in brand placements in digital advertising. Personalized brand placements use customer data to select and insert preferred brands into digital media content, such as having Coke appear in a YouTube video for someone who favors Coca-Cola. This personalization can enhance the consumer experience (Trifts & Aghakhani, 2018) but may also backfire if placements don't account for changes in brand preference or when personalized placements are co-consumed with a person whose preferences strongly diverge from one’s own (e.g., one’s romantic partner; Brick, Fitzsimons, Chartrand, & Fitzsimons, 2018). Brands have a significant impact on how people perceive each other. Brands convey social information and symbolic meaning (Keller, 1993; Levy, 1959) and can influence behavior (e.g., Fitzsimons, Chartrand, & Fitzsimons 2008) and provide a source of affiliation (Escalas & Bettman, 2003). However, less is known about how brands affect basic social connections like empathy. This notable gap is relevant to the evaluation of the impact of brand placements in digital advertising as brand logos are quite visible in brand placements and can be the first piece of information someone observes when forming an attitude towards another person. For example, imagine an Instagram post of a person wearing a Harley Davidson baseball cap. What kind of person did you imagine? Does your impression change if, instead, the brand was People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or the Trump Organization? Moreover, how likely would you be to engage with media showcasing a person supporting this brand. In the current research, we propose that personally disliked brands create a negative bias in person perception and consumer judgment, a phenomenon we coin “brand negativity bias.” Our results show that disliking a brand can reduce empathy for others and substantially bias attitudes toward a digital product associated with but not created by the brand. Specifically, we show process evidence that suggests disliked brand placements reduce (1) empathy toward others through reductions in perceived similarity and (2) attitudes toward a digital product through perceived similarity and empathy, as serial processes. In addition, although we do not empirically test an overall mechanism that explains the negativity bias in its entirety, we speculate several reasons that underlie the broad influence of personally disliked brands (e.g., symbolic, ideological, or moral). From a societal point of view, our findings inform the public to be mindful of how simple consumption cues can bias people’s decision making, which holds implications beyond consumer judgment in domains involving first impressions.

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) exploded onto the global digital landscape in 2020, spurred by pandemic-related lockdowns and government stimulus (Ossinger, 2021). An NFT is a unit of data stored on a blockchain that represents or authenticates digital or physical items (Nadini, 2021). Since it resides on a blockchain, NFTs carry the benefits of decentralization, anti-tampering, and traceability (Joy et al., 2022). Fashion brands quickly capitalized on these features, launching fashion NFT collections and garnering significant profits from the sale of fashion NFTs in 2021 (Zhao, 2021). For example, Nike’s December 2021 acquisition of RTFKT (pronounced “artifact”) resulted in USD 185 million in sales less than a year after their acquisition (Marr, 2022).

Today, the metaverse is everywhere; it has become a major buzzword. The term was first coined in an American writer’s 1992 science fiction novel, Snow Crash, as a portmanteau of meta (Greek prefix meaning beyond) and universe. Nearly three decades later today, it is no longer the setting of a science fiction epic. Rather, it is becoming as real as the physical world. In the current time, the metaverse is used as a concept to describe a seamless convergence of the physical and digital worlds, or a virtual community where people can work, play-to-earn, transact and socialize (J.P. Morgan, 2022).

B2B marketers increasingly encounter a pressure to be digitally present in digital channels and to generate content that is tempting in driving potential customers to interact with the company online (Wiersema, 2013; Andersson & Wikström 2017). This is what B2B lead nurturing is about as the objective of lead nurturing is to provide the audience with relevant and valuable content which leads to an increased brand interest and awareness, with the goal of bringing in new customers (Marketo, 2023). To better understand how prospects and leads react to digital content, companies can build lead scoring into a strategic tool for the salespeople to qualify the prospective customers down to a list of leads, meaning prospects who are considered the most likely to convert to a positive business outcome and to be contacted in person by the salespeople (Järvinen & Taiminen 2016; Paschen et al. 2020).

This study explores the role of the digital communication in determining customers’ e-service agent use behavior and examines whether perceived communicator authority interacts with communication style toward strengthening or weakening future e-service agent use intention. The results of this study provide pioneering evidence on the effects of digital service communication strategies. This study contributes to digital service research by exploring the communication strategies of e-service agents. Results also provide implications for practitioners on how to achieve most out of deploying digital communications in the digital customer service platform.

Since consumers have expanded their interest in global countries with the ease of access to global content through online platforms such as YouTube, marketing practitioners endeavor to uncover an underlying mechanism on how consumers’ interest in global countries would prompt their digital shopping behavior. However, prior literature has not concentrated on the influence of watching videos about global countries on consumers’ digital shopping intentions. By scrutinizing a proprietary dataset regarding consumers’ YouTube watching history and shopping website/app usage behavior, we find that watching global content could increase consumers’ digital shopping duration. In addition, we also find that consumers watching more global content have variety-seeking tendencies when they use shopping websites and apps. Furthermore, we investigate the moderating factors such as social media search and consumers’ sentiment toward different countries on digital shopping. Our findings contribute to the international marketing literature and provide managerial implications to digital media platforms and global companies that utilize target recommendations strategy for marketing communication.

Characterized by connectivity, recent digital technologies have a significant effect on relationships between consumers and firms. Consumers rely on SNS to learn product and/or service information to decide what to purchase. In dealing with this change, some firms struggle to leverage SNS because it fundamentally changes the way marketing communications are executed. Previously, marketing departments planned and executed marketing communications with their prospects and customers. However, owing to connectively through recent digital technologies, everyone in firms can send a message to consumers. Therefore, decentralization of marketing communication roles plays critical roles in recent digital environment.

Smart technologies are critical for businesses to develop these dynamic connections, as technologies enable them to network with others and exchange resources seamlessly. This fact makes it possible to modify the tasks performed by employees of tourism organizations that are in contact with consumers/tourists.

Digitalization is a prevailing force in the marketplace and unquestionably a key topic on the strategic agenda of many firms (e.g., Balsmeier & Woerter, 2019). Alongside, research into managing digitalization has also strongly increased in recent years (Svahn, Matthiasen, & Lindgren, 2017; Ritter & Pedersen, 2020). Hofacker, Pillai, Golgeci & Gligor (2020, p. 1162) claim “Artificial intelligence, blockchain, data security/integrity, Internet of Things, and big data analytics are just some possible digital trends that can shape how B2B relationships are understood and managed”. Despite this increasing interest, the number of works within the scope of business-to-business (B2B) exchanges is still limited (Obal & Lancioni, 2013; Pagani & Pardo, 2017; Gomes et al., 2022; Matt, Pedrini, Bonfanti & Orzes, 2023) and there any many unexplored or underexplored phenomena.

A secure digital platform (SDP) can provide B2B marketers with confidence to use communications technology (CT) and engage in information sharing that facilitates resource utilization. Interlinked digital platforms constitute the company’s ecosystem and barriers in the form of a lack of skills and knowledge in relation to governance and compliance can be overcome through organizational intervention that is external to an individual’s capability of control. A framework for an SDP was developed by utilizing network theory and data were collected via an online survey and analysed (n=207) using SEM, AMOS. Organizational intervention through an SDP can help B2B marketers to increase the organization’s resource capability through improved interaction. It can also help individuals to become pro-actively compliant and be less at risk from various threats (e.g., fake news) as the organization provides a safer digital environment.

The unbounded nature of digital innovation requires innovating firms to be agile in the way they manage the processes, governance and outcomes in order to sense and seize the market directly and timely. This study adopts an inter-organizational approach and asks to what extent and in what way does organizational agility impact on innovation performance? This perspective underscores the interdependencies between collaborating partners, which creates a relationship regulating system of workflow to drive value creation in the process of innovation. While the literature has offered a broad conceptual argument for organizational agility in the context of digital innovation, the mechanisms through which value is transformed in the innovation process is still unclear. We contend that an agile innovation process stands on four main cornerstones: (1) joint strategic planning, (2) joint problem solving, (3) joint improvisation and (4) community (market) sensing. The empirical research is set in the video game industry, which is in a largely digitalized and borderless business environment. The data was collected through an interviewer-administered questionnaire. The sampling frame is based on a Swedish trade association database. Usable sample is 113. We performed structural equation modelling to test the hypothesized model, including main and moderation effects, using Mplus. The findings show that while only improvisation has a significantly positive effect on innovation performance, the role of strategic planning and problem solving between two collaborating partners remains unclear. For example, strategic planning has shown to be a negative influence in our empirical research. Problem solving has no effect on innovation performance, but it interacts with community sensing and subsequently facilitates innovation outcome. This highlights the importance of community sensing, which could offer rich, crucial knowledge and resources for problem solving that proves to be effective. The results provide further theoretical arguments for understanding organizational agility and digital innovation, but also raise further questions for future research.

In recent years, Metaverse has become one of the most popular buzzwords in digital transformation and marketing. The concept of the metaverse refers to a new paradigm for how we will use and interact with digital technologies within an immersive virtual environment (Dwivedi, et al., 2022).

As cryptocurrencies continue to gain viability as an asset class, institutional investors and publicly traded firms are beginning to enter into positions in digital currencies. While generating profits may be the primary purpose, corporations also wish to advertise to their stakeholders that they are keeping up-to-date with latest technological developments, trends, and cutting-edge investment opportunities in enhancing the wealth of the shareholders. The marketing and financial signals with the involvement in blockchain platforms and digital currencies intend to demonstrate the efficiency of corporate operations, and the agility in the utilization of the retained funds. What firms may not be considering however, is the effect these assets may have on their risk profiles. This paper aims at measuring the effect of digital currencies on the risk and returns of publicly traded companies, deciphering the motives behind holding a cryptocurrency as an asset, and determining whether one reason for holding is more impactful than another. Four largest publicly traded holders as well as four of the most prominent digital currencies are explored. The findings from the study contribute to the literature in corporate risk reporting, in marketing and financial motivations of digital currency holdings, and in digital currency risks. The conclusions of the study also make a case for firm transparency through detailed reports of the risk effects of digital currency holdings.

As digital technology becomes more prevalent in today’s business environment and interest in digital trust rises, restaurants need to identify whether and how their mobile apps enhance the customer experience, and what features of the apps can strengthen customers’ attachment to them. However, few studies have examined the role of restaurant mobile apps as a catalyst for building customer loyalty. Considering restaurant mobile apps as a means to build a trustworthy relationship between customers and restaurants, this study develops and validates a research framework to measure digital trust between restaurants and customers through restaurant mobile apps. Specifically, due to the lack of measurement constructs for digital trust, a reliable and valid set of measurements that can explain digital trust in relation to restaurant mobile apps is developed and the effects of mobile apps’ digital trust on customers’ trust in a restaurant brand, overall experience, and their continued use intention are assessed.

The hotel industry is facing a complex business environment due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing competition. The ability to build resilience in adverse conditions is key to the survival and sustained growth of hotel enterprises. Against this backdrop, as a Chinese domestic hotel group, Huazhu Group actively embraces digital technology and takes the lead in developing and adopting digital measures such as hotel smart robots and digital platforms to effectively improve work efficiency, reduce employee burden, manage supplier and owner relationships, and achieve digital transformation.However, the issue of how digitalization enables hotels to form resilience, the process and mechanism of empowerment, and the dimensions of hotel enterprise resilience have not been explored in detail from a theoretical perspective. Therefore, this study adopts an inductive qualitative research method and a single-case study approach, selecting Huazhu Group's subsidiary hotels as the research objects. The aim is to explore the practical aspects of digital empowerment and construct a framework for achieving hotel enterprise resilience through digital empowerment.

We propose a sales prediction model based on the number of new members, online advertising, and consumer reviews for a short period. Considering purchase behaviors of new and existing members, we predict reliable sales amounts, which can be monthly updated. Our study provides digital marketers with a feasible prediction approach.

본 연구는 뷰티 분야에서의 디지털 기술 진보에 따른 변화의 해결방안으로 뷰티 교수자들의 신 기술 수용의도를 분석하여 뷰티산업을 이끌어 갈 예비 뷰티전문가를 교육하는데 있어서 전문적인 디지털 관련 기술 교과목을 적용하여 디지털 뷰티 전문가 배출의 가능성을 알아보고자 하였다. 교수자의 혁신의지, 주관적 규범, 자기효능감 등의 독립변수가 유용성 및 용이성 등 매개변수가 어떤 경로로 기술수용의도에 영향을 미치는 지를 분석하여 뷰티분야에서 신기술 관련 교육의 활성화 방안을 제시하는데 목적을 두고 있 다. 뷰티전공 교수자의 디지털 신기술 수용의도를 분석한 결과 신기술에 대한 혁신 의지와 주관적 규범, 자 기효능감은 매개변수인 용이성과 유용성에 정의 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 이러한 결과는 뷰티 분야 에서 신기술 적용이 필요하며, 이를 위한 교과목 개선이 필요하다고는 강하게 인식하고 있으나, 교수자 스 스로의 신기술 응용에 대한 두려움을 크게 느끼게 되므로 현실적으로 신규 교과목 적용이 어려워지고 있는 것으로 해석할 수 있다. 따라서 뷰티분야 교수자들이 쉽게 이해할 수 있는 디지털 기술 교육 관련 교재개발 이 우선시 되어야 하며, 관련 교육 프로그램 개발 및 활용이 확대되어야 할 것으로 사료된다. 또한 디지털 신기술 및 IT관련 학과와의 긴밀한 협업을 통해 뷰티전공자들을 대상으로 한 교육에 대한 이해와 교육 프 로그램 개발을 위한 상호연구가 지속적으로 이루어진다면 뷰티분야 맞춤형 디지털 신기술 교육프로그램 개발 많은 도움이 될 것이라 확신한다.

디지털 트랜스포메이션은 기업의 경영 전략적 관점에서의 조직, 프로세스, 비즈 니스 모델, 커뮤니케이션의 광범위하고 근본적 변화를 요구하고 있으나, 성공적인 트랜스포 메이션의 핵심 선제요건 중 하나는 구성원의 IT(Information Technology) 역량이다. 공학적 배경 지식 없이 기술경영을 전공하는 학생들은 비교적 단기간에 경영관리 능력과 IT 역량을 동시에 키워야 하는 난제에 처해 있다. 이러한 이유로 효과적인 IT 역량 교육 방법은 기술경 영학 분야의 교육 이슈 중 하나로 부각되고 있다. 본 논문은 디지털 트랜스포메이션의 흐름을 주도할 수 있는 학생들을 양성하기 위한 IT 역량 교육은 “무엇”을 “어떻게” 가르쳐야 할 것 인가라는 질문에 대한 답을 찾기 위한 하나의 사례로서, 서강대학교 기술경영 전문대학원의 IT 관련 커리큘럼 리노베이션의 과정과 현재까지 교육과정 실행 결과를 제시한다. 특히, IT 역량 교육의 출발점이자 진입장벽이 되는 기초 프로그래밍 교육 과정의 피드백 결과에 대한 충분한 논의를 통해, 기술경영대학원 학생들을 위한 효율적인 IT 교육의 운영 방향에 대한 선행 참조사례를 제공하는 데 본 논문의 목적이 있다.