Mobile channels have dramatically revolutionized how brands connect with consumers. Indeed, smartphones, tablets or any portable device present marketers the possibility to contact consumers at any time and any place. Notwithstanding the opportunities deriving from being constantly in touch with consumers, two major challenges are anyway represented by the need of avoiding consumers’ annoyance with too much information and by the one to differentiate from competitors’ messages. Hence, how to catch recipients’ attention is fundamental to develop effective mobile communication strategies. In this perspective, gamification could be a competitive hedge in current digital environments. Namely, gamification has been identified as the use of attractive and addictive characteristics of games in different context such as advertising messages. As of today, extant literature on the topic mostly focused on the analysis of different motivations to use gamified mobile channels (i.e. hedonic, utilitarian motivations) as well as the factors amplifying the effects of gamification on the persuasiveness of marketing messages (i.e. the design of the gamified mobile advertising). Accordingly, we argue that gamification could help to catch consumers’ attention and influence their engagement with the message and purchase intention. Previous studies, indeed, have not analyzed the factors -such as engagement- potentially mediating the relationship between consumers’ intention to use mobile channels and advertising effectiveness. Next, whether gamified advertising could influence consumers’ purchase intention has yet to be assessed. Moving from such two gaps, this research focuses on the importance of gamification in advertising research. In detail, this research develops and tests a model where consumers’ perceived gamification (measured thanks to the GAMEX scale) as well as consumers’ engagement mediate the relationship between consumer motivations to use a mobile channel, advertising effectiveness and consumers’ purchase intention. Consumers’ expertise in mobile technologies is considered as a moderating variable in the relationship. Structural equation modelling with a sample of 590 Italian millennials, the most technology savvy consumers cohort (thus, the one mostly using mobile channels), has been used to test the hypotheses of the study. Results of the analysis allowed to proposed several implications for advertising theory and practice.

Recently, marketing researchers have started to explore the impact of Social Media Brand Communities in digital marketing strategies. However, in spite of this interest, scant attention has been paid to the micro-mechanisms stimulating electronic word of mouth (E-WOM) within social media brand community. In this sense, this exploratory research aims to explore how consumers‟ engagement is related with positive E-WOM.

The aim of this exploratory research is to investigate whether luxury brands social media activities (Kim & Ko, 2012) – which are online activities that could potentially engage customers in digital environment (Sashi, 2012) – are capable of transmitting the sense of heritage of such brands to the customers. Moreover, the authors will observe whether the aforementioned activities are capable of transmitting the sense of exclusivity, which will be measured through the customers’ perceptions of the brand prestige (Hwang & Hyun, 2012), to the latter. In order to explore such a phenomenon, the authors have selected structural eqation modeling (SEM) as the main methodology of the research (Bagozzi & Yi, 1988). The theoretical foundations of the present research are related with three streams of marketing literature, namely (1) luxury brands social media marketing activities (Kim & Ko, 2010; Kim & Ko, 2012), (2) luxury brands heritage (Ciappei, Zollo, Boccardi, & Rialti, 2016; Hudson, 2011; Rialti, Zollo, Boccardi, & Marzi, 2016) and, finally, (3) luxury brands customer-based prestige (Napoli, Dickinson, Beverland, & Farrelly, 2014). In particular, building on the concept of social media marketing activities (Kim & Ko, 2010), we aimed at observing how the latter could influence customers’ perceptions of the brand by engaging them in online activities and conversations (Sashi, 2012; Zaglia, 2013). Specifically, we investigated if engagement in online activities or in online communities is related with a positive perception of luxury brands’ heritage and prestige. Hence, customers’ online engagement deriving from social media activities has been considered as an antecedent of customer perceived heritage and prestige (Phan, Thomas, & Heine, 2011; Hamzah, Alwi, & Othman, 2014; Riviezzo Garofano, & Napolitano, 2016). Luxury brands have been selected as the context of research since heritage and prestige have emerged as relevant strategic marketing levers for luxury brands’ brand strategist. As a proof of that, recently, luxury brands’ strategist and product managers are increasingly focusing brands’ strategies on the history of the brands in order to transmit customers a feeling of exclusivity and elitism (Hudson, 2010; Balmer, 2011). Thus, luxury brands heritage perceived by costumers emerged as a fundamental component of brand identity and, in addition, it may be considered as a form of competitive advantage increasing brand equity (Van Riel & Balmer, 1997). The main findings of the present research are related with the fact that social media marketing activities may engage customers online (Sashi, 2012). Moreover, it emerged how social media strategies are capable to engage customers and transmit them the sense of heritage and prestige. Hence, social media marketing strategies focused on developing a relationship with customers emerged as crucial in order to enhance customers’ perceptions of a brand heritage and prestige. Finally, the development of such a kind of social media marketing strategies is the principal implication for marketing managers. Due to the aforementioned results, this exploratory research contributes to online luxury brand management literature (Kim & Ko, 2010). In particular, due to our results it is possible to assess that social media activities, which are capable to engage customers online, are able to transmit the sense of heritage and of prestige. Future researches should explore better this phenomenon. In particular, on the one hand we suggest scholars to investigate through qualitative methodologies which kind of communications are capable to transmit sense of heritage and prestige. On the other hand, we suggest scholars to compare traditional form of communications with online form in order to understand which one is more capable to influence customers’ perceptions. The principal limitation of this research is related with its exploratory nature and with the traditional limitations of SEM methodology.

This research aims at analyzing the role of digital technologies for communication in the personalization of cultural heritage visitors’ experience and the potential of such technologies in valorizing cultural heritage sites. In order to explore such a phenomenon through a pilot study, a conceptual framework has been developed in the attempt to better conceptualize the modern notion of digital cultural heritage. The theoretical foundations are experiential marketing (Schmitt, 1999), authenticity in visitors’ experience (Neuhofer et al., 2014), and engineering studies on successful application of technologies in cultural heritage sites (Sparacino, 2004). From the proposed conceptual framework some relevant insights have emerged. In particular, main findings deal with digital technologies being characterized by three particular kinds of artificial intelligence, namely (a) perceptive intelligence, (b) interactive intelligence, and (c) narrative intelligence. Specifically, perceptive intelligence allows a digital technology to seize visitors’ movements inside the museum (Barrera et al., 2013). Interactive intelligence is the kind of intelligence that permits a digital technology to elaborate visitors’ preferences (Sparacino, 2004). Narrative intelligence, finally, enables a digital technology to communicate with visitors (Karaman et al., 2014). Technologies with such features, then, may potentially stimulate positive feelings and emotions in visitors. Particularly, the storytelling of digital personalization of cultural heritage sites can effectively personalize visitors’ experience and uplifts the visit toward an authentic and unique experience (Frow and Payne, 2007; Sani, 2011). Since these technologies could help visitors in fully understanding their personal interests towards arts and cultural heritage, they can also act as instruments of cultural heritage sites promotion. Specifically, these technologies can suggest visitors’ successive cultural heritage sites and also stimulate visitors to suggests others to visit particular sites due to their positive experience (Sweeney et al., 2012).Finally, this study stresses the importance of digital technologies as instruments of experiential marketing by improving visitors’ experience. Moreover, digital technologies for cultural heritage may be interpreted as a key competitive advantage for cultural heritage sites. In particular, digital technologies may be interpreted as strategic levers in order to stimulate the diffusion of word-of-mouth marketing in cultural heritage.Finally, this study stresses the importance of digital technologies as instruments of experiential marketing by improving visitors’ experience. Moreover, digital technologies for cultural heritage may be interpreted as a key competitive advantage for cultural heritage sites. In particular, digital technologies may be interpreted as strategic levers in order to stimulate the diffusion of word-of-mouth marketing in cultural heritage.

Corporate reputation is one of the most important assets for a firm. Literature has widely investigated on how corporate reputation affects competitive advantages and marketing strategies, thus improving customer loyalty and brand’s image. Specifically, scholars have focused on reputational loss event’s linkage with both financial performance and cushion effect on stock price fall during economic crises. Corporate reputation can be divided into three interrelated elements: managerial, financial, and product reputation. Main critical drivers that characterize corporate reputation are, firstly, the quality of product, management, and employees; then, organizational attractiveness, social responsibility and financial performance. Reputation loss may have different nature, resulting both from critical events that deeply affect customers’ perception, and from organizational drivers that are not significantly considered by customers although important for corporate social responsibility. To our best knowledge, while much effort has been given to positive effects of reputation, scarce attention has been given to the typology of reputational loss event impacting on firm’s financial situation. Thanks to multiple case studies in global fashion industry, the authors assess market reactivity after corporate loss of reputation. The focus is on critical drivers that may damage a brand’s image, consequently causing a financial loss. In addition to this, the paper highlights the nature of main reputational risks that mostly impact on stakeholders’ perception of firm’s reputation in fashion industry.

Organically bonded P/M mixes have been developed to improve the stability of dimensional properties by reducing the segregation of the mix constituents and improving the filling characteristics. Robustness and reliability are key factors for the promotion of P/M as cost effective substitute of competing manufacturing technologies. Based on the production of four different belt pulleys, this paper presents the achievement of reduced weight scatter and close dimensional control realizable by using a StarmixTM that is organically bonded.

Sintered steels are materials characterized by residual porosity, whose dimension and morphology strongly affect the fatigue crack growth behaviour of the material. Prismatic specimens were pressed at from Astaloy CrM powder and sintered varying the sintering temperature and the cooling rate. Optical observations allowed to evaluate the dimensions and the morphology of the porosity and the microstructural characteristics. Fatigue tests were performed to investigate the threshold zone and to calculate the Paris law. Moreover tests were performed to complete the investigation. Both on fatigue and samples a fractographic analysis was carried out to investigate the crack path and the fracture surface features. The results show that the Paris law crack growth exponent is around 6.0 for sintered and around 4.7 for sintered materials. The same dependence to process parameters is not found for .