New Marketing Research Journal
Year:2023 | Volume:13 | Issue:1|Papers Count:8

Today, networking in the organization can increase a person's credibility in a way that leads to a higher position and a sense of career success. Increasing the seller's network behaviors effectively helps to promote practical insight and overall creativity in the work and improve sales performance. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to investigate the effects of sales networking through creativity and job satisfaction on sales performance. The statistical population of this research is the sales staff of Kosar insurance agencies in Mashhad, numbering about 400 people, 250 of them were selected by simple random method. The data collection tool was a questionnaire with 28 questions whose face validity was confirmed by experts and its construct validity was confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis, and its reliability was confirmed by composite reliability. Data analysis was performed using structural equation modeling using SPSS22 and Smart PLS3 software. The results showed that sales networking behavior has a positive and significant effect on sales performance mediated by creativity and job satisfaction. Also, the positive and significant effect of professional and customer networking behavior on creativity was confirmed. In addition, the effect of networking behavior with peers and customers on job satisfaction was confirmed. Finally, the positive and significant effect of creativity and job satisfaction on sales performance was confirmed. However, the effect of networking behavior with peers on creativity and professional networking behavior on job satisfaction was not confirmed. Introduction Although people's effort to develop and maintain relationships with people who are likely to help them in their profession or job is an important job skill set and a proactive approach to individual growth and development, networking behavior has also been less addressed in the insurance industry. Therefore, since the research literature mentions possible differences in the way women and men network, as well as how they benefit from network behaviors, research on possible differences in sales could also be beneficial. Therefore, according to the mentioned cases, the model in this research relates the three common forms of networking behavior to job satisfaction, creativity, and sales performance of the salesperson. Methodology This research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive and survey in terms of the data collection method. The statistical population of this research consists of the sales staff of Kosar Insurance agencies in Mashhad, numbering about 400 people. The sampling method in this random study is simple and the sample size is 196 people using Morgan's table. After identifying the full-time and part-time sellers of 10 existing agencies of Kosar Insurance in Mashhad and preparing a list of them, and considering the fact that some of the questionnaires were not returned, 250 questionnaires were distributed in person, of which 215 questionnaires were collected. And 204 questionnaires were usable. The questionnaire used in this research included 4 general questions about gender, age, and education, and 28 questions related to research variables. The rating scale of each question was prepared from completely agree to completely disagree based on a score of 1 to 5. The data collection tool was a questionnaire with 28 questions whose face validity was confirmed by experts, its construct validity was confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis, and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Data analysis was performed using structural equation modeling using SPSS22 and Smart PLS3 software. Findings Before evaluating the presented structural model, it is necessary to check the significance of the factor load of different constructs of the questionnaire in predicting the relevant items in order to ensure the suitability of the measurement models and the acceptability of their indicators in the measurement of the constructs. This was done using the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) technique and Smart PLS3 software. Considering that in the fitted model, the factor load of all variables in predicting questionnaire items was significant (above 0. 4) and at the confidence level of 0. 95, none of the items were excluded from the analysis process. The coefficient of determination (R2) is the most important measure that can be used to explain the relationship between one or more independent variables and the dependent variable. This coefficient expresses the percentage changes of the dependent variable by the independent variables. According to the presented results, the coefficients of determining the dependent variables can be seen in the fitted research model, which are all acceptable numbers. In order to fit the final model of the research in the PLS software, another index called the goodness of fit index (Gof) is used. According to the obtained results, the structural model of the research has a suitable fit. Conclusion In this research, the effect of sales networking through creativity and job satisfaction on sales performance was investigated. The effect of networking with customers and professional networking on a salesperson's creativity was confirmed, but the effect of networking with peers on creativity was rejected. In the fourth and sixth hypotheses of the research, the positive and significant effect of networking with employees and customers on a salesperson’s job satisfaction was confirmed. But in the fifth hypothesis, the effect of professional networking on a salesperson's job satisfaction was not confirmed. In the seventh and eighth hypotheses, the positive and significant effect of creativity and satisfaction of the seller on sales performance was confirmed. In the ninth and tenth hypotheses, the mediating role of creativity and job satisfaction in the relationship between sales networking and sales performance was confirmed.

Today, in the global economy, customers determine the survival of the company. Companies can no longer be indifferent to the expectations and demands of customers. However, consumer pessimism is a growing phenomenon that has negative consequences for both companies and consumers. Therefore, the current research seeks to find the answer to this research question: What are the factors affecting consumer pessimism? For this purpose, the meta-synthesis method was used. In this research, 540 authentic scientific texts in English were identified and extracted between 2000-2022, and 60 research titles were used using the Critical Appraisal Skills (CAPS) method. To analyze the research literature, a systematic review (meta-synthesis) method was used. After studying and extracting the text, the key codes were extracted and clustered with Max QDI software and arranged in the form of concepts and components. The findings of the research showed that the main components affecting consumer pessimism include 18 main factors and 117 core categories. The main factors affecting consumer cynicism are demographic factors, personality factors, cultural factors, social concerns, bitter experiences with the company, risks affecting consumer cynicism, perceived injustice, the negative burden of individual emotions, mental and psychological disorders, deceptive company behaviors, unethical behaviors of the company, the incorrect performance of the company, advertising factors, pessimistic social attitude, negative view of the company, attention to the environment, customer's behavioral characteristics, and customers’ bargaining power. Introduction Nowadays, the importance of consumer behavior in various economic, social, and cultural industries is undeniable (Jafari Haftkhani & Mohseni, 2020). Understanding consumer behavior deeply seems unlikely without knowing the factors that affect their behavior (Ghafourian Shagerdi et al., 2020). Therefore, identifying the factors that influence the intensity of consumer behavior is essential (Karimi et al., 2022). Consumer skepticism reflects the belief that companies have little honesty in dealing with their customers (Muncy & Iyer, 2020). In marketing, research on skepticism focuses on related structures such as doubt in marketing causality and distrust in advertising communications (Webb & Mohr, 1998,Boush et al., 1994). Skepticism is, in fact, a powerful tool for skeptical individuals that helps consumers reveal hidden aspects and facts of marketing (Arli et al., 2017) and see manipulations and abuses behind persuasive efforts. Thus, customers can behave in a way that challenges marketing theories such as satisfaction and loyalty (Acikgoz & Vega, 2022). Materials and Methods This research is qualitative in nature and applied in terms of its objectives, and falls under the category of document-library studies based on the method of data collection. The aim of this study is to identify the factors affecting consumer cynicism, using a meta-synthesis approach to examine articles in the field of consumer behavior and attitudes and factors contributing to consumer cynicism, and extracting effective factors from relevant articles. The statistical population of the research consists of credible and relevant articles on the subject from 2000 to 2022. In this study, a seven-step meta-synthesis method by Sandelowski and Barroso (2006), which is one of the most important and valid meta-synthesis methods, was used for analysis. Research Findings The research findings showed that the main components affecting consumer pessimism in the automotive industry include 18 main factors and 117 core issues. The main factors affecting consumer pessimism are demographic factors, personality factors, cultural factors, social distractions, bitter experiences with the company, hazards affecting consumer pessimism, perceived injustice, negative emotional burden, mental and psychological disorders, fraudulent company behaviors, unethical company behaviors, incorrect company performance, advertising factors, social pessimism, negative attitude towards the company, attention to the environment, customer behavioral characteristics, and customers’ bargaining power. Discussion of Results and Conclusions By systematically reviewing research on consumer cynicism, it is evident that demographic factors play an important role in shaping individual behavior (Göktaş, 2019,Liu et al., 2022). On the other hand, personality factors refer to those derived from an individual's personality (Liu et al., 2022). Other important factors in consumer cynicism include cultural factors (Abraham, 2000,Liu et al., 2022), social concerns (Vahedi Moakhar et al., 2018,Liu et al., 2022), bitter experiences with a company (Li et al., 2019,Sadiq et al., 2021), perceived risks of consumer cynicism (Roux, 2007,Bashir, 2011,Liu et al., 2022), perceived injustice (Çetinkaya et al., 2018,Swalwell, 2018), negative emotions (Abraham, 2000,Baumeister, 2002,Liu et al., 2022), mental disorders (Holt, 2002,Helm, 2004,Çetinkaya et al., 2018,Liu et al., 2022), deceptive corporate behavior (Wanous et al., 2004,Gillani et al., 2011,Göktaş, 2019), unethical corporate behavior (Holt, 2002,Chylinski & Chu, 2010,Vahedi Moakhar et al., 2018), incorrect company performance (Brown & Cregan, 2008,Lee et al., 2009,Li et al., 2019), advertising factors (Chylinski & Chu, 2010,Swalwell, 2018), social pessimism (Güven, 2016,Vahedi Moakhar et al., 2018,Sadiq et al., 2021), negative attitude towards the company (Güven, 2016,Swalwell, 2018), attention to the environment (Vahedi Moakhar et al., 2018,Sadiq et al., 2021), customer behavioral characteristics (Vahedi Moakhar et al., 2018,Liu et al., 2022), and customers’ bargaining power (Vahedi Moakhar et al., 2018). In general, the practical applications of this research can be discussed in three main axes. Firstly, automobile companies can provide the necessary conditions for reducing consumer cynicism based on the extracted factors. Secondly, consumers and customers can make appropriate decisions when purchasing and consuming based on the identified factors related to cynicism. Thirdly, attention to the extracted factors in this research leads to increased customer participation and interaction, not only leading to the development and improvement of company activities but also increasing competitiveness.

The first stage of hiring marketers in organizations is to attend a job interview. According to the science of communication, the person's appearance is very important in this meeting and since the marketer’s job is one of the vital jobs of the organization, job applicants can influence the employer’s perception according to their clothing and behavior. As such, the aim of the present study is to investigate the appearance and behavioral factors affecting recruitment and also to examine the mental model of employers regarding the appearance of marketers at the time of recruitment. In addition, the current research has been done in an interdisciplinary manner with the help of the Q methodology and the integration of the sciences of human resource management, organizational behavior, marketing, and communication, Therefore, in the current qualitative-quantitative research, all effective external and behavioral factors along with the collected background and interviews with experts were provided to the participants of the research, which include human resource managers from 9 different industries. The participants, based on their points of view, arrange the discourse space in the Q diagram of the research. The results of the analysis of the data led to the identification of the managers' mental model of the appearance and behavioral factors affecting the recruitment of marketers. The most important physical and behavioral characteristics, based on the consensus of all research participants, are issues like passion, intelligence, and communication style. Based on the findings of the present study, the appearance characteristics that have the greatest impact on hiring a marketer are identified, and people who intend to be hired as a marketer can be more successful in the job interview by having these characteristics. In the meantime, knowing these factors, employers who intend to hire a marketer will be less influenced by people's appearance and will consider more important features. Introduction According to the science of communication, non-verbal communication is one of the most important influencing methods that has penetrated various sciences, including management and marketing (Dobusch, et al., 2021,Dehwari Mohammadi, 2014,Shah Vali, 2014). One of the important functions of non-verbal communication in the organization is during labor recruitment, which may lead to choosing the right person for the right position and vice versa, creating unwanted discrimination among job candidates and accepting the wrong person for organizational positions (Roncarlo et al., 2022). Due to the great importance of the issue of appearance and behavioral factors affecting the hiring of marketers for various institutions and organizations, the researcher's extensive investigations indicated that no study has been conducted on this issue at the level of Iran. In addition, according to the extensive searches conducted in the articles written by researchers in other countries, no research was found in which all the components were studied in a comprehensive and integrated manner. Therefore, it can be claimed that in this research, for the first time, all the external and behavioral factors affecting employment have been comprehensively and integrated from the literature of human resources management, behavioral studies, and marketing studies. Methodology Since the current basic research seeks to identify the mental model of employers of the appearance and behavioral characteristics that affect the hiring of marketers, the Q methodology was used. The Q methodology is a tool for investigating and identifying the opinions, thoughts, attitudes, opinions, and mentalities of people. This method is designed to reveal mental patterns such as attitudes, beliefs, feelings, and views of the participants (McKeown & Thomas, 1988). In the Q method, targeted sampling is done with the help of the snowball method and will continue until the information saturation is reached, that is, when the researcher feels that the arrangement of the Q cards has become repetitive. Findings In the present study, based on the findings of descriptive statistics, the average age of the participants was 36. 95, and among the participants, the lowest age was 27 and the highest age was 68. In addition, 74% of the participants were men and 26% were women, and the longest job experience among these people was 50 years and the lowest was 2 years. Considering the relative alignment that existed between the opinions of the managers of each of the studied industries with the findings of the group of industries, the opinion of all the participants has been analyzed in an integrated manner. The findings of the research showed that 21 mental patterns have been extracted on behavioral and appearance factors affecting the recruitment of marketers, that the first pattern has the most commonality and the highest amount of eigenvalue, and according to the statistical findings, it is the most important mental pattern among the research participants. Conclusions According to the participants’ views, using 3 components has the greatest impact on employers in the first meeting: 1) passion, 2) intelligence and acumen, and 3) Communication style. The findings of the present research regarding passion are consistent with the findings of Soleimani et al. ’s research (2018) in which there was a significant statistic between passion and career success. The findings of the current research were in line with the findings of the research by Karubi et al. (2015) in which intelligence and acumen have a positive and significant effect on job performance, and people who have higher intelligence and acumen are more compatible and perform better with their profession. The findings of this study are congruent with the findings of Hosseinpour and Tayibi Sani, 2015). They found that communication style has a positive and significant effect on job performance, and people who have a suitable communication style in the visual and verbal marketing sectors have a greater impact on will-be marketing. It is suggested that researchers use non-appearance components in addition to appearance-related components in their research. In addition, from the point of view of psychology, researchers should identify the mental patterns and personality of each employer and achieve significant results. Considering that our country is culturally and religiously made up of different strata (Shia, Sunni, Zoroastrian, Armenian, etc. ), it is possible to examine the comparative viewpoints between two specific religions.

Today's consumers do not only pay attention to the functional aspects of the product when making decisions, they involve the symbolic aspect of the brand in their decisions in many cases due to the multiplicity of products and also the improvement of the quality of different products. The strong presence of today's humans in social networks is also a good opportunity for brands to interact more with their customers. With their presence in this space, they transform themselves from a functional product to a personality that interacts with customers. Customer-centric brand equity in the context of social media is defined as the ability to create a psychological state in the minds of consumers in interaction with the brand. In this study, the relationship between customer-based brand equity and the dimensions of brand gender (as a dimension of brand personality) which is a symbolic and non-functional aspect of the brand, was investigated in the context of Instagram. In addition to the direct relationship between these two variables, the effect of gender personality dimensions of the brand on customer-based brand equity was measured through two variables of brand love and brand emotional interaction. To assess the relationship, 391 questionnaires were completed by active Instagram users of FMCG brands. The results using structural equation modeling showed that the two dimensions of brand masculinity and femininity, both directly and indirectly, through the two variables of brand love and consumer emotional interaction have a positive and significant effect on customer-centric brand equity. Introduction Brand personality has been described as the human characteristics that consumers attribute to a brand (Aaker, 1997), playing an important role in creating consumer interactions with the brand, as well as in creating, developing, and maintaining brand power (Lin, 2010). In addition, brand personality has a significant impact on increasing brand equity (Lin, 2010,Keller et al., 2011). One of the important dimensions of brand personality is the concept of brand gender. Recent studies have shown that consumers’ perception of a brand’s masculinity or femininity affects their brand-related reactions (Azar et al., 2018,Van Tilburg et al., 2015). Moreover, research has shown that the compatibility between brand gender and consumers’ sexual identity has a direct effect on loyalty and repeat purchasing (Vacas et al., 2020), trust in the brand, attitude towards the brand, and increases the likelihood of recommendation marketing. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the relationship between male and female brand personality dimensions and customer responses in the form of emotional commitment, love for the brand, and special brand value in the Instagram space. This is a topic that has been less studied in previous research. As this study examines the brand personality dimensions in the social media space of Instagram, the emotional commitment of the audience and the concept of love for the brand have been considered a mediator in the relationship between brand gender dimensions and special brand value. Methodology The data for this study were collected through a questionnaire consisting of 22 items to measure 5 variables. Instagram pages of brands with high numbers of followers, including Ladan Oil, Golha food industries, Pech Pech, Baraka chocolate, and several other brands, were selected. Respondents answered these questions using a 5-point Likert scale. The research variables were extracted from standard questionnaires used in other studies. Statistical analysis of the research data was performed using SPSS25 and PLS3 software for structural equation modeling analysis. Accordingly, the data of this study were analyzed through confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Reliability and validity factors were used to fit measurement models. To measure the reliability of the questionnaire items, factor loading, composite reliability, and Cronbach's alpha were used. Also, the AVE index was used to assess the validity of the questionnaire. Findings The present study aimed to investigate the impact of customers’ perception of the masculine and feminine personality of a brand on the customer-centric brand value in the Instagram social network. In addition to directly examining the impact of masculinity and femininity dimensions on the brand’s unique value, the effect of the two dimensions of the brand through two variables of emotional commitment of customers to the brand and love for the brand on the brand’s unique value was examined. The results showed that this relationship was confirmed both directly and through the variables of emotional commitment and love for the brand. The coefficient of determination for the unique value variable indicates that the model is in good condition and shows that 75% of the variance in the unique value of the brand can be explained by the influential variables in this model, meaning that the four other variables also demonstrate changes in the unique value of the brand. The coefficient of determination for the variables of customer commitment to the brand and love for the brand is 0. 635 and 0. 709, respectively, indicating a high explanation of the variance in these two variables through influential independent variables. Conclusion The findings and hypotheses confirm that brand owners and marketing managers can enhance the perceived gender features of their brand through content production and interactions with consumers on Instagram, thus increasing the brand’s special value. As the R-squared coefficient indicates, at a significant level of 95%, 76% of the changes in brand special value can be explained by this model. Therefore, by strengthening and improving the variables in the model, a significant increase in brand equity from the consumer's perspective can be expected. Researchers can use other brand communication methods such as advertising in future studies to test this model and examine the differences between social networks such as Instagram and other brand communication methods in conveying the concept of male and female brand personality to the audience.

E-business allows organizations to reach more consumers in a much wider economic market. This capability in the information age has caused it to be used as a development solution in business and as an alternative of interest for new businesses. However, the influence of many components and the increasing change in information technology have caused its successful application as a challenge for the organization. One of these challenges is the cost of simultaneously paying attention to all aspects of success in electronic business and the short-term effect of those components. Therefore, identifying all the components affecting the success of e-business and prioritizing them can be effective in advancing organizational goals. The present study uses a conceptual model of the components affecting customer relationships in e-business, using a systematic literature review and qualitative content analysis. The proposed model consists of five dimensions: ‘use of social media’, ‘customization’, ‘applicability of social media’, ‘customer interaction approach’, and ‘website quality’. These structures consist of 16 components and 38 sub-components. The proposed model has been investigated and statistically analyzed through a survey by e-business experts. The results show that ‘advertisements’ in instant messengers are of considerable importance in establishing effective communication with customers and attracting new customers (95% confidence). According to experts’ opinions, it is worth mentioning that some components such as ‘ease of ordering’ and ‘security of payment’ have lower importance, and this can be the result of turning these components into mandatory business features. Introduction Digital technologies are changing markets, business environments, business models (Foltean et al., 2019), and the marketing communications paradigm (Farmania et al., 2021). Web technologies are changing how organizations and customers interact and creating new ways to interact and cooperate with the market. While the expansion of information technology and customer empowerment can create business opportunities, it also brings new challenges to customer relationship management. The accomplishment of a successful e-business relies on a quick response, the adoption of new technologies, and acquiring knowledge to use them. Adopting and implementing all these tools require time and investment, and using one component for all businesses will not increase profits. Previous research has identified limited components affecting the improvement of customer relationships in e-business (Farmania et al., 2021,Ijaz et al., 2016,Joo & Sohn, 2008,Trainor et al., 2014), and studies in this category suffer from not providing a conceptual framework related to the main components affecting the improvement of customer relationships. In this study, the structures and components that are effective in improving customer relationships in electronic businesses are identified by first using a systematic review of the research literature. Then, experts examine the effects of the components and their ranking, and finally, a conceptual model of the affecting components of customer relationships in electronic businesses is presented. Methodology This study has two main phases: In the first phase, using the qualitative research method, a systematic review of research literature (Okoli & Schabram, 2010) was conducted. The review consisted of four stages: planning (determining the goal and subject), selection (sifting articles according to the goal), extraction (identifying the structures, components, and subcomponents affecting the improvement of customer relationships in electronic businesses), and implementation (development of the conceptual framework using qualitative content analysis and selective and central coding). In the second phase, the developed conceptual framework was evaluated by an online survey and statistical analysis of experts’ opinions in the field of customer relationship management. Experts in this field have been identified by using the snowball sampling method and 59 people completed the survey. The alpha coefficients of the studied variables were calculated as 0. 966. Therefore, it can be said that the survey was valid. To perform the statistical analysis of the results, the Normal Distribution Hypothesis was checked using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, and due to the mismatch between the data distribution and the normal distribution, non-parametric tests were used to evaluate the proposed conceptual framework. The ratio test was used to measure the acceptance or non-acceptance of the conceptual framework. The chi-square hypothesis test was used to analyze the frequency of each choice in Likert, among the subcomponent, and also Friedman's test was used to test for differences among subcomponent and ranking them. Findings The ranking of the subcomponent with Friedman's analysis of variance shows advertising and selling products on online public sites due to providing the possibility to communicate with wider users, providing complementary products and services, saving time and reducing the negative burden of multiple payments, and sending general advertising SMS to make effective and continuous communication with customers, will acquire new customers and increase the quality of communication with customers. Additionally, experts observed that this subcomponent should be given more attention in the ranking analysis of the subcomponents of the "use of social media" structure compared to other subcomponents of this structure. The findings related to the ranking of the subcomponents of the "applicability of social media" structure indicate that the experts noticed the importance of the "advertising campaign with charitable institutions" subcomponent due to its ability to create a positive feeling towards the brand and increase loyalty. They also noted the importance of the "advertising campaign with other businesses" subcomponent to acquire new customers and have the support of other business customers. The experts ranked "Push Notification" as the most important subcomponent among the subcomponents of the "website quality" structure due to its ability to pop up website content updates to users and increase click rates and website visits. The findings also show that some components such as ‘ease of ordering’ and ‘security of payment’ have lower importance according to experts’ opinions, and this can be due to this component being considered a competitive advantage in the past, but now it has become a business requirement. Conclusions Nowadays, the accomplishment of a successful e-business relies on the identification and adoption of effective tools and components to improve customer communication. By reviewing the literature about the component affecting the improvement of customer relationship management, researchers have only identified the components, and the studies in this field suffer from the development of a comprehensive conceptual framework. This study aims to identify and evaluate the effective components of improving customer relations in electronic businesses and to develop a comprehensive conceptual framework of strategic and operational components effective in improving customer relations. This model includes five structures: ‘use of social media’, ‘customization’, ‘applicability of social media’, ‘customer interaction approach’, and ‘website quality’. In addition, there are 16 components and 38 subcomponents. The goal framework was examined through a survey by e-business experts and was confirmed with 95% confidence. The results of Friedman's statistical test in ranking the components show that ‘advertisements’ have significant importance in making effective communication with customers and acquiring new customers. The components of ‘ease of ordering’ and ‘security of payment’ have lower importance. This can result from turning these components into mandatory features of business (lack of competitive advantage). In addition, the prioritization of the components at the level of each structure shows that ‘Push Notification’ in improving the ‘website quality’ structure and ‘advertising campaign’ in the structure of ‘applicability of social media’ can improve the relationship with the customer.

This study examines augmented reality technology from the perspective of flow experience based on virtual liminoid theory. It seeks to determine whether the flow induced by virtual liminoid theory in augmented reality purchasing systems affects consumer outcomes. An augmented reality application in the clothing field, specifical footwear, was used to perform a simulated experiment between individuals with 300 participants selected by a non-probabilistic sampling method to achieve this goal. Out of 300 standard questionnaires distributed among the participants, 290 usable questionnaires were made available to the researcher. The study's statistical population is all Kharazmi University (Tehran-Karaj Branch) students who have used augmented reality technology in the clothing industry at least once. This research is a descriptive survey in terms of practical purpose. Data analysis was performed using the partial least squares method of structural equation modelling in SMART PLS 3 software. The results showed that the virtual liminoid theory, in general, and the two components include a sense of ownership and ownership control each having a positive and significant effect on the flow experience. However, the effect of the self-exploratory interaction element on the flow experience was not confirmed separately. Flow has also a positive and significant impact on two consumer outcomes, including information usefulness and enjoyment. Finally, two consumer outcomes include information usefulness and enjoyment, each positively and significantly affecting satisfaction with augmented reality experience. The managerial and practical conclusions of marketers and designers to support the creation and implementation of augmented reality technology in the consumer field are also presented. Introduction The huge advancements in technology worldwide have created challenging competition among companies in which each company tries to attract customers by using different techniques. One of the recent techniques is augmented reality. Augmented reality is a new technology that can provide facilities that are difficult to offer and fulfill for other technologies. In other words, it enables the development of new enriched environments to expand the physical world, combining real-world and virtual-world objects (Barhorst et al., 2021). Azuma (1997) defines augmented reality as a real-time representation of the physical world while augmented with virtual computer information such as text, images, video, or other computer-generated interactive media (Azuma, 1997). Today, numerous applications of augmented reality are used in different types of industries. Augmented reality will change people's view of the world. Augmented reality begins to occupy its place in our visual and audio media. It is used in different areas of our lives in concrete and exciting ways such as news and sports. It is also used in many areas of our lives such as e-commerce, advertising, design, learning facilitation, and marketing and sales. Such growth and expansion of augmented reality applications drive organizations to compete with each other. Finally, each of them tries their best to get customers (AlKhamisi & Monowar, 2013). Methodology According to the classification of scientific research, the current study is descriptive and survey based on the applied purpose and data collection method. It is quantitative in terms of the nature of the data and the research approach. For data analysis, the method of structural equation modeling with the approach partial least squares method was used in Smart PLS 3 software, which is one of the most potent and appropriate multivariate analysis methods. The current research's statistical population was all Kharazmi University (Tehran-Karaj Branch) students who have used augmented reality technology in the clothing industry, such as shoes, at least once. The selection of this statistical population was due to the up-to-dateness of students in the field of technology, fashion, and clothing. The statistical sample was selected using the available non-probability sampling method. We used the Wanna Kicks software to create an environment for our statistical community to easily experience augmented reality technology in the clothing industry, such as shoes. In this study, 300 questionnaires were distributed among the participants, of which 290 were acceptable. To ensure the accuracy and correctness of the research results, the researcher has to evaluate the technical characteristics of the tool used in his research (questionnaire). The technical features of the tool are summarized in two cases: reliability and validity. All the coefficients are within acceptable limits. So, the reliability and validity of the questionnaire are acceptable. Findings The coefficient of determination was used to connect the structural part of structural equation modeling, showing the effect an independent variable has on a dependent variable. The values of the coefficient of determination of the dependent variables were in the range between 0. 19 and 0. 67, which shows that the model's coefficient of determination is average. Another factor that is considered in evaluating the validity of the structural model is the criterion of predictive power. This criterion specifies the predictive power of the model. The value of Q2 for all hidden variables was positive and at a medium and strong level. It indicates that the model's predictive power regarding these variables was acceptable. Path coefficients expressed the existence of a causal, linear relationship and the intensity and direction of this relationship between two variables. It is a number between-1 and +1, which, if equal to zero, indicates the absence of a linear causal relationship between two hidden variables. The fitting of the structural model using significant coefficients is such that these coefficients must be higher than 1. 96 to confirm their significance at the 95% confidence level. After checking the fit of the measurement and structural parts of the overall research model, the researcher also controls the overall fit with the GOF criterion. The GOF value for the research model was equal to 0. 554, indicating the research model's strong fit. SRMR is the index of the root mean square residual. The value of this index in the current research was equal to 0. 07, which is approved. Conclusions The effect of virtual liminoid theory's impact on the flow experience is greater than its individual components. In the following, respectively, the influence of the sense of ownership and control of ownership has the most significant impact on the flow experience, and the self-explorative engagement component does not affect the flow experience. Also, the flow has the most significant impact on enjoyment than the information utility. Finally, the effect of enjoyment on the satisfaction of the augmented reality experience, which is the final variable of the research, is more than the effect of the information utility. Therefore, for designing online shopping scenarios, the role of decorating psychological states cannot be ignored. Online marketers or e-retailers need to create online shopping scenarios that suit the psychological states of virtual decoration of consumers.

Designing or developing an appropriate message strategy is one of the most important factors affecting the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. However, there is no study in the literature to categorize the message content strategy. Accordingly, the current research identifies and categorizes message content strategies, and evaluates them using a sequential mixed methods study. Thus, in the qualitative part of the research, the data obtained from the meta-synthesis literature and interviews with advertising campaign specialists were thematically analyzed. The results of this part put message content strategies into 24 themes, 11 sub-strategies, and 4 main strategies. In the quantitative part of the research, using the survey strategy, the relationship between the product type, level of product involvement, the product position in the life cycle, competition intensity, and the competitive position of the brand with each of the four main message content strategies were investigated. A questionnaire was distributed among the target population for 8 samples of the advertising campaigns selected based on some criteria. Finally, the collected questionnaires were analyzed using multiple linear regression method. The results of this part showed a significant relationship between the variables of product position in the life cycle, competition intensity, and brand competitive position with each of the message content strategies. Also, there is a significant relationship between product type and objective differentiation strategy, credibility strategy, and encouragement strategy. In addition, there is a meaningful relationship between the product involvement level with the objective differentiation strategy and the subjective differentiation strategy. Introduction Designing or developing an appropriate message strategy is one of the most important factors under the control of advertisers that affects the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. However, there is no comprehensive and integrated classification of message content strategy. Previous researchers have presented a handful of typologies on this topic that have weaknesses,for instance, some categories lack some elements described by others, and all the classifications are limited to external studies. Therefore, in the current study, a comprehensive and integrated categorization of the message content strategies has been provided by reviewing the relevant studies and based on the existing categories. Then, we evaluated the strategies by examining their relationship with some of the influencing factors in their selection which have been mentioned in previous studies and theories (including product type, level of product involvement, product position in the life cycle, competition intensity, and competitive position of the brand). Knowing the types of message content strategy, as well as which one is more appropriate according to each of the factors, will be an effective action in guiding the advertising campaign designers toward the conscious and scientific choice of message content strategy. Methodology A sequential mixed-methods design (qualitative-quantitative) was used to achieve the research objective. Thus, in the qualitative part of the research, the data obtained from the Meta-synthesis literature, and interviews with advertising campaign specialists were thematically analyzed. Then, in the quantitative part of the research, using the survey strategy, the relationship between the product type, the level of product involvement, the product position in the life cycle, the competition intensity, and the competitive position of the brand with each of the four main message content strategies, were investigated. For this purpose, a questionnaire was designed based on the mentioned variables for eight examples of advertising campaigns, which were selected based on the considered criteria and distributed among the target population. Finally, using SPSS software, the collected questionnaires were analyzed by the multiple linear regression method. Findings The results of the qualitative part put message content strategies into 24 themes, 11 sub-strategies, and four main strategies (objective differentiation strategy, subjective differentiation strategy, credibility strategy, and encouragement strategy). The results of the quantitative part showed,that there is a significant relationship between the variables of product position in the life cycle, competition intensity, and brand competitive position with each of the message content strategies. Also, there was a significant relationship between product type and objective differentiation strategy, credibility strategy, and encouragement strategy. In addition, there was a meaningful relationship between product involvement level with the objective differentiation strategy and the subjective differentiation strategy. Conclusions From the findings of the qualitative phase of the research (meta-synthesis and thematic analysis of interview data), an integrated classification of the message content strategy was provided based on 24 concepts, four of which were obtained from interview data that were not mentioned in the literature. Then, we presented two matrixes based on the survey results and the theoretical basis of the research. One of the matrices is obtained from the combination of the two components: product involvement level (high-low) and product type (durable-nondurable), and the other one is drawn from the composition of competition intensity (high-low) and the brand competitive position (high-low). Each introduced matrix contains four quadrants, and we suggest the appropriate message strategy for them. According to the findings of this research, we suggest future researchers analyze the content of a large sample of advertising campaigns by using the categories presented regarding the message content strategy in the current study, whose codes and operational definitions are known. Future researchers are also encouraged to use other methods, such as the Delphi technique or focus group interview, along with the meta-synthesis method, to identify message content strategies. Moreover, they can compare the effectiveness of the suggested message content strategies according to the provided matrices through experimental designs. Examining the relationship of other variables such as the audience culture or their demographic characteristics, the type of communication media with the choice of each of the message content strategies, is another future research proposal. By referring to the findings of this investigation, advertising campaign designers can choose the message content strategy more easily, quickly, and scientifically. Marketing and advertising teachers can use the results of this study in the classrooms to teach students about message content strategies in a more convenient, classified, and coherent way. The following could be considered as some contributions of the present study to the field: 1) providing an integrated classification of message content strategies using a qualitative method, 2) empirical examination of the relationship between the influencing variables with each of the message content strategies through the analysis of a sample of advertising campaigns, and 3) providing matrixes for selecting message content strategies.

In today's competitive world, Instagram is one of the most popular social media used by many companies and has become a new way to increase engagement and interaction with users. In this regard, the present study examined the effect of Instagram contests, brand awareness, and users’ emotions on their engagement with the company. This research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-survey in terms of research strategy. The statistical population of the research is 8000 users of the Parsi App (an active startup in the field of fintech) on Instagram. In order to collect the data, the non-probability sampling method was used. The online questionnaire link was sent to the users who participated in the Parsi App contest and 300 responses were collected. The collected data were analyzed by structural equation modeling and the partial least squares approach using the third version of Smart PLS software. In this way, the results of the research showed that the features of Instagram contests, user emotions, and brand awareness each have a positive and significant effect on user engagement. In addition, the feature of Instagram contests, taking into account the mediating variable of brand awareness, has a positive and significant effect on user engagement. However, the mediating role of users' emotions in this regard was not confirmed at the 95% confidence level. This issue shows the importance of paying attention to tools that encourage engagement, such as designing Instagram contests, which can be implemented as a strategy in the form of social networks and digital marketing. Introduction Nowadays, the use of social media has grown substantially among users such as individuals, business owners, government, etc. These media have become a direct and conventional communication channel that connects customers with the product, brand, and value created by the company (Roy et al., 2018). In addition, the diversity of these media and the style of facing each of them with users has a significant difference between them in terms of functionality. In Iran, many Instagram contests are organized by brands. It is necessary to examine their various dimensions and roles in stimulating users' engagement due to the growing importance of using contests in content creation. At the time of our research, due to research limitations in this field, we focused on dividing, describing, and identifying the features of an Instagram contest. This research analyzes some dimensions of Instagram contests such as creativity, motivation, trust, and convenience which have been repeated sporadically in the literature. In this regard, the present study examined the effect of Instagram contests, brand awareness, and users' emotions on their engagement with the company. Methodology This study is considered as applied research in terms of purpose and descriptive-survey in terms of research strategy. Also, the research questionnaire containing 43 questions has been prepared in two parts to collect the required data. The first part includes general information and demographics related to the respondents, including gender, education, popular social networks, and the amount of activity on them. The second part consists of 39 questions related to the variables measured in the research. All of the questions have a seven-point Likert scale from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (7). Since the questionnaire questions are standard, the questionnaire has content validity. The questionnaire was approved and corrected by using the opinions of professors, experts, and researchers for visual narrative. Construct validity was also confirmed by Smart PLS software. In addition, the reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Findings The present study examined the effect of Instagram contests, brand awareness, and users' emotions on their engagement with the company. The results of the research showed that the features of Instagram contests, user emotions, and brand awareness each have a positive and significant effect on user engagement. Moreover, the feature of Instagram contests, taking into account the mediating variable of brand awareness, has a positive and significant effect on user engagement. However, the mediating role of users' emotions in this regard was not confirmed at the 95% confidence level. Conclusions This study can improve digital marketing literature on Instagram contests and user engagement on the Instagram platform in order to apply the findings to managers and academics in different ways. This research has defined and classified the features of Instagram contests, namely creativity, motivation, convenience, and trust, according to the research literature, which can be considered as a starting point for the development of contest design for individuals, businesses, organizations, and companies on Instagram. In addition, Instagram is chosen as the most popular social network of the respondents according to the opinion of 74% of them,therefore, it is necessary to master the algorithms and rules of Instagram content production for companies including Parsi App. As a result, it is necessary for marketing managers to master the challenge of digital marketing, and cultivate professional administrators to actively engage with users.