调侃发起形式对品牌评价的影响研究:“他”和“她”的差异

The Effect of Teasing Initiation Form on Brand Evaluation:The Difference between Males and Females

以往对新媒体情境下品牌传播与沟通的研究,主要体现在单个品牌与消费者在线互动方面,而较少关注如何通过两个及以上品牌间的不同调侃形式来建构它们在网络上的自我形象。鉴于此,本文围绕调侃发起形式与粉丝性别身份间的匹配对主动调侃品牌评价的影响展开分析。通过三个实验设计,结果发现:在一对多(vs.一对一)品牌调侃中,男性身份消费者对主动发起调侃品牌的评价更高,支配地位感知起中介作用。在一对一(vs.一对多)品牌调侃中,女性身份消费者对主动发起调侃品牌的评价更高,平等地位感知起中介作用。研究结论不仅拉开了品牌调侃实证研究的序幕,对其相关理论也做出了有益补充,还为品牌调侃实践操作提供了相应建议和指导。

With the advancement of internet technology,brand teasing has become a popular brand communication strategy on new media platforms.It primarily refers to the interactive behavior among two or more brands utilizing new media platforms(e.g.,official microblogs),employing forms such as one-to-many,one-to-one,many-to-one,or sequential relays.Driven by motives related to online impression management or economic performance,brands engage in interactive communication using personified communication styles to shout across the virtual space.In marketing practice,one-to-many and one-to-one brand teasing cases are the most common.For example,McDonald’s and Burger King often engage in one-to-one interactions on Weibo,and BMW and Mercedes-Benz fre-quently engage in playful teasing.Additionally,teasing from one brand towards multiple brands is also quite prevalent.For instance,37 Interactive Entertainment often interacts with 16 brands such as Seven Wolves,Moutai,Pechoin,and Country Garden on their of-ficial Weibo.JD.com also frequently initiates exchanges with dozens of brands including Haier,Midea,and Lenovo.While this phe-nomenon has become a prevalent occurrence in marketing practices,the marketing communication effectiveness of these two teasing forms varies.Therefore,based on the theories of online impression management and status characteristics,we propose that the choice of brand teasing initiation forms should align with the audience’s gender identity to yield better brand evaluation effects.We predict that in one-to-many(vs.one-to-one)brand teasing,male-identified consumers have a higher brand evaluation of actively initiating teasing brands,with perceived dominance playing a mediating role.In one-to-one(vs.one-to-many)brand teasing,female-identified consumers have a higher brand evaluation of brands actively initiating teaing,with perceived equality playing a mediating role.The present study,conducted through three experiments,validates the influence and underlying mechanisms of the match between brand teasing initiation forms and fan gender identity on the evaluation of actively teasing brands.In Study 1,we used simulated scenario materials imitating the real interface of Weibo to preliminarily verify that the interaction between brand teasing initiation forms and consumer gender identity significantly impacts the evaluation of actively teasing brands.In Study 2,by varying the quan-tity of one-to-many brand teasing and the measurement of gender identity,we further confirmed the main effects.We explored the mediating effects of perceived dominance and perceived equality while also eliminating alternative explanations related to excitement perception and humor perception.Experiment 3 continued to modify the quantity of one-to-many brand teasing and the measurement items for perceived dominance and perceived equality,revalidating the main and mediating effects.Overall,this study holds significant implications for marketing theory and managerial practices.Practically,this research,focusing on the emerging topic of brand teasing,conducted a pioneering investigation into the categorization of different initiation forms and their effects.It provides empirical evidence for the marketing communication effectiveness of brand teasing initiation forms in the context of new media.Furthermore,from the perspective of consumers,this study introduces the variable of gender identity and revealed the relationship between brand teasing initiation forms and gender identity.Lastly,grounded in the theory of status characteristics,this study unveils the dual mediating effects of perceived dominance and perceived equality in different initiation forms of brand teasing.As for practice,this study finds that it can offer rational guidance to businesses for managing their online impressions through brand teasing on various media platforms.Additionally,it aids businesses in comprehending and gaining insights into consumers’psycho-logical responses to different initiation forms of brand teasing.By utilizing brand teasing,businesses can influence and manage con-sumers’perception of their self-image,ultimately shaping how they want consumers to perceive them.Lastly,the conclusions of this study can be further extended to areas such as NPO,higher education institutions,zoos,and museums.By selecting different teasing forms based on the gender identity of fans and customer groups,it is potential to significantly reinforce consumer brand identifica-tion.