In today’s marketplace, consumers want brands to take a stand on sociopolitical issues. When brands match activist messaging, purpose, and values with prosocial corporate practice, they engage in authentic brand activism, creating the most potential for social change and the largest gains in brand equity. In contrast, brands that detach their activist messaging from their purpose, values, and practice are enacting inauthentic brand activism through the practice of “woke washing,” potentially misleading consumers with their claims, damaging both their brand equity and potential for social change. First, the authors draw on theory to inform a typology of brand activism to determine how, and when, a brand engaging with a sociopolitical cause can be viewed as authentic. Second, a theory-driven framework identifies moderate, optimal incongruence between brand and cause as a boundary condition, showing how brand activists may strengthen outcomes in an increasingly crowded marketplace. Third, the authors explore important policy and practice implications for current and aspiring brand activists, from specific brand-level standards in marketing efforts to third-party certifications and public sector partnerships.

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We propose that attributions about an endorser truly liking, using, or desiring a promoted product mediate the relationship between source and message factors and persuasion via endorsement. In this paper, we integrate the persuasion literature into a framework for examining endorser effectiveness via focus factors (e.g., involvement, cognitive load) that determine whether a consumer thinks carefully or superficially about a message, and lead consumers to rely on different source and message elements (e.g., source attractiveness, argument strength). These elements then influence attributional processing. Correspondent inferences about an endorser can lead to enhanced advertisement and brand attitudes, and spur either fleeting identification with the endorsement or more enduring internalization (Kelman, The Public Opinion Quarterly 25:57-78, 1961) of the endorser's message as a consumer's own. Implications of our framework and research directions are discussed.In a consumer-led, user-generated and vastly cluttered media marketplace, with the average consumer streaming through 3,000 messages daily, how do endorsers influence consumers-and can they still be an effective tool for marketing? In this paper, we argue that the theoretical models that are foundational to understanding endorser influence remain effective, but must be adapted to better organize collected findings on paid-by-brand endorsements and to adjust for the emerging role of earned endorsements, such as recommendations from influential bloggers and online reviewers.

Purpose This paper aims to use systems thinking, systems theory and Camillus’ framework for responding to wicked problems to provide social marketers with a theoretically based framework for approaching strategy formation for wicked problems. The paper treats fast fashion as an illustrative case and takes a step back from implementation to provide a framework for analysing and gaining understanding of wicked problem system structure for social marketers to then plan more effective interventions. The proposed approach is intended as a theory-based tool for social marketing practitioners to uncover system structure and analyse the wicked problems they face. Design/methodology/approach Following Layton, this work provides theoretically based guidelines for analysing the black box of how to develop and refine strategy as first proposed in Camillus’ (2008) framework for responding to wicked issues. Findings The prescription thus developed for approaching wicked problems’ system structure revolves around identifying the individuals, groups or entities that make up the system involved in the wicked problem, and then determining which social mechanisms most clearly drive each entity and which outcomes motivate these social mechanisms, before determining which role the entities play as either incumbent, challenger or governance and which social narratives drive each role’s participation in the wicked problem. Originality/value This paper shows that using systems thinking can help social marketers to gain big picture thinking and develop strategy for responding to complex issues, while considering the consequences of interventions.

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Purpose This work aims to use equity theory to explore how consumers assess prosocial actions as part of a mental portfolio of purchases and behaviors in a broader marketplace, seeking balance in market exchanges. Conceptualizing marketing exchange as both an exchange of perceived value and a balance between self- and collective-interest allows for segmentation by consumer sensitivity to equity and sheds light on why prosocial consumption might occur. Design/methodology/approach Two studies validate and segment consumers via their equity sensitivity. Between-subject designs with samples of consumers and marketing managers validate an equity sensitivity index that segments how people balance self- and collective-interests in marketplace exchange and predicts prosocial consumption choices. Findings The results indicate that Entitled decision makers are more willing to exchange collective-interest for self-interest and emphasize choices that maximize lower prices for consumers or greater profits for firms in lieu of prosocial outcomes. Benevolent decision makers, however, are more willing to exchange self-interest for collective-interest and support prosocial outcomes. Originality/value This work moves beyond research that focuses on attitudes, values and situational factors, instead using equity theory to uncover broader marketplace motivations for prosocial consumption. The research reveals that a motivating force behind prosocial consumption is how much consumers perceive they have given to, and gotten, from, the marketplace. Segmenting the market according to how consumers balance gains and losses provides an alternate approach to studying prosocial consumption, as well as a practical approach to developing targeted marketing strategies.

We define simulated satiation through reality‐enhancing technology as any attenuation in perceived benefits that occurs within or results from vicarious and simulated intermediary sources. We examine simulated satiation as a factor that underlies consumer experiences with reality‐enhancing technologies and presents nine testable propositions. Each proposition is aimed at determining how simulated satiation can unlock implications in terms of engaging consumers for the right amount of time to improve marketing outcomes. We further conduct a proof‐of‐concept study to test proposition 1, that physiological drivers and sensory overload increases simulated satiation. The empirical results show that shorter (vs. longer) exposure to virtual reality content raises perceived usefulness for virtual reality (VR), which in turn mediates stickiness for VR experiences alongside consumers’ subjective well‐being. Finally, we carry forward key theoretical contradictions and areas for future empirical testing based on simulated satiation in reality‐enhanced environments, including experiences, that are reshaping consumer decision making.

Marketing scholars have devoted considerable effort to researching the impact of life transitions on consumption behaviour. However, prior literature on life events is broad and fragmented. This paper provides an up-to-date synthesis of past findings using an integrative review covering 116 articles on life events and consumption over the last 35 years. This critical review reveals important gaps in current knowledge, and puts forward avenues for future research that flow logically from the theoretical gaps identified, thereby contributing to extant literature on life events and consumption. The resulting framework of consumption coping provides an understanding of how consumer motivations build, grow, and alter as life events occur. The goal of the review is to stimulate the field to consider deeper contextual examination of the role of life events in acquisition, consumption, and disposal of material and experiential consumption opportunities.