Comunicación y COVID: tonos de marca preferidos por los consumidores durante períodos de tensión - Vol. 33 Núm. 87, Enero 2023 - Revista Innovar - Libros y Revistas - VLEX 920862298

Comunicación y COVID: tonos de marca preferidos por los consumidores durante períodos de tensión

AutorSara MacSween, Bonnie Canziani
CargoMBA in Management and Marketing University of North Carolina Greensboro North Carolina, United States/Ph. D. in Organizational Behavior University of North Carolina Greensboro North Carolina, United States
43
INNOVAR
COMUNICACIÓN Y C OVID: TONOS DE MA RCA PREFERIDOS P OR LOS
CONSUMIDORES DUR ANTE PERÍOD OS DE TENSIÓN
RESUMEN: este estudio a naliza las prefer encias de los con sumidores
frente al tono de u na marca durante perío dos de tensión o estrés , como
el confinamient o durante la pandemia de C OVID-19. Para ello, se pre sen-
taron cinco opc iones de tono de mar ca mutuament e excluyente s (informa-
tivo, reconfo rtante, conf iable, inspirador y humor ístico) ante un grupo d e
consumidores . Las prefere ncias de los cons umidores por es tos tonos fu eron
analizadas y cot ejadas con las variables s ociodemográfic as y la informa-
ción report ada por los parti cipantes asoc iada con el estré s inducido por la
pandemia y los mec anismos de afrontamie nto empleados. La s relaciones
estadísti cas entre el es trés y las pref erencias de to no de marca indiv iduales
variaron de no signif icativas a n egativas, p or lo cual no se obser varon aso-
ciaciones pos itivas. El género y el estado c ivil mostraron asociacio nes
significat ivas con la selecci ón de un tono de marca. A par tir de estos ha-
llazgos, es po sible afirmar que los consumidor es continúan priorizando
los mensajes inf ormativos ante momen tos inciertos. Sin e mbargo, el uso
de tonos reconf ortantes tambié n es útil en tiempos turbu lentos y puede
ser particul armente apropiado para c onsumidores de sexo fem enino que
buscan conex iones sociales. Co n respecto a las limita ciones del estudio,
esta invest igación se centr ó en residentes de E stados Unidos dur ante una
sola crisis pand émica, quienes re portaron pad ecer de estrés .
PALABRAS CLAVE: publicidad, tonos de m arca, estré s del consumidor, co -
municaciones de marketing, pandemia.
COMUNICAÇÕES COVID: TONS DE MARCA PREFERID OS PARA CONSU-
MIDORES DURANTE TEMPOS ESTRESSANTES
RESUMO: Este estudo inv estiga as preferências do s consumidores pelo
tom da marca quando e stão em uma situaçã o estressante (ou s eja, isola-
mento durante a pa ndemia de covid-19). Cinco opç ões de tom de marca
mutuamente exclusivas (informativo, reconfortante, confiável, inspirador
e bem-humorado) f oram apresentadas aos cons umidores entrevistado s.
As preferênc ias dos consumidores foram in specionadas e analisadas de
acordo com a demo grafia e aos itens autode clarados relacionados c om
o estresse in duzido pela pandemia e os comport amentos de enfrenta-
mento/superaçã o . As relações es tatística s entre o estress e e as preferên-
cias individuais d e tom de marca variara m de insignificant es a negativas.
Não foram obser vadas associaçõ es positivas. Gê nero e estado civil ap re-
sentaram ass ociações significa tivas com seleções de to ns de marca. Os
gerentes de mar keting devem estar ci entes de que os consumid ores con-
tinuam a prioriz ar mensagens informativ as em tempos incertos. N o en-
tanto, o uso do to m reconfortant e também é útil em tempo s turbulentos
e pode ser part icularmente aprop riado para as consumi doras que buscam
conexões so ciais. Com respeit o às limitações do es tudo, esta pesq uisa se
concentrou em r esidentes dos Estado s Unidos durante uma única cris e
pandêmica. O es tresse dos ent revistados f oi reportad o por eles mesmos .
PALAVR AS-CH AVE: publicida de, tons de marca, es tresse do consumido r,
comunicações de marketing, pandemia.
COMMUNICATION S COVID : LES TONALIT ÉS DE MARQUE PRÉFÉRÉES
DES CONSOMMATE URS EN PÉRIODE DE STR ESS
RÉSUMÉ : Cett e étude examine les préfére nces des consommateurs e n
matière de tonali té de marque lorsqu'ils se tr ouvent dans une situation
stressant e (par exemple, le conf inement pendant la pand émie de COVID-
19). On a présenté aux c onsommateurs cinq c hoix de tonalité de mar que
mutuellement e xclusifs (infor matif, réconf ortant, dig ne de confiance ,
inspirant et humor istique). Les préférence s des consommateurs ont été
contrôlées e t analysées en fonct ion des données démogr aphiques et des
éléments auto déclarés re latifs au str ess induit par la pan démie et aux com -
portement s d'adaptation. Les re lations statistique s entre le stress et les
préférences individuelles en matière de tonalité de marque variaient de
négligeables à n égatives. On n'a pa s noté aucune asso ciation positi ve. Le
sexe et le stat ut marital ont mo ntré des assoc iations signif icatives a vec les
choix de tonalit é de la marque. Les re sponsables marke ting doivent savo ir
que les consomma teurs continue nt de privilégier l es messages info rmatifs
en période d'inc ertitude. Cep endant, le recour s au confort est égal ement
utile en périod e de turbulence et peut être par ticulièrement approprié
pour les consomm atrices en quête de liens s ociaux. En ce qui concern e
les limites de l'é tude, cette recherc he s'est concentrée sur les r ésidents
américains pen dant une seule cris e pandémique. Le st ress des répondan ts
a été auto-d éclaré.
MOTS-CLÉ : P ublicité, tonalités de la m arque, stress du consomma teur,
communications marketing, pandémie.
SUGGESTED CITATION: MacSween, S. & Canziani, B. (2023).
COVID communications: Preferred brand tones for con-
sumers during stressful times. Innovar, 33(87), 43-58.
https://doi.org/10.15446/innovar.v33n87.105501
JEL CODES: M31, M37, M39.
RECEIVED: 16/2/2022 APPROVED: 4/7/2022
This publication is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCom-
mercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
Marketing
COVID Communications: Preferred
Brand Tones for Consumers
during Stressful Times
Sara MacSween
MBA in Management and Marketing
University of North Carolina Greensboro
North Carolina, United States
Author’s role: intellectual
sbmacswe@uncg.edu
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7856-4725
Bonnie Canziani
Ph. D. in Organizational Behavior
University of North Carolina Greensboro
North Carolina, United States
Author’s role: intellectual
bmcanzia@uncg.edu
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2000-5867
ABSTRACT: This study investigates consumer preferences for brand tone when they are under a
stressful situation (i.e., lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic). Five mutually exclusive brand tone
choices were presented to consumer respondents (informative, comforting, trustworthy, inspiring,
and humorous). Consumer preferences for these were inspected and analyzed against demogra-
phics and self-reported items related to pandemic-induced stress and coping behaviors. The sta-
tistical relationships between stress and individual brand tone preferences varied from negligible
to negative. No positive associations were noted. Gender and marital status showed significant
associations with brand tone selections. Marketing managers should be aware that consumers con-
tinue to prioritize informative messages during uncertain times. However, the use of comfort is also
helpful during turbulent times and may be particularly appropriate for female consumers seeking
social connections. Regarding study limitations, this research focused on U.S. residents during a
single pandemic crisis. Respondent stress was self-reported.
KEYWORDS: Advertising, brand tones, consumer stress, marketing communications, pandemic.
Introduction
The relationship between consumers and brand communications has been
widely studied (Kumar & Kaushik, 2020; Laroche et al., 2013). Companies
intentionally seek to create cohesive brand messages across online, off line,
and mobile communications (Bleier et al., 2019; Jensen, 2007). Brand com-
munications are deployed to obtain sustainable competitive advantage
(Majerova & Kliestik, 2015), i.e., by allowing companies to engage cus-
tomers, inspire loyalty, and earn larger margins (Hoeffler & Keller, 2003).
The tone used by a brand influences all those who view the message, which
indicates the importance of being strategic when composing a brand tone
during a social crisis. Beyond the traditional marketing goals of generating
customer delight and enthusiasm, brands are developing communication
tactics to support customers in an increasingly uncertain and turbulent
world (Hess, 2020; Hus, 2020). This present study is valuable because it
44 INNOVAR VOL. 33, NÚM. 87, ENERO-MARZO DEL 2023
Marketing
investigates consumer preferences for brand tone when
they are in a stressful situation (i.e., lockdown during the
COVID-19 pandemic).
The pandemic created a wide variety of stress concerns
for consumers (Pfeifer et al., 2021). Stress is often defined
as a state where perceived concerns or demands exceed
personal resources, causing an individual to have a neuro-
endocrine reaction (Lazarus, 1993). After the start of the
pandemic, American consumers’ stress levels significantly
increased (Canady, 2020), and depression rates rose by
seven percent (Torales et al., 2020). Recent research has
investigated brand communications in the context of the
COVID-19 pandemic. Brands in many industries were ap-
plauded when they shifted from emphasizing entertain-
ment and enjoyment to guiding and protecting consumers
during a severe pandemic crisis (Pompeu & Sato, 2021).
Furthermore,
It has been suggested that change in the traditional role
of advertising communication has occurred, where ad-
vertisers have become a key suppor t in combatting the
disease and a key support for health and psychological
management in the Spanish population. In fact, they act
as guardians of resilience and promoters for alleviating
stress. (Olivares-Delgado et al., 2020, p. 1)
The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed how
consumers act (Anderson et al., 2020). Hollebeek et al.
(2020) found that consumers welcomed using alternate
messages and delivery platforms during the pandemic. By
broadcasting their protective measures against the virus,
physical stores elicited positive consumer attitudes and
intentions to purchase, especially for female customers
(Untaru & Han, 2021). Clear communication of enhanced
cleaning protocols via brand messaging outlets was a crit-
ical component. S ome sectors, e.g., the travel industry, had
the potential and possibly a moral imperative to become
a critical source of COVID-19 information for potential trav-
elers and citizens (MacSween & Canziani, 2021).
To further this line of research regarding the viability of
specific brand tones in crises, we captured the brand tone
preferences of consumers during the initial COVID-19 l oc k-
down period in the U.S. Five mutually exclusive brand tone
choices were presented to consumer respondents (infor-
mative, comforting, trustwor thy, inspiring, and humorous),
and consumer preferences for these were inspected.
Following seminal work on coping strategies, this paper ad-
opted the view that coping can be a process consisting
of cognitive and behavioral efforts to manage perceived
stress from the pandemic (Lazarus, 1993). Thus, consumers’
stress levels and coping strategies during the COVID-19 crisis
were measured to explore their relationship to brand tone
choice. To the extent that consumer preferences for brand
tone are diverse within the pandemic situation, companies
have the obligation to match their clients’ tonal needs.
However, individual brand tones are expected to asso-
ciate differently with the level of pandemic-induced stress
reported by respondents in this study. One of our brand
tone types represented what we considered a neutral (in-
formative) brand tone and was not expected to interact
with stress per se since information search is a common
consumer strategy in most situations. Next , we anticipated
that stress would have a positive relationship with each
of three brand tones meant to ease or reduce consumer-
experienced stress during the pandemic (comforting, trust-
worthy, and inspiring). A fifth option, an incongruous tone
choice (humorous), was expected to be inversely associ-
ated with consumers’ stress levels. Specific research propo-
sitions follow:
R1: Pandemic-induced stress will have no significant as-
sociation with preferences for an informative brand tone.
R2: Pandemic-induced stress will have a positive associa-
tion with preferences for comforting, inspiring, and trust-
worthy brand tones.
R3: Pandemic-induced stress will have a negative asso-
ciation with preferences for a humorous brand tone.
Considering behavioral tactics for coping, the authors ac-
cessed two other data t ypes: stimulus funds use and volun-
tary relaxation activities during the lockdown. These were
explored in terms of their associations with brand tone se-
lection. Finally, this study considered demographics in the
context of brand tone preference. Further research propo-
sitions were proposed, designed to reflect the ver y explor-
atory nature of our study:
R4: Stimulus expenditures will have an association with
brand tone type.
R5: Relaxation preferences will have an association with
brand tone type.
R6: Demographics will have an association with brand
tone type.
Literature review
Brand tone defined
Various means convey a brand’s image: company name,
logo, symbol, slogan, charac ter spokesperson, or even a
jingle (Grewal & Levy, 2022). Companies have recognized
the importance of brand signs and symbols as crucial

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