Purpose: Avatars have become increasingly prevalent on brand websites, yet their impact on consumers' use of these sites remains underexplored. The current study focuses on avatars, which are three-dimensional animated graphical web interfaces that verbally aid the brand stakeholders (e.g. customers, employees and suppliers). Avatars provide administrative and technical information through the brand website. Drawing upon the stimuli–organism–response (S-O-R) paradigm, this research examines the impact of avatars as an information provision and interacting tool (vs a traditional format) on consumers' perceptions, attitudes and behaviors toward a brand. It also investigates the roles of familiarity with avatar use and the language used by an avatar in shaping consumers' responses.Design/methodology/approach: Across two laboratory experiments, the authors examined and confirmed causal relationships between the use of avatars (vs a traditional format) on a website and attitudinal and behavioral constructs.Findings: We show that avatars (vs written information) had a significant effect on controlling information. The users in our experiments had greater control over the information provided when it was presented as text on a website compared to the case of avatars “telling” the information. Different languages and familiarity with avatar use also affected the consumers' hedonism in terms of website use.Originality/value: We advance the understanding of avatar use in website design, particularly avatars' verbal interaction, in shaping consumers' cognitive, affective, attitudinal and behavioral responses and add important empirical evidence to the growing body of research and practices involving avatar use in interactive marketing.

Social media has recently played a highly impactful role in communication. Specifically, these channels are vital and have a substantial influence on the attitudes, behavioural intentions, and actual behaviour of tourists. Previous research showed clearly that there is an increasing number of individuals who rely heavily on social media platforms for gathering information and gaining knowledge about various issues. The current research tries to show the impact of these platforms on citizens’—as individuals—attitudes and behaviours to support tourism activities. Specifically, the current study examines three research objectives: (1) The impact of social media marketing activities on pro-tourism behaviours. (2) The impact of social media marketing activities on both destination attractiveness and attitude towards the positive impacts of tourism. (3) The mediation role of destination attractiveness and attitude towards the positive impacts of tourism in the relationships between social media marketing activities and pro-tourism behaviours. We adapted the theory of uses and gratifications and the stimulus-organism-response framework in the current research, where social media marketing drives pro-tourism behaviours indirectly through both destination attractiveness and attitude towards the positive impacts of tourism. A survey of 200 Albaha residents was conducted. We have used AMOS to check the constructs’ validity and reliability and Hayes’s PROCESS macro to test the mediation. The findings show that (1) Social media marketing activities help in explaining why city citizens positively behave towards tourism activities in their city; (2) Sequentially both destination attractiveness and attitude towards the positive impacts of tourism partially mediate the relationships between social media marketing and pro-tourism behaviours. The current study contributes to the existing research through the elucidation of why residents behave to support tourism in their countries by using social media marketing activities. In addition, it adds a number of professional insights. For example, the admins of destination social media platforms should increase their efforts towards providing presence, conversation, interactivity, and sharing on these platforms.

Purpose: Customer engagement, as one form of interactive marketing, enhances organisational performance, in terms of sales growth, superior competitive advantage and increased profitability, particularly within the sports context. This research aims to explore fans' engagement behaviours with their sports teams and identify its drivers and outcomes.Design/methodology/approach: The researchers deployed mixed methods in this study via three phases: (1) A judgmental sampling technique, along with snowballing, were used to conduct in-depth interviews with twenty-two football fans, for the exploratory phase; (2) A convenience sample was also used for the quantitative phase, which was divided into two stages, (1) the pretesting stage (30 fans), and (2) the main data collection stage (407 fans) and (3) A judgmental sampling technique was applied for the qualitative validation phase (10 interviews with experts and practitioners).Findings: Qualitative and quantitative results supported team jealousy, team competitiveness and team morality as new predictors for fan engagement behaviours. Further, while the fan role readiness had the most positive effect on management cooperation, team identification had the most predicting power for prosocial behaviour. Finally, team morality had the most significant positive impact on performance tolerance.Originality/value: Despite the considerable practical attention, and the recent extensive research, paid towards conceptualising customer engagement behaviours in the last decade, there is still a need for further exploration on the fan engagement concept to better understand fans' unique behavioural responses; accordingly, the current research was conducted.

Purpose: This research aims to explore the interrelationships between empowering leadership (EL) and dimensions of innovative work behavior (idea generation, promotion and realization), psychological empowerment (PE) and knowledge sharing (KS). Furthermore, it explores the mediating role of PE and/or KS in the relationship between EL and dimensions of innovative work behavior. Design/methodology/approach: The analytical framework was empirically validated using social exchange theory (SET). A comprehensive survey was conducted with 400 respondents in hospitals accredited by the General Authority for Healthcare Accreditation and Regulation (GAHAR) in Egypt. Findings: The findings demonstrate the positive influence of EL on employees’ PE, KS and innovative work behavior (IWB) while underscoring the beneficial influence of PE on KS and IWB. The results also reveal the mediating role of PE and KS in the association of EL with IWB. Furthermore, they indicate the ability of empowering leaders to enhance a supportive environment for interactive communication by promoting KS among team members, with respect to employees’ PE. Originality/value: This study attempts to fill a gap in the literature through the integration of the associations of EL, KS, PE, and IWB. Social exchange theory has been employed to examine how EL influences both PE and KS in order to predict IWB. Moreover, the study presents new perspectives on the mediating effects of PE and/or KS on EL and IWB within the Egyptian healthcare sector, potentially informing practical strategies in the field.

Purpose: This study aims to identify the determinants of customers' green purchasing behaviors. First, the study examines the relationship between green self-identity (GSI) and green peer influence (GPI) on green purchase behavior (GPB). Second, it examines the relationships between both GSI and GPI, and purchasing behavior mediated by green consumption values (functional value (FV) and social value (SV)). Third, it investigates the moderating effect of customer disidentification (CDI) on the relationships between GSI and both green consumption values. Finally, it investigates the indirect relationships between GSI and purchasing behavior moderated by CDI.Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative study is conducted using a survey of 204 Egyptian buyers of organic food products. AMOS and Hayes's PROCESS macro are used to test the hypotheses under investigation.Findings: The customer's peer influence and GSI are found to have a positive impact on green purchasing behavior. Additionally, the mediating impact of values and the moderating impact of CDI are also confirmed.Practical implications: This study helps organic food companies in identifying the determinants of customers' green purchasing behavior. The results of the study will guide the efforts of green marketing professionals in promoting green products in the Egyptian market.Originality/value: Since the notion of green consumption is still in its infancy, there is a need for further exploration on the green consumption concept to better understand customers' predictors of that type of consumption; accordingly, the current research was conducted.