This paper presents an analysis of innovations in the biometrics market, which have started to play a very important role in personal identification and identification systems. The aim of the study was to analyze current customs and opinions regarding payment methods, as well as to identify threats and opportunities for new biometric solutions in this area. First, the history of the biometrics market is presented. Acceptance patterns of new technologies are explored and modified. The authors used literature reviews, qualitative research (focus groups), and quantitative research (questionnaire survey) as methods. The main value and importance of biometrics is the uniqueness of biometric patterns (e.g., face, fingerprint, iris, etc.), which takes the security of these systems to a new level. The results of the quantitative study based on the qualitative survey show positive verification of the hypothesized reasons; e.g., importantly, that the age of potential users of biometric payments influences the fear about personal data. Fear of losing personal data affects the perceived safety of biometric payments. Perceived security has a very strong influence on attitudes towards biometric payments, which is the strongest predictor of behavioral intention to use biometric payments.

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to introduce the theoretical conditions related to corporate rebranding issues – in the perspective of marketing theory, management theory and organizational theory, through literature analysis (both Polish and foreign sources – well-known Polish journals and prestigious international journals) from these three areas. Design/methodology/approach: The article is based on a literature review within the field of management and marketing theory, with account being taken of the meaning of the rebranding process in the context of the organizational theory. The article presents models of corporate rebranding and well-structured definitions. Findings: Organizations and their corporate brands that currently operate in a hyper competitive and highly turbulent environment are constantly looking for sources of competitive advantage. Brand creators are trying to give it a unique character and stand out from the others. The brand is therefore assumed to be an entity that directly reaches the hearts and minds of consumers. However, how to maintain this emotion associated with a given brand, how to permanently reach the hearts of consumers who change their tastes and penchants so quickly? This change in the environment and consumer trends often forces evolutions in the entire marketing strategy of the organization as well as in the strategy regarding the brand and/or its architecture. These changes can be both slow and rapid, involving many or just one or more selected elements related to branding (evolutionary and revolutionary rebranding). Research limitations/implications: There are still few publications in the literature describing and explaining the effects of rebranding strategies carried out in various ways, both in the marketing context as well as in the psychological (consumer reactions) and sociological context (consumer trends impact). Neither does this article does explore this research area, which implies further research for authors. Originality/value: The presented research is a new approach to the subject and thus can make an original contribution to the science of brand management.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: Rebranding is a crucial driver of modern marketing strategies that can only be successful if appropriately communicated to society. This research aims to explain which rebranding-related information companies disclose in their communication on this process using various information dissemination channels. THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: To examine the content of 200 disclosures about rebranding, we used topic modelling, which identifies latent patterns of word co-occurrence using computer algorithms and the distribution of words in the analyzed corpus (set of documents). We applied an unsupervised Bayesian machine-learning approach for topic modelling called latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA), a cutting-edge method that is still not widely used by scholars. THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: Rebranding pays out over the lifetime of a company, but society has to be appropriately informed of this decision. The information should be comprehensive, disclosed through multiple channels, and addressed to all stakeholders. However, the question is whether this theoretical knowledge finds its application in companies’ practice. We researched each rebranding case of all Polish companies listed on the WSE since 1991 and analyzed how they communicated their rebranding through diverse types information disclosure. RESEARCH RESULTS: Polish companies are very selective, both in the content of information disclosed and the communication channels they use. They tend to avoid explaining the reasons for rebranding that are vital for society. Information is mainly disclosed through company websites or press releases and primarily has an informal character. They ignore official stock exchange communication channels, even though rebranding information could greatly influence financial performance and value creation. CONCLUSIONS, INNOVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Our findings implicate a need to increase listed companies’ awareness concerning the importance of communicating marketing strategy and its potential benefits in the creation of investor relations.

Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Szczecińskiego

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly used in creating online advertisements and posts. Yet, its prominent role in content creation remains often undisclosed due to potential aversive consumer reactions. In three studies, we examined how advertisers can transparently disclose AI authorship in ads without compromising marketing effectiveness. Study 1 was a proof-of-concept study, revealing that humor could alleviate negative evaluations (when the joke was less funny, AI received more negative ratings than a human author; however, when the joke was funnier, AI received similar ratings to a human author). Study 2 incorporated jokes into disclosures about AI authorship in advertising and found that humor reduced the negative effect of AI authorship because it shortened the psychological distance toward AI, positively impacting purchase intentions. Study 3 replicated these effects and tested a boundary condition, showing that humor mitigated algorithm aversion only when it was sufficiently funny.

Making optimal decisions is a process whose aim is to select the best solution from the perspective of efficiency, economy and rationality. This process includes a group of logically related mental and computational operations. They lead to the selection of the best possible decision-making...