Volume 12 Issue 1

The relationship between technology and marketing communications has grown increasingly complex. At the forefront of this evolution stands the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), offering transformative potentials and challenges for marketers globally. This study aimed to investigate the transformative influence of AI on marketing communications, focusing not only on the opportunities but also exploring potential challenges. Utilising a qualitative design and a descriptive literature review approach, the study explored three key themes: strategic digital transformation, customer experience enhancement, and ethical and privacy concerns. The manuscript recommends a strategic approach to AI integration for organisations, emphasising digital transformation informed by AI-driven insights. Furthermore, the study advocates for investments in AI technologies to enhance personalisation and automate processes, fostering deeper connections with consumers. Ethical considerations, including transparency and privacy safeguards, are crucial in navigating the evolving landscape of AI in marketing. Overall, the findings underscore the transformative potential of AI while highlighting the imperative for ethical and adaptive strategies in an ever-evolving marketing landscape.

In the midst of increasing competition in the healthcare industry, healthcare facilities must remain connected with customers. The sample in this study consists of customers in occupational health clinics located in Batam City. The study aims to analyze the influence of various dimensions of brand equity (brand awareness, brand association, perceived quality) and brand concept (as independent variables) on customer loyalty (as the dependent variable). Based on a quantitative approach, the data reflects primary data generated from the online distribution of questionnaires, with a total of 232 collected responses. Purposive sampling was employed as the sampling technique. Subsequently, all data was tested using multiple linear regression methods. The results of this study indicate that brand awareness, brand association, perceived quality, and brand concept significantly influence customer loyalty.

Wearable activity tracking (WAT) devices enable consumers to monitor their health and activity levels. Some of these devices can keep track of blood-oxygen levels, temperature, and heart-rate data and became increasingly important during and especially after the Covid-19 pandemic. The increase in popularity of these products led to a surge in competition among WAT brands that needs to find strategic approaches to stand out. Brand equity perceptions add extra value to the brand and is a key differentiating factor in a competitive environment. While the wearables market is expanding rapidly, there is little evidence of consumers' perceived brand equity and its relation to their purchase of WAT device brands. This study aimed to investigate the effect of consumer-based brand equity dimensions on purchase intention of WAT brands, based on Aaker's seminal conceptual framework. Data was collected from 487 South African consumers aged 18-56 using a computer-administered online survey guided by a descriptive research design. The path coefficients of the structural model suggest that quality perception, brand loyalty and brand association are significant drivers of WAT purchase intention, whereas brand awareness was not significant. The findings of this study have several theoretical and managerial implications. This study is among the first to investigate the influence of consumer-based brand equity in the context of wearable technology adoption. These results enable WAT brands to optimise their marketing strategy and identify areas of improvement to boost their sales and market share in South Africa and beyond.

Engagement in online shopping by specific emerging-market consumers in South Africa has been on the rise. Nevertheless, the online usage rate remains low. Online retailers need to understand the perceived risk factors influencing consumers' attitudes and intention in relation to online shopping for clothing products, especially in South Africa, where online risk is an issue that discourages consumers from making purchases and where the practice of online shopping is still in its infancy. To that end, an online survey was conducted among emerging-market consumers in Soweto, with 300 respondents being targeted and reached. Convenience sampling was adopted to collect data from the respondents. An independent research company collected data, and various statistical analyses such as descriptive analyses, exploratory factor analysis, and structural equation modelling were conducted. The findings revealed that perceived financial, convenience and security risks significantly influenced emerging-market consumers' attitudes towards online shopping. None of the perceived risks were found to influence consumers' intention to shop online. The perceived financial, convenience and security risks were found to be mediated by attitude. The study contributes to the body of knowledge about how risk affects consumers' attitudes and intentions to purchase online from a developing nation's viewpoint and for a particular product category. The study also contributes to existing knowledge on the mediation effect attitude has on the relationship between perceived risk and intention to shop online. The findings are also valuable for online retailers seeking to direct their offerings at emerging-market consumers and could potentially be incorporated into their online retail and marketing strategies.