Customer Insights and Value Research Hub

We have used empirically-derived metrics to benchmark brand performance in terms of brand size, purchase frequency, behavioural loyalty, brand image and attitudinal loyalty.

Recent topics covered include:

• Patterns of cross-purchasing among arts audiences
• Modelling arts attendance behaviour
• Using search engine data to forecast cinema attendance

We have examined the impact of parent brand characteristics, extension type, country and product category on consumer perceptions.

Recent projects include:

• Investigating how downscale extensions impact the image of luxury and prestige brands
• Developing a decision framework for luxury brand extensions

We are researching the factors influencing charitable donations, including the differences between genders, age groups and social classes. To do that, we’ve partnered strategically with The Fundraising Think Tank, Rogare.

We have established the importance of situational factors, brand loyalty and underlying sentiment  in comparing grocery shopping behaviour and attitudes

Recent studies include:

• Mapping changes in multi-channel shopping
• Exploring how shoppers configure their multichannel shopping journeys
• Looking at the factors that drive channel patronage decisions

We have examined media multitasking, and developed the 'Polychronicity – Multiple Media Use' (P-MMU) scale to measure polychronicity in this context.

We have explored WOM behaviour among different consumer groups in a range of products and markets.

Recent projects include:

• Understanding both offline and online consumer conversations
• Investigating the drivers and impact of online/offline consumer conversations
• Exploring the role of consumer knowledge, homophily, narcissism, regulatory mode and more

• Willingness of non-drivers of conventional cars (including the disabled) to drive driverless cars
• Post-series depression and consumer psychology
• Regulatory mode in B2B positioning decision making
• Positioning strategies in industrial and B2B markets
• Context effects in the evaluation of business-to-business brand alliances
• IT usage for enhancing trade show performance

• Psychological Drivers and Barriers of WOM (PI: Dr Rahul Chawdhary, Co-Is: Professor Francesca Dall'Olmo Riley, Professor Chris Hand)
• Boomerang effects of WOM (PI: Dr Rahul Chawdhary, Co-I: Professor Francesca Dall'Olmo Riley)
• The ambivalence of gift customisation (PI: Miss Céline Stiris, Co-I: Professor Francesca Dall'Olmo Riley)
• Perceptions of heavy discount store brands (PI: Mrs Kate Jones, Co-I: Professor Chris Hand)
• Grocery shopping journey (Academy of Marketing Science, PI: Dr Patricia Harris)
• Online impulse buying (PI: Dr Patricia Harris)
• Shopping wellbeing (PI: Dr Patricia Harris)
• Positioning – The role of regulatory focus (PI: Professor Stavros Kalafatis, Co-I: Dr Marvyn Boatswain)
• The compensatory and non-compensatory effects of cost on consumers' perceptions of value (PI: Professor Stavros Kalafatis, Co-I: Dr Anna Ivanova)
• Driverless cars (Academy of Marketing, PI: Dr Rita Kottasz, Co-I: Professor Roger Bennett)
• The role of personality in explaining multiple media use (PI: Dr Helen Robinson)

Supervisors: Dr Rita Kottasz and Roger Bennett

Should donor-centric philanthropy be investigated more systematically? This study will involve building a framework to explain how priming factors and a variety of individual characteristics jointly influence prosocial decision-making. Insights will aid non-profit marketers in the successful recruitment and retention of donors.

Supervisors: Dr Rita Kottasz and Professor Chris Hand

Post-series depression (PSD) describes feelings of melancholy that can occur when an individual's all-consuming film or entertainment experience comes to an end. It relates directly to the entertainment, leisure and tourism industries. There are many opportunities to continue developing this scale in an interdisciplinary setting.

Supervisors: Dr Rita Kottasz and Professor Chris Hand

How have arts and cultural organisations adapted their marketing initiatives during and after the Covid-19 crisis? This research will investigate the cross-selling of virtual performances and exhibitions, and other events and products, during the pandemic – analysing how organisational structures and managerial instruments affect performance.

Supervisors: Dr Rita Kottasz and members of the Kingston University Behavioural Lab

Does charity advertising depicting poverty porn promote philanthropic racism? This research will explore the interplay between race, philanthropy and fundraising, using eye tracking and facial expression technologies to examine donor attitudes to fundraising advertisements that include poverty porn.

Supervisor: Dr Rita Kottasz

For decades, nonprofit and voluntary sector organisations have been intermediaries between donors and beneficiaries of a cause. This research will explore one or more of the following issues:

• How do components of trust affect donor behaviour in the regulated fundraising space versus the unregulated fundraising space?
• Does ‘proximity' build perceptions of trust and perceptions of impact?
• Does collaboration build a perception of trust and fundraising income?
• How does donor dominance and sense of agency impact on donor behaviour?

Supervisors: Rahul Chawdhary and Francesca Dall'Olmo Riley

Word of Mouth (WOM) is widely acknowledged as a principal consideration behind 20% to 50% of all purchase decisions (Bughin et al., 2010). This proposed project complements and extends existing research strengths in the domain of WOM within the Customer Insights and Value Research Hub.

Supervisors: Francesca Dall'Olmo Riley and Ceyda Paydas Turan

This research will build upon several published studies on brand extensions conducted within Kingston Business School Customer Insights and Value Research Hub. It will examine the impact of parent brand characteristics, extension type, country and product category on consumer perceptions.

Supervisors: Francesca Dall'Olmo Riley and Ceyda Paydas Turan

This research will investigate the reconceptualisation of the product and brand fit constructs. It will also examine the factors influencing consumer evaluation of brand alliances and the impact of a firm's positioning on whether customers accept ingredient branding.

Supervisors: Chris Hand, Rahul Chawdhary and Helen Robinson

RFT proposes two strategic and motivational orientations: promotion and prevention. Evidence suggests that when advertisements account for elements that match, individuals' orientation, advertising persuasiveness increases (Avnet and Higgins, 2006). This research will examine the role of mood as an enhancing mechanism in the creation of regulatory fit.

Supervisor: Ceyda Paydas Turan

What challenges do organisations face when incorporating digital technologies (e.g. AI) into marketing activities, and how can they address these challenges? What are effective ways of using digital technologies in increasing brands' customer-centricity and building market share? The findings will have implications for theory and for practice.

Supervisors: Ceyda Paydas Turan and Psychology, Organisational Behaviour or Computer Science Supervisor

Firms are increasingly using emerging digital technologies to achieve competitive advantage – but they come with threats as well as benefits. This PhD research project calls for candidates who are interested in a Marketing PhD topic that crosses the disciplines of Psychology, Organisational Behaviour and Computer Science.