Volume 10 (2026)

This conceptual paper examines how upward social comparison with social media influencers may shape materialistic value orientations and contribute to status-oriented consumption behaviours with financial consequences. Drawing on social comparison theory and cultivation theory, the study develops a process framework positioning materialism as a mediating mechanism linking influencer comparison to compulsive, impulsive and conspicuous buying, which may increase financial stress. The paper synthesises the existing literature to clarify how sustained exposure to aspirational digital content recalibrates consumption norms over time. By integrating comparison processes, value formation and financial outcomes, the framework advances understanding of influencer-driven consumption and its implications for consumer well-being and responsible marketing practices. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
Keywords: social media; influencer marketing; social comparison; materialism; financial stress

Acculturation has traditionally been conceptualised as a one-way process in which minority groups adapt to a dominant majority culture. As the USA moves toward a multicultural majority, this paper reconsiders that assumption and proposes a two-way acculturation framework in which cultural influence is reciprocal and shaped through intergroup contact. Using a city-based design across Hispanic-dominant, Black-dominant and White-dominant contexts, the paper tests a moderated mediation model examining how race/ethnicity influences marketer-relevant attitudes through both current/direct and childhood intergroup contact. The findings show that intergroup contact significantly mediates relationships between race/ethnicity and three key outcomes: media representation perceptions, cultural diversity attitudes and multicultural advertising attitudes, with current/direct contact emerging as the stronger pathway. Results also indicate that these effects vary across city-majority contexts, highlighting the importance of local demographic environments in shaping exposure and interaction. The paper provides empirical support for a shift from unidirectional to reciprocal models of cultural influence and demonstrates that multicultural exposure plays a central role in shaping consumer attitudes. The findings suggest that multicultural marketing should be understood not as a niche strategy but as increasingly central to the broader marketplace in contemporary America. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
Keywords: two-way acculturation; intergroup contact; multicultural advertising; cultural diversity; media representation; city context

Sneaker communities have increasingly become a category of interest in consumer behaviour literature, driven by a culture and group commonly referred to as Sneakerheads. While the topic of Sneakerheads has been assessed in previous studies, few to date have investigated the unique behaviours and identities of this group to identify distinct consumer segments. Uncovering these consumer segments is instrumental to brands targeting this group, as it may lead to enhanced market segmentation, cultural targeting and stronger brand positioning. To address this gap, the purpose of this paper is to develop in-depth consumer segments using model-based clustering to uncover subgroups within the Sneakerhead community based on personal characteristics, preferences and behaviours. Specifically, the variables of self-esteem, community belongingness and life satisfaction were assessed. The results of the analysis reveal two key Sneakerhead consumer segments: partially committed enthusiasts (PCE) and highly invested enthusiasts (HIE). The findings suggest that while both PCE and HIE profiles play a vital role within the sneaker community, the two groups may engage differently and have different preferences within the community. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
Keywords: Sneakerheads; trainer enthusiasts; consumer segmentation; self-esteem; community; culture; satisfaction

The conceptual model outlined in this paper explores uncertainty avoidance among US Hispanics at the individual level by addressing limitations of existing aggregate cultural frameworks. Existing research examines US Hispanics as a homogeneous group. In doing so, the heterogeneity of the group is overlooked, as US Hispanics’ individual identities are shaped by a combination of factors that include acculturation, generational status, language preference and social influences. The proposed model outlines individual cultural factors and social cultural factors as antecedents to individual-level uncertainty avoidance, which subsequently influences strategic communication outcomes. Through this reconceptualisation of uncertainty avoidance at the micro-level, this proposed framework offers a theoretically grounded approach to examine the US Hispanic market with additional nuance. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
Keywords: Hispanic; Latino; strategic communication; conceptual model; uncertainty avoidance; Hofstede; acculturation; intracultural analysis; advertising; marketing communication

Despite increasing workforce diversity, organisations continue to make cultural missteps in their marketing strategies. This paper argues that diversity alone is insufficient and that a lack of psychological safety constrains cultural marketing effectiveness. When psychological safety is absent, team dynamics filter which insights reach decision makers, suppressing culturally relevant perspectives. Drawing on scholarly and practitioner literature, this study presents findings from a qualitative inquiry positioning psychological safety as a leadership capability that enables culturally accurate insights. A study of 13 US financial services leaders using semi-structured interviews and reflexive thematic analysis identified four themes: inclusion and belonging, connection and recognition, equity in action and facilitated learning. These strategies encourage voice, reduce interpersonal risk and enable diverse perspectives to surface and be debated. This study links psychological safety to marketing outcomes and reframes it as a component of cultural marketing capability. Practical implications include embedding psychological safety into marketing governance and decision processes to improve decision quality and reduce reputational risk. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
Keywords: cultural marketing strategy; psychological safety; diverse teams; inclusive leadership; multicultural marketing; multicultural insights

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has become a global phenomenon, captivating cricket enthusiasts worldwide. Its impact extends far beyond India, attracting massive viewership and lucrative sponsorship deals. Renowned as the most attended cricket league globally, the IPL made history by being the first major sporting event to be live-streamed on YouTube. This unprecedented move solidified its position as a trailblazer in the sports industry. Moreover, the IPL has emerged as a coveted platform for young Indian cricketers, offering them a unique opportunity to showcase their talent and potentially achieve international recognition. Cricket being a deeply ingrained passion in India, the IPL has provided fertile ground for aspiring athletes to nurture their skills and make their mark on the global stage. This paper examines the sponsorship effectiveness utilising logistic regression for the dependent variables, ie sponsorship recall and sponsorship recognition based on independent variables, ie age, gender, familiarity, attitude and perceived fit. The data was collected from 960 respondents (cricket fans) through a self-administered questionnaire. Statistical measures were conducted through logistic regression to analyse the data. The results of the study suggest that there is a statistically significant effect of age, gender, familiarity, attitude and perceived fit on sponsorship recall, while there is no statistically significant effect of these variables in the case of sponsorship recognition. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
Keywords: Indian Premier League; IPL; sponsorship; effectiveness; attitude; brand; perceived fit; familiarity

As the US marketplace becomes increasingly diverse, understanding how intergroup contact shapes consumer attitudes is essential for inclusive and effective marketing. Drawing from Berry’s bidimensional model of acculturation and intergroup contact theory, this paper examines how the quality and frequency of intergroup interactions influence diversity-related attitudes. While most acculturation research treats ‘interaction’ as a generalised process between groups, this study disaggregates contact experiences by race and ethnicity, revealing important group-specific dynamics. Findings from a national sample of 1,153 White, African-American and Hispanic respondents show that high-quality intergroup contact is a stronger predictor of diversity-related attitudes than contact frequency, particularly among multicultural participants. These results underscore the importance of two-way acculturation in an increasingly pluralistic society, where consumer interaction is mutual and shaped by lived intergroup experiences. Theoretically, this study advances Berry’s model by dimensionalising interaction between minority and majority consumers, demonstrating that the quality of contact, not merely its presence, plays an important role in shaping consumer attitudes. For marketers, the nature of interpersonal interactions in a demographically diverse marketplace significantly influences a number of diversity-related attitudes. Therefore, brands should move beyond demographic proxies of acculturation and recognise the psychosocial dimensions of cultural contact that shape consumer perceptions, attitudes and marketing outcomes that help drive growth in a multicultural America.
Keywords: two-way acculturation; contact hypothesis; intergroup contact; cultural diversity; multicultural marketing; mediation

To clarify the relationships between marketing strategy messages and customer engagement, this paper proposes and tests a holistic framework, including a typology of message categories (functional versus emotional), and examines how product type (utilitarian versus hedonic) and firm type (business-to-consumer versus business-to-business) affect digital user engagement. The paper analyses 103 brands collected from the Twitter (now X) social media posts. Using the official Twitter application programming interface and specific filtering criteria, the authors obtain tweets related to each brand, including original tweets, retweets, quotes and replies. The results show that advertising message types exert different effects on customer engagement on social media. In particular, the impact of functional messages on customer engagement is more significant for utilitarian products than hedonic products. This paper offers essential managerial guidance and recommended practices for effective social media marketing strategies on platforms such as Twitter. The paper also provides novel, practical insights into enhancing customer engagement in the social media context.
Keywords: message types; firm types; product types; customer engagement; Twitter

This paper analyses how LGBTQIA+ inclusive advertisements affect consumer perceptions, attitudes and behaviours in Iloilo City, Philippines. Though media has become more visible and inclusive, advertisers face challenges in developing genuine advertising campaigns that represent the diverse experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals. The research study used a mixed-method approach to analyse 160 survey participants who viewed a local brand advertisement. The research team applied statistical methods, including chi-square test, t-test and analysis of variance to analyse quantitative data while extracting qualitative findings from open-ended responses. The research showed that gender acts as a determining factor in shaping how consumers view and respond to LGBTQIA+ inclusive adverts, which subsequently influences their purchasing decisions. The study shows that consumers have greater enthusiasm when advertisements present authentic narratives and genuine experiences. The research provides valuable guidance to marketers who wish to create effective, inclusive marketing campaigns that target diverse audiences where cultural background and personal beliefs strongly influence consumer actions.
Keywords: LGBTQIA+ representation; media and advertising; attitudes; perception; consumer behaviour

Sport branding for athletes, teams and organisations is expanding rapidly due to the growth of social media. Over the past decade, sports organisations have reaped the benefits of corporate social responsibility and social impact branding through sport-for-development and sport-for-social-change (SFSC), as more consumers share their desire for eco-friendly, socially responsible and equitable brands. This paper addresses the benefits for companies that participate in social impact branding through SFSC, community engagement and social inclusion by examining the cases of Colin Kaepernick, Simone Biles, as well as strategies capitalising on US patriotism in National Football League marketing.
Keywords: corporate social responsibility; CSR; sport-for-social-change; SFSC; sports; social impact

Food consumption and the choices made in restaurants are not matters of simple utility. As research and industry practice have revealed, consumer choices may be influenced by any number of factors. Not least of these is the menu. This paper investigates whether political identity as an aspect of social identity influences consumer behaviour in restaurants. A (3 × 2) multivariate analysis of covariance was employed to understand the relationships between the dependent variables and the three menu treatments. Results indicate a significant interactive effect of political identity and menu verbiage for both liberal and conservative respondents. Conservatives responded more favourably to affective menu verbiage, and liberal respondents responded favourably to sustainable menu verbiage. The paper also considers the covariance of identity importance and strength in the overall analysis. The results can inform restaurant operators as to two crucial needs of the consumer (ie menu quality and the ability to express one’s identity), which must be satisfied to influence consumer purchase behaviour.
Keywords: menu claims; food choice; political identity; identity marketing; sustainable; menu quality