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Alamäki, A., Pesonen, J. & Dirin, A. (2020). Triggering effects of mobile video marketing in nature
tourism: Media richness perspective. Information Processing and Management, 56(3), 756–770. DOI:
10.1016/j.ipm.2019.01.003
PLEASE NOTE! This in an electronic self-archived version of the original article. This reprint
may differ from the original in pagination and typographic detail.
Please cite the original version:
Alamäki, A., Pesonen, J. & Dirin, A. (2020). Triggering effects of mobile video marketing in nature
tourism: Media richness perspective. Information Processing and Management, 56(3), 756–770. DOI:
10.1016/j.ipm.2019.01.003
The final publication is available online: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ipm.2019.01.003
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Triggering effects of mobile video marketing in nature tourism: media richness
perspective
Ari Alamäki, Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Helsinki, Finland
Juho Pesonen, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
Amir Dirin, Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Helsinki, Finland
Abstract
In this study, we aim to understand the video as potential behavioral triggering means. Therefore, we
have applied the theory of triggers and media richness to learn about the triggering efficiency of
mobile marketing videos on participants’ behavioral intentions. In our experiment, we have employed
three distinct test groups to carry the experiment, each group comprising of 41 student participants.
We discovered that different kinds of videos based on media richness theory have quite similar effects
on triggering behavioral changes. However, the mechanic of why triggers happen was different for
each video. The results also show that most important reason for triggering any kind of effects was
the consumer position in information search process. In addition, the instructionally designed videos
were able to create affective triggering impact, as the more participants liked the video, more it
affected their participation intention and recall scores. This study extends the media richness research
by demonstrating that the effect of media richness can vary within the technically similar videos as
they form different logical connections of non-verbal visual cues related to video’s storyline.
Keywords: media richness, mobile, video marketing, triggers, nature tourism, service marketing
1 Introduction
How much marketing and digital communication affect our behavioral intentions is an interesting
issue to investigate. Marketers around the world try to aim the correct message at the correct people
at the right time in order to trigger a response—preferably a purchase or action. Traditionally, the
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firm–customer exchange process has been considered as a series of interactions between service
providers and consumers (Gupta & Zeithaml, 2006). Lately, digital marketing communication has
gained increased attention, and every company is facing the question of how it can maximize the
potential gains from digital marketing channels (Karjaluoto, Mustonen & Ulkuniemi, 2015). This has
resulted in the increased importance of effective marketing communications for defining which firms
succeed and which ones do not (Cornelissen, 2004). However, effective marketing communication
can be difficult to accomplish, especially in service marketing, such as tourism (Pesonen & Pasanen,
2017). The information search and consumption process in the tourism field is extremely complex,
and there is a need for more research on the topic, especially on how media and marketing messages
affect tourists’ choices (Pesonen & Pasanen, 2017).
Online videos have become a focal point for marketers. For example, on YouTube alone, users watch
more than one billion hours of video material every day (Google, 2017). No matter the source, the
statistics show a rapid increase in the amount of video material being consumed online throughout
the world. Furthermore, this consumption is being done increasingly on mobile devices, which have
become significant end-terminals for online content consumption (Chen et al., 2017). Despite the
importance of mobile videos in marketing, research on their influence on consumer behavioral
intention is scant.
This study is based on the service marketing literature and investigates how different kinds of
marketing messages, promoted through videos, trigger behavior changes in consumers. From the
marketers’ perspective, it is important to know how to develop video content according to the
potential consumers and what factors trigger media effects. Digital content, such as social media
posts, blog articles, webinars, or videos, is usually produced by either other consumers or firms, and
brand owners exert little control over the consumers’ content consumption and sharing (Hennig-
Thurau et al., 2010; Lamberton & Stephen, 2016). The primary focus of firm-generated digital content
is to advise or assist consumers with their decision-making (Kumar et al., 2016).
However, it remains unclear what kinds of videos affect the information search and purchasing
behavior and why. Earlier literature suggests that attitudes affect intention, which affects behavior
(Sheeran & Webb, 2016). There are also gaps between these concepts, meaning that even if people
intend to do something, they do not necessarily do it (Sheeran & Webb, 2016). Although a few studies
have been conducted on this topic (e.g., Puccinelli, Wilcox, & Grewal, 2015; Huertas, 2018), it
remains surprisingly under-researched when we consider its importance to marketers. Marketers need
to think about the kind of message that they are using as well as how different kinds of people will
process the information. The same message can have different outcomes depending on who is
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receiving it (Watzlawick, Beavin & Jackson, 1967). The media richness theory (Daft & Lengel, 1986;
Sun & Cheng, 2007) explain how different richness of media affects differently to receivers’
understanding as media’s capacity to transmit information varies.
This study examined how watching a service marketing video triggers a consumer’s behavioral
intention and what kinds of consumers are affected most strongly by different kinds of marketing
videos. We examined, for example, recall rate, satisfaction, and behavioral intention regarding the
service, and how instructive, seductive, and decorative types of video content (Sung & Mayer, 2012)
differed in their effects. We compared which was more important for triggering behavior in marketing
communication: who the customer is or the kind of message with which he or she interacts.
Thus, this study contributes to filling the aforementioned research gap concerning the relationship
between consumers and marketing video content. This research gap is especially relevant in the field
of digital and social media marketing, where the consumption and sharing of videos is becoming
increasingly important. For example, Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, stated in 2014 that
video would be the most important type of media on Facebook in the near future (Miners, 2014).
This paper is organized into five sections, the first being the introduction. The next section provides
a review of the related literature. The third section describes the methodology and research settings.
The fourth section presents the results. The last section identifies the contribution, theoretical and
managerial implications, and limitations of the study.
2 Related work
2.1 Development in service marketing
In service marketing, service providers make promises about value that consumers can expect—that
is, they offer value propositions (Grönroos & Ravald, 2011). Value propositions, such as mobile
marketing videos, are promises, suggestions, and projections of practices relating to how consumers
can co-create value with service providers in integrating resources (Skålén, Gummerus, Koskull, &
Magnusson, 2015). Advancements in information processing and management are constantly creating
new possibilities for enriching consumer interaction (e.g., Del Vecchio, Mele, Ndou & Secundo,
2017; Kim, Jung, & Park, 2018). Thus, service businesses are increasingly seeking new means to
improve their marketing and sales activities in online channels. Consumers have also become active
subjects in digital channels (Rust & Huang, 2014), influencing the means of service marketing.
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Although the rapid expansion of digital tools and channels have developed service marketing, it has
also made consumer behavior more complex and powerful (Verhoef, Kannan, & Inman, 2015;
Nguyen & Le Nguyen, 2018). In turn, this has increased the importance of reputation management in
companies (Peetz, de Rijke, & Kaptein, 2016). Furthermore, the boundaries between traditional and
digital service marketing are merging (Brynjolfsson, Hu, & Rahman, 2013), and consumers create
their own unique customer journeys within a mixture of traditional and digital channels (Lemon &
Verhoef, 2016). Therefore, it is important for service companies to respond to changing consumer
behavior by recognizing new digital triggers that affect the consideration or selection of a favorable
service provider.
2.2 Triggers and service provider selection
The important goal of digital service marketing is to trigger consumers’ behavior that will foster a
positive relationship with the service provider at each phase of the customer journey (e.g., Lemon &
Verhoef, 2016). A trigger is a factor that influences a change in consumer behavior by creating a
reason to begin to consider switching or selecting a certain service (Roos, Edvarsson, & Gustafsson,
2004). A situational trigger affects a consumer’s personal life or environment, whereas a reactional
trigger occurs when a consumer is considering, purchasing, or using a service (Gustafsson, Johnson,
& Roos, 2006). Instrumental triggers include time-, cost-, and frequency-related factors, unlike
affective triggers, which are related to feelings, such as stress, safety, and autonomy (Skarin, Olsson,
Roos & Friman, 2017). Thus, some triggers are created by intentional or unintentional actions of
service providers that are focused on cognitive, emotional, and behavior-based processes (Edvardsson
& Strandvik, 2000). Other triggers just occur in a consumer’s life through their environment.
However, all triggers, whether they are intentional or unintentional, influence consumers’ perceptions
and their buying behavior. Marketing videos, as means of digital marketing, can trigger consumers
instrumentally by communicating service content, price information, benefits, schedule, and other
service details. They can also communicate affective triggers, such as joy, safety, security, health,
and emotional experience.
To understand the triggering process in consumer behavior in digital service marketing, it is essential
to distinguish between the marketing message and the consumer receiving it. Thus, it is important to
examine the attributes that define the effectiveness of mobile video content and consumer-related
cognitive, emotional, and behavior-based factors.
