Purpose Nowadays, computer-mediated communication (CMC) is an inherent part of consumers’ daily interactions. That kind of communication, however, is associated with limited options to express emotions and, thus, impairs smooth interactions. Considering these shortcomings, existing research has paid attention to the use of smileys and examines their impacts on communication. Nevertheless, little is known about the effects of smileys on the receivers’ emotions as well as on the interaction between the communication partners. Against this background, the study aims to investigate the appropriateness of smileys in causing emotional contagion in CMC. That interpersonal mechanism fosters harmonic interactions and strengthens the relationship between interaction partners by sharing emotions. Design/methodology/approach Field data of 1,745 females were obtained through an online experiment applying two scenarios that only differ by the use of either a positive or a negative smiley. The appropriateness of both smileys to express positive or negative emotions was pretested in a study with 18 respondents. Findings The findings support the assumption that emotions expressed by smileys affect receivers’ emotions through the process of emotional contagion. Furthermore, the effects of the negative smiley on the emotions of the receivers are moderated by the receivers’ susceptibility to emotional contagion. Originality/value Findings contribute to current research on CMC by offering a deeper understanding of the impacts of smileys on interactions. In that way, the present study underlines the suitability of smileys to stimulate emotional contagion in a “cueless” environment.

Event–brand congruence is crucial for the success of event marketing and sponsorship. However, a number of different approaches to measure the construct have been used. Additionally, there is no agreement on the main drivers of global congruence judgments. The present research addresses these issues. Results show that measuring global congruence with either single-item or multiple-item measures leads to different results and interpretations. Semantic differentials appear to be least suited in this respect. Regarding single-items measures, reasons pro and con their use are identified. Moreover, results show that image-based, functional-based, and user-based congruence should be considered jointly as important antecedents of global event–brand congruence.

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