COVID-19-based threat vs coping appraisal: effect of psychological risk on customer engagement and behavioral intentions

Abstract

PurposeDrawing upon protection motivation theory and service-dominant-logic, the authors develop a model, which examines the influence of perceived psychological risk and social media involvement (SMI) on customer-brand-engagement (CBE), brand co-creation and behavioral intention during COVID-19 outbreak in the tourism context. The current research also explores the mediating effect of CBE, and moderating role of tourism-based threat/coping appraisal in the proposed associations.Design/methodology/approachTo investigate such issues, the authors deploy a sample of 320 tourism consumers by adopting partial least squares-structural equation modeling or (PLS-SEM).FindingsPLS-SEM findings revealed that SMI positively impacts tourism-CBE. Secondly, results revealed the customer brand engagement's significant-positive effect on brand co-creation and behavioral intent. Third, results showed the social media's and psychological risk's indirect impact on co-creation and behavioral intent, as mediated through customer brand engagement. Fourth, results exposed a significant/negative moderating effect of threat appraisal and significant/positive moderating role of coping appraisal in projected relationships.Research limitations/implicationsGiven the study's focus on pandemic-based SMI, CBE and co-creation, the authors contribute to the existing tourism marketing literature, which also generates plentiful avenues for further research, as delineated.Practical implicationsThis research facilitates tourism brand managers to better understand the drivers of CBE and paves the way for managers to develop CBE and threat/coping strategies during pandemic.Originality/valueDespite the increasing understanding of social media, CBE and co-creation in tourism, limited remains identified regarding the association of these, and associated, factors during pandemic, as thereby explored in the current research.

Transforming destination-based customer engagement to revisit intention through co-creation: findings from SEM and fsQCA

“…This research also revealed that customer involvement and brand co-creation exert positive effects on revisit intention. The results advance extant CBE research by relating the notions of co-creation, involvement and revisit intention, thereby expanding researchers, including Rather et al (2022a, 2022b), So et al (2021), Seyfi et al (2021) and Yen et al (2020).…”

“…The results advance extant CBE research by relating the notions of co-creation, involvement and revisit intention, thereby expanding researchers, includingRather et al (2022aRather et al ( , 2022b,So et al (2021),Seyfi et al (2021) andYen et al (2020).…”

An Investigation Between Nostalgic Value Resonance and Destination Brand Engagement in Rural Tourism

“…Thus, it can be explained that many visitors recommend Keranggan village tourism. According to research [34][35][36][37][38][39] the results show that there is a positive effect on Destination Brand Engagement on Recommend Intention. The results of the study stated Destination Brand Engagement on revisitation intention.…”

“…Relationship between Destination Brand Engagement and Recommend Intention where there are many tourists who are memorable and have their own memories, so that tourists will recommend shell destinations to others and keep visiting again for tours in Keranggan Based on research conducted [34][35][36][37][38][39] The results show that Destination Brand Engagement is thought to have a positive effect on Recommend Intention. (See Figure 1).…”

Leisure time posts on WhatsApp status drive travel and tourism consumption

“…Moreover, there are various behavioral outcomes of posting and sharing experiences on social networking sites, including positive and negative emotions, self-affirmation, emotional support and motivation (Agrawal and Mittal, 2022a; Mittal and Agrawal, 2022; Pennebaker et al , 2001; Rather et al , 2022). Stsiampkouskaya et al (2021) revealed that users' high-arousal positive emotions lead to greater social media engagement in sharing photos and content online compared to low-arousal feelings.…”