The Oscars: Friends and foes for millennials

Abstract

This study uses a multi-method approach to formulate a theoretical framework of movie experience evaluation based on Millennials' perceived quality of the Academy Awards and the event's relevancy concerning movie characteristics, social media usage, and eWOM-giving. The paper is based on a conceptual framework that theorizes movies as experiences and on the service quality framework. Using national consumer survey data, we present the results of a qualitative conceptual mapping analysis focused on the themes identified by Millennials as recommendations for the Academy Awards to relate and appeal to moviegoers in their age group. The variables that affect Millennial consumers' perceived quality of the Oscars are examined further utilizing a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The qualitative and quantitative analyses expose the complexity of service, experience, and social factors contributing to Millennials' attitudes towards the Academy Awards and the combination of cues consumers use when evaluating movie experiences: objective features and socially related aspects, reference groups, and indirect traits, such as involvement in social causes. | INTRODUCTIONSince the lights of Hollywood first started to shine, the artists behind the movie industry-writers, producers, directors, actors-and the patrons who watched the films sought a way to determine just which star burned the boldest and brightest. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), also known as the Motion Picture Academy, was formed to fill this need by indicating cinematic greatness (Zhuang et al., 2014). In 1929, they delivered their first rendering with the inaugural Academy Awards ceremony, also known as the Oscars (Kaplan, 2006). For decades, these awards stood unrivalled as the premier event and acknowledgment in the art of filmmaking. Although not always in total accord with spectators' views, award nominations and wins have been held in high enough esteem by consumers to be used as a primary quality evaluation and selling point for movies that have earned them (Zhuang et al., 2014). The movie industry continues to attract the attention of the business world and marketing research and practice, in the pre-launch and diffusion phase, in a feedback loop that includes collaborations, marketing communication, and the depiction of commerce on film-such as the theme of art-versus-commerce (Moon et al., 2016). However, just as for any market offering, consumer preferences and expectations have evolved, especially in the age of digital marketing and social media. Practitioners and researchers emphasize the acute need to understand customer satisfaction in the film industry to optimize the consumer experience and economic benefits in the short and long term (Douthat, 2022;Lawler, 2022). As the Motion Picture Academy will reach its centenary Academy Awards ceremony within only a few years, it is faced with the need to recover from recent missteps. Criticism mentions a lack of diversity among nominees, overly long shows, the inco...

Dynamic perceived quality analysis using social media data at macro- and micro-levels

“…(2012) identified seven constructs for evaluating the e-service system of the Indian government. Fine et al . (2022) used a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis method to construct a theoretical model for evaluating the perceived quality of Oscar among millennials.…”

The blockbuster blueprint: towards a stakeholder theory-based marketing framework

“…The extant literature furnishes invaluable insights into the success of theatre screenings, colloquially known as box-office success. These facets include Academy Awards, online reviews, scenting, social distancing, social media marketing, and star power, as delineated by studies such as Fan et al (2021), Fine et al (2022), Kim (2021), Liao and Huang (2021), Lwin and Morrin (2012), and Ryoo et al (2021). However, it is vital to acknowledge that many of these studies are reliant on archival (or secondary) data.…”

“…These facets include Academy Awards, online reviews, scenting, social distancing, social media marketing, and star power, as delineated by studies such as Fan et al. (2021), Fine et al. (2022), Kim (2021), Liao and Huang (2021), Lwin and Morrin (2012), and Ryoo et al.…”