Acceso usuarios
Antar Chaabi, Maher Taib Toukabri
Objective: This article aims to present a new topic for the marketing literature: emo-decision-making contagion. This concept is developed from Hatfield et al.’s (2014, 1994) work and the research conducted by Pire-Lechalard and Van-Hoorebeke (2021) in the context of decision-making.
Theoretical Framework: The decision depends on emotion. However, emotion has a primordial characteristic, namely its contagiousness (Chaabi, 2023; Pire-Lechalard & Van-Hoorebeke, 2021). Hence the genesis of the concept of emo-decision-making contagion. Until now, the study of this concept has been ignored in the marketing field, and researchers focus, rather, on ad hoc concepts such as social influence. This article attempts, through a well-defined methodology, to define emo-decision-making contagion and establish its theoretical underpinnings, so that it is useful and beneficial for marketing practitioners.
Method: To penetrate the experiences of the respondents and explore the human constructions around emo-decision-making contagion, a qualitative study was conducted with a sample of 30 individuals. Therefore, we chose the interview as the data collection method. Similarly, to ensure greater consistency in this exploratory study, we limited our focus to a specific area: fashion products, specifically textile items.
Results: The results indicate that this concept is defined as the propensity of individuals to reproduce and copy the purchasing decisions of a group leader unconsciously and massively. These decisions are intended to serve as a lesson and are transmitted through the sharing of emotions with the members of the group and identification with them, to have a specific result or to be in conformity with this group.
Conclusions: As emo-decision-making contagion does indeed exist, it is suggested to focus on the study of this concept, which can be a very effective and attractive strategy in communication and advertising, and understanding the mechanisms underlying EDMC can help marketers improve their commercial approaches or develop better ones.
