Dr Joonheui Bae, Assistant Professor, received the Psychology & Marketing Award in acknowledgment of a paper at the Global Marketing Conference, which was held in Seoul, South Korea on 20 – 23 July 2023.
The award-winning paper, “The fit between anthropomorphism of AI chatbot and communication situation on use behavior” discusses the suitability of AI conversational interactions with humans in terms of the extent of anthropomorphism on an experimental basis. A chatbot is an artificial intelligence (AI) system that interacts with consumers on behalf of a company. This study significantly contributes to understanding how a proficiently designed AI chatbot impacts the implementation of services in communication contexts.
At the end of 2023, the Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science (Scopus, ECSI) honoured Dr Bae with Best Paper distinction. The title of her winning paper is “Influences of symbolic capital on destination brand equity”. Utilising partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), this study investigates the relationship between destination brand personality and brand equity in the travel industry. Consistent with the results of the study, a location characterised by unique attributes could increase its brand equity through the cultivation of a positive perception supported by substantial symbolic capital. The Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science selected the article as the 2023 Best Paper due to its insightful analysis of the development of tourist attractions in the tourism industry, which is experiencing a comeback in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.