A service perspective: Recognizing the presence of service-like principles within marketing communication via personal media

Personal media are social media, mobile device applications, and communication interfaces that enable consumers to publish, share, and participate in two way conversations with other consumers and with firms. An interesting point of comparison is how marketing communication in mass media versus personal media bears strong resemblance to the distinction between the marketing of mass produced manufactured goods versus service. Moreover, mass media marketing communication shares commonalities in marketing philosophy focusing on the mass market of standardized tangible good products. In contrast, personal media marketing communication shares similarities in marketing philosophy focusing on service. Several research projects are undertaken to explore this position. The first essay is devoted to merging the domains of marketing communication in mass and personal media to various areas within the domains of standardized manufactured goods marketing and service marketing practice. Theory and philosophies establish the overlapping parallels between these domains in an effort to develop four research propositions. Whereas mass media marketing communication channels are traditionally a firm-controlled resource standardizing one-way marketing messages to a wide passive consumer audience, personal media are more interactive and create two-way exchanges. The result is two distinct service-related themes now relevant to a marketing communication channel. The first theme focuses on the interactive nature of personal media now enabling consumers to partake in service encounters within a marketing communication channel. The second theme focuses on personal media's interactive characteristics now enabling consumers to co-produce and customize preferences for marketing communication dissemination. The second essay builds upon some of the first essay's propositions using three studies to examine public service recovery attempts and the actions of dysfunctional consumers in personal media. The third essay uses empirical data across multiple studies to support a co-production strategy for personal media marketing communication. In combination, all three essays highlight the importance to use a service-perspective as a supplemental management philosophy for personal media marketing communication channels.