Abstract

The primary objective of this thesis is to understand the antecedents of Mavenism and to investigate how Mavens engage in providing market information to other customers. Mavens are individuals who go out of their way to help others make better choices about products and services, without having immediate or long-term personal gain in mind. Due to the nature of the help that Mavens provide to other customers, they become trusted sources of information and therefore, influential in the turns that general customer preferences take. Consequently, it is important that marketers find a better understanding of who Mavens are, and how they exert their influence.
In this thesis, building on Geller’s (1995) Actively Caring Model, an examination of the antecedents of Mavenism and the factors that contribute to Mavens taking action to help others is investigated through three studies. The Actively Caring Model mainly focuses on the antecedents of altruistic behaviour. Throughout this thesis, it is argued that the selfness nature of Mavens’ actions and their lack of concern over their personal gain cannot be explained except through altruism. Therefore, the Actively Caring Model and its various dimensions have been used to investigate the antecedents of Mavenism.
The first study of this thesis focuses on Personal Empowerment, Self-Esteem, and Belongingness as three antecedents of Mavenism. For this investigation, the structural model of the theoretical model was constructed and tested using a PLS-SEM software, SmartPLS 2.0. Personal Empowerment was modeled as a second-order formative construct formed by Optimism, Self-Efficacy, and Personal Control. The results of the analysis confirmed the three dimensions of interest as antecedents of Mavenism.
In Study 2, the factors that moderated the effect of the three previously studied antecedents were investigated. Building on existing literature, Gender, Religiosity, and Culture (collectivism vs. individualism) were included as moderators in the structural model. The findings generally supported the moderating role for all three moderators, although the moderating effect of Gender on the influence of Self-Esteem, and the moderating role of Religiosity on the influence of Personal Empowerment were found only marginally significant.
Finally, Study 3 of this thesis focuses on the outcomes of Mavenism, namely the acts of recommendation. In this study, the factors that further encouraged, or even inhibited Mavens from acting out and making recommendations were investigated. The findings showed that individuals who are less Susceptible to Interpersonal Influence are more likely to act out and take action than those who are more Susceptible to Interpersonal Influence. Additionally, the finding showed that while lower Self-Esteem Mavens are less likely to make recommendations, availability of Media that requires less face-to-face interaction may compensate for their lower Self-Esteem and lead to their increased Helping Behaviour through recommendations.
This thesis makes several theoretical contributions in establishing factors that influence Mavenism and the subsequent Helping Behaviour. It also sheds light onto the traits of Mavens and allows marketers to have a better understanding of the existing potentials, and the factors that should be noticed to turn those potentials into reality.