Affective commitment and future purchase intentions in the performing arts: An empirical approach

• Author: Rafael Ventura,María José Quero
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/cjas.1313
• Published date: 01 June 2015
• Date: 01 June 2015

Affective commitment and future purchase

intentions in the performing arts: An empirical

approach

María José Quero*and Rafael Ventura

University of Malaga

Abstract

We examine whether affective commitment can inf‌luence

customers’future purchase intentions. Our empirical approach

focuses on the performing arts sector in which we interviewed

927 theatregoers at the entrances or exits to 150 theatres

throughout Spain. The theoretical relationship management

model proposed herein provides an analysis of the role played

by satisfaction, trust, and commitment in future purchase

intentions. Our f‌indings reveal that affective commitment

mediates the relationship between future purchase intention

and both satisfaction and trust. We discuss the theoretical and

management implications of our f‌indings and identify some

possible future research directions. Copyright © 2015 ASAC.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Keywords: relationship marketing, performing arts, satis-

faction, commitment, trust, future purchase intentions

Résumé

Cet article examine si l’engagementaffectif peut inf‌luencer les

intentions d’achat futures des consommateurs. L’approche

empirique se concentre sur le secteur des arts du spectacle

dans lequel nous avons interviewé 927 amateurs de théâtre

àl’entrée et à la sortie de 150 salles de théâtres à travers

l’Espagne. Le modèle théorique de gestion des relations pro-

posé offre une analyse du rôle joué par la satisfaction, la

conf‌iance et l’engagementdans les intentions d’achat futures.

Les résultats indiquent que l’engagement affectif joue un rôle

de médiateur dans la relation entre l’intentiond’achat future

d’une part et, d’autre part, la satisfaction et la conf‌iance.

L’étude s’achève par une analysedes implications théoriques

et managériales des résultats et la proposition de pistes

potentielles de recherches futures.

Mots-clés : marketing relationnel, arts de la scène, la satis-

faction, l’engagement, la conf‌iance, future intentions d’achat

Customer relationships form the backbone of any rela-

tionship marketing strategy because they generate numerous

benef‌its for organizations (Chaston & Sadler-Smith, 2012;

Gummesson, 2008b; Hennig-Thurau, Gwinner, & Gremler,

2002). Although previous authors on relationship marketing

have examined the importance of customer satisfaction, trust,

and commitment in establishing customer relationships, few

mainstream researchers in business and management have

thus far explored the effective management of these con-

structs, especially in creative industries (Bendle & Patterson,

2010; Beyers, 2008; Camarero, Garrido-Samaniego, &

Vicente, 2012; Chaston & Sadler-Smith, 2012).

Schoefer and Diamantopoulos (2008) used these con-

structs as indicators of relationship quality, while Walsh,

Bartikowski, and Beatty (2014) specif‌ied the importance of

commitment as a mediator of the impact of the customer-

based drivers of corporate reputation such as organizational

image. In the same way, Fullerton (2005a, 2005b) also ana-

lyzed affective and continuance commitments as mediators

of brand satisfaction. However, no previous studies have

involved exploring the relationships among customer satis-

faction, trust, commitment, and future purchase intentions,

which could allow practitioners to design suitable and

targeted marketing strategies.

We bridge this gap in the literature by proposing a model

that examines the relationships between three variables—

satisfaction, commitment, and trust —and future purchase

intentions, and focus on creative industries, specif‌ically

the performing arts sector. Altogether, 927 consumers

(one-ticket owners) were interviewed at the entrances or exits

to performances; a total of 150 public and private theatres

throughout Spain were involved in the project.

The authors would like to thank Professor Evert Gummesson for his helpful

comments on previous versions of this paper.

*Please address correspondence to: Department of Economics and Business

Administration, Marketing and Market Research Unit, Faculty of Economic

and Business Sciences, University of Malaga, Campus El Ejido n° 6, 29071

Malaga, Spain. Email: mqg@uma.es

Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences

Revue canadienne des sciences de l’administration

32:75–85 (2015)

Published online 18 May 2015 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI: 10.1002/CJAS.1313

Can J Adm Sci

32(2), 75–85 (2015)Copyright © 2015 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 75