![International Marketing Review
Mapping the mind of the mobile consumer across borders: An application of the
Zaltman metaphor elicitation technique
Philip Sugai,
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Philip Sugai, (2005) "Mapping the mind of the mobile consumer across borders: An application of the
Zaltman metaphor elicitation technique", International Marketing Review, Vol. 22 Issue: 6,pp. 641-657, doi:
10.1108/02651330510630267
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(2005),"An analysis of the factors affecting the adoption of electronic commerce by SMEs: Evidence
from an emerging market", International Marketing Review, Vol. 22 Iss 6 pp. 623-640 http://
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- 1. International Marketing Review Mapping the mind of the mobile consumer across borders: An application of the Zaltman metaphor elicitation technique Philip Sugai, Article information: To cite this document: Philip Sugai, (2005) "Mapping the mind of the mobile consumer across borders: An application of the Zaltman metaphor elicitation technique", International Marketing Review, Vol. 22 Issue: 6,pp. 641-657, doi: 10.1108/02651330510630267 Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/02651330510630267 Downloaded on: 31 March 2017, At: 03:28 (PT) References: this document contains references to 67 other documents. To copy this document: permissions@emeraldinsight.com The fulltext of this document has been downloaded 2825 times since 2006* Users who downloaded this article also downloaded: (2003),"Using ZMET to explore barriers to the adoption of 3G mobile banking services", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 31 Iss 6 pp. 340-348 http:// dx.doi.org/10.1108/09590550310476079 (2005),"An analysis of the factors affecting the adoption of electronic commerce by SMEs: Evidence from an emerging market", International Marketing Review, Vol. 22 Iss 6 pp. 623-640 http:// dx.doi.org/10.1108/02651330510630258 Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by emerald-srm:273599 [] For Authors If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.com Emerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services. Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. Downloaded by Universitas Gadjah Mada At 03:28 31 March 2017 (PT)
- 2. *Related content and download information correct at time of download. Downloaded by Universitas Gadjah Mada At 03:28 31 March 2017 (PT)
- 3. Mapping the mind of the mobile consumer across borders An application of the Zaltman metaphor elicitation technique Philip Sugai Graduate School of International Management, International University of Japan, Minami Uonuma-Shi, Niigata, Japan Abstract Purpose – To define the similarities and differences in perceptions that mobile consumers in culturally distinct markets hold towards the mobile internet. Design/methodology/approach – Using the Zaltman metaphor elicitation technique (ZMET), mental maps between consumers from Indonesia and Japan were developed and compared. Findings – Results showed clear structural similarities between aggregate maps, while differences were found in experiential factors such as technical infrastructure or the underlying business model. The main barriers to widespread consumer adoption of the mobile internet were not found in cognitive structures unique to individual markets, but appeared instead to be caused by inefficiencies within the wireless ecosystem. Research limitations/implications – These results identified factors from a number of pre-existing theories relevant to the mobile platform, suggesting the need to develop a new, more inclusive theory of mobile consumer behavior. ZMET was also shown to be an effective comparative analysis tool applicable to cross-cultural research. Practical implications – Marketers can establish sustainable competitive advantage by effectively addressing the many negative aspects consumers raised about the MobileNet. Additionally, these results suggest that the mobile platform can serve as the foundation for truly co-creative marketing initiatives. Originality/value – This is the first paper to explore the cognitive structure and content of consumer perceptions of the mobile internet. This study was also the first to apply ZMET as a comparative tool, as well as the first to extend ZMET to include composite weights of construct dyads. Keywords Consumer behaviour, Mobile radio systems, Japan, Indonesia Paper type Research paper Introduction The mobile platform has been heralded as the next frontier for modern business, with anytime, anywhere voice and data communications capabilities creating entirely new paradigms for interactive marketing initiatives (de Kerckhove, 2002; Foreman, 2001; Standage, 2001). As consumer adoption of these new mobile voice and data services proliferates, distinct behaviors unique to this platform have begun to emerge. For example, research has already identified the emergence of temporal and spatial liquidity in which meeting times and places are instantly modified as the realities of the present situation evolve (Ito and Okabe, 2001), multitasking between the environmental “real” present and the mobile “conversational” present (Plant, 2002), The Emerald Research Register for this journal is available at The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregister www.emeraldinsight.com/0265-1335.htm Mapping the mind of the mobile consumer 641 Received October 2004 Revised May 2005 Accepted June 2005 International Marketing Review Vol. 22 No. 6, 2005 pp. 641-657 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0265-1335 DOI 10.1108/02651330510630267 Downloaded by Universitas Gadjah Mada At 03:28 31 March 2017 (PT)
- 4. and an empowerment of the everyday user over the ebb and flow of daily life (Geser, 2004). While more than 1.5 billion consumers, or approximately 25 percent of the world’s population owned a mobile phone in June 2004, generating in excess of $1.5 trillion in service revenues (Insight, 2005), only a small sub-segment of this population subscribed to or used the mobile internet, or MobileNet (defined as data-driven usage of a mobile network either for text communications or mobile content or service access). As of January 2004, there were 115 million mobile data subscribers globally who generated in excess of US$61 billion within the entire 2004 calendar year (Mann, 2004; Taylor, 2004). However, while Japan and three of its Asia Pacific neighbors comprised only 9 percent of the world’s mobile subscriber base, Japan alone represented 59 percent of the world’s mobile data subscribers as of January 2004 (de Lussanet, 2005; TCA, 2005). Such inequalities in the diffusion of the MobileNet have led to the suggestion that Japanese consumers are different than those in other markets, highlighting the Japanese love for tiny gadgets (Chowdhury, 2002) or the high percentage of time spent on public transportation (Scuka, 2003) as reasons for this imbalance. Both of these ideas have been heavily criticized (Natsuno, 2004; MacAteer, 2000), and separate research has shown at-home and at-work usage dominate the commute in terms of total time spent accessing the MobileNet (Sidel and Mayhew, 2003), yet there remains a dearth of research explaining why such differences have occurred. There is, however, a growing body of literature focused upon the mobile consumer (Katz and Aakhus, 2002). However, while these and related studies have explored many important facets of mobile consumer behavior, identifying a wide range of explanatory factors related to the use of various mobile services including mobile gaming (Kleijnen et al., 2004), mobile banking (Lee et al., 2003), mobile parking services (Pedersen and Nysveen, 2003), mobile advertising (Tsang et al., 2004), and the more general use scenarios related to the mobile device itself (Leung and Wei, 2000), and while others have explored factors influencing adoption of mobile versus PC-Internet services (Liljander and Nordman, 2004), these studies have failed to explore how these resulting factors fit within the overall cognitive structures of the mobile consumer. Cognitive or “mental” maps, are considered higher order representations of consumer perceptions as they place individual constructs into context, and establish a structural flow between and amongst these elements (Eden, 1992). Development of such maps has been shown to identify both the structure, or how constructs are organized in the consumer’s mind, and content, or the inherent meanings of these constructs and their linkages (Christensen and Olson, 2002, p. 479); and such results consequently provide more valuable insights that other qualitative methods (Brown, 1992). And while a number of techniques have been employed to create such maps, the Zaltman metaphor elicitation technique (ZMET) (Coulter and Zaltman, 1994) has gained recognition for being the most robust of these tools, enabling the development of both structurally sound and content-rich mental maps. The value of such maps are obvious both for the marketing academic and practitioner, as both theoretical and practical insights into the key drivers of consumer behavior can be identified and explored. The objective of this research then was to establish a clearer understanding of the structure and content of consumer thinking related to the MobileNet between IMR 22,6 642 Downloaded by Universitas Gadjah Mada At 03:28 31 March 2017 (PT)
- 5. respondents from a highly advanced (Japan) and a developing (Indonesia) mobile market, and in so doing determine whether or not the uneven levels of MobileNet acceptance are the result of unique consumer perceptions within individual markets. The ZMET was applied in order to meet this objective. In achieving this objective, this study makes three important contributions. First, these results provide a context for better understanding the mobile consumer both within and across markets, clearly showing strong similarities in the understanding of the core value propositions of the MobileNet across markets and the many drawbacks that these bring, with most differences resulting from the experiential disparities between the two countries in question. Second, this report outlines the use of ZMET as a comparative tool; showing it to be valuable in identifying the similarities and differences across consumer segments. And third, this study answers Christensen and Olson’s (2002) call to further extend the tools applied within ZMET, by introducing the concept of linkage weights within aggregate mental maps which subsequently display the emphasis expressed by research participants to the object under study. ZMET’s role in the development of mental maps Cartography evolved from the mapping of heaven and earth to the mapping of the inner workings of the human mind when Edward Tolman (1948) adopted the term “cognitive mapping” in proposing that rats developed a cartography within their minds as they navigated through experimental mazes. Three decades later, Bettman (1979) introduced the concept of cognitive maps to the study of consumer behavior, developing representations of goal hierarchies that outlined the source, structure and flow of consumer decision-making processes. With the introduction of means-end chain theory (Gutman, 1982) and laddering theory (Reynolds and Gutman, 1988), a rigorous, theory-based research framework was built for the elicitation and subsequent mapping of such behaviors. ZMET was subsequently introduced as an enhancement to the development of these cognitive structures. As Christensen and Olson (2002, p. 479) argued, structure by definition does not fully represent meaning, therefore, the ability to add content-rich meaning to these underlying structures was tantamount to truly understanding the thoughts of consumers. Zaltman and Coulter (1995) based their arguments for such an extension on three critical factors derived from the natural sciences: (1) of human communications 80 percent or more are non-verbal (Burgoon et al., 1989; Mehrabian, 1971); (2) human beings think in images rather than words Damasio (1994); and (3) metaphors are the fundamental elements of human thinking (Lakoff and Johnson, 1980; Ortony, 1993). Research that is strictly based on written or verbal interactions they argued was, therefore, missing critical details. ZMET was built using visual and other sensory images to access the metaphors of consumers, and applied these to add further insights and explanations to mental mapping exercises. Other techniques have recently integrated content-rich visual imagery (Martin, 2004; Belk et al., 2003; Heisley and Levy, 1991) and metaphor (Batra, 2002; Fournier, 1998) into their studies, with the validity and reliability of such methods widely Mapping the mind of the mobile consumer 643 Downloaded by Universitas Gadjah Mada At 03:28 31 March 2017 (PT)
- 6. recognized (Denzin and Lincoln, 2000). However, ZMET holds many advantages over these techniques including: (1) its integration of both structure and rich content in its resulting aggregate mental maps to more clearly represent customer’s thoughts; (2) it empowers the participants, using their images and thoughts as the foundation for the resulting interview; (3) it follows a simple, yet thorough step-by-step guided interview process, allowing for accurate replication by different research assistants and projects; and (4) it seems ideally suited to the compare and contrast diffuse concepts such as “the Mobile internet” across cultures, as it avoids the localization dilemma, as the entire interview can collect culture-specific imagery and metaphors that would typically be stripped away by text or language-only research techniques. Because of these facts, ZMET has gained recognition for its effectiveness in qualitative research both in the academic (van Kleef et al., 2004; Catchings-Castello, 2000) and the business press (Szegedy-Maszak, 2005; Useem, 2003; Weiners, 2003; Pink, 1998; Smith, 1996). Methodology Countries researched As culture has been defined as “the software of the mind” (Hofstede, 2001), and ZMET as a tool to access the consumer thought processes within this software, samples from culturally distinct countries were considered important for the reliability of the results, in line with Gordon’s (2004) recent call for additional multi-sample research in the application of ZMET. Similarities or differences expressed by culturally similar respondents would result in uncertainty regarding the true source of such results. Using samples from culturally distinct countries, however, avoids such confusion, as results of similarity or differences could be connected with the actual consumers under study as opposed to the cultures from which they were chosen. Amongst the Asia Pacific countries researched in Hofstede’s authoritative 50-country cross cultural study, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia were the three countries most different from Japan comparing the absolute value differences of Hofstede’s four dimensions of culture including “power distance”, “individuality”, “masculinity”, and “uncertainty avoidance”. Amongst these four dimensions, Indonesia was most unlike Japan in terms of “masculinity” the dimension found to influence emotional and social roles, and “individuality” the dimension found to influence the interaction of the individual with groups (Hofstede, 2005). Because these factors are critical to the processes of data access and exchange, both fundamental elements of MobileNet usage, these dimensions were considered most important for this research effort (Figure 1). Additionally, residents of these countries also experience extremely different technological realities of the MobileNet, with far different mobile network technologies, handset manufacturers, and overall adoption levels. In Japan as of August, 2004 there were 82 million mobile phone users comprising 65 percent of the entire population, 87 percent of whom (or 71 million of these users) were also subscribers and users of IMR 22,6 644 Downloaded by Universitas Gadjah Mada At 03:28 31 March 2017 (PT)
- 7. MobileNet services. Conversely in Indonesia, a total of 15 million mobile phone users existed, comprising only 6 percent of the entire population. The MobileNet, although in existence through SMS and wireless application protocol (WAP)-based ringtone and picture download services, was not widely used due to a number of coverage and pricing-related issues. Therefore, Indonesia and Japan were considered excellent representatives of culturally and technologically distinct countries in terms of the MobileNet. Survey participants Data was collected using a convenience sample of 15 respondents each in both Japan and Indonesia, of which eight were women and seven were men in each country. All respondents who participated in this survey owned a mobile phone and were aware of how to use the MobileNet. Japanese respondents were selected from students, faculty and staff of a medium-sized graduate school in Niigata, Japan. Ages of Japanese respondents ranged from 28 to 40 years old (mean ¼ 33, SD ¼ 3.5), on average, Japanese respondents had subscribed to mobile phone services for five years (SD ¼ 3.5), and had used mobile internet services for three years (SD ¼ 1.9). Indonesian respondents were selected from a major university in Jakarta composed of both graduate and undergraduate students. The average age of the Indonesian respondents was younger than their Japanese counterparts at 22.1 years, ranging from 19 to 30 years old (SD ¼ 3.5). On average, Indonesian respondents had subscribed to mobile phone services for five years (SD ¼ 1.6), and had used mobile internet services on average for 3.8 years (SD ¼ 0.6). The data collection and analysis process For this research process, the author and one native Indonesian research assistant were trained in the ZMET process using the ZMET training manual (Zaltman, 2003) Figure 1. Hofstede’s cultural comparison of countries Mapping the mind of the mobile consumer 645 Downloaded by Universitas Gadjah Mada At 03:28 31 March 2017 (PT)
- 8. provided by Professor Zaltman via e-mail. Research took place between August 2003 and March 2004 and interviews were conducted in either English or the native country language depending on the preference of the interview participant, were recorded in full before being transcribed, coded and analyzed. The data collection and analysis process proceeded through the following phases. Phase 1 – pre-interview. During the pre-interview stage, the mobile internet was defined for participants as “any data-intensive activity that you perform on your mobile phone that requires usage of the mobile network”. It was further explained that while voice calls, taking pictures with a camera phone, or the use of resident features such as the alarm clock were not considered uses of the mobile internet, activities such as sending e-mail, SMS messages or browsing mobile internet websites via the mobile phone were. After this introduction, the following question was posed to all participants, “When you think about the mobile internet, what images come to your mind?” Respondents were then instructed to collect 8-10 pictures from magazines, newspapers, personal photographs or other sources with the full interview scheduled one to three weeks later. Phase 2 – interview. Each interview lasted between 90 and 120 minutes, and followed each of the ZMET interview steps including “storytelling”, “missed images”, “sorting task”, “construct elicitation”, most representative picture”, “opposite images”, “sensory images”, “the mental map”, “the summary image”, and “consensus map” (Coulter and Zaltman, 1994, pp. 502-6). Phase 3 – transcription and coding. After translation into English, where necessary, and transcription, all interview texts were input into the specialized qualitative data analysis software package, Atlas.ti; a specially-designed program for qualitative data analysis. Using this software, each transcript was assigned individual codes created to represent the thoughts and ideas outlined during each interview. Open coding was applied by strictly adhering to the grounded approach presented by Glaser and Strauss (1967) and Strauss and Corbin (1998). Transcripts were first coded in the order that their corresponding interviews were conducted, and codes were assigned to each transcript. For example, the quotation “We can overcome distance and overcome any disadvantage using the mobile internet” was given the unique codes “overcome”, “distance”, “disadvantage”, and “use”. All transcripts were coded twice to ensure that codes created during the analysis of later transcripts were applied equally throughout the coding process. After coding was competed, redundant codes were grouped into code “families” and assigned a descriptive construct name. For example, the individual codes “essential”, “critical”, “necessity”, and “important” were all grouped into a single code family, which was then assigned the construct name “essential” due to the relative weight of that code versus all others in the family. Weights were assigned based on the total number of respondents within each country’s sample to mention a specific code. In order to retain the integrity of each interview’s meaning, and not bias the coding process of either interviewer, this process was conducted independently for each country, with the results of these efforts compared only after code families had been created. Phase 4 – developing aggregate mental maps. Continuing to follow a grounded approach, construct dyads were recorded and aggregated based on linkages mentioned within each interview. For example, for the quotation “We can overcome distance IMR 22,6 646 Downloaded by Universitas Gadjah Mada At 03:28 31 March 2017 (PT)
- 9. and overcome any disadvantage using the mobile internet”, three dyads were created including “overcome and distance”, “overcome and disadvantage”, and “use and overcome”. These dyads were recorded for every transcript, and were aggregated based on the total number of respondent to mention each individual dyad. Christensen and Olson (2002, p. 484) recommended the development of maps that included constructs linked by one-third to one-fourth of all respondents with Figures 2 and 3 thus generated using a cut-off level of 4 or more respondents (as the sample for each country was 15 respondents). To enhance the comparative power of these maps, the total number of respondents who mentioned a link dyad was displayed in Figure 2. Aggregate mental map of Japan’s mobile internet Figure 3. Aggregate mental map of Indonesia’s mobile internet Mapping the mind of the mobile consumer 647 Downloaded by Universitas Gadjah Mada At 03:28 31 March 2017 (PT)
- 10. addition to the conventional approach of displaying these numbers with individual constructs. In interpreting these maps, it is suggested that the reader begin with the central constructs and follow the resulting links until an end-state is reached. By doing so, those constructs considered most essential will be identified first, allowing the reader to quickly grasp the emphasis and flow represented within each mental map. Linkages between constructs represent concepts connected in the thoughts of mobile consumers, thus adding greater insights into the relationships between each stand-alone idea. For example, following one of the more important thought patterns in Figure 2, starting with the “anytime anywhere” construct, we can derive that anytime anywhere communication is especially important for business use because such communications capabilities enables users to be efficient. Findings As outlined in Table I, none of the constructs that emerged from this research effort were new findings in the study of mobile consumer behavior. Instead, the constructs identified using ZMET were found to span across the results from a number of previous studies of mobile consumer behavior. For example, while Leung and Wei (2000, p. 312) applied the Uses and Gratifications framework (Katz et al., 1973) to derive seven factors explaining mobile usage including “fashion/status”, “affection/sociability”, “relaxation”, “mobility”, “immediate access”, instrumentality”, and “reassurance”, these were only a small percentage of the total constructs identified through this current application of ZMET, suggesting that many of these previous studies did not capture the full range of concepts deemed most important by mobile consumers. Additionally, none of these studies integrated the resulting constructs into higher order mental models that explained the emphasis and flow of these elements in aggregate. The following discussion then, outlines how this larger set of constructs related to the MobileNet were derived and subsequently aggregated into larger, more explanatory maps. Developing, interpreting and comparing aggregate maps Step 1 – identify most important constructs. In both countries the concepts of anytime, anywhere (access to) content and communications appeared to be fundamental to the concept of the MobileNet. While such results may seem obvious, such a clear understanding of these aspects of the MobileNet has evaded many practitioners in the past. For example, the much-hyped introduction of the MobileNet by Britain’s BTCellnet stressed the data-only aspects of “the internet in your pocket” without addressing the important communications elements of the mobile platform (Ward, 2000). While in Japan, NTT DoCoMo positioned its initial launch of the i-mode service to the business user, stressing the data-centric business applications of the MobileNet only to reposition this service as the early adopting teens proved this synthesis of communications and content to be most important. The differences between the core constructs within these maps are also revealing, showing an interesting counterpoint in the Japanese market between the “essential” nature of the MobileNet and its place in daily life and its numerous negative aspects, such as making users feel “caught” or “trapped”, “overwhelmed”, “confused”, and “lonely”(codes mentioned within the larger construct “negative aspects”). Previous research had also identified these constructs (Pedersen and Nysveen, 2003; IMR 22,6 648 Downloaded by Universitas Gadjah Mada At 03:28 31 March 2017 (PT)
- 11. Previously identified construct Ling (2004) Leung and Wei (2000) Pedersen and Nysveen (2003) Tsang et al. (2004) Lee et al. (2003) McVeigh (2003) Sugai Sugai construct Safety/reassurance W W W Empower Microordination/mobility W W W W Anytime/anywhere Accessibility/communication W W W Communication Disturbing influences/Irritation W W W W W Negative aspects Exclusion risk W W Uncomfortable, frustration Seclusion risk W Intrusion risk W Social/fashion/status/observability W W W High tech, expensive Affection/sociability/self expression W W W Friends/family, separated, others, communication, personal use Relaxation/entertainment W W W W Enjoy, rejuvenate, new & novel Instrumentality/informativeness W W W W Access, essential business use Immediate access W W Real time Perceived ease of use/complexity W W W W Easy to carry Perceived usefulness/compatibility W W W Essential, efficient, useful Credibility W Relative advantage W W Easier to use, infrastructure Trialability W Convenient W W Convenient Present situation/free time W Content sites W W Content The future W W The future, hope Youth (female) W W W Youth (female) The device W W W The device Table I. Comparison of constructs identified for the mobile platform Mapping the mind of the mobile consumer 649 Downloaded by Universitas Gadjah Mada At 03:28 31 March 2017 (PT)
- 12. Lee et al., 2003), although Lee et al.’s discussion of the various risks related to mobile service usage did not capture the breadth and depth of the negative images identified using ZMET. However, such tradeoffs were not evident in the Indonesian market, where most of the negative feelings centered upon the technical difficulties inherent in the infrastructure itself. While the benefits of anytime, anywhere access were clearly recognized by Indonesian respondents, these could not be realized with the network capabilities available at the time of this study. Step 2 – identify the goal or end states. The identification of goals or outcomes within separate maps provided further insight into the similarities and differences between maps. These end states can be seen as those constructs with inbound-only links. In Japan, a wide variety of end states were found, emanating mostly from the “content” construct, including “enjoy”, “empower”, and “rejuvenate”. Additionally, Japanese respondents spoke of the many “uncomfortable” feelings that arose from the negative aspects described above, while they also expressed sincere “hope” in the MobileNet’s future. The end states in Indonesia, however, were far fewer, with the “enjoyment” of content for personal use and feelings of “frustration” with either the technical limitations or available content considered important. Step 3 – identify missing constructs. One apparently missing factor in the Japanese aggregate map is any mention of the network operator, as Lee et al. clearly showed in their application of ZMET that “relative advantage” of the mobile network was fundamental in consumers’ attitudes towards using 3G mobile banking services. As the MobileNet offers a number of advantages over other platforms, many of which were mentioned as individual constructs themselves, the absence of the network operator from Japan’s aggregate map initially appeared inconsistent. Upon further analysis though, the network operator could be found as an assumed element within the linkages between constructs, such as “convenient, anytime/anywhere communications” and “access to content”. This omission was thus interpreted as evidence of relatively strong consumer satisfaction with Japan’s network operators, as network churn rates are amongst the lowest in the world, at less than 3 percent annually across all three operators. Upon review of the Indonesian map, there was an obvious exclusion of a “youth” construct, a critical ingredient in the adoption of MobileNet services globally (Ling, 2004). However, it would appear as if prohibitive pricing of Indonesia’s MobileNet services were to blame, making them unaffordable for Indonesian teens, thus generating the additional construct “expensive” not present in Japan. Step 4 – identify the most important links. Japanese respondents emphasized communications with family and friends ðn ¼ 9Þ and others ðn ¼ 8Þ in nearly equal terms as the convenience of MobileNet content ðn ¼ 8Þ reinforcing the concept of this partnership between content and communications and not the primacy of one over the other. Such a balance was also expressed by Indonesian respondents although in slightly different terms as the process of content “access” and the familial aspects of communications were stressed. Returning back to the Japanese map, junk mail or intrusive communications from an unwanted party such as a superior from work helped emphasize the many negative aspects of communications ðn ¼ 7Þ that these consumer also felt were closely associated with MobileNet use. Step 5 – compare and contrast resulting maps. Looking first at the similarities, as outlined in Figure 4, 47 percent or 14 constructs amongst the total of 30 found in both IMR 22,6 650 Downloaded by Universitas Gadjah Mada At 03:28 31 March 2017 (PT)
- 13. aggregate maps were shared by respondents from both countries. While differences in emphasis could be found between three of these including “communications” and “others”, which were stressed more heavily in Japan, and “enjoy”, which was stressed more heavily in Indonesia, these constructs were considered fundamental elements of the MobileNet, serving as the most important hubs and generating the most important links for both maps. These results suggest then, that the core value propositions of the MobileNet are valued relatively equally across country respondents, with cultural factors exerting relatively low influence over these core attributes and linkages. Similarities could also be found in some of the more tangential ideas such as efficiency in business, and the ease of use or usefulness of the mobile handset itself. There were, however, a few constructs and linkages considered important in individual markets that were not shared. For example, the “essential” and “convenient” aspects of the MobileNet in Japan were also considered central to the Japanese image of the MobileNet, but such feelings were not shared by Indonesian respondents. Instead, the technical infrastructure was considered an extremely important construct by Indonesian respondents, with such thoughts, as outlined previously, not widely discussed in Japan. Significant differences were also found in many of the goals or end states, especially those related to MobileNet content. For example in Japan, respondents stressed the personal impact that such content had on their lives (such as “rejuvenate”, “new and novel”, and “empower”), while their counterparts in Indonesia were more concerned about the attributes of the content itself (such as “real time”, for “personal use”, and “expensive”). Figure 4. Combined aggregate mental maps of Japan and Indonesia Mapping the mind of the mobile consumer 651 Downloaded by Universitas Gadjah Mada At 03:28 31 March 2017 (PT)
- 14. Elements such as the target audience for the MobileNet also differed across countries, with young, teen girls considered the clear drivers of MobileNet usage in Japan, while the expense of MobileNet content in Indonesia gave participants the perception that such services appealed to an older, more affluent “business user” segment. Finally, while there were suggestions of “hope” associated with the MobileNet’s future in Japan, such feelings were not similarly stressed in the Indonesian market, with a number of respondents frustrated by the limitations of the existing mobile networks, yet resigned to the fact that vast improvements were not likely to arise in the near future. Discussion The above analysis has returned compelling insights into the adoption inequalities of the MobileNet across countries. Clearly, while many unique constructs and general themes exist within the Japanese market compared with Indonesia, at the center of both mental maps was the clear understanding that the purpose of the MobileNet revolved around the interplay of content and communications via an anytime available, anywhere accessible network. This mutual understanding, seen both in the similarities of content and structure of the resulting mental maps suggests that conceptually, the promise of the MobileNet resonates at the human level not necessarily the cultural. While clear differences emerged between maps, upon closer review, these contrasts in thinking were based upon experiential differences, with Indonesian respondents focused upon the issues relevant to the proper evolution of basic MobileNet services while the Japanese respondents highlighted issues that have arisen from their personal experiences within such a robust ecosystem of MobileNet technology, content, and services. While these ZMET results have clearly outlined a myriad of negative aspects related to the MobileNet, the intensity of the negative images and their frequency (23 of the 30 total respondents mentioned this construct), it is clear that these elements cannot be ignored. While a great deal of research has been conducted on the negative aspects of the PC-internet, including most of the negative factors expressed by respondents of this study including “loneliness” (Moody, 2001), “addiction” (Engelberg and Sjoberg, 2004), “crime” (Krauss, 2000), very few of the studies of the mobile platform have focused upon these negative factors, although the mobile phone has clearly been recognized as a “hated” device (Lemelson-MIT, 2004). With these negative aspects being so widely held across two extremely different mobile markets, these results mandate that much more attention should be paid to these issues not only by researchers and marketing practitioners, but governments and NGO’s as well, such that these issues can be effectively studied and their root causes addressed, leaving the MobileNet to evolve to an even more respected and essential position in the daily lives of consumers around the world. In reaching these conclusions, ZMET has been shown to be an extremely effective tool in answering the objective of this study. In doing so, it has proven itself to be a valuable tool not only in describing the cognitive structure and content of individual mental maps, but also in applying these resulting maps as comparative tools. Managerial implications The mobile platform appears then to be the perfect channel through which managers can develop truly co-creative marketing practices, as anytime anywhere IMR 22,6 652 Downloaded by Universitas Gadjah Mada At 03:28 31 March 2017 (PT)
- 15. communications and content access, the core of consumer perceptions of the MobileNet, mandate two-way exchanges between companies and their consumers. The development of business models that leverage such co-creative capabilities, such as marketing practices which allow immediately relevant outbound mobile communications to be enhanced through individual blogging and subsequently forwarded within an existing social network, are already well underway in Japan (Sugai et al., 2005), with these research results suggesting that such models will indeed emerge globally. At the same time, managers must address the various negative aspects that the MobileNet clearly brings, developing incremental services and solutions which further protect the rights of the consumer. Aside from generating additional revenue streams, solutions which further address time or availability management, security and personal safety and other negative elements highlighted within this paper will further reinforce the positive feedback loop within mobile markets. And if such services are not developed independently, industry regulators or policy makers must insist that such services be implemented. Failure to do so will most likely undermine the effectiveness of mobile marketing practices as unmanageable and unwanted intrusions will quickly sour consumer acceptance and usage of advanced mobile data services. Future research While the application of ZMET is exhaustive and grounded in nature, additional research is required to confirm the validity and reliability of these results. It is also possible that the small sample sizes in each country, although well within the guidelines set by Zaltman and Coulter (1995, p.45), may have resulted in findings that cannot be generalized. As these results have suggested that theories generated using other communications media offer incomplete insights into the depth and breadth of behavioral drivers relevant to the mobile platform, further studies confirming the validity and reliability of such results, using multiple samples within individual countries, and including a wider variety of markets, are required to develop a new behavioral theory explaining the mobile consumer. ZMET has also proven itself to be an effective tool in comparative research related to the mobile platform. Future studies that span across a wider range of product and service offerings are required in order to validate these initial results. Future research should be conducted to confirm and expand the capabilities of ZMET as a comparative research tool. Finally, as ZMET allows for the collection and analysis of information in the words and images of the interviewees themselves, it is possible that this technique could become an extremely effective tool for cross cultural research. Future studies using ZMET in this manner would be a logical progression from the results presented here. Conclusions In arriving at these results, ZMET has indeed proven itself to be a dynamic and effective tool in the comparison of mental maps. The main barriers to widespread consumer adoption of the mobile internet were not found to lie in the unique cognitive structures of Japanese consumers as had been previously implied, but appeared instead to be caused by inefficiencies in specific aspects of the wireless ecosystem. It would appear then, that consumers will widely embrace the MobileNet in markets outside of Mapping the mind of the mobile consumer 653 Downloaded by Universitas Gadjah Mada At 03:28 31 March 2017 (PT)
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