The Role of Interactive Marketing in Reducing Customer Cognitive Dissonance Toward the Product: An Exploratory Study of the Opinions of a Sample of Fast-Food Restaurant Customers in Kirkuk

Abstract

This study aimed to clarify the role of interactive marketing in reducing customer cognitive dissonance toward the product, through an exploratory study of the opinions of a sample of fast-food restaurant customers in the city of Kirkuk. The study adopted the descriptive-analytical method to achieve its objectives, and used the questionnaire as the main tool for data collection. The study population consisted of fast-food restaurants in the city of Kirkuk, where 14 restaurants were selected to represent the study population. The study sample consisted of a random sample of customers of these restaurants, with a sample size of 380 customers. For the purpose of analyzing the data and testing the study hypotheses, a set of statistical programs (SPSS, Amos) was used. Based on the results of the analysis, the study reached a number of conclusions, the most important of which is the clear positive effect of interactive marketing and its various dimensions in reducing customer cognitive dissonance toward the product. This indicates that strengthening interactive marketing practices contributes to increasing customer satisfaction and reducing the contradiction between their prior expectations and the actual service they receive, which supports the acceptance of the main hypothesis of the study and the sub-hypotheses derived from it. In light of these results, the study recommended the need to strengthen interactive marketing practices in fast-food restaurants by developing its various dimensions represented in trust, commitment, interaction, response to complaints, two-way communication, and service quality, due to their important role in reducing customer cognitive dissonance and improving their experience with the product.