A Journey to Wellbeing: How do mental health platforms drive people’s decision to engage in online therapy?
(2024) BUSN39 20241Department of Business Administration
- Abstract
- Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand how platforms of mental health influence people’s decision to engage in online therapy through their marketing strategies implemented throughout the customer journey.
Theoretical perspective: This study is rooted in two theoretical models, the customer journey and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Specifically, the customer journey will serve as a structure to categorize the marketing strategies realized by platforms, while the TPB will be used as a foundation to explain how these strategies concretely impact people’s behavior and decision-making.
Methodology: This study uses a qualitative methodology rooted in relativism and interpretivism, and was realized following an... (More) - Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand how platforms of mental health influence people’s decision to engage in online therapy through their marketing strategies implemented throughout the customer journey.
Theoretical perspective: This study is rooted in two theoretical models, the customer journey and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Specifically, the customer journey will serve as a structure to categorize the marketing strategies realized by platforms, while the TPB will be used as a foundation to explain how these strategies concretely impact people’s behavior and decision-making.
Methodology: This study uses a qualitative methodology rooted in relativism and interpretivism, and was realized following an abductive approach. Aiming to collect
consumers’ perspectives, seven semi-structured individual interviews were conducted.
Findings/Conclusions: The study identifies seven comprehensive strategies through which platforms drive people’s decision to engage in online therapy. These strategies encompass (1) educating people with well-structured, appropriate, and professional content, (2) providing objective information, (3) treating people as patients instead of clients, (4) avoiding unreliable sponsors, (5) fostering people’s conversations and sharing, (6) informing, personalizing, and guiding through the process, and (7) providing economic transparency and support. Furthermore, the study highlighted how people’s decision-making in this context is also impacted by two independent influencing factors, a general feeling of mistrust, and a conflicting external environment.
Contributions: In terms of theoretical contributions, the study expands the existing literature on mental health platforms from a marketing perspective, with a focus on the European territory and on young people. Then, it contributes to the body of knowledge by employing for the first time the customer journey structure to categorize platforms’ strategies and describe consumers’ pathways, as well as the Theory of Planned Behavior to explain how such strategies impact people’s behavior. In terms of practical implications, the study provides recommendations for
platforms to improve their marketing efforts, including carefully planning their
communication, optimizing digital places for discussion, and taking care of people’s
personalization, guidance, and economic needs. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9164077
- author
- Lucietti, Ida LU and Gudenkauf, Thea LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- BUSN39 20241
- year
- 2024
- type
- H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
- subject
- keywords
- Online therapy, mental health platforms, customer journey, theory of planned behavior
- language
- English
- id
- 9164077
- date added to LUP
- 2024-06-25 13:23:08
- date last changed
- 2024-06-25 13:23:08
@misc{9164077,
abstract = {{Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand how platforms of mental health influence people’s decision to engage in online therapy through their marketing strategies implemented throughout the customer journey.
Theoretical perspective: This study is rooted in two theoretical models, the customer journey and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Specifically, the customer journey will serve as a structure to categorize the marketing strategies realized by platforms, while the TPB will be used as a foundation to explain how these strategies concretely impact people’s behavior and decision-making.
Methodology: This study uses a qualitative methodology rooted in relativism and interpretivism, and was realized following an abductive approach. Aiming to collect
consumers’ perspectives, seven semi-structured individual interviews were conducted.
Findings/Conclusions: The study identifies seven comprehensive strategies through which platforms drive people’s decision to engage in online therapy. These strategies encompass (1) educating people with well-structured, appropriate, and professional content, (2) providing objective information, (3) treating people as patients instead of clients, (4) avoiding unreliable sponsors, (5) fostering people’s conversations and sharing, (6) informing, personalizing, and guiding through the process, and (7) providing economic transparency and support. Furthermore, the study highlighted how people’s decision-making in this context is also impacted by two independent influencing factors, a general feeling of mistrust, and a conflicting external environment.
Contributions: In terms of theoretical contributions, the study expands the existing literature on mental health platforms from a marketing perspective, with a focus on the European territory and on young people. Then, it contributes to the body of knowledge by employing for the first time the customer journey structure to categorize platforms’ strategies and describe consumers’ pathways, as well as the Theory of Planned Behavior to explain how such strategies impact people’s behavior. In terms of practical implications, the study provides recommendations for
platforms to improve their marketing efforts, including carefully planning their
communication, optimizing digital places for discussion, and taking care of people’s
personalization, guidance, and economic needs.}},
author = {{Lucietti, Ida and Gudenkauf, Thea}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{A Journey to Wellbeing: How do mental health platforms drive people’s decision to engage in online therapy?}},
year = {{2024}},
}