DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

Word-of-Mouth Redefined: A Profile of Influencers in the Travel and Tourism Industry

  • Received : 2021.09.01
  • Accepted : 2021.11.01
  • Published : 2021.09.30

Abstract

The emergence of the digital economy and easy accessibility to Web 2.0 tools has seen an expansion of the influencer ecosystem within the travel and tourism industry. Founded on the principles of reference groups and peer reference there is a growing trend amongst industry practitioners who are now opting to move away from many of the traditional approaches used to market their products and services and are instead taking advantage of the concept of e-word-of-mouth (eWOM). Whilst there is a growing body of academic literature addressing the notion of influencer marketing, there is little understanding of influencer marketers themselves. Consequentially, this study addresses this gap in the literature through the quantitative examination of those who promote products, services, or companies by distributing eWOM through their online digital channels and presence; otherwise known as travel influencers. A quantitative research approach involving an online survey yielded 255 responses from travel influencers. The research findings indicate that those who work in this field prefer not to be awarded the label "travel influencer," focusing instead on their specific method of influencing, such as blogging and vlogging or sharing Instagram updates. The research also demonstrates how the new influencers have a strong role in generating travel urge and desire. The research contributes to the wider body of academic literature and travel industry practitioners by establishing the general profile of influencers and their increasingly specialized role in tourism and hospitality marketing.

Keywords

References

  1. Aaker, D., Kumar, V., Leone, R., & Day, G. (2016). Marketing research (12th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
  2. Abubakar, A. M., & Ilkan, M. (2016). Impact of online WOM on destination trust and intention to travel: A medical tourism perspective. Journal of Destination Marketing and Management, 5(3), 192-201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2015.12.005
  3. Advertising Standards Authority. (2018). The labelling of influencer advertising. Retrieved May 16, 2021, from https://www.asa.org.uk/uploads/assets/uploaded/e3158f76-ccf2-4e6e-8f51a710b3237c43.pdf
  4. Aliaga, M., & Gunderson, B. (2006). Interactive statistics (3rd ed.). Harlow, Essex, UK: Pearson.
  5. Amaro, S., Duarte, P., & Henriques, C. (2016). Travelers' use of social media: A clustering approach. Annals of Tourism Research, 59(7), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2016.03.007
  6. Ayeh, J. K., Au, N., & Law, R. (2013). Predicting the intention to use consumer-generated media for travel planning. Tourism Management, 35, 132-143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2012.06.010
  7. Bearden, W. O., & Etzel, M. J. (1982). Reference group influence on product and brand purchase decisions. Journal of Consumer Research, 9(2), 183-194. https://doi.org/10.1086/208911
  8. Bearden, W. O., Netemeyer, R. G., & Teel, J. E. (1989). Measurement of consumer susceptibility to interpersonal influence. Journal of Consumer Research, 15(4), 473-481. https://doi.org/10.1086/209186
  9. Belanchea, D., Casalo, L. V., Flavian, M., & Ibanez-Sancheza, S. (2021). Understanding influencer marketing: The role of congruence between influencers, products and consumers. Journal of Business Research, 132(August), 186-195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.03.067
  10. Boerman, S. C., Willemsen, L. M., & Van Der Aa, E. P. (2017). "This post Is sponsored": Effects of sponsorship disclosure on persuasion knowledge and electronic word-of-mouth in the context of Facebook. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 38, 82-92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2016.12.002
  11. Brooks, R. C. (1957). "Word-of-mouth" advertising in selling new products. Journal of Marketing, 22(2), 154-161. https://doi.org/10.2307/1247212
  12. Brown, D., & Hayes, N. (2008). Influencer marketing: Who really influences your customers? Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
  13. Brown, J. J., & Reingen, P. H. (1987). Social ties and word-of-mouth referral behavior. Journal of Consumer Research, 14(3), 350-362. https://doi.org/10.1086/209118
  14. Bryman, A. (2016). Social research methods (5th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  15. Burns, P. (2000). Introduction to research methods. London: SAGE Publications.
  16. Campbell, C., & Farrell, J. R. (2020). More than meets the eye: The functional components underlying influencer marketing. Business Horizons, 63(4), 469-479. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2020.03.003
  17. Childers, T. L., & Rao, A. R. (1992). The influence of familial and peer-based reference groups on consumer decisions. Journal of Consumer Research, 19(2), 198-211. https://doi.org/10.1086/209296
  18. Chopra, A., Avhad, V., & Jaju, S. (2021). Influencer marketing: An exploratory study to identify antecedents of consumer behavior of millennial. Business Perspectives and Research, 9(1), 77-91. https://doi.org/10.1177/2278533720923486
  19. Collins, A., & Potoglou, D. (2019). Factors influencing visitor travel to festivals: Challenges in encouraging sustainable travel. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 27(5), 668-688. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2019.1604718
  20. Confente, I. (2015). Twenty-five years of word-of-mouth studies: A critical review of tourism research. International Journal of Tourism Research, 17(6), 613-624. https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.2029
  21. Conick, H. (2018). How to win friends and influence millions: The rules of influencer marketing. Marketing News, 52(7), 36-45.
  22. Crano, W. D., & Lyrintzis, E. (2015). Structure and change of complex political attitudes. In J. P. Forgas, K. Fiedler & W. D. Crano (Eds.), Social psychology and politics (pp. 21-39). New York: Psychology Press.
  23. Crutchfield, R. S. (1955). Conformity and character. American Psychologist, 10(5), 191-198. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0040237
  24. Currie, R. R., Wesley, F., & Sutherland, P. (2008). Going where the Joneses go: Understanding how others influence travel decision-making. International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, 2(1), 12-24. https://doi.org/10.1108/17506180810856112
  25. De Cicco, R., Iacobucci, S., & Pagliaro, S. (2021). The effect of influencer-product fit on advertising recognition and the role of an enhanced disclosure in Increasing sponsorship transparency. International Journal of Advertising, 40(5), 733-759. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2020.1801198
  26. Denzin, N., & Lincoln, Y. (Eds.). (2011). The SAGE handbook of qualitative research (4th ed.). London: SAGE Publications.
  27. Deutsch, M., & Gerard, H. B. (1955). A study of normative and informational influence upon individual judgment. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 51, 629-636. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0046408
  28. Dolnicar, S., & Ring, A. (2014). Tourism marketing research: Past, present and future. Annals of Tourism Research, 47, 31-47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2014.03.008
  29. Escalas, J. E., & Bettman, J. R. (2005). Self-construal, reference groups, and brand meaning. Journal of Consumer Research, 32(3), 378-389. https://doi.org/10.1086/497549
  30. Ferguson, R. (2008). Word of mouth and viral marketing: Taking the temperature of the hottest trends in marketing. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 25(3), 179-182. https://doi.org/10.1108/07363760810870671
  31. Flick, U. (2009). An introduction to qualitative research. London: SAGE Publications.
  32. Freberg, K., Graham, K., McGaughey, K., & Freberg, L. A. (2011). Who are the social media influencers? A study of public perceptions of personality. Public Relations Review, 37(1), 90-92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2010.11.001
  33. George, R. (2021). Marketing tourism and hospitality: Concepts and cases. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
  34. Gillin, P. (2007). The new influencers: A marketer's guide to the new social media. Sanger, CA: Quill Driver Books.
  35. Gretzel, U. (2018). Influencer marketing in travel and tourism. In M. Sigala & U. Gretzel (Eds.), Advances in social media for travel, tourism, and hospitality: New perspectives, practice, and cases (pp. 147-156). New York: Routledge.
  36. Gupta, P., & Harris, J. (2010). How e-WOM recommendations influence product consideration and quality of choice: A motivation to process information perspective. Journal of Business Research, 63(9-10), 1041-1049. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2009.01.015
  37. Hennig-Thurau, T., & Walsh, G. (2003). Electronic word-of-mouth: Motives for and consequences of reading customer articulations on the internet. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 8(2), 51-74. https://doi.org/10.1080/10864415.2003.11044293
  38. Ho, R. (2006). Handbook of univariate and multivariate data analysis and interpretation with SPSS. London: Chapman & Hall/CRC.
  39. Hudson, S., & Thal, K. (2013). The impact of social media on the consumer decision process: Implications for tourism marketing. Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, 30(1-2), 156-160. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2013.751276
  40. Huete-Alcocer, N. (2017). A literature review of word of mouth and electronic word of mouth: Implications for consumer behavior. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1256. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01256
  41. Hsu, C. H, C, Kang, S. K., Lam, T. (2006). Reference group influences among Chinese travelers. Journal of Travel Research, 44(4),474-484. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287505282951
  42. Hussain, S., Ahmed, W., Jafar, R. M. S., Rabnawaz, A., & Jianzhou, Y. (2017). eWOM source credibility, perceived risk and food product customer's information adoption. Computers in Human Behavior, 66, 96-102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.09.034
  43. Hyman, H. (1942). The psychology of status. Archives of Psychology, 269, 5-91.
  44. Johar, J. S., & Sirgy, M. J. (1991). Value-expressive versus utilitarian advertising appeals: When and why to use which appeal. Journal of Advertising, 20(3), 23-33. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.1991.10673345
  45. Kapoor, K. K., Tamilmani, K., Rana, N. P., Patil, P., Dwivedi, Y. K., & Nerur, S. (2018). Advances in social media research: Past, present and future. Information Systems Frontiers, 20(3), 531-558. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-017-9810-y
  46. Kapoor, P. S., Balaji, M. S., Jiang, Y., & Jebarajakirthy, C. (2021). Effectiveness of travel social media influencers: A case of eco-friendly hotels. Journal of Travel Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/00472875211019469
  47. Kasali, R., & Haryanto, J. (2009). Role of product characteristics, reference group, retail environments, and promotion in creating influence power, impulsive buying, and autobiographical memory. Psychology, 4, 67-82. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2013.41009
  48. Keller, E., & Berry, J. (2003). The influentials: One American in ten tells the other nine how to vote, where to eat and what to buy. New York: Free Press.
  49. Laczniak, R. N., DeCarlo, T. E., & Ramaswami, S. N. (2001). Consumers' responses to negative word-of-mouth communication: An attribution theory perspective. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 11(1), 57-73. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327663jcp1101_5
  50. Lee, H. ", Law, R., & Murphy, J. (2011). Helpful reviewers in TripAdvisor, an online travel community. Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, 28(7), 675-688. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2011.611739
  51. Leeflang, P. S. H., Verhoef, P. C., Dahlstrom, P., & Freundt, T. (2014). Challenges and solutions for marketing in a digital era. European Management Journal, 32(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2013.12.001
  52. Leung, D., Law, R., Van Hoof, H., & Buhalis, D. (2013). Social media in tourism and hospitality: A literature review. Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, 30(1-2), 3-22. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2013.750919
  53. Liang, S. W., Ekinci, Y., Occhiocupo, N., & Whyatt, G. (2013). Antecedents of travelers' electronic word-of-mouth communication. Journal of Marketing Management, 29(5-6), 584-606. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2013.771204
  54. Liu, X., Mehraliyev, F., Liu, C., & Schuckert, M. (2020). The roles of social media in tourists' choices of travel components. Tourist Studies, 20(1), 27-48. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468797619873107
  55. Lopez, M., & Sicilia, M. (2014). Determinants of E-WOM influence: The role of consumers' internet experience. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 9(1), 7-8. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-18762014000100004
  56. Mehta, S. C., Lalwani, A. K., & Ping, L. (2001). Reference group influence and perceived risk in services among working women in Singapore. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 14(1), 43-65. https://doi.org/10.1300/J046v14n01_05
  57. Merton, R. K. (1957). Continuities in the theory of reference groups and social structure. In R. K. Merton (Ed.), Social theory and social structure (pp. 281-368). New York: Free Press.
  58. Neuman, L. (2013). Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches (7th ed.). Harlow, Essex, UK: Pearson Education.
  59. Pallant, J. (2007). SPSS survival manual: A step-by-step guide to data analysis using SPSS for Windows (3rd ed.). Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press.
  60. Park, C. W., & Lessig, V. P. (1977). Students and housewives: Differences in susceptibility to reference group influence. Journal of Consumer Research, 4(2), 102-110. https://doi.org/10.1086/208685
  61. Phillips, W. J., Wolfe, K., Hodur, N., & Leistritz, F. L. (2013). Tourist word of mouth and revisit intentions to rural tourism destinations: A case of North Dakota, USA. International Journal of Tourism Research, 15(1), 93-104. https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.879
  62. Pike, S. (2021). Destination marketing essentials (3rd ed.). London: Routledge.
  63. Privitera, G. J. (2015). Statistics for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
  64. Punch, K. (2014). Introduction to social research: Quantitative and qualitative approaches (3rd ed.). London: SAGE Publications.
  65. Rathmell, J. M. (1974). Marketing in the service sector. Cambridge, MA: Winthrop.
  66. Robson, C. (2011). Real World Research: A resource for users of social research methods in applied settings (3rd ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
  67. Seale, C. (2012). Researching society and culture (3rd ed.). London: SAGE Publishing.
  68. Senecal, S., & Nantel, J. (2004). The influence of online product recommendations on consumers' online choices. Journal of Retailing, 80(2), 159-169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2004.04.001
  69. Sethna, Z., & Blythe, J. (2016). Consumer behavior (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
  70. Smith, R. E., & Vogt, C. A. (1995). The effects of integrating advertising and negative word-of-mouth communications on message processing and response. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 4(2), 133-151. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327663jcp0402_03
  71. Smith, S. P. (2021). Landscapes for "likes": Capitalizing on travel with Instagram. Social Semiotics, 31(4), 604-624. https://doi.org/10.1080/10350330.2019.1664579
  72. Sotiriadis, M. D., & Van Zyl, C. (2013). Electronic word-of-mouth and online reviews in tourism services: The use of twitter by tourists. Electronic Commerce Research, 13(1), 103-124. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10660-013-9108-1
  73. Stainton, H., & Iordanova, E. (2017). An ethical perspective for researchers using travel blog analysis as a method of data collection. Methodological Innovations, 10(3), 1-7.
  74. Sun, T., Youn, S., Wu, G., & Kuntaraporn, M. (2006). Online word-of-mouth (or mouse): An exploration of its antecedents and consequences. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 11(4), 1104-1127. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2006.00310.x
  75. Technorati. (2013). Technorati's 2013 digital influence report - Technorati Media. Retrieved July 16, 2020, from https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/16589898/technoratis-2013-digital-influence-report-technorati-media
  76. Yang, F. X. (2017). Effects of restaurant satisfaction and knowledge sharing motivation on eWOM intentions: The moderating role of technology acceptance factors. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, 41(1), 93-127. https://doi.org/10.1177/1096348013515918
  77. Yates, S. J. (2004). Doing social science research. London: SAGE Publications.
  78. Zeithaml, V. A. (1981). How consumer evaluation processes differ between goods and services. In J. H. Donnelly & W. R. George (Eds.), Marketing of services (pp. 186-190). New York: American Marketing Association.
  79. Zeng, B., & Gerritsen, R. (2014). What do we know about social media in tourism? A review. Tourism Management Perspectives, 10, 27-36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2014.01.001