• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.809-824
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• 2017

Interest in and use of social media as a communication channel are consistently evolving; in addition therefore, corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities have been often conducted on online channels such as social media due to the advantages offered by the rapid spread of information. Consumers can be persuaded differently and their cognition can be influenced depending on who delivers what message. This study examines the influence of information source characteristics on eWOM acceptance of CSR messages and attitudes toward a company. This study compares cases: when a company sends their CSR message versus when an individual (i.e., consumer's acquaintance) sends the company's CSR message. A total of 320 respondents were presented with online stimuli and responded to the questionnaire to identify this phenomenon. Vegan fashion (which refers to products made from raw materials without animal cruelty) was used as stimuli in this study because it is a representative example of CSR activities. As a result, when consumers are exposed to CSR messages online, perceived expertise, trustworthiness and attractiveness of information source affect consumer's electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) acceptance and attitude toward a company. However, only trustworthiness influences eWOM acceptance in cases of a corporation information source. This study confirms the differences in eWOM acceptance and in attitudes to the company depending on to whom the messages were sent and with what content.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.177-186
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• 2016

This study aims to explore the effect of characteristics of eWOM(Word-of-mouth) on consumer attitude in SNS(Social Network Service). The characteristics of WOM were classified into characteristics of message (polarity, verifiability, consensus) and characteristics of SNS (social presence, interaction). Data of 554 samples were collected from the university students of SNS users. The key results showed that the polarity of the WOM has a strong positive effect on consumer's attitude, and the degree of verifiability and consensus has a moderating effect on the polarity-attitude relationship. On the contrary, characteristics of SNS such as social presence and interaction have a direct effect on consumer attitude and have no significant moderating effect on the polarity-attitude relationship. This study provides an academic enhancement in the research of the relationship between the characteristics of WOM and consumer's attitude in the SNS environment. Practical implications are also drawn from these findings.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.73-92
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• 2009

Consumers influence other consumers' brand choice behavior by delivering a variety of objective or subjective information on a particular product, which is called WOM (Word-Of-Mouth) activities. For WOM activities, WOM senders should choose messages to deliver to other consumers. We classify the contents of the messages a consumer chooses for WOM delivery into two categories: Subjective (positive or negative) evaluation and objective information on products. In our study, we regard WOM senders' activities as a choice behavior and introduce a choice model to study the relationship between the choice of different WOM information (WOM with positive or negative subjective evaluation and WOM with objective information) and its influencing factors (information sources and consumer characteristics) by developing two bivariate Probit models. In order to consider the mediating effects of WOM senders' product involvement, product attitude, and their characteristics (gender and age), we develop three second-level models for the propagation of positive evaluations, of negative evaluations, and of objective information on products in an hierarchical Bayesian modeling framework. Our empirical results show that WOM senders' information choice behavior differs according to the types of information sources. The effects of information sources on WOM activities differ according to the types of WOM messages (subjective evaluation (positive or negative) and objective information). Therefore, our study concludes that WOM activities can be partially managed with effective communication plans influencing on consumers' WOM message choice behavior. The empirical results provide some guidelines for consumers' propagation of information on products companies want.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.243-254
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• 2022

Customers' perceptions of information about a company's products or services have altered as a result of the development of ICT and social networks. This gives rise to a fact that buzz marketing, which is a marketing technique employed commonly in today's business and communication, has a significant impact on customers' electronic word of mouth intention (e-WOM). However, very few studies about this issue have been conducted so far, which reveal a gap in understanding buzz marketing from an academic perspective. Based on the results of a cross-sectional survey in Binh Duong city, this study investigates the efficiency and effect of buzz marketing on customers' e-WOM intention through mediating variables of message credibility. Data from 367 time-lagged individual samples were collected and analyzed by the structural equation modeling method (SEM). Results showed that creativity, clarity, and humor variables have a positive relationship with message credibility and then impact the intention to conduct e-WOM of social networks' users. Marketing campaigns employing the buzz technique should be launched with easy-to-understand and entertainable messages. Findings from this study also provide managers with a scientific understanding of buzz marketing and the effectiveness of this technique as well as reveal the potential for future studies to explore further in this area.

• (The) Korean Journal of Advertising
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.7-42
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• 2014

This study is designed to examine the effects of information source's social distance on message attitude and online word-of-mouth intention (e-WOM). It also examined the moderation effects of blatant persuasive intention of message, the normative interpersonal influences, and the informative interpersonal influences on the relationship between social distance and advertising effectiveness. This study employed an experiment: 2(far/near social distance far/near) ${\times}2$(high/low blatant persuasive intention of message) ${\times}$(high/low normative interpersonal influences) ${\times}2$(high/low informative interpersonal influences). The results of this study are as follows. First, closer social distance led to more positive message attitude and higher online word-of-mouth intention. Second, when blatant persuasive intention of message is low, the effects of social distance on message attitude and WOM intention were more noticeable while those effects were less significant for high blatant persuasive intention of message. Third, there were no interaction effects of social distance and normative interpersonal influences on advertising effectiveness. Fourth, the effects of social distance on message attitude and WOM intention were more significant for high informative interpersonal influences than for low informative interpersonal influences. Implications of study findings are provided for strategic use of corporate Facebook page to generate positive consumer responses.

• Korean Management Science Review
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.29-43
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• 2015

Word-of-Mouth (WOM), which is the unpaid spread of a positive marketing message from person to person, has been shown to be even more effective in influencing purchase decisions than traditional advertising channels. The effects of WOM might be different by types of persuaders (purchasers vs. non-purchasers), however, the current body of research has not given attention to the differential effects of WOM. This study focuses on whether or not potential customers are influenced by the WOM from non-purchasers as well as from purchasers, and it investigates if the impacts of WOM from non-purchasers are different with those from purchasers. Based on conjoint analyses, it concludes that potential customers are affected by the communication with non-purchasers as well as with purchasers but the impacts of non-purchasers are not greater than those of purchasers.

• Journal of Sport and Applied Science
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.1-9
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• 2020

Purpose: This study sought to investigate the critical features of Word of mouth (WOM) advertising and their impact on sport consumer behavior. Research design, data, and methodology: Target population of the study consisted of all sports consumer of the Federation of Special Patients and Organ Transplantation, Tehran (Iran), who had indirectly watched the World Organ Transplant Competition documentary at least once on others' advice. For this purpose, 360 sports consumers of the federation were purposefully selected and they were asked to complete the standard WOM advertising questionnaire of Asda and Ko. Pearson correlation coefficient test and modeling of structural equations were performed using Spss24 and Smart PLS software at an error level of 0.05 used to analyze the data. Results: The findings show that there is a significant relationship between experience and expertise, trust and validity, content richness, and the power of message transmission through WOM advertising and its predictability. Finally, interpersonal relationships and work involvement also had a moderating role in this regard. Conclusions: The general conclusion is that the components of WOM advertising as well as involvement and homophily with the mediating role directly as one of the presuppositions for persuasion. The sports consumer was promoting WOM.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.129-135
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• 2013

With the increasing use of the SNS, WOM(Word of Mouth) has become an even more powerful and useful resource for consumers and marketers. In this paper, we investigated the effects of message polarity (positive, neutral, negative) and type (factual, evaluative) on WOM through SNS (twitter). A total of 13.4 million twitter messages were collected and 1.0 million retweeted messages were analyzed. The results showed that message orientation, type, URL and hashtag have a significant (<0.01) effect on retweet counts and the interaction between message orientation and other factors were observed. It also observed that message type, URL and hashtag have significant (0.05) relationships with retweet speed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.186-201
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• 2013

This study investigates the effects of information type, direction of information, method of suggestion, tie strength, and interactions among these variables on the acceptance and diffusion of fashion product information in the mobile Facebook environment. Two subsequent studies were conducted to test the relationships among mobile SNS WOM factors. Two independent on-line surveys were implemented. Six hundred forty consumers aged between 20 and 39 were recruited for Study 1, and four hundred and eighty for Study 2. We manipulated the WOM delivery situation by information type (factual/evaluative), information directionality (positive/negative), tie-strength (strong/weak), and information presentation method (text/image/rink). Eight scenarios were developed and randomly assigned to the research participants. Frequency analysis, reliability, factor analysis, regression analysis, and ANOVA were implemented using SPSS 18.0. The Analysis of experiment data produced interesting results. Most WOM factors (including the information type, information presentation method, and tie strength) influence WOM acceptance; however, only the tie strength effected WOM activity. It was also proven that people are prone to accept information that is more realistic, objective, and negative, and they tend to accept information with visual factors, such as images and video clips rather than a simple text message. In this study, we offer a practical perspective to fashion industry and marketers who have an interest in SNS marketing. We have defined the distinct characteristics of mobile WOM that have been formed by a combination of former on/off-line WOM characteristics. To examine the moderating roles of two types of consumer innovativeness, fashion innovativeness and technology innovativeness were also measured and found to have significant moderating effects between mobile SNS WOM factors and their consequences. The paper concludes with a discussion on managerial implications and limitations.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.805-822
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• 2015

Online communities are an important source of electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM). However, few studies have examined the use of such messages within the Middle Eastern context. This study focuses on Saudi women as members of an online beauty forum. Previous work suggested a mediating effect of gender, with women being more likely to trust word-of-mouth and follow it up with a purchase. A conceptual model with a theoretical underpinning from existing contributions in literature provides the basis of a coding framework for the message characteristics that influence members' e-WOM adoption. A total of 310 threads and 2200 messages coded into 5725 units were content analyzed to demonstrate cases where e-WOM was adopted and indicate further continuance intention with members returning to the forum. A new category of 'community bonding' was created from the content analysis given the prevalence of emotional aspects in messages. Emotion expressed in messages, often expressed in religious terms, is as influential and important as the cognitive aspects of community bonding.