Search

Purpose – The purpose of this exploratory study is to expand the knowledge of the current literature stream and to attempt to more fully understand the simple but singularly unique aspect of social networking communication that is the Facebook “Like”. To this end, motivations behind liking a brand are explored, as well as the interactions that occur between the company and consumer as a result of this Facebook interaction. Next, we look at differing levels of interaction for liked product and service brands on Facebook. Specifically exploring if there are differences with how Facebook users engage with liked product and service brands. Design/methodology/approach – The authors first engage in an exploratory, qualitative-based research to look at the motivations and consequences associated with liking product and service brands, using a sample of 160 Facebook users. Next, an ANOVA analysis is performed using an online sample of 264 respondents recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk. Findings – The qualitative analysis reveals differing motivations for liking brands on Facebook and suggests that generating Facebook Likes can indeed have positive, if unacknowledged, outcomes for the firm. Further, while there is no significant difference in perceptions of brand knowledge between product- and service-based brands, there is a significant difference in perceptions of brand connectedness between brand types, with consumers reporting a greater sense of connection to the service brands and higher levels of brand attitude and purchase intention for product-based brands. It is also shown that consumers have a greater intention of reading and liking posts from product-based brands. Originality/value – This paper explores and attempts to move toward clarification of the gap that exists between “quality” versus “quantity” valuations of a Facebook Like. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this article is to fill the gap in the discussion of the ways in which firm-created and user-generated social media brand communication impacts consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) metrics through Facebook. Design/methodology/approach - We evaluated 302 data sets that were generated through a standardized online survey to investigate the impact of firm-created and user-generated social media brand communication on brand awareness/associations, perceived quality and brand loyalty across 60 brands within three different industries: non-alcoholic beverages, clothing and mobile network providers. We applied a structural equation modeling technique to investigate the effects of social media communication on consumers' perception of brand equity metrics, as well as in an examination of industry-specific differences. Findings - The results of our empirical studies showed that both firm-created and user-generated social media brand communication influence brand awareness/associations; whereas user-generated social media brand communication had a positive impact on brand loyalty and perceived brand quality. Additionally, there are significant differences between the industries being investigated. Originality/value - This article is pioneering in that it exposes the effects of two different types of social media communication (i.e. firm-created and user-generated social media brand communication) on CBBE metrics, a topic of relevance for both marketers and scholars in the era of social media. Additionally, it differentiates the effects of social media brand communication across industries, which indicate that practitioners should implement social media strategies according to industry specifics to lever CBBE metrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the effect on consumer responses of firms’ manipulating online reviews based on review valence (positive vs negative) and the relationship between consumer trust and purchase intentions. Design/methodology/approach – This study was designed as an experimental study using a scenario method, and data were randomly collected from 2,080 online shoppers in the USA. Findings – Findings reveal that the unfair business practice of manipulating online postings considerably undermined consumer trust toward online reviews. Consumer trust in reviews thus seems to be a critical predictor of purchase intentions, which was strengthened even when respondents knew that online reviews were manipulated. Practical implications – Companies may thus need to focus on maintaining transparency and truthfulness in online consumer reviews rather than artificially improving ratings scores or feedback levels. Originality/value – This study was the first attempt to provide empirical supports that the level of consumer trust in online reviews significantly decreased after consumers were informed that the review content had been manipulated by a company in both the positive and negative conditions. These results also support previous research articulating the negativity effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]