Word-of-mouth communication (WOM) has received an endless amount of scholarly interest over the years and now with the emergence of the Internet, the research focus has shifted to eWOM otherwise known as electronic word-of-mouth. For this particular investigation eWOM will be the main focus with an emphasis on the microblogging platform Twitter.
Arndt originally defined WOM in 1967 as “the oral, person to person communication between a receiver and a communicator whom the receiver perceives as non-commercial, concerning a brand, a product or a service” (Arndt, 1967). WOM has been known as an effective marketing tool which impacts on consumer decision making and behaviour, even greater than that of advertising (Arndt, 1967; Katz and Lazarsfeld, 1955).
Previous research unanimously acknowledges the important role of WOM in shaping consumer’s attitudes and purchasing behaviour (Bone, 1995; Brown and Reingen, 1987).
WOM not only provides information concerning product quality and performance, but also reveals the intricate psychological and social consequences of the purchase decision (Cox, 1963). As such WOM represents one of the most influential sources of marketplace information for consumers (Arndt, 1967; Alreck and Settle, 1995) and has been shown to have a significant effect on product choice (Richins and Root-Shaffer, 1988; Kiel and Layton, 1981; Arndt, 1967; Katz and Lazarfeld, 1955). WOM has considerable influence on consumer behaviour due to its perceived source
Word-of-mouth is the major factor to help people make decisions on buying high-involvement products (Gu, Park, & Konana 2012, p. 182).
Social media has become an influential ground for consumers to share their opinions about a company’s brand and products. In addition, it helps in having a strong brand that produces positive relations and distinguish the brand from competitors, is a critical component for effective marketing. According to Dahlén and Lange (2009) “the quality of the product is not the evident factor when it comes to purchasing a product, the deciding factor depends on how the brand is perceived” (Para. 1). This demonstrates the importance of incorporating social media as a tool to promote brands, allow for interactions, and customer satisfaction by engaging with customers more frequently for feedbacks or reviews. Thus create an opportunity for the company to show its devotion to their customers, and initiate good reputation, which can increase sales. In other words, social media has the ability to upsurge the awareness for businesses as well as the brand.
In the is day and age, social media and word of mouth are the biggest advocates to reach the masses. Several methods to be
Create, build and maintain awareness, image and reputation: WFM will be a new concept in the market and they need to let their customer now who they are and their beliefs to create awareness and retention. The brand message can be delivered via several types of communication channels, such as direct mail, radio, television advertising, environmental advertising such as billboards or signage and social media. This can be measured by measuring the increase of customers per week; as customers become more aware of the brand, more should approach the store.
This novel was extremely helpful for my knowledge in the public relations field. I learned many facts that I thought the opposite of before reading it. For an example, although I was not exceedingly familiar with the idea of word of mouth, I would have never expected the percentage of social media in word of mouth to be so low (Berger 2013). After reading about word of mouth I began realizing how much I spoke about products on a day to day basis. The best part about this novel was the immense amount of examples. Berger utilized facts and experiments to
Social media is not new. Facebook has been around since 2004, YouTube since 2005, and Twitter in 2006. What is new is how social media sites like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter are affecting the way businesses market their products and services. Never before in our history have consumers been able to communicate so effortlessly with each other and with the businesses they frequent. Never before have businesses been able to interact and react to customer feedback so quickly and efficiently. However, just because businesses have the ability to use social media for their marketing and advertising efforts, does not necessarily mean they should. This paper intends to
With the influence of online websites and social media, marketers are able to endorse their creation
Doyle (1998), explains as follows “Customers can choose from whom they buy, and unless the firm satisfies them at least as well as competitors, sales and profit will quickly erode. More companies are putting at the top of their agenda winning and retaining customers via increasing customer satisfaction.” In the statement of Whitbread it is additionally mentioned that they listen to their customers. Murray and O’Driscoll (1996) outline that it is a challenge to the producer to respond to customers’ needs, and competition between producers is based on their success in understanding and fulfilling those customers’ needs.
| First, marketers must realize that they often do not control the content on social media sites. Second, the ability to share experiences quickly and with such large number of people amplifies the impact of word of mouth in a way that can eventually affect a company's bottom line. Third, social media allow marketers to listen. It is no longer one way communication. Marketers now can actually have conversation with customers and get feedbacks. Fourth, social media also provide more sophisticated methods of measuring how marketers meet and interact with consumers than
The Internet has made it easier for a consumer to not only shop for all types of products but also allows the consumer to "follow" the product. For example, Campbell's soup has a Twitter page named Campbell Soup Co @ CampbellSoupCo. Campbell's has 74.9K Followers, 4,232 Tweets, 543 Favorites, and it shows they are Following 1,396. Campbell's twitter posts are about financial information about sales, earnings, non-GAAP financial statements and impact on the currency. Campbell's posts are also about its product line of Soups, their product mix of sauces, beverages, frozen entrees and biscuits. Marketers know when customers see the brand name "Campbell's" and hear the "Mm, mm good" logo, the picture is quite clear that it is all about Campbell's Soup. Campbell's twitter page gives the consumer a glimpse of what's in store, their next plan, and promotions, for example, the limited "Star Wars" labeled canned soup or their new "Just Peachy
Such a bold position requires a new approach to marketing. The authors present a thesis of the Influence Mix, which introduces that there are three influences on consumer decision-making — the individual’s prior preferences, beliefs and experiences (P), other people and information services in the form of reviews and
In addition, the focus is now towards; the own-label share of the business mix, the supply chain and other operational improvements, which can drive costs out of the business. National retailers are increasingly reticent to take on new suppliers (Clarke, Bennison and Guy, 1994; Datamonitor Report, 2003). The type of goods and services demanded by consumers is a function of their social conditioning and their consequent attitudes and beliefs. One example of Mydin adapting its product mix is to accommodate an increased demand for organic products.
For this paper, assuming that I am a small business owner, I will examine the power of doing so through various means of social media. Each site I use will be broken down, and I will give an in-depth look as to what techniques and approaches used for promoting my brand. Let’s take a look, starting with the company and its mission.
The important role of e-WOM has and has been acknowledged as the most important communication source between consumers .At its core, WOM is a process of personal influence, in which interpersonal communications between a sender and a receiver can change the receiver's behavior or attitudes . The role that interpersonal communication plays in influencing opinions has also long been acknowledged by sociologists, who identified the importance of “opinion leaders” in this process. The ability of individuals to influence other people's opinions is of particular interest to organizations seeking to market