The Effects of Electronic Word-of-Mouth: An Exploratory Study.
type: CreativeWork
description: Although marketing and advertising professionals tend to believe the effectiveness of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), few studies have confirmed the eWOM effects. Therefore, this study conducted a test of eWOM effects in a laboratory experiment. Subjects were randomly assigned into three groups: advertising only, advertising and positive eWOM, and advertising and negative eWOM. Results showed that eWOM possesses influences on consumers attitudes and purchase intentions, however the effects of positive eWOM are very limited. Results also showed that the effects of negative eWOM carry more weight than positive eWOM. This study also uncovered the complexity of eWOM effects. It is likely that the eWOM effects on changing attitude toward the brand are more direct and significant than the effects on attitude toward the ad and purchase intention. Besides, the effectiveness of eWOM may rest on the fulfillment of other antecedents. Implications for marketing practice were discussed.
abstract: Although marketing and advertising professionals tend to believe the effectiveness of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), few studies have confirmed the eWOM effects. Therefore, this study conducted a test of eWOM effects in a laboratory experiment. Subjects were randomly assigned into three groups: advertising only, advertising and positive eWOM, and advertising and negative eWOM. Results showed that eWOM possesses influences on consumers attitudes and purchase intentions, however the effects of positive eWOM are very limited. Results also showed that the effects of negative eWOM carry more weight than positive eWOM. This study also uncovered the complexity of eWOM effects. It is likely that the eWOM effects on changing attitude toward the brand are more direct and significant than the effects on attitude toward the ad and purchase intention. Besides, the effectiveness of eWOM may rest on the fulfillment of other antecedents. Implications for marketing practice were discussed.
author: Li, Bodi
language: English
keywords: Electronic Word-of-Mouth, eWOM, Word-of-Mouth, online customer review, WOM, Diffusion of Innovations
date published: 2009-12-01T08:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T05:26:00Z
provider: University of New Mexico
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of New Mexico

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/1928/10319