Which One Should I Trust? Social Media Influencer or Travel Agency? Stimulus-Organism-Response Theory

Year 2022, Volume: 6 Issue: 3, 2913 - 2941, 30.09.2022

İlker Kılıç Cihan Seçilmiş

https://doi.org/10.29023/alanyaakademik.1129102

Abstract

Social media has become one of the major marketing tools recently. Travel agencies are using social media effectively, especially in the marketing of tourist products, and tourism businesses are establishing new partnerships with social media phenomena. This study intended to respond to the question “Do tourists trust a travel agency or a social media phenomenon?" within the framework of the model built on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) theory. The research universe consists of 286 participants following at least one social media account of a travel agency or social media phenomenon in Turkey. It was found in the study that the search for information through a travel agency and a travel phenomenon positively affects the trust and travel intentions developed towards the agency and the phenomenon. In addition, while the trust developed towards the agency positively affected the travel intention; the sense of trust developed towards the travel phenomenon was found to have no significant effect on the travel intention.

Keywords

Social Media Marketing, Travel Fhenoman, Travel Agency, Travel Intention, Stimulus-Organism-Response Theory

Hangisine Güvenirim? Sosyal Medya Influencer’ları mı Seyahat Acentaları mı? Uyaran-Süreç-Tepki (Stimulus-Organism-Response) Teorisi

Abstract

Son yıllarda sosyal medya temel pazarlama araçlarından biri haline gelmiştir. Özellikle turistik ürünlerin pazarlanmasında seyahat acentaları sosyal medyayı etkin bir şekilde kullanmakta ayrıca turizm işletmeleri de sosyal medya fenomenleri ile ortaklıklar kurmaktadır. Araştırmada “Turistler seyahat acentasına mı yoksa sosyal medya fenomenine mi güvenir?” sorusunun Uyaran-Süreç-Tepki (UST) teorisi üzerine inşa edilmiş model kapsamında cevaplanması amaçlanmıştır. Araştırmanın örneklemi, Türkiye'de en az bir seyahat acentası ve seyahat fenomeninin sosyal medya hesabını takip eden 286 katılımcıdan oluşmaktadır. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre, seyahat acentası ve seyahat fenomeni aracığıyla bilgi aramanın, acentaya ve fenomene karşı geliştirilen güveni ve seyahat niyetlerini olumlu yönde etkilediği belirlenmiştir. Ek olarak acentaya karşı geliştirlen güven seyahat niyetini olumlu yönde etkilerken seyahat fenomenine karşı geliştirilen güven duygusunun seyahat niyeti üzerinde anlamlı bir etkisi tespit edilememiştir.

Keywords

Sosyal Medya Pazarlaması, Seyahat Fenomenleri, Seyahat Acentaları, Seyahat Niyeti, Uyaran-Süreç-Tepki Teorisi

References

• AVCI, E., & BİLGİLİ, B. (2020). “Sosyal Medya Fenomen Özelliklerinin Takipçilerin Destinasyonu Ziyaret Etme Niyeti Üzerindeki Etkisi”, Tourism and Recreation, 2(Ek 1), 83-92.
• CANÖZ, K., GÜLMEZ, Ö., & EROĞLU, G. (2020). “Pazarlamanın Yükselen Yıldızı Influencer Marketing: Influencer Takipçilerinin Satın Alma Davranışını Belirlemeye Yönelik Bir Araştırma”, Selçuk Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Meslek Yüksekokulu Dergisi, 23(1), 73-91.
• ERGUN, N., BAYRAK, R., & DOĞAN, S. (2019). “Turizm Pazarlaması İçin Önemli Bir Pazarlama Kanalı Olan Instagram’da Nitel Bir Araştırma”, Güncel Turizm Araştırmaları Dergisi, 3(1), 82-100.
• FORNELL, C., & D. LARCKER. (1981). “Evaluating Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error.” Journal of Marketing Research 18 (1): 39–50.
• HAİR, J., HULT, G., RİNGLE, C., & SARSTEDT, M. (2017). “A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equations Modeling (PLS-SEM)” 2nd ed. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE.
• HENSELER, J., G. HUBONA, & P. RAY. (2016). “Using PLS Path Modeling in New Technology Research: Updated Guidelines.” Industrial Management & Data Systems 116: 2–20.
• HENSELER, J., RİNGLE, C. M., & SARSTEDT, M. (2015). “A New Criterion for Assessing Discriminant Validity in Variance-Based Structural Equation Modelling”, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1), 115–135.
• JACOBY, J. (2002). “Stimulus‐Organism‐Response Reconsidered: An Evolutionary Step in Modeling (Consumer) Behavior”, Journal of Consumer Psychology, 12(1), 51-57.
• KANG, M., & SCHUETT, M. A. (2013). “Determinants of Sharing Travel Experiences İn Social Media”, Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 30(1-2), 93–107.
• Kİ, C. W. ‘CHLOE,’ & KİM, Y. K. (2019). “The Mechanism By Which Social Media Influencers Persuade Consumers: The Role of Consumers’ Desire to Mimic”, Psychology and Marketing, 36(10), 905–922.
• KİM, M. J., CHUNG, N., & LEE, C. K. (2011). “The Effect of Perceived Trust on Electronic Commerce: Shopping Online for Tourism Products and Services in South Korea”, Tourism Management, 32(2), 256-265.
• KİM, M. J., LEE, C. K., & JUNG, T. (2020). “Exploring Consumer Behavior in Virtual Reality Tourism Using an Extended Stimulus-Organism-Response Model.”, Journal of Travel Research, 59(1): 69-89.
• LOU, C., & YUAN, S. (2019). “Influencer Marketing: How Message Value and Credibility Affect Consumer Trust of Branded Content on Social Media”, Journal of Interactive Advertising, 19(1), 58-73.
• MAGNO, F., & CASSİA, F. (2018). “The Impact of Social Media Influencers in Tourism.”, Anatolia, 29(2): 288–290.
• MEHRABİAN, A., RUSSELL, J.A., (1974). An Approach to Environmental Psychology. The MIT Press.
• MERT, Y. L. (2018). “Dijital Pazarlama Ekseninde Influencer Marketing Uygulamalari”, Gümüşhane Üniversitesi İletişim Fakültesi Elektronik Dergisi, 6(2), 1299-1328.
• POP, R. A., SĂPLĂCAN, Z., DABİJA, D. C., & ALT, M. A. (2022). “The Impact of Social Media Influencers on Travel Decisions: The Role of Trust in Consumer Decision Journey.”, Current Issues in Tourism, 25(5), 823-843.
• QİU, H., WANG, X., WU, M. Y., WEİ, W., MORRİSON, A. M., & KELLY, C. (2022). “The Effect of Destination Source Credibility on Tourist Environmentally Responsible Behavior: An Application of Stimulus-Organism-Response Theory.”, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 1-21.
• RAJAGURU, R. (2014). “Motion Picture-Induced Visual, Vocal and Celebrity Effects on Tourism Motivation: Stimulus Organism Response Model.”, Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 19(4), 375-388.
• JALİLVAND, M. R., SAMİEİ, N., DİNİ, B., & MANZARİ, P. Y. (2012). “Examining The Structural Relationships of Electronic Word of Mouth, Destination Image, Tourist Attitude Toward Destination and Travel Intention: An Integrated Approach.”, Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 1(1-2), 134-143.
• RİNKA, X., & PRATT, S. (2018). “Social Media Influencers as Endorsers to Promote Travel Destinations: An Application of Self- Congruence Theory to the Chinese generation Y.”, Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 35(7), 958–972.
• SCHERMELLEH-ENGEL, K., MOOSBRUGGER, H., & MÜLLER, H. (2003). “Evaluating the Fit of Structural Equation Models: Tests of Significance and Descriptive Goodness-of-Fit Measures.”, Methods of Psychological Research Online, 8(2), 23-74.
• SEÇİLMİŞ, C., ÖZDEMİR, C., & KILIÇ, İ. (2021). “How Travel Influencers Affect Visit İntention? The Roles of Cognitive Response, Trust, COVID-19 Fear and Confidence in Vaccine.”, Current Issues in Tourism, 1-16.
• SHAH, A. M., YAN, X., SHAH, S. A. A., & ALİ, M. (2020). “Customers' Perceived Value and Dining Choice Through Mobile Apps in Indonesia.”, Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics.
• SHAMİM, K., & ISLAM, T. (2022). “Digital Influencer Marketing: How Message Credibility and Media Credibility Affect Trust and Impulsive Buying.”, Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science, 1-26.
• YILMAZDOĞAN, O. C., DOĞAN, R. Ş., & ALTINTAŞ, E. (2021). “The Impact of the Source Credibility of Instagram Influencers on Travel Intention: The Mediating Role of Parasocial Interaction.”, Journal of Vacation Marketing, 27(3), 299-313.
• ZHU, B., KOWATTHANAKUL, S., & SATANASAVAPAK, P. (2019). “Generation Y Consumer Online Repurchase Intention in Bangkok: Based on Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) Model.” International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, 48(1): 53–69.