COMPARING THE EFFECT OF ONLINE WORD-OF-MOUTH COMMUNICATION VERSUS PRINT ADVERTISEMENTS ON INTENTIONS USING EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

Abstract

Portals allowing consumers to share experiences on the Internet which are called blogs have become an information source that customers use more and more. This study aims to compare the effect of advertisements-an impersonal communication tool- with blogs- a personal communication tool- using an experimental design. The effect of blogs and advertisements on purchasing intentions of university students for mobile phones was investigated through experimental design which was conducted on four groups of university students, all of which included about 20 individuals. Findings indicate that exposure to different information sources like blogs and ads created a significant difference on intentions. The change caused by the exposure was greater for blogs than for ads. Unfavorable blogs created the largest change on intentions. These findings may warn marketers to consider online communication more and take precautions against negative online word-of-mouth communication.

Keywords

• Blog, Advertisement, Mobile Phone

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