The importance of the Internet as commercial platform is by now universally recognized, and businesses increasingly adopt online marketing channels at the cost of traditional ones. The social media, being second generation (Web 2.0) internet applications, allow interaction, one-to-one communication, customer engagement, and user generated content. The interest of higher education institutions in social media as part of the marketing toolkit is increasing, but little is known about the potential of these channels in higher education marketing strategies. Even less is known about the role of social media as influencers of future students in the choice of study and university. This article presents the results of a study identifying the role and importance of social media on the choice of future students for a study and university in comparison with the traditional university marketing channels in the Netherlands. The study identifies and describes three market segments among future students based on their use of the social media.

Higher education marketing : A study on the impact of social media on study selection and university choice

Word of mouth and interpersonal communication

The growth of social networking sites has changed the living style of people around the globe and it has also become an important tool for marketers. This growth has also emerged electronic word of mouth that significantly shapes the purchase intention of consumers. This study investigates the outcome of electronic word of mouth on purchase intention of Facebook users. It also identifies the major factors influencing the electronic word of mouth to buy fashion products. A survey was conducted to collect data from 503 Facebook users. Data collected through questionnaire was empirically analyzed using SPSS Process macro developed by Hayes and Preacher (2014). The findings confirm the electronic word of mouth is an effective factor influencing purchase intention of fashion brands. The findings also confirm the role of homophily, trustworthiness, expertness, informational influence and high fashion involvement as major factors influencing electronic word of mouth. Findings from the study help to assist the companies that use social networking sites like Facebook for promotion of their products in targeting the factors that have major influence on purchase intention of fashion products.

https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/188307/1/pjcss384.pdf

Influence of electronic word of mouth on purchase intention of fashion products in social networking websites

Banks offer loans to support many projects; however, some of these projects may not give adequate consideration to the environment. Little is known regarding the extent to which banking customers experience guilt when discovering that their bank supports projects that disregard the environment. An experiment with 313 participants was conducted, and the results showed that customers do experience guilt when discovering that their bank supports projects that do not give adequate consideration to the environment. This study found that guilt drives perceived consumer effectiveness and negative word‐of‐mouth regarding banking projects that neglect environmental considerations but not attitudes towards green banking. Negative word of mouth, but not the attitude towards green banking, mediates the effect of perceived consumer effectiveness on the intention to use green banking services. Negative word‐of‐mouth, rather than attitudes towards green banking and its perceived consumer effectiveness, drives the intention to use green banking services. These findings imply that banks need to encourage their customers to perceive that they are eco‐friendly to avoid a significant loss of customers.

Consumer guilt and green banking services

Today, businesses use communication channels which are usually done to create brand value on consumers and to support the sale of the brand However, it is controversial whether these efforts find the expected response in consumers On the consumer side, there are word-of-mouth communication channels which have become an electronic WOM (eWOM) concept after the spread of internet and social networking sites Consumers are seeking information about products/brands and taking into account the impact and approval of certain reference groups such as market mavens Market mavens have become much more effective in the digital environment and has reached an impact power that both affects and directs consumers via eWOM As confidence and commitment to market mavens developed, interest in the products/brands they offered increased Today’s brands that realize the importance of market mavens will be able to survive and stand out in a competitive environment Such brands can benefit from this marketing advantage by generating messages and content that can be viral for market mavens through eWOM

The Dynamic Rise of Digital Brands’ Market Mavens in Digital Entertainment: A Complete Know How for Curious Customers

Through the access to information, the Internet has transformed people lifestyle, their preference for products, how they relate to brands. Perceived as an open space, without limitation, social media has become the main channel for expression of word-of-mouth, with both positive and negative effects. Thus The Internet has allowed the development of WOM, making it contemporary in our technological world. This paper examines the motives for adopting WOM behavior, forms of WOM, the WOM model and principles, directions of WOM research. Brand engagement has made consumers more powerful in terms of requirements and evaluation of product/brand, more demanding and impatient in brand communication and market response.

Word of Mouth on Social Media

Abstract Nowadays, with the major role that social media is playing in our life, people have found an easy way to utter negative word-of-mouth (NWOM). A self-administrated questionnaire with a visual stimulus was used to collect data from 108 Romanian Facebook users, between the ages of 18 and 26 years. This research aimed to determine the impact of adverse messages on brand attitude and a series of others consumer reactions. The results indicate that negative messages may change brand perception and generate negative word-of-mouth, with significant impact on future purchase intentions. They also indicate that identity avoidance is a more relevant electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) antecedent than negative emotions, strongly and positively influencing brand hate. The findings show that negative events or actions can seriously affect consumer behavior, triggering brand rejection that eventually may translate into brand image deterioration and sales decline.

Negative Word-of-Mouth: Exploring the Impact of Adverse Messages on Consumers’ Reactions on Facebook

The novelty of the research is the study of the Facebook eWOM behavior of Romanian users. The study was conducted on 640 respondents aged between 19 and 45 years old and it is representative for the population of internet users in urban areas of Romania. Statistical analysis aimed to identify the profile of Facebook users by grouping them into clusters. The analysis was performed in the SPSS software. The most important variable is “the actual process of using Facebook to seek product recommendation is pleasant” (cluster 1), followed by “seeking product recommendation on Facebook is enjoyable” (cluster 2). Dayly time spent on Facebook (cluster 3) is the variable with the slightest importance. The research results showed two consumer segments with different characteristics regarding eWOM behavior on Facebook. This information will help the marketing manager to adapt the social media communication and the promotion strategy according to the profile of each target. The companies should pay attention to their brand pages, to interact with users and to encourage them to recommend their products. Facebook brand page managers can launch creative contests or promotions, initiate interesting discussions or interactive activities, offer coupons or gifts. Cuvinte cheie: eWOM, electronic word of mouth, product recommendation, Facebook users Clasificare JEL: M31, M37

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The segmentation of facebook users from romania by wom behavior

Word of mouth – from verbally communication to communication online

Consumers form their expectations (usually regarding the quality) based on the perceived image of a certain country. The original country of origin scale was developed in 1994 by Parameswaran and Pisharodi and had 40 items measuring general country attributes, general product attributes, and specific product attributes (automobile product category). This paper aims to highlight the role of the country of origin in shaping perceptions of the country and the manufactured products.The goal of the present research is to validate the COI scale for the Romanian market, in order to find out if it can be used as it was initially built by its authors or if it requires modifications. The research results led to the decision of keeping 37 items out of 40 and removing 3 items given that they were highly intercorrelated or insignificant.

Ana Raluca Chiosa

Papers

Word of Mouth on Social Media

Negative Word-of-Mouth: Exploring the Impact of Adverse Messages on Consumers’ Reactions on Facebook

The segmentation of facebook users from romania by wom behavior

Word of mouth – from verbally communication to communication online

Influence of country of origin on foreign product evaluation