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Flaming and Word of Mouth

Kerssies, Jan Joost (2013) Flaming and Word of Mouth.

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Abstract:Consumers sometimes express their opinions about brands online. Usually in a normal way, but now and then flames are used. Flaming is defined as “displaying hostility by insulting, swearing or using otherwise offensive language”. This study explores the impact of those flames on other consumers’ opinions and attitudes and if flames can be seen as a type of electronic Word of Mouth. An experiment was conducted in which subjects had to evaluate a brand while being exposed to flames, in the form of Twitter messages, towards that brand. Flaming, compared to non-flaming, influenced brand attitude and the appeal of the brand negatively, but brand personality, perceived quality and perceived reliability were not significantly affected. It did not matter if the flames contained information about the reason for the flame or not, both types of flames affected consumers in the same way.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:77 psychology
Programme:Psychology MSc (66604)
Link to this item:http://purl.utwente.nl/essays/63239
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