Finding disseminators via electronic word of mouth message for effective marketing communications

a r t i c l e i n f o Keywords: Opinion leader Electronic word-of-mouth Online user reviews Marketing communication It has become increasingly important for companies to utilize electronic word of mouth (eWOM) in their marketing campaigns for desired product sales. Identifying key eWOM disseminators among consumers is a challenge for companies. WOM is an interpersonal communication in which a sender spreads a message to receivers. Previously, researchers and practitioners have searched for opinion leaders by examining senders and receivers due to limited records on WOM message. Our study identifies three types of opinion leaders through eWOM using a message-based approach that elicits more accurate and comprehensive information on opinion leadership than sender-based and receiver-based approaches. We demonstrate that eWOM of opinion leaders drives product sales due to their product experience and knowledge background. Our findings suggest that companies can increase product sales via effective use of eWOM of such opinion leaders. Managerial and marketing implications are addressed. When HTC introduced the Windows-based smartphone, it recruited 1000 T-Mobile or AT&T customers to write product reviews and Facebook and Twitter posts, reaching more than 234,000 consumers and significantly increasing the brand awareness [12]. When Dunkin' Donuts launched Latte Lite, it used 3000 consumers to spread the word about the new beverage, reaching 111,272 consumers over twelve weeks and increasing sales by 26% in test markets [13]. Both examples illustrate that electronic or online word of mouth (eWOM) has become an important factor in consumer buying decisions [37]. Consumers trust eWOM more than advertisements, as they regard their peers as more reliable than companies [65]. As such, companies receiving favorable eWOM have a better chance to increase sales [21]. Although eWOM is implemented by consumers, companies can initiate eWOM campaigns for marketing communications [35]. To launch an effective eWOM campaign, companies need to identify a small number of disseminators known as opinion leaders who exert personal influence upon other people [68]. The challenge is: How can companies choose eWOM opinion leaders from ecommerce sites? Identification of opinion leaders relies on the " two-step flow of communications " theory: as senders, opinion leaders cultivate their knowledge from a variety of sources including mass media in the first step, and then spread their opinions (messages) to the general public (receivers) via WOM in the second step [47]. Thus, sender, message, and receiver are key components in the WOM process [6,20], and provide …