KOREASCHOLAR

Consumers tend to relate to brands in similar ways as they relate to individuals and groups. However, relatively little is known about the attribution of human traits to brands in online contexts. The current research focused on whether perceived interactivity of CSR advertising leads to the attribution of moral, sociable, and competent brand traits, and which of these traits could in turn promote positive electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) intentions on Facebook. A Facebook CSR advertisement was presented to participants (N=174), after which perceived interactivity, perceived traits, and eWOM intentions were assessed. Higher levels of perceived interactivity were associated with stronger attributions of morality, sociability, and competence traits to brands. Yet, only perceived brand morality was associated with consumers’ willingness to endorse the brand and its CSR message on Facebook. These findings underline the importance of brands’ openness to dialogue regarding the promotion of CSR activities. Furthermore, these findings suggest that consumers are most likely to feel that brands can represent their identity when brand morality is considered to be high. Despite the importance of eWOM for corporate outcomes, few studies have addressed which processes might underlie the relation between interactive advertising and consumers’ eWOM intentions. The current research contributes to the literature in this field by considering the attribution of humanlike personality traits to brands as possible explanatory variables.

• Anne-Marie van Prooijen(Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
• Jos Bartels(Tilburg University, The Netherlands)