Previous research has suggested that if WOM (word-of-mouth) receivers are exposed to a video message in which a person tell that he/she had great effort to earn money and purchase a desirable product, they feel benignly envious and increase WTP (willingness-to-pay) for the recommended product; if they are exposed to another message in which a person tell that he had no effort to earn money and purchase the product, they feel maliciously envious and increase WTP for a related, but different, product. However, it may not be true in the context of e-WOM (electronic word-of-mouth) through SNS (social networking sites). This research conducted three laboratory experiments in the context of e-WOM, unlike the context of face-to-face WOM. The results showed that: (1) receivers were less likely to feel maliciously envious to friends and increase WTP for the products; (2) receivers were less likely to feel maliciously envious if they are exposed to the message as a tool for marketing; and (3) receivers were less likely to avoid the recommended product even though they feel maliciously envious if they have any other measures of retaliation. With these findings, this research contributes to a progress in the field of e-WOM through SNS.

This paper aims to explain how storytelling becomes interlinked with social media and the conceptual consequences this development implies. In recent years the interest in storytelling has increased within the marketing discipline. Parallel to this development, the traditional media landscape has been subjected to change as a result of digitization and particularly the expansion of social media. Even though the social nature of these media and its associated electronic word of mouth seem to be well aligned with storytelling, extant literature exhibits few attempts to review the storytelling concept in relation to social media. Based on such a review, the contribution of this paper is condensed into six theoretical propositions that point out how storytelling is expected to become increasingly common and dynamic in social media. Therefore, storytelling is suggested to represent a managerial challenge with regard to professional organizations’ marketing approaches but simultaneously allow for increased customer intimacy for those actors who develop successful ways of attracting the interest and engagement of social media users.

In today’s digital world the role of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) communication has been recognized as an invaluable tool in the integrated marketing communications and promotion activities of a wide range of products and services. In particular eWOM has been identified as a critical component of tourism and entertainment marketing such as that used to promote theme park amusement services. This paper examines the effects of social media (SM) relationship variables (Social identity, information, interaction, structure) have on eWOM communication, with mediators of social networks (Perceived usefulness - PU, perceived ease of use - PEOU and actual use -AU) acting as transmitters of those effects. Although previous studies have strongly supported the importance of social identity and personal interaction in enhancing eWOM communication through social networks, they have not been tested as a specific model that is relevant to the theme park industry. This research therefore incorporates those three mediators to enhance the explanatory value of a proposed model. The findings confirm the mediating role of technology acceptance model (TAM) factors, i.e. PU, PEOU and AU, for predicting theme park visitors’ use of eWOM. It is shown that all four exogenous SM relationship variables exert a positive indirect effect on eWOM communication by operating through PU and AU, but not PEOU. Practically, the study features the role of a set of factors that support theme park visitors’ tendency to communicate their experiences to their online network and describes a model which could offer theme park and amusement venue operators a competitive edge over other direct competitors as well as other forms of entertainment.

The purposes of this study were 1) to analyze the correlation between Word-of-Mouth(WOM) message sender credibility and WOM effect and 2) to analyze the differences of WOM message sender creadibility and WOM effect in off-line and on-line WOM communication. The messages were created as a form of scenario for this study. Respondents were asked to evaluate the message sender credibility and predict WOM behaviors after reading given scenario. The questionnaires were distributed to 200 customers and a total of 175 questionnaires were used for analysis(87.5%). The statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS Win(12.0) for descriptive analysis, paired t-test, factor analysis, correlation analysis. The positive off-line WOM message sender was considered as more credible(p<.001) than on-line WOM message sender. 'Message sender credibility' is correlated with 'attitude formation' in both channels, but 'reliable' factor of 'credibility' variable is not significantly correlated with 'attitude change'.