The study is focused on analyzing the SNS using characteristics of the people surveyed, as for the SNS acceptance channel of the food service corporations, accounted voluntarily for 71%. The SNS food service information regarding information of menu, location of store, price, coupon, taste evaluation, event, promotion, reservation and store atmosphere was researched. The most preferred information sharing for SNS food service were researched and found Facebook, blog and others in increasing order. The most preferred media to obtain SNS food service information were smart phone, desktop computer and others. The result of verifying differences in the perceived ease of use were also evaluated according to the food service corporation of SNS using characteristics of the people and was found: the longer period of SNS use, longer was access time: more number of visiting times, higher perceived ease of use. As for the difference in the perceived service value: longer the period of SNS use, more preferred was the blog: the more number of visiting times, the higher perceived service value. As for the difference in the online mouth-to-mouth intention: longer the period of SNS use, longer was access time: the more number of visiting times, the higher online mouth-to-mouth intention. Therefore, these research results provide useful implications in the working-level aspects such as providing basic data and the academic approach of the study, when the food service corporations establish marketing strategies through SNS.

Purpose - This study aims to examine the influence of social network service (SNS) on the brand image of infant food products; highlight the effects of brand image on the purchasing and word-of-mouth intention; and explore the effects of the purchasing intention on the word-of-mouth intention. Research design, data, and methodology - Based on previous studies, it was found that the fundamental SNS characteristics for infant food products are reliability, interactivity, and informative. Using AMOS 22.0 and structural equation modeling (SEM), 288 questionnaires were surveyed as a statistical method for examining the proposed hypotheses. Results - The analysis shows that reliability and informative have significant impacts on brand image, whereas interactivity does not. Again, the effect of brand image of infant food products on the purchase and word-of-mouth intention is statistically significant. However, the results differ across the “working housewife” and the “full-time housewife” groups. The connection between reliability and brand image was found to be statistically significant in this study. Conclusions - This study analyzes the effects of SNS characteristics on the brand image of infant food products and the effect of the brand image on purchase and word-of-mouth intentions, and provides practical implications for the same.