Mira Lee

Electronic word of mouth (eWOM)

This study explores whether and how different online platforms to which electronic word of mouth (eWOM) communication is posted influence consumers’ judgements of reviewed products. Additionally, this study examines the moderating role of the valence of eWOM on the platforms–consumer product judgement relationship. Our findings indicated that, other things being equal, participants exposed to the review posted on the personal blog were more likely to attribute the review to circumstances and less likely to recommend the product to friends than those who were exposed to the review either on the independent review website or the brand’s website. The effect of the eWOM platforms on consumer willingness to recommend the product to friends was found only when the review was positive. When the review was negative, however, there were detrimental effects on consumer willingness to recommend the product to friends regardless of the eWOM platform. Practical and theoretical implications of the findings were discussed.

Effects of Valence and Extremity of eWOM on Attitude toward the Brand and Website

Abstract Two studies were conducted to examine the influence of valence and extremity of consumer product reviews on attitude toward the brand and attitude toward the website. Each experiment was a one factor (valence/extremity: extremely negative, moderately negative, extremely positive) between-subjects design with a control group. Results in both studies showed that although extremely positive reviews increased attitude toward the brand, even a moderate amount of negativity negated this effect. Moreover, extremely negative reviews had a stronger influence on attitude toward the brand than either moderately negative reviews or extremely positive product reviews, thus supporting both negativity and extremity effect. Findings also show that varying degrees of brand review valence and extremity influenced attitude toward the website depending on website type (i.e., retailer vs. brand).

Advertising and the Consumer Information Environment Online

The Internet has apparently become an important source of information for consumers and partly because of this trend, the Internet now presents a huge opportunity for advertisers who seek effective communication with their target markets. The purpose of this article is to provide an understanding of the qualities and potentials of the Internet as an advertising medium. First, an overview of the various forms of Internet advertising is provided, as well as a review of existing literature regarding the effectiveness of each form. The article next compares the Internet with traditional mass media from the perspective of the consumer information environment and shows how unique characteristics of the Internet may alter consumer experience and decision making. The article concludes with a discussion of the needs and challenges facing the field.

The multidimensional nature and brand impact of user-generated ad parodies in social media

What is the impact of ad parodies on the brands they spoof? This question arises from the recent confluence of heightening comedic interest in parodying advertising and the growing trend of amateurs creating their own ad parodies in social media. This article reports on a multi-phase study investigating the key dimensions of ad parodies and how they influence brand attitudes, attitudes towards the parodies, and intention to pass along the parodies. Four primary dimensions of ad parodies were discovered: humour, truth, mockery and offensiveness. Humour and truth were positively related to attitudes towards the parodies and intention to pass them along, while offensiveness was negatively related to attitudes towards the parodies. However, the dimensions of ad parodies had no impact on brand attitudes. The results demonstrate that, although advertisers should be aware of this trend, they can take comfort in consumers’ ability to distinguish between brand messages and entertainment.

Social Network Games Uncovered: Motivations and Their Attitudinal and Behavioral Outcomes

This study explores motivations for playing games on social network sites as well as attitudinal and behavioral outcomes of those motivations. A total of 324 college students in the United States participated in an online survey. Found were the six motivations for playing social network games (SNG): social interaction, self-presentation, fantasy/role playing, passing time/escapism, entertainment, and challenge/competition. Further, the findings demonstrated that different types of motivations influenced attitudes toward playing SNG and intentions to engage in different social network gaming activities differentially.

A Pitfall of New Media? User Controls Exacerbate Editing Effects on Memory

While much research focuses on main effects of emerging media technologies, the potential for new media attributes to moderate relationships between content features and cognitive outcomes has enjoyed less attention. Do new user controls moderate editing effects on memory? This study demonstrates that control can exacerbate effects. Researchers developed an interface offering two levels of user control. Those assigned to a situation comparable to traditional television viewing were four times more likely to later recognize complex media content than were those for whom user control over pacing and narrative sequence was available. Implications for journalism and strategic communication are discussed.

Psychological Characteristics of Internet Dating Service Users: The Effect of Self-Esteem, Involvement, and Sociability on the Use of Internet Dating Services

This study explores the three major consumer characteristics that underlie the use of Internet dating services: self-esteem, involvement in romantic relationships, and sociability. A significant three-way interaction effect among these factors emerged. Among sociable people, individuals with high self-esteem are more likely to use Internet dating services than are those with low self-esteem when they are highly involved in romantic relationships. The opposite pattern was revealed for sociable people, however, when they are less involved in romantic relationships. That is, individuals with low self-esteem used Internet dating services more often than did those with high self-esteem when romantic relationships were not important. The implications for academic researchers and practitioners are discussed.

Consumer reviews: reviewer avatar facial expression and review valence

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how the facial expression of the reviewers avatar interacts with the valence of the consumer review to influence consumer purchase decisions.Design/methodology/approach – A 2 (facial expression of the reviewers avatar)× 2 (valence of the consumer review) between‐subjects online experimental design was used.Findings – It was found that when the consumer review was positive, participants exposed to the reviewers angry‐looking avatar were more likely to attribute the review to the products performance than those exposed to the happy‐looking avatar. The causal attribution toward product performance, in turn, influenced the strength of intention to purchase the brand positively. When the consumer review was negative, however, there were no differential effects between the happy‐looking and the angry‐looking avatars.Originality/value – This study contributes to the literature on consumer reviews by identifying an important source characteristic that consumer...

Hydrophilic and hydrophobic amino acid copolymers for nano-comminution of poorly soluble drugs

Nano-comminution has successfully brought nanoparticle formulations of poorly soluble drugs to our daily life. The key for the successful nano-comminution of a drug is the choice of a proper polymeric steric stabilizer. To systematically elucidate the rationale of stabilizer selection, two types of helical amino acid copolymers, relatively hydrophilic and hydrophobic copolymers, were used in nano-comminution. The hydrophilic copolymers had lysine as their major component. The addition of relatively hydrophobic leucine and phenylalanine to them could not make significant changes in particle size. However, when a small amount of hydrophilic glutamic acid or lysine was added into elastin-like hydrophobic copolymers of valine, glycine, and proline, significant composition dependence was found. Therefore, specific interactions between the functional groups of polymers and drug surfaces seem to be important for successful nano-comminution. The stimuli responsive behavior of the hydrophobic copolymer induced the temperature dependence of particle size.

The Effect of Online Media Platforms on Joining Causes: The Impression Management Perspective

Drawing on the impression management theory, this study examined the effect of online media platforms, social network sites (SNSs) versus non-SNSs, on the intention to join a cause. The online experimental study discovered that the SNS was more effective in increasing the intention to join a cause than the non-SNS. The findings also demonstrated the mediating role of the perceived visibility of joining the cause and the moderating role of public self-consciousness on this effect. Further, self-cause image congruence positively influenced the intention to join the cause, while it did not moderate the effect of online media platforms.