The relationship between electronic word of mouth and brand: A systematic review and future research agenda

Abstract

Consumers often rely on electronic word‐of‐mouth (eWOM) interaction as a source of information about brands. It helps them in making decisions about their purchases. This study aimed to assess electronic word of mouth and identifies its relationship with various brand characteristics. 279 research articles examining eWOM and brand relationship were systematically identified and extracted from Scopus‐based and peer‐reviewed literature. A bibliometric analysis was conducted on these articles using bibliometrix‐R and VOSviewer. This review highlighted the most frequently cited and co‐cited articles in the domain and evolution of research in the domain using the SPAR‐4‐SLR methodology. Additionally, based on the Antecedent–Decisions–Outcome (ADO) framework, a comprehensive review was done which highlighted the most‐studied brand attributes as antecedents, decisions, and outcomes in the eWOM literature. This investigation revealed that the brand attitude was studied the most followed by brand image, brand engagement, and so forth. Further, the ADO framework is used to summarize this study's scholarly contributions, practical applications, and future research prospects. Furthermore, brand hate, authenticity, activism, congruence, and personality, co‐creation, and identity were deduced as future trends in this domain.