When eWOM becomes cynical

Abstract

Nowadays, it is common practice for corporations to communicate with consumers through social network sites (SNSs), such as YouTube, which allow consumers to share and comment on companies' sponsored videos communicating their marketing campaigns. The authors conducted a qualitative assessment of posts written on the official YouTube site of Coca Cola, where the brand asks consumers to join in a brigade against obesity. Results extend the current knowledge about consumers' negative electronic word of mouth (eWOM), identifying three forms of cynical consumer communication styles in response to corporate campaigns on SNSs: skeptical, passiveaggressive and warrior eWOM. Managerial implications, limitations and some avenues for future research are indicated.

Consumers as legitimating agents: How consumer‐citizens challenge marketer legitimacy on social media

“…Second, our study contributes to the literature on consumer resistance to—or acceptance of—advertising (Amezcua & Quintanilla, ; Fransen et al, ; O'Malley et al, ; O'Malley & Prothero, ) and social media marketing (Kelly et al, ; Saxena & Khanna, ; Taylor, Lewin, & Strutton, ) by offering an empirically grounded understanding of how and for what reasons consumers challenge or accept the legitimacy of marketer presence and unsolicited marketing communication in online communities. Our findings show, in particular, how consumers assess the legitimacy of marketers and their activities in online environments on the basis of three types of criteria, namely instrumental (quality, relevance), moral (honesty, selflessness) and relational (respect, participation) considerations.…”

“…Research shows that consumers are increasingly critical of unsolicited marketing communication (e.g., Sher, ; Yu & Cude, ; Wible, ) because they feel that these messages represent a blatant intrusion into their private spaces and that marketers merely try to persuade them to buy things that they do not need or want (O'Malley, Patterson, & Evans, ; O'Malley & Prothero, ; Fransen, Verlegh, Kirmani, & Smit, ). Particularly in social media, consumers often view advertisers as uninvited intruders (Amezcua & Quintanilla, ; Fournier & Avery, ; Campbell, Ferraro, & Sands, ). As Fournier and Avery () have argued, the Internet was ‘created not to sell branded products, but to link people together’.…”

Moderating Effect of the Use of eWOM on Subjective Norms, Behavioural Control and Religious Tourist Revisit Intention

“…In comparing traditional word of mouth and electronic word of mouth, Ishida, Slevitch, & Siamionava 2016, opined that electronic word-of-mouth exerts more significant influence on the image of a destination than traditional word-of-mouth. Consumers have more power online than offline (Amezcua, & Quintanilla, 2016). The information gathered from an electronic source has a significant impact on the attitude which tourists will show towards a destination.…”

Facebook Me Right: Needs-Based Segmentation of Facebook Brand Page Users

“…The authors claimed that the consumer-brand relationship is strengthened by active interaction and perceived mutual benefits in a community setting. Meanwhile, Amezcua and Quintanilla (2016) warned marketers about the rapid and intense nature of consumers' negative electronic word of mouth through the SNS-embedded brand community, which harms consumer-brand relationships.…”