How Brands Drive Electronic Word-of-Mouth in an Interactive Marketing Environment: An Overview and Future Research Directions

Abstract

This chapter synthesizes existing research from a number of fields including marketing, management, and general business regarding the impact of brand characteristics on WOM using the “Five As” model for brand-knowledge structures (i.e., awareness, associations, attitude, attachment, and activity). Next, the chapter provides an overview of the evolving interactive marketing environmental elements such as new technologies (e.g., AI, AR, VR), platform revolution (e.g., social shopping sites, virtual brand communities), and participatory culture (e.g., digital influencers, virtual influencers). Lastly, this chapter provides future research questions on how these interactive marketing environmental factors may moderate the relationships between brand characteristics and electronic WOM. Overall, this chapter identifies the important gaps in the branding and WOM literatures and contributes to the knowledge advancement and practical implications to the field of interactive marketing.