Influence of Brand-Related Antecedents and Extraversion on Consumers’ Online Brand Referrals

Abstract

A number of researchers have examined the influence of word-of-mouth and brand referrals on consumers’ choices, pre- and post-usage attitudes, expectations, and purchase decision (e.g., Arndt, 1967; Herr, Kardes, and Kim 1991). The advent of the Internet and social networking sites has made it significantly easier for consumers to voice their views, preferences, and experiences with others in the online environment. Accordingly, researchers have begun to focus attention on factors that influence customer-to-customer communication in online settings (e.g., Hennig-Thurau et al. 2004), how such communication influences actual behaviors (De Bruyn and Lilien 2008), and relative advantages of such communication versus traditional marketing (Trusov, Bucklin, and Pauwels 2009). This study contributes to the evolving literature on the antecedents of consumers’ propensity to engage in consumer-to-consumer communications about a specific brand in the online environment. We conceptualize consumers’ online brand referrals as consisting of two components: a) positive brand referrals which include favorable statements about a brand and b) oppositional brand referrals which include unfavorable statements about competing brands. This conceptualization is consistent with prior research which holds that consumers are likely to discuss merits of preferred brands and disparage competing brands (Muniz and O'Guinn 2001; Thompson and Sinha 2008). Extant research holds that consumers’ brand referral intentions are influenced by individual and brand-related factors (e.g., Hennig-Thurau et al. 2004; Kim, Han, and Park 2001. In this study, we examine the relationships between brand identification, brand trust, brand attractiveness, and customers’ extraversion and the subsequent impact on the propensity to provide both positive and oppositional brand referrals online.