ERIC Number: EJ1099243
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0884-1241
EISSN: N/A
How the Source of Word-of-Mouth Influences Information Processing in the Formation of Brand Attitudes
Herold, Kristiina; Tarkiainen, Anssi; Sundqvist, Sanna
Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, v26 n1 p64-85 2016
Word-of-mouth (WOM) can be a powerful, persuasive source of information, but relatively little is understood about how consumers utilize information in service evaluations and how the source of WOM (e.g. friends, family) affects attitudes. The importance of WOM is acknowledged in the services context; however, the research field of higher education has found some inconsistent results concerning the impact of WOM. The aim of this study, with its focus on information processing, is to enhance the understanding of these varying results with data from international master's degree applicants. By means of structural equation modeling, the results suggest that the processing of WOM differs depending on the source and the difficulty of evaluation criteria. Information through some sources of WOM is mainly cognitively processed, whereas in others information is processed more as simple cues. Overall, insights are provided into the impact of WOM, and higher education marketing.
Descriptors: Information Processing, Information Sources, Structural Equation Models, Family Role, Friendship, Social Networks, Teacher Role, Evaluation Problems, Factor Analysis, Correlation, Goodness of Fit, Likert Scales, Influences, Consumer Economics, Masters Programs, Surveys, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Finland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A