Effect of Credible Reviews on Brand Image: A Mixed Method Approach

Abstract

Rapid growth of online social media reduces the marketer’s control over brand management. Consumers share their brand-related experiences (through online reviews) in various online social media platforms. It is a major challenge for the marketers to understand the effects of online reviews on a brand’s image. This study addresses the issue and attempts to understand the effects of online reviews on brand image. The concept of brand image is broken up into two parts, namely, functional and hedonic. The study follows a mixed method approach using both quantitative and qualitative techniques. Quantitative techniques have been used to measure the objective experiences of the consumers, whereas qualitative techniques have been used to examine the subjective experiences of the consumers. For quantitative technique, structural equation modelling (SEM) has been adopted to determine the relationships between the variables. For qualitative technique, netnography has been followed. Quantitative data analysis reveals that online credible reviews have more significant effect on hedonic brand image. Qualitative study also shows evidences of functional and hedonic brand images in online community. Future directions for research are mentioned as well. © 2018 SAGE Publications.