거짓된 부정적 온라인 구전이 외식 브랜드 평가 및 구매의도에 미치는 영향

The Influences of Wrongfully Accused Negative Online Word-of-Mouth Communications on Restaurant Brand Evaluations and Purchase Intention

Although wrongfully accused negative online Word-of-Mouth communications on restaurant brands have been increasingly reported, their effects on consumers' brand evaluation and purchase intention have not received much attention. The purpose of the study was to identify the influences of wrongfully accused negative online Word-of-Mouth communications on consumers' restaurant brand evaluations(i.e., brand trust, brand credibility, and perceived quality) and purchase intention. An experimental design was conducted and 139 college students were separated into the three groups including one control group and two experimental groups. The control group was exposed only to a video advertisement of a specific restaurant brand. The results of ANOVA showed that when respondents were exposed to the negative WOM communications, their positive evaluations on brand trust, credibility, perceived quality and purchase intention were significantly decreased. Interestingly, the evaluations on brand trust, credibility, and perceived quality were significantly improved as the information about the negative WOM communications were false was provided. However, purchase intention was not recovered in spite of the corrected information.