Impression management theory: Biased tourism experience information
Abstract
Several studies on word-of-mouth have implied that consumers' desire to make good impressions during social interactions influence their WOM activities. However, little has been done to empirically examine the subject (i.e., WOM) from the perspective of impression management theory. Hence, this study investigates how consumer desire to make a good impression during product-related communications influences consumer WOM behavior. Ultimately, the experiment demonstrates that consumer desire to make a good impression motivates consumers to intentionally control information communicated about a consumption experience. The participants exhibit different WOM behaviors according to consumption type, because engaging in WOM can leave negative and positive impressions, according to the consumption type, and consumers seek to make positive impressions during WOM. Furthermore, this study reports that the information shared can be biased as a result of the information provider's strategic WOM behavior. However, consumers’ strategic WOM activities and the sharing of biased information did not occur when the experiment participants were asked to communicate with close friends, because people are less concerned about the impressions they make when interacting with close friends. The results provide several academic implications for WOM research by demonstrating that consumers do not always provide all consumption experience information honestly. Rather, consumers provide information strategically and selectively in such a way that the elicited information makes a good impression. In addition, studies reviewed by researchers will provide important messages regarding marketing strategies for hotel firms. This study reviews how hotel brand images influence customer's decision-making processes. It is particularly meaningful to understand the relationship between brand images and customers' decision-making processes, because the hotel industry includes various brand images. More detailed findings and implications are provided in the conclusion section.
Degree
M.S.
Advisors
Jang, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Marketing|Recreation
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