Social media marketing vs User generated content vs Electronic word of mouth – Crib sheet

It’s that time of the year when I am supervising dissertation projects. And, again, I find myself clarifying the difference between three terms that often get confused and wrongly used as synonyms: Social media marketing (SMM), user generated content (UGC) and electronic word of mouth (eWoM). So, I ended up creating this table for my … Continue reading Social media marketing vs User generated content vs Electronic word of mouth – Crib sheet

Sentiment analysis of baseball stadium reviews

I was cleaning my inbox over the Christmas break, and saw a 2017 message from someone working at company called reviewtrackers. He wanted to draw my attention to some interesting work that he had done at the company, analysing 130,000 online reviews of major league baseball stadiums (since the message, he seems to have left … Continue reading Sentiment analysis of baseball stadium reviews

Credibility of online reviews typed on a mobile vs on a desktop

When our family travels to a new place, we usually get restaurant recommendations from friends who have been there before; we check Lonely Planet tour guides; or, we look at the reviews on Google maps.   Have you ever used Google maps for local recommendations?   We only started using it recently. But, so far … Continue reading Credibility of online reviews typed on a mobile vs on a desktop

[Miscellany] Customer reviews, GDPR fines and musings on graduation

Stick the film, then post a photo I have recently ordered some black out film for a window that lets in too much light during the night. There are 12 steps in the instructions, starting with cleaning the window, all the way down to… taking a photo and posting it with a review, online.   … Continue reading [Miscellany] Customer reviews, GDPR fines and musings on graduation

Impact of negative online reviews on restaurant staff

The ubiquity of internet access and the popularity of online review sites and other forms of social media, have led to an increase in the opportunity for customers to share their consumption experiences with others. For instance, sharing an entry in Trip Advisor, posting an update on Facebook, or even uploading a video to YouTube. … Continue reading Impact of negative online reviews on restaurant staff

Customer reviews are a double-edged sword for new, independent service brands

Customer endorsement in the form of reviews, likes and other forms of support (or criticism) is important for sales. This is true for all organisations. However, the effect of customer endorsement on consumption varies widely, depending on the type of company and the type of product. Research by Kyunghee Lee, Byungtae Lee and Wonseok Oh … Continue reading Customer reviews are a double-edged sword for new, independent service brands

Level vs source of customer (dis)satisfaction

We sometimes think of customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction as two sides of the same coin. If a certain feature is present – say, courteous service – customers leave satisfied; if that same feature is absent, customers leave dissatisfied. So, to have happy customers, all we need to do is keep improving on that feature.   … Continue reading Level vs source of customer (dis)satisfaction

Which branded tweets get most retweets?

Researchers at Western Sydney University in Australia – Alena Soboleva, Suzan Burton, Girijasankar Mallik and Aila Khan – have analysed the characteristics of branded tweets that get the most retweets. They collected tweets posted by the leading brands in the automotive, the luxury and the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) industries, and adjusted for factors … Continue reading Which branded tweets get most retweets?

Huawei customers more likely to endorse the brand than Apple ones. So what?

Market research recently published by Globalwebindex shows that Huawei customers were the most likely, among technology users, to recommend the brand to others. Should competitors like Samsung or Apple worry?   No.   And why not?   Because when it comes to the impact of word of mouth on consumer behaviour volume of word mouth … Continue reading Huawei customers more likely to endorse the brand than Apple ones. So what?

Handling negative online reviews: speed and voice matter; status and action frame not so much

The question I get asked most often (after whether social media activity helps with sales and profitability) is how to handle negative online reviews. The comments left by other customers, and any responses left by the company, are available for all to see, and can impact on the company’s reputation. So, many companies worry that … Continue reading Handling negative online reviews: speed and voice matter; status and action frame not so much