Developing a Model for Studying the Antecedents and Effects of Word of Mouth (WoM) and e-WoM Marketing Based on Literature Review

Abstract

Word of mouth (WoM) marketing is a key ingredient of interactive marketing, involving consumers and converting them into spokespersons for the company. The scope of published research on WoM is broad and spans a long period of time. However, it is not since the advent of social media that WoM or electronic-Word of Mouth (e-WoM) has become a measurable means of communication, making work on e-WoM recent and scarce. Also, existing work pertains to developed economies and there is a potential scope of study in the context of developing nations like India, where the focus is shifting to digitalization in a huge way. To understand the impact of WoM and social media, an attempt has been made to divide literature into drivers, measures, and effects of WoM. Number of variables emerge and can be used to measure the three identified categories. These variables can also be consolidated to establish causal links between drivers and effects of WoM. WoM has been conceptualized as the traditional communication model (Cheung & Thadani, 2010) and input–process–output model (Chan & Ngai, 2010) in the past, but these models take into account only a few variables that are linked into a causal relationship. By providing a consolidated guideline on drivers, measures, and effects of WoM, this article attempts to provide a roadmap for corporate/academic research on cause–effect relationship of WoM, as well as conduct fresh research in the context of developing economies.