A Study on Adopting Online Review Management as a New Strategy beyond Traditional Media Marketing Tools with Special Reference to TV Advertisements

Abstract

Online reviews are virtual messages written by previous users of the product in the space of internet. Development of Web 2.0 can be recognized as the major success factor in line with the increased use of online reviews. By an initial exploratory study researchers found that online review management technique could in return help the company to cut down its television advertisement costs and other traditional marketing costs and stand more effectively. Therefore, this research was carried to examine whether companies can use online review management systems instead of using traditional marketing methods. In order to examine this, the researchers used the Yale attitude change model and developed three independent variables, one mediating variable and one dependent variable namely; Source, Message, Receiver, Credibility of online reviews and Brand image. A quantitative study has been done to reach the conclusion. Initially the researchers carried out a pilot testing with 18 undergraduates to investigate whether the questions are relevant, comprehensive and sensitive. Finally, 123 responses were gathered to test the proposed hypotheses. Finally, with the use of analyzed data and the literature review the researchers successfully conclude that credible online reviews will help in developing a proper Brand image for a company rather than traditional media marketing tools. Further, it can be recommended, for proper online review management, credibility plays an important role. This study may help the marketers and consumers to implement suitable strategies by knowing the main concerns from the consumers towards online review management.