The role of disclosure in organized word-of-mouth marketing programs

Prevailing views of organized word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing programs suggest that disclosing corporate affiliation reduces perceived credibility and hampers campaign effectiveness. To test this view we surveyed WOM marketing agents and their conversational partners (CP) after a WOM marketing episode...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of marketing communications Vol. 14; no. 3; pp. 225 - 241
Main Author Carl, Walter J.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Taylor & Francis 01.07.2008
Subjects
disclosure
institutional interaction
personal relationships
self-disclosure
source credibility
stealth marketing
word-of-mouth marketing
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Summary:Prevailing views of organized word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing programs suggest that disclosing corporate affiliation reduces perceived credibility and hampers campaign effectiveness. To test this view we surveyed WOM marketing agents and their conversational partners (CP) after a WOM marketing episode. Results indicate that when disclosure occurred - defined as when the CP was aware they were talking with a person participating in an organized WOM marketing program - agents were rated as more credible, CPs had fewer negative feelings about the agent's corporate affiliation, and CPs told more people about the brand being discussed. These counter-intuitive results can be explained in part by the existing personal relationship between the agent and CP and invite us to consider how personal relationships may moderate the impact and potential business advantages of disclosure in organized WOM marketing programs.
ISSN:1352-7266
1466-4445
DOI:10.1080/13527260701833839