Making sense of conversations: Using Facebook friendship networks and social network analysis to demystify word of mouth

Marketing academics and practitioners still struggle to understand the impact of social structure and context on the spread of word-of-mouth (WOM) communication, despite WOM representing the most important driver of purchase behaviour: personal recommendation.

Making sense of conversations: Using Facebook friendship networks and social network analysis to demystify word of mouth

Lars GroegerMacquarie Graduate School of Management, AustraliaScott TaylorSoup, Australia

WORD OF MOUTH RESEARCH

The power of Word-of-Mouth (WOM) to influence purchase decisions is well known. Yet, the Market Research industry seems relatively slow to truly delve into understanding this key factor. Rarely do we touch on questions such as: Along which ties do brand-based conversations travel? What impact do single and multiple conversations have on purchase behaviour? How does a person's social network structure impact their conversation reach? The list...

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