• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.15-26
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• 2016

Many brands are attempting to use consumers as a part of their marketing strategies, due to the fashion industry's sensitive response to consumers' reaction. In addition, due to the popularity of e-WOM(electronic Word-Of-Mouth), fashion brands are highly sensitive to their supporters' online reviews. Amid this background, the main objectives of this study are as follows: 1) to analyze the effect of online reviews' attributes and valences on forming an impression about a fashion brand; 2) to examine the online re-WOM(word-of-mouth) effect of online reviews by fashion brand supporters on brand attitude; and 3) to measure the moderating effect of fashion involvement in online re-WOM intention. In order to verify the research model and to test the proposed hypotheses, a 2 (utilitarian vs. hedonic review attributes) by 2 (positive vs. negative review valences) model is constructed and gathers 215 respondents. The results demonstrate that consumers form the highest reliable impression based on utilitarian and negative online reviews. However, there is no relationship between the types of online reviews and the formation of a favorable impression. Findings also reveal that the impression formed by online reviews has a positive effect on re-WOM intention, contributing to brand attitude. In addition, the hypothesis about the moderating effect produced by fashion involvement on re-WOM is supported. In conclusion, these results suggest that online reviews by fashion brand supporters have a powerful effect on forming a consumer's impression towards a fashion brand, affecting re-WOM intention and brand attitude.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.135-147
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• 2016

Online supporters are the group of people selected by companies for the online promotion of their products or services and focus on generating messages that are conducive to stimulating hands-on experiences with companies' products and services to create advertising effects. This study examined how reviews offered by blogs operated by fashion brands' online supporters influence consumer's brand attitudes and purchase intentions. Specifically, this study examined how brand awareness and directions of review messages influences consumers' brand attitudes and purchase intentions. This study employed a 2 (brand awareness: high awareness vs. low awareness) ${\times}$ 3 (review direction: one-sided positive, two-sided positive & negative, one-sided negative) between-subject factorial design. In total, 180 respondents participated, thus garnering 30 responses for each of the six conditions. The results of two-way ANOVA revealed the significant main effect supporters' review message direction on consumers' brand attitudes and purchase intentions. Two-sided messages were rated high for brand attitude and purchase intention compared to one-sided positive or negative or positive directions. The interactions between brand reputation and message direction were significant for brand attitude, but not for purchase intention.