소비자의 부정적 브랜드 루머의 수용과 확산 = Consumer’s Negative Brand Rumor Acceptance and Rumor Diffusion

국문 초록 (Abstract)

루머는 신뢰할 만한 타당한 근거나 이유가 없음에도 불구하고 광범위하게 이야기되는 일상적인 대화나 의견으로서 오랜기간 소비자 개개인의 사적 영역의 문제였다. 그러나 대중의 사랑과 주목을 받는 기업이나 브랜드는 선천적으로 소비자의 관심으로부터 멀어질 수 없으며, 항상 루머의 주요한 소재가 되어 왔다. 그 결과 현대의 소비자 커뮤니케이션 환경에서 루머는 기업 경영활동에 중요한 위기 요인이 되고 있다. 기업과 브랜드들이 당면하는 소비자 루머들은 크게 기업과 관련된 음모성 루머와 상품과 직접적 관련이 있는 오염성 루머로 나누어지며 국내외에서 많은 위기 사례들이 발견되고 있다.
심지어 P&G, SK, 현대, 삼성처럼 잘 정비된 홍보 조직을 갖춘 굴지의 대기업들조차 이런 루머로부터 자유롭지 못하며, 기존의 대응방식 역시 적절하지 못했던 것이 사실이다. 부정적 루머가 주목받아야 하는 이유는 해당 기업의 매출 및 점유율 하락은 물론 주식 가격에도 부정적인 영향을 미치며 오랜기간 구축해온 소비자와의 관계마저 황폐화시킬 가능성이 있기 때문이다.
최근 인터넷, 소셜 네트워크 서비스의 확산과 더불어 브랜드와 관련된 루머의 중요성은 더욱 증대하고 있으나 루머 연구는 지금까지 기업이나 마케팅 연구자의 정당한 주목을 받지 못하였다. 이에 본 연구는 루머의 다각적인 측면을 고려하는 상황주의자적 연구 패러다임을 기반으로 지각된 유용성, 원천 신뢰성, 메시지 신뢰성, 걱정, 생동감과 같은 루머와 관련된 속성들이 루머 수용강도와 루머 구전의도에 미치는 영향을 분석하였다. 이를 위하여 가상 브랜드와 루머가 제시되었으며, 실증조사를 통한 데이터 수집과 분석이 이루어졌다.
연구 결과에 따르면 원천 신뢰성, 메시지 신뢰성, 걱정, 생동감 같은 루머 특성 변수들은 루머 수용 강도에 유의한 영향을 미치고, 루머 수용강도는 루머 구전의도에 유의한 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 반면에 지각된 중요성은 루머 수용강도에 유의한 영향을 미치지 못하며, 상품 관여도의 조절효과 역시 유의하지 않은 것으로 나타났다.
본 연구는 주요한 실무적, 학문적 시사점을 제공하고 있다. 첫째, 루머를 자연발생적인 사회 현상이 아니라 소비자의 주요 활동의 일부이며, 마케터의 관심과 대응 커뮤니케이션 전략이 필요한 브랜드 관련 현상임을 주장하였다. 둘째, 브랜드 루머의 심리적, 사회적인 다차원적 구성 요인과 확산되는 경로를 제시함으로서 루머에 대한 능동적인 관리 가능성을 제시하였다. 셋째, 온라인상의 루머 활동이 기업 성과에 미치는 영향을 제시함으로서 기업들의 적극적인 온라인 커뮤니케이션 활동과 평판 관리의 필요성을 주장하였다. 넷째, 소비자의 걱정과 같은 부정적 정서가 루머의 온상이 되고 있음을 규명함으로서 소비자의 의혹을 불식시키기 위하여 정확하고 진실된 정보를 제공해야 함을 주장하였다.
다섯째, 루머의 유용성이 확산에 미치는 영향 가설이 기각되었으며, 상품 관여도의 조절 효과 역시 기각되었다. 이는 루머를 접하는 소비자의 입장에서 볼 때, 루머 자체가 무의미하더라도 단순한 재미나 호기심만으로도 얼마든지 확산될 가능성을 암시하고 있다. 일부 기업들은 사실이 아니라는 이유만으로 루머를 무시하거나 간과하는 경우들이 있으나, 기업의 예상과 다르게 루머가 얼마든지 확산될 수 있는 가능성을 보여주며, 기업의 보 ...

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Brand has received much attention from considerable marketing research. When consumers consume product or services, they are exposed to a lot of brand related stimuli. These contain brand personality, brand experience, brand identity, brand communications and so on. A special kind of new crisis occasionally confronting companies' brand management today is the brand related rumor.
An important influence on consumers' purchase decision making is the word-of-mouth spread by other consumers and most decisions are influenced by other's recommendations. In light of this influence, firms have reasonable reason to study and understand consumer-to-consumer communication such as brand rumor.
The importance of brand rumor to marketers is increasing as the number of internet user and SNS(social network service) site grows. Due to the development of internet technology, people can spread rumors without the limitation of time, space and place.
However relatively few studies have been published in marketing journals and little is known about brand rumors in the marketplace. The study of rumor has a long history in all major social science. But very few studies have dealt with the antecedents and consequences of any kind of brand rumor.
Rumor has been generally described as a story or statement in general circulation without proper confirmation or certainty as to fact. And it also can be defined as an unconfirmed proposition, passed along from people to people. Rosnow(1991) claimed that rumors were transmitted because people needed to explain ambiguous and uncertain events and talking about them reduced associated anxiety. Especially negative rumors are believed to have the potential to devastate a company's reputation and relations with customers. From the perspective of marketer, negative rumors are considered harmful and extremely difficult to control in general. It is becoming a threat to a company's sustainability and sometimes leads to negative brand image and loss of customers. Thus there is a growing concern that these negative rumors can damage brands' reputations and lead them to financial disaster too.
In this study we aimed to distinguish antecedents of brand rumor transmission and investigate the effects of brand rumor characteristics on rumor spread intention. We also found key components in personal acceptance of brand rumor. In contextualist perspective, we tried to unify the traditional psychological and sociological views. In this unified research approach we defined brand rumor's characteristics based on five major variables that had been found to influence the process of rumor spread intention. The five factors of usefulness, source credibility, message credibility, worry, and vividness, encompass multi level elements of brand rumor. We also selected product involvement as a control variable.
To perform the empirical research, imaginary Korean 'Kimch' brand and related contamination rumor was created and proposed. Questionnaires were collected from 178 Korean samples. Data were collected from college students who have been experienced the focal product. College students were regarded as good subjects because they have a tendency to express their opinions in detail.
PLS(partial least square) method was adopted to analyze the relations between variables in the equation model. The most widely adopted causal modeling method is LISREL. However it is poorly suited to deal with relatively small data samples and can yield not proper solutions in some cases.
PLS has been developed to avoid some of these limitations and provide more reliable results.
To test the reliability using SPSS 16 s/w, Cronbach alpha was examined and all the values were appropriate showing alpha values between .802 and .953. Subsequently, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted successfully. And structural equation modeling has been used to analyze the research model using smartPLS(ver. 2.0) s/w. Overall, R2 of adoption of rumor is .476 and R2 of inten...

참고문헌 (Reference)

1 홍수경, "효과적 브랜드 마케팅을 위한디지털 스토리텔링에 관한 연구" 16 : 77-85, 2004

2 이원준, "플로우로 매개된 브랜드 스토리 특성이 브랜드 친밀감에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구" 한국마케팅학회 24 (24): 109-130, 2009

3 오종철, "인터넷 서비스 수용의 영향요인: UTAUT모형에 대한 재평가" 한국경영학회 39 (39): 55-79, 2010

4 조동기, "사이버공간에서의 여론형성과 집합행동" 정보통신정책연구원 2001

5 이원준, "브랜드 루머와 소비자의 브랜드태도" 33-38, 2010

6 김종대, "도시에서 유행한 <빨간 마스크>의 변이와 속성에 대한 시론" 한국민속학회 41 : 95-122, 2005

7 Bordia, P, "When Social Psychology Became Less Social : Prasad and the History of Rumor Research" 5 : 49-61, 2002

8 Tybout, A. M, "Using Information ProcessingTheory to Design Marketing Strategies" 18 : 73-39, 1981

9 Donavan, D. T, "Urban Legends : the Word-of-Mouth Communication of Morality through Negative Story Content" 10 (10): 23-34, 1999

10 Fornell, C, "Two Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error" 18 (18): 39-50, 1982

11 Ben-Ze'ev. A, "The Vindication of Gossip, In Good Gossip" University Press of Kansas 1994

12 Brunvand, J. H, "The Vanishing Hitchhiker : American Urban Legends and Their Meanings" WW Norton and Company 1981

13 Henseler, J, "The Use of Partial Lease SquaresPath Modeling in International Marketing" 20 : 277-319, 2009

14 Ma, Q, "The Technology Acceptance Model : A Meta-Analysis of Empirical Findings" 16 (16): 59-72, 2004

15 Eder, D, "The Structure of Gossip : Opportunities and Constraints on Collective Expression Among Adolescents" 56 : 494-508, 1991

16 Adaval, R., "The Role of Narratives in Consumer Information Processing" 7 : 207-245, 1998

17 Celsi, R. L, "The Role of Involvement in Attention and Comprehension Processes" 15 : 210-224, 1988

18 Schachter, S, "The Psychology of Affiliation, Stanford" Stanford University Press 1959

19 Grewel, D, "The Moderating Effects of MessageFraming and Source Credibility on thePrice-perceived Risk Relationship" 21 : 145-153, 1994

20 Harrison-Walker, L. J, "The Measurement of Word-of-mouth Communication and an Investigation of Service Quality and Customer Commitment as Potential Antecedents" 4 (4): 60-75, 2001

21 Bone, P. F, "The Generation and Consequences of Communicationevoked Imagery" 19 : 93-104, 1992

22 Blodgett, J. G, "The Effects of Distributive, Procedural, and Interactional Justice on PostcomplaintBehavior" 73 (73): 185-210, 1997

23 Koufaris, M, "The Development of Initial Trust in an Online Company by new Customers" 41 (41): 377-397, 2004

24 Marett, K, "The Decision to Share Informations and Rumors : Examing the Role of Motivation in an Online Discussion Forum" 24 : 47-68, 2008

25 Lord, K. R, "The Combined Influence Hypothesis : Central and Peripheral Antecedents ofAttitude Toward the Ad" 24 (24): 73-85, 1995

26 Burgoon, J. K, "Testing the Interactivity Principle : Effects of Meditation, Propinquity, and Verbal and Nonverbal Modalities in Interpersonal Interaction" 52 (52): 657-677, 2002

27 Gefen, D, "Structural Equation Modeling andRegression : Guidelines for Research Practice" 4 : 1-79, 2000

28 Weick, K, "Sensemaking in Organizations, Newbury Park" Sage 1995

29 Kapferer, Jean-Noel, "Rumors : Use, Interpretations and Images" New Brunswick 1990

30 Koenig, F. W, "Rumor in the Marketplace, Auburn House Publishing Company" (Summer) : 213-228, 1985

31 Rosnow, R. L, "Rumor as communication : a Contextualist Approach" (Winter) : 12-28, 1988

32 Rosnow, R. L, "Rumor and Gossip in Interpersonal Interaction and Beyond: a Social Exchange Perspective, In Behaving badly: Aversive Behaviors in Interpersonal Relationship" American Psychological Association 2001

33 Rosnow, R. L, "Rumor and Gossip Research"

34 Rosnow, R, "Rumor and Gossip" Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company 1976

35 Bone, P. F, "Rumor Rest Stops on the Information Highway : Transmission Patterns in a Computer-Mediated Rumor Chain" 25 (25): 163-179, 1988

36 DiFonzo. N, "Rumor Psychology, 1st eds" American Psychology Association 2006

37 Cassel, C. M, "Robustness of Partial Least-SquaresMethod for Estimating Latent VariableEquality Structures" 26 (26): 435-446, 1999

38 Zhang, Yong, "Responses to Humorous Advertising : The Moderating Effect of Need for Cognition" 25 (25): 15-32, 1996

39 Guerin, B, "Replacing Catharsis and Uncertainty Reduction in Descriptions of Historical and Social Context" 5 : 44-61, 2001

40 Esposito, J. L, "Psst...Corporate rumors: How They Startand How to Stop Them" 44-49, 1983

41 Kelman, H. C, "Processes of Opinion Change" 25 (25): 57-78, 1961

42 Bone, P. F, "Problem Solving in Social Interactions on the Internet : Rumor as Social Cognition" 67 : 33-49, 2004

43 Wold, H, "Partial Least Squares, In Encyclopedia of Statistical Sciences" Wiley 581-591, 1985

44 Mick, D. G, "Paradoxes of Technology : Consumer Cognizance, Emotion, and Coping Strategies" 25 (25): 123-143, 1998

45 Iyer, E. S, "Origin of Rumor and Tone of Message in Rumor Quelling Strategies" 8 (8): 161-175, 1991

46 Daft, R, "Organizational Information Requirements, Media Richness, and Structural Design" 32 (32): 554-571, 1986

47 Chin, W. W, "On the Use, Usefulness and Ease of Use of Structural Equation Modeling in MIS Research : A Note of Caution" 19 (19): 237-246, 1995

48 Delgadillo, Y, "Narrative Word of Mouth Communication : Exploring Memory and Attitude Effects of Consumer Storytelling" 31 : 186-192, 2004

49 Hair, J. T, "Multivariate Data Analysis with Readings(3rd ed. )" Macmillan 1992

50 Novak T. P, "Measuring the Customer Experience in Online Environments : A Structural Modeling Approach" 19 (19): 22-42, 2000

51 Richins, M. L, "Measuring Emotions in the Consumption Experience" 24 : 127-146, 1997

52 Edison, S. W, "Measuring Attitudes towards General Technology : Antecedents, Hypotheses and Scale Development" 12 (12): 137-156, 2003

53 Clarkson, P. M, "Market Reaction to TakeoverRumour in Internet Discussion Sites" 46 : 31-52, 2006

54 Joreskogreskog, K. A, "LISREL7 User's Reference Guide, Scientific Software" Scientific Software 1989

55 Denzin, N. K, "Interpretive Biography, Newbury Park" Sage 1989

56 Harris, H, "International Human Resource Management" Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development 2003

57 Rosnow, R. L, "Inside Rumor: a Personal Journey" 484-496, 1991

58 Fornell, C, "Evaluating Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Vairables and Measurement Error" 18 : 39-50, 1981

59 Herr, P. M, "Effects of Word of Mouth and ProductattributeInformation on Persuasion : AnAccessibility-diagnosticity Perspective" 17 (17): 454-462, 1991

60 Barbin L. A., "Effects of Print ad Pictures and Copy Containing Instructions to Imagine on Mental Imagery that Mediates Attitudes" 26 (26): 33-44, 1997

61 Steele, T. J, "Consumer Rumors and CorporateCommunications : Rumor Etiology, Backgroundand Potential Devastating Consequences" (Summer) : 95-106, 1999

62 Barefoot, J. C, "Conflict and Dominance in TelevisionmediatedInteractions" 7 : 559-565, 1982

63 Putrevu, S, "Comparative and Noncomparative Advertising : Attitudinal Effects under Cognitive and Affective Involvement Conditions" 23 : 77-90, 1994

64 Gotlieb and Saral, "Comparative Advertising Effectiveness : The Role of Involvement and Source Credibility" 20 (20): 38-45, 1991

65 Petty, R. E, "CENTRAL AND PERIPHERAL ROUTES TO ADVERTISING EFFECTIVENESS - THE MODERATING ROLE OF INVOLVEMENT" UNIV CHICAGO PRESS 10 (10): 135-146, 1983

66 Jacoby, J, "Brand Choice Behavior as aFunction of Information Load" 11 : 63-69, 1974

67 Sundar, S. S., "Arousal, Memory, and Impression-FormationEffects of Animation Speed in Web Advertising" 33 (33): 7-17, 2004

68 Compeau, D. R, "Application of Social Cognitive Theoryto Training for Computer Skills" InformationSystem Research 1995

69 Reinartz, W, "An Empirical Comparison of theEfficacy of Covariance-based and VariancebasedSEM" 26 : 332-344, 2009

70 Allport, G. W, "An Analysis of Rumor" 10 : 501-517, 1946

71 Tversky, A, "Advances in Prospect Theory : Cumulative Representation of Uncertainty" 5 (5): 297-323, 1993

72 Beatty, S. E, "Adolescent Influence in Family Decision Making : A Replication with Extension" 21 : 332-341, 1994

73 Aaker, J. L, "Accesibility or Diagnosticity? Disentangling the Influence of Culture on Persuasion Process and Attitudes" 26 : 340-357, 2000

74 Buckner, H. T, "A Theory of Rumor Transmission" 29 : 54-70, 1965

75 Wert, S. R, "A Social Comparison Account of Gossip" 8 (8): 122-137, 2004

76 Pezzo, M. V, "A Multilevel Analysis of Rumor Transmission : Effects of Anxiety and Belief in Two Field Experiments" 28 (28): 91-100, 2006

77 Prasad, J, "A Comparative Study of Rumors and Reports in Earthquakes" 41 : 129-144, 1950

78 Kang, Hyunjin, ""Factors Affecting e-mail Rumor and Belief and Activity : The Effects of Type of Rumor and Organizationpublic Relationships" 312-329, 2008

79 Deacon, J. H, ""Challenges in Product Adoption" 2 : 187-200, 2003