As the digital technology evolves in the era of informatization, the existing print media system is also changing widely into a multimedia system. A system of magazine based on periodical publication also provides information to the readers through di...
As the digital technology evolves in the era of informatization, the existing print media system is also changing widely into a multimedia system. A system of magazine based on periodical publication also provides information to the readers through digital publication with the introduction of multimedia technology evolving from offline centric systems, and now it competes with the print media market, and maintains to develop independently of and harmoniously with the market.
As characteristics of web-zine, they are not restricted by the date of publication and produce almost identical effects to those of offline media in terms of information efficacy against the price with its consistent updates. In such a flow of changes, the importance of the contents of web-zines begins to be noticed. Contents of web-zine communicate based on online methods and although promptitude and influence seem to lag behind other media such as newspapers or broadcasts due to the characteristics of information of magazines, it is to be noted that information and knowledge are intensively constructed and more professional guide becomes possible. Web-zines have other leading powers in delivering information and reconstructing knowledge rather than traditional functions of the press such as reports and comments. In the specific area of web, by inviting characterized and diverse professional knowledge held by offline magazines to online spheres, it provides consumers with their own specialized information. Although information-providing functions held by the contents of web-zine are associated with advertising functions to make the contents have the characteristics of articles, if it is produced with purposes of producing effects of advertisement functions, how consumers' brand attitudes to a certain brand reveal can be explored.
Not much previous studies can be found in this area and by repositioning the importance of the values of contents, exploratory study seems possible to assist with providing methodologies that contents of web-zines can utilize when they strategically plan to communicate with advertisers.
Bearing these in mind, research topics were selected as below.
First, academic values were reconsidered by classifying the contents of web-zines with a marketing tool called the storytelling and what impacts contents of each type of storytelling have on the brand attitudes of the consumers was studied.
Second, how web-zine contents interpreted through types of storytelling respond to the brand attitudes of consumers was studied by classifying web-zine contents by storytelling types, and conducting research into the responses to favorability, reliability, and purchase intents of the consumers according to the level of awareness of the products.
Looking into the results from the research, typified divisions of storytelling for web-zine contents were classified into a general form (stories, narratives, descriptions, news, reports, etc.), a form of temporary word of mouth (anecdotes, hear-says, rumors, gossips, and jokes), and a form of consistent word of mouth (fables, myths, legends, proverbs, fairy tales, etc.) Consumers' attitudes to brands according to the types of storytelling classified as above found that the general form of storytelling had the highest scores in terms of awareness of the product, reliability, favorability, and purchase intents. It was found in relation to the types of storytelling and the level of knowledge of the product that a higher level of awareness of the product relates to a higher reliability of the brand, and that the type of storytelling does not have influence on the reliability of the brand. In this part, types and the level of awareness also did not show any mutual interrelationship.
In terms of the influence of the types of storytelling and the level of awareness of the product on the brand favorability, a higher level of awareness of the product related to the brand favorability and the types of storytelling did not have influence on the brand favorability. However, it was found that the types and the level of awareness had a certain interrelationship. In terms of influence of the types of storytelling and the level of awareness of the product on the brand purchase intents, a higher level of awareness of the product related to the brand purchase intents and the type of storytelling did not have influence on the brand purchase intents. However, there were interrelated impacts between the type and the level of awareness. In terms of brand favorability and purchase intents, the type of storytelling and the level of awareness were found to have a certain interrelationship. When consumers had more than average level of awareness, they had positive views on the approach of the types of storytelling, and the contents of diverse types would make a starting point to approach the customers in more effective ways. As demonstrated in this study, the finding that the types of storytelling did not heavily influence on the brand attitudes can be accounted for the limit of sampling, and if the subjects of questionnaires are extended to the advertisers of the brand or planners and relevant journalists of web-zines, the attitudes to web-zine contents and the differences of perception will be able to be compared and analyzed.