IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/joinma/v41y2018icp60-80.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Watch Your Tone: How a Brand's Tone of Voice on Social Media Influences Consumer Responses

Author

Listed:
  • Barcelos, Renato Hübner
  • Dantas, Danilo C.
  • Sénécal, Sylvain

Abstract

Social media platforms enable firms to communicate directly and often publicly with individual consumers. In this research, comprising four online studies, the authors investigate how the tone of voice used by firms (human vs. corporate) influences purchase intentions on social media. Findings suggest that a human tone of voice is not always the firm's best option. Study 1a (N=174) shows that using a human voice, instead of the more traditional corporate voice, can increase a consumer's hedonic value on social media and also purchase intentions. However, that influence of a human voice on purchase intentions is stronger when the consumer is looking at a brand page with a hedonic goal in mind (versus a utilitarian one). Study 1b (N=342) shows that the presence of several negative comments about a brand on social media acts as a boundary condition, nullifying the influence of a human voice on purchase intentions. Studies 2a (N=154) and 2b (N=202) show in different settings that using a human voice can even reduce purchase intentions in contexts of high situational involvement, due to perceptions of risk associated with humanness. The results contribute to the literature surrounding the effects of conversational human voice, while also providing managers with a set of guidelines to help inform and identify which tone of voice is best adapted to each communications scenario.

Suggested Citation

  • Barcelos, Renato Hübner & Dantas, Danilo C. & Sénécal, Sylvain, 2018. "Watch Your Tone: How a Brand's Tone of Voice on Social Media Influences Consumer Responses," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 60-80.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joinma:v:41:y:2018:i:c:p:60-80
    DOI: 10.1016/j.intmar.2017.10.001
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1094996817300579
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.intmar.2017.10.001?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Beukeboom, Camiel J. & Kerkhof, Peter & de Vries, Metten, 2015. "Does a Virtual Like Cause Actual Liking? How Following a Brand's Facebook Updates Enhances Brand Evaluations and Purchase Intention," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 26-36.
    2. Babin, Barry J & Darden, William R & Griffin, Mitch, 1994. "Work and/or Fun: Measuring Hedonic and Utilitarian Shopping Value," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 20(4), pages 644-656, March.
    3. Fournier, Susan, 1998. "Consumers and Their Brands: Developing Relationship Theory in Consumer Research," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 24(4), pages 343-373, March.
    4. Dowling, Grahame R & Staelin, Richard, 1994. "A Model of Perceived Risk and Intended Risk-Handling Activity," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 21(1), pages 119-134, June.
    5. van Noort, Guda & Willemsen, Lotte M., 2012. "Online Damage Control: The Effects of Proactive Versus Reactive Webcare Interventions in Consumer-generated and Brand-generated Platforms," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 26(3), pages 131-140.
    6. Labrecque, Lauren I., 2014. "Fostering Consumer–Brand Relationships in Social Media Environments: The Role of Parasocial Interaction," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 28(2), pages 134-148.
    7. Aner Sela & S. Christian Wheeler & Gülen Sarial-Abi, 2012. "We Are Not the Same as You and I: Causal Effects of Minor Language Variations on Consumers' Attitudes toward Brands," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 39(3), pages 644-661.
    8. Schamari, Julia & Schaefers, Tobias, 2015. "Leaving the Home Turf: How Brands Can Use Webcare on Consumer-generated Platforms to Increase Positive Consumer Engagement," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 20-33.
    9. Kurt A. Carlson & Margaret G. Meloy & J. Edward Russo, 2006. "Leader-Driven Primacy: Using Attribute Order to Affect Consumer Choice," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 32(4), pages 513-518, March.
    10. Keeling, Kathleen & McGoldrick, Peter & Beatty, Susan, 2010. "Avatars as salespeople: Communication style, trust, and intentions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 63(8), pages 793-800, August.
    11. Gretry, Anaïs & Horváth, Csilla & Belei, Nina & van Riel, Allard C.R., 2017. "“Don't pretend to be my friend!” When an informal brand communication style backfires on social media," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 77-89.
    12. Campbell, Margaret C & Goodstein, Ronald C, 2001. "The Moderating Effect of Perceived Risk on Consumers' Evaluations of Product Incongruity: Preference for the Norm," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 28(3), pages 439-449, December.
    13. Zaichkowsky, Judith Lynne, 1985. "Measuring the Involvement Construct," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 12(3), pages 341-352, December.
    14. Ann Kronrod & Shai Danziger, 2013. ""Wii Will Rock You!" The Use and Effect of Figurative Language in Consumer Reviews of Hedonic and Utilitarian Consumption," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 40(4), pages 726-739.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Park, Junsung & Yoo, Joon Woo & Cho, Youngju & Park, Heejun, 2023. "Examining the impact of service robot communication styles on customer intimacy following service failure," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    2. Li, You & Chang, Yaping & Liang, Zhehao, 2022. "Attracting more meaningful interactions: The impact of question and product types on comments on social media advertisings," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 89-101.
    3. Liebrecht, Christine & Tsaousi, Christina & van Hooijdonk, Charlotte, 2021. "Linguistic elements of conversational human voice in online brand communication: Manipulations and perceptions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 124-135.
    4. Marius Johnen & Oliver Schnittka, 2019. "When pushing back is good: the effectiveness of brand responses to social media complaints," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 47(5), pages 858-878, September.
    5. Penttinen, Valeria, 2023. "Hi, I’m taking over this account! Leveraging social media takeovers in fostering consumer-brand relationships," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    6. McShane, Lindsay & Pancer, Ethan & Poole, Maxwell & Deng, Qi, 2021. "Emoji, Playfulness, and Brand Engagement on Twitter," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 96-110.
    7. Javornik, Ana & Filieri, Raffaele & Gumann, Ralph, 2020. "“Don't Forget that Others Are Watching, Too!” The Effect of Conversational Human Voice and Reply Length on Observers' Perceptions of Complaint Handling in Social Media," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 100-119.
    8. Cabeza-Ramírez, L. Javier & Sánchez-Cañizares, Sandra M. & Santos-Roldán, Luna M. & Fuentes-García, Fernando J., 2022. "Impact of the perceived risk in influencers' product recommendations on their followers' purchase attitudes and intention," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    9. Teresa Borges-Tiago, Maria & Arruda, Carolina & Tiago, Flavio & Rita, Paulo, 2021. "Differences between TripAdvisor and Booking.com in branding co-creation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 380-388.
    10. Annamaria Tuan & Sebastiano Grandi, 2018. "Emerging trends in qualitative research. A focus on Social Media," MERCATI & COMPETITIVIT?, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2018(4), pages 17-26.
    11. Yaping Chang & You Li & Jun Yan & V. Kumar, 2019. "Getting more likes: the impact of narrative person and brand image on customer–brand interactions," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 47(6), pages 1027-1045, November.
    12. Xie, Yi & Chen, Ke & Guo, Xiaoling, 2020. "Online anthropomorphism and consumers’ privacy concern: Moderating roles of need for interaction and social exclusion," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    13. Karpinska-Krakowiak, Malgorzata & Eisend, Martin, 2021. "The Effects of Animistic Thinking, Animistic Cues, and Superstitions on Brand Responses on Social Media," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 104-117.
    14. Jin, S. Venus & Ryu, Ehri, 2020. "“I'll buy what she's #wearing†: The roles of envy toward and parasocial interaction with influencers in Instagram celebrity-based brand endorsement and social commerce," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    15. Dineva, Denitsa & Breitsohl, Jan & Garrod, Brian & Megicks, Philip, 2020. "Consumer Responses to Conflict-Management Strategies on Non-Profit Social Media Fan Pages," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 118-136.
    16. Könsgen, Raoul & Schaarschmidt, Mario & Ivens, Stefan & Munzel, Andreas, 2018. "Finding Meaning in Contradiction on Employee Review Sites — Effects of Discrepant Online Reviews on Job Application Intentions," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 165-177.
    17. Sanam Akhavannasab & Danilo C. Dantas & Sylvain Senecal, 2018. "Consumer empowerment in consumer–firm relationships: conceptual framework and implications for research," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 8(3), pages 214-227, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Gretry, Anaïs & Horváth, Csilla & Belei, Nina & van Riel, Allard C.R., 2017. "“Don't pretend to be my friend!” When an informal brand communication style backfires on social media," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 77-89.
    2. Simon, Françoise & Tossan, Vesselina, 2018. "Does brand-consumer social sharing matter? A relational framework of customer engagement to brand-hosted social media," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 175-184.
    3. Li, Meichan & Wang, Rui, 2023. "Chatbots in e-commerce: The effect of chatbot language style on customers’ continuance usage intention and attitude toward brand," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    4. Javornik, Ana & Filieri, Raffaele & Gumann, Ralph, 2020. "“Don't Forget that Others Are Watching, Too!” The Effect of Conversational Human Voice and Reply Length on Observers' Perceptions of Complaint Handling in Social Media," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 100-119.
    5. Foster, Jamye & McLelland, Melinda A., 2015. "Retail atmospherics: The impact of a brand dictated theme," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 195-205.
    6. Liebrecht, Christine & Tsaousi, Christina & van Hooijdonk, Charlotte, 2021. "Linguistic elements of conversational human voice in online brand communication: Manipulations and perceptions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 124-135.
    7. Marius Johnen & Oliver Schnittka, 2019. "When pushing back is good: the effectiveness of brand responses to social media complaints," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 47(5), pages 858-878, September.
    8. Catherine Viot, 2012. "Subjective knowledge, product attributes and consideration set : the wine case," Post-Print hal-01803724, HAL.
    9. Machado, Joana César & Vacas-de-Carvalho, Leonor & Azar, Salim L. & André, Ana Raquel & dos Santos, Barbara Pires, 2019. "Brand gender and consumer-based brand equity on Facebook: The mediating role of consumer-brand engagement and brand love," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 376-385.
    10. Fernando Santini & Wagner Junior Ladeira & Diego Costa Pinto & Márcia Maurer Herter & Claudio Hoffmann Sampaio & Barry J. Babin, 2020. "Customer engagement in social media: a framework and meta-analysis," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 48(6), pages 1211-1228, November.
    11. van Rijnsoever, Frank J. & Castaldi, Carolina & Dijst, Martin J., 2012. "In what sequence are information sources consulted by involved consumers? The case of automobile pre-purchase search," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 343-352.
    12. Giese, Joan L. & Malkewitz, Keven & Orth, Ulrich R. & Henderson, Pamela W., 2014. "Advancing the aesthetic middle principle: Trade-offs in design attractiveness and strength," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(6), pages 1154-1161.
    13. Zha, Dongmei & Marvi, Reza & Foroudi, Pantea, 2023. "Synthesizing the customer experience concept: A multimodularity approach," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    14. Dineva, Denitsa & Breitsohl, Jan & Garrod, Brian & Megicks, Philip, 2020. "Consumer Responses to Conflict-Management Strategies on Non-Profit Social Media Fan Pages," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 118-136.
    15. Odekerken-Schroder, Gaby & De Wulf, Kristof & Schumacher, Patrick, 2003. "Strengthening outcomes of retailer-consumer relationships: The dual impact of relationship marketing tactics and consumer personality," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 56(3), pages 177-190, March.
    16. Edward Wang & Lily Chen & I. Chen, 2015. "The antecedents and influences of airline loyalty programs: the moderating role of involvement," Service Business, Springer;Pan-Pacific Business Association, vol. 9(2), pages 257-280, June.
    17. Sheng, Jie & Amankwah-Amoah, Joseph & Wang, Xiaojun, 2017. "A multidisciplinary perspective of big data in management research," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 191(C), pages 97-112.
    18. Kull, Alexander J. & Romero, Marisabel & Monahan, Lisa, 2021. "How may I help you? Driving brand engagement through the warmth of an initial chatbot message," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 840-850.
    19. Andria Andriuzzi & Géraldine Michel, 2021. "Brand conversation: Linguistic practices on social media in the light of face-work theory," Post-Print hal-03049134, HAL.
    20. Katja H. Brunk & Cara Boer, 2020. "How do Consumers Reconcile Positive and Negative CSR-Related Information to Form an Ethical Brand Perception? A Mixed Method Inquiry," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 161(2), pages 443-458, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:joinma:v:41:y:2018:i:c:p:60-80. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-interactive-marketing/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.