The effects of review valence in organic versus sponsored blog sites on perceived credibility, brand attitude, and behavioural intentions

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the differences between organic (i.e. naturally occurring) and sponsored (i.e. marketer influenced) consumer-generated blog reviews, by examining how blog source and review valence can impact upon perceived credibility, brand attitude, and behavioural intentions. Design/methodology/approach – This study used an online experiment, where participants were randomly assigned to one of six conditions in a 2 (blog source) × 3 (review valence) between-subjects factorial design. Findings – The findings indicate that balanced reviews are perceived to be the most credible. Negative reviews led to the lowest ratings on brand attitude and purchase intention, while positive reviews led to the highest ratings on these two constructs. However, the effects of review valence were not found to differ based upon whether a blog was organic or sponsored. Originality/value – The findings of this study extend and contribute to the knowledge of the impact of source and valence in electronic word of mouth settings. Moreover, the findings of this study provide practical insight into how consumers react to the sponsorship of blog web sites on the internet.