The Value of WoM vs. eWoM - A Conjoint Perspective on Corporate Sports Events
(A2020-63884)

AUTHORS

Tatjana König, HTW Saar; Serguel Bulut, Saarland Business School, htw saar; Laura Emmer, Saarland Business School, HTW; Nika Hein, Saarland Business School, htw saar; Sabrina Linnemann, Saarland Business School, htw saar; Katharina Nikiforow, Saarland Business School, htw saar; Olga Stern, Saarland Business School, htw saar

KEYWORDS

Word-of-Mouth (WoM); electronic Word-of-Mouth (eWoM); Conjoint Analysis

ABSTRACT

Within the vast body of eWoM research, we find little focus on the relative value contribution of online ratings to users, especially in comparison to traditional word-of-mouth recommendations (Porter 2017). Our research tries to fill this void by comparing utility values for eWoM ratings with those for WoM recommendations in an industry where professional eWoM management and research is less established, i.e. the event industry. Based on a conjoint analysis with 382 respondents, we calculate the relative value of personal recommendations and online review ratings. Our results indicate that the WoM part-worth is higher than eWoM part-worths for medium star-ratings, nearly equal for high (4.5-star ratings), and significantly lower for top (5.0-star) ratings. We further find that social motivation to participate interacts with prior event experience and gender in the effect on WoM and eWoM ratings. We derive implications for theory and practice that focus on combining WoM and eWoM.