Research In Microblog Communication On Customers’ Brand Attitude

As the fastest developing social network service, microblog is playing a more and more important role in product promotion and event marketing, due to the characteristics of rapid spread and dynamic aggregation. For instance, Dell Corporation created7000thousand dollar sales income at the first year of its brand microblog operation. Xiaomi Corporation sold50thousand mobile phones on Sina Weibo platform only in5minutes. Nowadays, more and more companies have created their brand microblog and tried to communicate to their customers on weibo platform. Brands can convey brand message, diffuse product information, to achieve the goal of increasing brand awareness and reputation.Under such circumstances, it is quite important for brand to know how to perform an effective communication to their customers. This question also causes the attention of scholars. However, current research focuses on the spread influence of microblog, but only in the perspective of text content. Microblog is to be reasearched as a new type of media communication. This research conducts a systematic analysis of brand microblog communication mode based on a literature review on computer-mediated communication and the characteristics of microblog communication. Then proposes a conceptual model of brand microblog communication combined with the results of focus group discussion and empirical examination.This research has obtained the following conclusion:(1) Verified the construction dimension of brand microblog communication. On the basis of a deep analysis of microblog communication characteristics, by using focus group, factor analysis and the other research method, we propose that brand microblog communication is consist of the dimension of information usefulness, information entertainment, vividness, interactivity, and also timelines and celebrity effect. For the characteristics of timeless, the fragmentation of microblog makes it a fast updated platform, it is very necessary for brand microblog to provide continuous value for customers and increase the extent of exposure on microbog platform. For celebrity effect, it is very common for brand microblog to interact with celebrity endorsements due to the openness of microblog, to attract the attention of customers.(2) Examines how brand microblog influences the cognitive, affective and behavioral factor of brand attitude. We conducted a questionnaire and analyzed the sample of388respondents through factor analysis and structure equation modeling. The results demonstrate that brand microblog communication has direct influence on the three factors of brand attitude.(3) Verified the mediating effect of cognitive and affective factor to the behavioral factor of brand attitude. This means, brand microblog communication not only can influence the behavioral intention of customers directly, but also can influence it through the mediating effect of cognitive and affective factors indirectly.The results of the study provide theoretical guidance for brand microblog operation. Firstly, brand microblog should make an appropriate plan for the communication content and increase the communication effect by using microblog characteristics. Secondly, brand microblog should take consideration of both the usefulness and entertainment factor of the communication content, to increase the interaction experience of customers. Thirdly, brand should pay attention of how microblog communication affect customers’brand attitude. It is very necessary for brand to include the brand attitude in the brand microblog evaluation and make scientific and effective communication strategy accordingly.