Kuang-Hui Chiu and Cheng-Hsun Ho

Effects of Brand Image, Online Word of Mouth, and Price Discount on Consumers Purchase Intention - Mobile Phone as the Exam le
Kuang-Hui Chiu1 and Cheng-Hsun Ho2 Department of Business Administration, National Taipei Universit , Tai!an "h#hiu$mail%ntpu%edu%t!1 &effher$mail%d'a%ntpu%edu%t!2 Corresponding Author( &effher$mail%d'a%ntpu%edu%t!

!bstract
)an resear#hes refer that 'rand image and !ord of mouth 'oth influen#e #ustomers* per#eived +ualit and per#eived ris", and therefore further affe#ts their pur#hase intention% Ho!ever, seldom resear#hes mention the intera#tion 'et!een 'rand image and !ord of mouth% Besides, , Keywords: Brand image, online !ord-of-mouth, pri#e dis#ount, disposition to trust, impulsive traits, pur#hase intention

International Conference on Innovation and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, an! "#-"$, "#%&!

Kuang-Hui Chiu and Cheng-Hsun Ho

"# Introduction
-ith the gro!ing prevalen#e of mo'ile phones, almost ever one has a mo'ile phone in Tai!an% A##ording to National Communi#ations Commission .NCC/, the penetration rate of mo'ile phones rea#hes 101%23 ' the third +uarter of 2004% 5n other !ords, ever 100 Tai!anese people o!n an average of 101 mo'ile phones% The num'er of mo'ile phone users is still on the in#rease% )o'ile phones are higher-pri#ed produ#ts% Be#ause a higher finan#ial ris" is involved in the pur#hase of mo'ile phones, #onsumers also have a higher level of involvement% 6or this "ind of produ#ts, #onsumers !ill 'e engaged at a higher level in #olle#tion of e7trinsi# information% The use some produ#t #ues as indi#ators of produ#t +ualit to redu#e ris"s of pur#hasing the produ#t .)onore 8 Krishnan, 19:;/% <ome studies have pointed out that !ord of mouth and 'rand image are e7trinsi# #ues for #onsumers% -ith the advan#ement of the 5nternet te#hnolog , spread of !ord of mouth is no longer #onfined to fa#e-to-fa#e #ommuni#ation% =nline !ord of mouth is 'e#oming more influential to #onsumer 'ehaviors% )an previous studies indi#ated that 'rand image and online !ord of mouth are influential to the per#eived ris" and per#eived +ualit of a produ#t, !hi#h further affe#t #onsumer*s pur#hase intention% Ho!ever, the intera#tive effe#ts 'et!een 'rand image and online !ord of mouth have seldom 'een e7plored and dis#ussed% Thus, this stud aims to investigate these t!o e7trinsi# #ues and understand their effe#ts on #onsumer*s pur#hase intention%

$# %iterature &e'ie(
$#" Brand Image Consumers usuall develop a 'rand 'elief for ea#h 'rand a##ording to the attri'utes of its produ#ts% <u#h 'rand 'elief !ill later 'e#ome a 'rand image .Kotler, 2000/ !hi#h #onsumers asso#iate !ith 'rand names% Biel .1992/ des#ri'ed that 'rand image as an asso#iation !ith 'rand name% Advertisement, pa#"aging, #orporate identit , pu'li# relations, and information provided in promotional a#tivities #an all form #ertain 'rand asso#iations on the mind of #onsumers after #ognitive pro#essing% A##ording to Do'ni and >in"han .1990/, 'rand image is the reasoned or emotional per#eption that #onsumers atta#h to spe#ifi# 'rands% Keller .199?/ defined 'rand image as @per#eptions a'out a 'rand as refle#ted ' the 'rand asso#iations held in #onsumer memor A% This definition is adopted in this stud % Brand asso#iations refer to an idea asso#iated !ith a 'rand, in#luding asso#iations !ith the produ#t, 'rand preferen#e, 'rand strength, and 'rand uni+ueness% $#$ Online Word of Mouth The stud aims to e7plore the effe#ts of !ord of mouth #reated ' a large num'er of online visitors on #onsumer*s pur#hase intention% Thus, online forums and message 'oards are sele#ted as the main media of !ord of mouth% Based on the definitions of positive and negative !ord of mouth proposed ' previous resear#hers, !e define positive !ord of mouth

International Conference on Innovation and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, an! "#-"$, "#%&!

Kuang-Hui Chiu and Cheng-Hsun Ho

as @positive information !hi#h is a#tivel and proa#tivel spread on online forums or message 'oards ' #ustomers having positive feed'a#"s on the produ#t and servi#e of a #ompan %A Negative !ord of mouth is defined as @negative information !hi#h is a#tivel and proa#tivel spread on online forums or message 'oards ' #ustomers having negative feed'a#"s on the produ#t or servi#e of a #ompan A%

&eferences
Arndt, B% .1924/% Cole of produ#t-related #onversations in the diffusion of a ne! produ#t% ournal of Marketing 'esearch, &.1/, 291-29;% )o!da , C% T%, Dorter, E% -%, 8 <treet, C% )% .19:2/% (m)loyee-organi*ation linkages: The )sychology of commitment% Ne! For", NF( A#ademi# Dress% =GNeil, B% )%, 8 Hgan, B% .1992/% )enGs and !omenGs gender role &ourne s( )etaphor for healing, transition, and transformation% 5n B% C% -ainri' .Hd%/, +ender issues across the life cycle .pp% 104-12?/% Ne! For", NF( <pringer%

International Conference on Innovation and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, an! "#-"$, "#%&!