The Impact of Electronic Word of Mouth on Brand Evaluation Leading to Brand Attachment: A Comparative Study on Consumer Electronics and Cosmetic Brands in Sri Lanka

The traditional medium of communication has been changed with the invention of digital technologies and World Wide Web as a result of it conventional word of mouth has converted in to electronic word of mouth communication. Sharing Opinions about products services and brands has a created a new trend in the social media. This raises the need to study how companies can measure the effects of e-WOM communications and how e-WOM compares itself with other forms of marketing communication and branding. Measurement items are adapted from existing scales found in the marketing literature. The scales are evaluated for reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity using data collected in the survey. A structural equation modeling procedure is applied to the data analysis. The research model was tested empirically using a sample of 400 respondents who had experience within online communities of customers during the period of research. Argument quality dimension of electronic word of mouth reported highest impact on consumer brand attachment. The study found that e-WOM is one of the most effective factors influencing brand evaluation and brand attachment of brands in consumer electronic industry and cosmetic industry.