Self-Enhancement as a Motivation for Sharing Online Advertising

ABSTRACT

Marketers have long understood that consumers’ self-concepts influence the products they purchase; conversely, products purchased influence people’s self-concepts. Might the same self-enhancement framework apply in to shared online advertisements? Using the symbolic interactionist perspective of identity theory, this study empirically tests the proposition that online consumers use electronic word of mouth, and specifically the sharing of online advertising, to construct and express their self-concepts. The results suggest that self-brand congruity, entertainment value, and product category involvement increase the self-expressiveness of online ads, which then increase the likelihood of sharing those ads. These findings have both theoretical and managerial implications.

Keywords:

• Viral marketing
• electronic word of mouth
• identity theory
• self-concept

Additional information

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

David G. Taylor (PhD, University of North Texas) is Assistant Professor of Marketing in the John F. Welch College of Business, Sacred Heart University. His interests include digital marketing, consumer/brand relationships, and online word of mouth. He has published in the Journal of Advertising Research, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Consumer Behaviour, Electronic Commerce Research, International Journal of Advertising, and International Journal of Mobile Marketing, among others. E-mail: [email protected]. Twitter: davidgtaylorphd.

David Strutton (PhD, University of Mississippi) is Professor of Marketing in the Department of Marketing and Logistics, College of Business, University of North Texas. His research interests include new product development, advertising, and business leadership. He has published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Advertising Research, Journal of MacroMarketing, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Journal of Business Ethics, and many others. E-mail: [email protected]

Kenneth Thompson (PhD, University of Colorado-Boulder) is Professor of Marketing in the Department of Marketing and Logistics, College of Business, University of North Texas. He has an extensive publication record that includes outlets such as the Journal of Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Educational and Behavior Research, Structural Equation Modeling: An Interdisciplinary Journal, Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Journal of Managerial Issues, and Journal of Supply Chain Management. E-mail: [email protected]