Antecedents and Consequence of the Social Network Service-Based Word-of-Mouth: With Focus on Chinese Consumers’ Experiences of the Korea Wave

Abstract

As the growing global influence of Korean Pop-Culture (commonly referred to as Korea Wave or Hallyu) draws the attention of scholars and media practitioners, it seems appropriate to investigate from a wide spectrum of perspectives (including cultural, communication, and purchase decision aspects) the key factors behind Korea Wave’s success. This study seeks to fulfill three research objectives. First, this study aims to (1) confirm whether Chinese consumers’ Korea Wave experiences impact on their word of mouth; (2) confirm whether or not an individual consumer’s social network properties (tie strength and centrality) influence his/her word of mouth (WOM) about Korea Wave; and (3) verify whether or not cultural orientation (collectivism and avoidance of uncertainty) moderates the relationship between the Korea Wave experiences and WOM. To achieve those objectives, a large-scale survey of Chinese consumers residing in China’s big and medium-size cities was conducted. The findings suggest that Korea Wave owes much of its success to not only Chinese consumers’ cultural experiences, but also their social network configurations and cultural orientation. Managerial and theoretical implications of cultural halo effects are offered.