인터넷구전커뮤니케이션에 대한 정보원의 신뢰성이 브랜드자산에 미치는 영향: 특급호텔 이용객을 중심으로

Brand equity and internet WOM communication were subjects on which all hotel enterprises put the highest emphasis and considered establishment of powerful brand equity as their highest priority task. Hotel enterprises utilized internet WOM communication as a means of reinforcing their brand equity, and brand equity was affected in accordance with the source credibility to internet WOM communication. Therefore, the need of research on how the source credibility to internet WOM communication influenced the establishment of brand equity was recognized. Accordingly, this study aimed to closely examine such influence through empirical analysis by categorizing the source credibility into expertise and trustworthiness. 1,000 copies of survey questionnaire produced through preliminary investigations and mock survey were distributed to customers of five-star hotels located in Seoul, Pusan, Kyongju and Jeju over 25-day period from February 12 to March 8. Among the 962 questionnaires completed by the customers who used aforementioned hotels through internet WOM, 420 valid questionnaires were subjected to final analysis. Frequency analysis,factor analysis, reliability analysis, validity analysis and structural equation model analysis, etc. were carried out by using SPSS 11.5 and AMOS 4.0.