01/29/2024
By Santa Krissna Balakrishnan

The Robert J. Manning School of Business, Department of Marketing, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation, invites you to attend a Ph.D. Dissertation Defense by Yiping Li on “The Role of Word Familiarity in Marketing Communication.” 

Candidate Name: Yiping Li
Degree: Doctoral
Defense Date: Feb. 12, 2024
Time: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. EST
Location: Via Zoom (https://uml.zoom.us/j/4269938384)
Dissertation Title: The Role of Word Familiarity in Marketing Communication

Dissertation Committee Members:

  • Ann Kronrod, Ph.D., Department of Marketing, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, University of Massachusetts Lowell (Chair)
  • Tao (Tony) Gao, Ph.D., Department of Marketing, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Mark Yi-Cheon Yim, Ph.D., Department of Marketing, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Sarah Moore, Ph.D., Department of Marketing, Business Economics and Law, University of Alberta

Abstract:
Language is continually developing, with novel and unfamiliar words frequently emerging, especially on the internet, a dynamic communicative environment where language undergoes significant changes. Consequently, online users may encounter words that are less familiar to them. How is the more familiar and less familiar language used in online content, and what might be the outcomes of higher and lower word familiarity on reactions to online content? Addressing this question, this dissertation aims to investigate the effect of word familiarity in user-generated content (UGC) from both the writers' and readers' perspectives.

The first essay focuses on the UGC writers’ side and identified two primary motivations for posting UGC: social motivation and informational motivation and investigated how these motivations influence people's language use. The findings reveal that when social motivation drives UGC writers, they tend to use more familiar words, as they are easily understood and convey approachability. Conversely, when informational motivation is the driving factor, writers are more inclined to use unfamiliar words to show their knowledge and competence.

The second essay shifts its focus to the perspective of UGC readers. While the first essay explores language use from the writers’ viewpoint, it leaves the question of how readers react to varying word familiarity in UGC unanswered, particularly whether their reactions align with the writers' expectations. This essay delves into the readers’ motivations and distinguishes between two main types of users’ motivation to read UGC, namely social motivation and information-seeking motivation. The findings indicate that readers driven by social motivations respond more positively to UGC with more familiar words, as they enhance perceived warmth, encouraging interaction and opinion sharing. Conversely, for those driven by information-seeking motivations, unfamiliar words tend to elicit more positive reactions, as they suggest credibility and competence in the information presented in UGC.

The third essay continues to examine the reader’s perspective, focusing on a factor closely linked to consumer decisions: purchase intention. It introduces a moderating factor—review valence. Specifically, this essay investigates how word familiarity affects purchase intentions in the context of positive and negative word-of-mouth (WOM). The hypothesis is that people, being more cautious and alert when processing negative information, seek additional information to make their decisions. Thus, negative WOM with more unfamiliar (familiar) words could satisfy this need for information, thereby increasing (decreasing) purchase intention. Conversely, the effect is less pronounced in positive reviews. This is because when processing positive information, people tend to employ holistic thinking, making them less critical and more receptive to the overall positive sentiment expressed in the text, without the need for detailed information.

Taken together, the three essays extend our understanding of language use in UGC and its implications for UGC writers, readers, and consumers. They also offer valuable guidance for marketers on utilizing language choice to better understand consumers and enhance the effectiveness of marketing activities.