Bloggers Intrinsic Motivation and Electronic Word of Mouth Marketing

Bloggers’ Intrinsic Motivation and Electronic Word-of-
Mouth Marketing
Minwoo Han*, Yeibeech Jang**, Hyunsik Park***
This paper investigates associations with bloggers’ intrinsic motivation and its
marketing potential in terms of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). A total of 282
Korean bloggers participated in an online survey. Data were analyzed using two
approaches: factor and path analysis. Based on the factor analysis, intrinsic
motivation was divided into three subfactors, “enthusiasm for work,” “need for
uniqueness,” and “pioneering spirit.” Path analysis indicated that the "need for
uniqueness” factor was significantly influential to posting behavior. Bloggers
post their thoughts, ideas, and reviews because they want to be different from
others. This finding gives an implication to setting up eWOM strategies on the
web because the intrinsic motivation affects bloggers behavior both directly and
indirectly. As a result, practitioners need to focus on a specific segment of
bloggers with motivations by attracting their “need for uniqueness.”
Field of Research: E-Marketing, Electronic Word-of-Mouth Marketing
1. Introduction
Compared to offline word-of-mouth, the range and speed of electronic word-of-mouth
(eWOM) is extremely wide and rapid. It is because consumers actively generate and
share opinions on products and services on the Internet. A variety of media services
deliver their messages on the web and blogging became one of the most influential
channels among them. Through blogging, company can build goodwill,
discover new business areas, improve customer relations, enhance
their brand, recruit competent employees, weather a crisis, and build customer
support (Andersson et al., 2007).
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*Minwoo Han, Eon Group, email: roland602@kaist.ac.kr
**Yeibeech Jang, Graduate School of Culture Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and
Technology, email: yebeet123@kaist.ac.kr
***Hyunsik Park, Graduate School of Culture Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and
Technology, email: hsp@kaist.ac.kr

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Bloggers nowadays are new powerful opinion leaders in the market, and they
already have been treated as an important target group especially in the film industry
(Mishne & Glance, 2006). Even though bloggers are important communicators, only
limited research on them has been done. Bloggers are much like market mavens
because they both are eager to gather information on something and willing to share
it with others. Bloggers can be seen as web mavens, and they might have the
potential to become influential segmentation for eWOM. Thus, without understanding
bloggers’ characteristics and motives, it would be difficult to operate proper eWOM
marketing strategies. The purpose of this study is to determine if bloggers have
similar intrinsic motivations as market mavens and what kinds of hidden motives
bloggers have. Consequently, we want to know if bloggers’ intrinsic motivations
influence their blog-posting behaviors. We began the literature review on blogs,
eWOM, and bloggers’ intrinsic motivation. Based on the theories of opinion leaders
and market mavens, we developed a scale measuring intrinsic motivation and
identified three potential motives for bloggers’ intrinsic motivation. The importance of
the motives for bloggers’ intrinsic motivation was tested by a factor score and path
analysis with a sample of 282 correspondents. Final y, we discuss the findings,
implications and future research direction for bloggers and eWOM marketing. Hence,
the findings will be useful to practitioners to understand bloggers’ psychological
mechanism and eventually offer them meaningful implications building up successful
strategies for eWOM.
2. Literature review
2.1 Electronic Word-of-Mouth
Traditional word-of-mouth is defined as a type of informal, person-to-person
communication between a perceived noncommercial communicator and a receiver
regarding a brand, a product, an organization or a service (Harrison-Walker, 2001).
Richins & Root-Shaffer (1998) claims traditional word-of-mouth has been played a

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vital role for customers’ buying decisions. Internet has transformed our lifestyle in
many ways. Ordering products and services on the web is such common activity
nowadays. Word-of-mouth not only happens offline but also in online. When buying
products on the Internet, consumers read others’ opinion, reviews and experiences
on them. In this process, many consumers automatical y reveal themselves in
eWOM. Existing eWOM studies mainly discuss influential factors (Hsu, 2007),
motivations (Hennig-Thurau & Walsh, 2004), and impacts of eWOM (Gruen et al.,
2006; Chevalier & Mayzlin, 2003). Park et al. (2008) mentioned that the online
consumer review, one type of eWOM involves positive or negative statements made
by consumers about a product for sale in Internet Shopping Malls. Not only product
reviews in Internet Shopping Malls, but also comments on film review sites,
restaurants, and digital gadgets are posted on personal blogs. Based on the blog’s
attributes, openness, sharing, and networking, it shows blogs potential of becoming
a powerful tool for eWOM. Despite the important association between eWOM and
blogging, not many researches have been conducted yet.
2.2 Bloggers’ Intrinsic Motivation
Freick et al. (1987) segmented a group of consumers and suggested a concept of
‘market maven’. While opinion leaders and early adopters generate opinions on
products or services they buy, market mavens are eager to gather and accept
information on products regardless of purchasing them. Also they are very willing to
pass information out to other consumers. Basically mavens are people who have
higher intrinsic motivation than average consumers. For example, programmers
develop and share open source software because it is just as interesting, enjoyable
or sometimes challenging as hobby. Mavens also gather useful information and tell
other consumers. This somewhat altruistic characteristic and behavior can be
appreciated based on intrinsic motivation. According to Ryan and Deci (2000),

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Intrinsic motivation is defined as the doing of an activity for its inherent satisfaction
rather than for some separable consequence. When intrinsically motivated, a person
is moved to act for the fun or challenge entailed rather than because of external
products, pressures, or rewards.
Goldsmith et al. (2006) mentioned that mavens are some consumers who have
tendency to be especially involved in the marketplace. We assumed that bloggers
might have similar characteristics of market mavens. They both like to gather
information and are willing to spread it one another. In a sense, we could name
bloggers’ as web mavens. An aim of the study is to characterize intrinsic motivation
of bloggers who are willing to produce information on their blogs. We started this
paper with one question. Are bloggers’ can be described as web mavens? To
answer the question, we developed a set of questionnaire asking that bloggers’
intrinsic motivation. In this study, intrinsic motivation specifically means bloggers’
engaging in an activity without obvious external incentives. Clark and Goldsmith
(2005) identi?ed the tendency to conform, global self-esteem, consumer
susceptibility to normative interpersonal in?uence, and consumer need for
uniqueness as antecedents to market mavenism. When designing the factor analysis,
new questionnaire items of intrinsic motivation of bloggers were constructed.
2.3 Information Sharing and Blog-Posting Frequency
We assumed that bloggers’ intrinsic motivation will be positively related to online
information sharing, major purpose of using blogs. And the more they were willing to
share them, the more writings they tended to post on their blogs. One part of
questionnaire is about bloggers’ blog usage behavior. We tried to find out how often
they post their opinions, ideas, and information on something. We named the cycle,
blog-posting frequency. We suggest the following basic hypotheses:

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H1: Bloggers’ intrinsic motivation wil be positively related to online information
sharing.
H2: Online information sharing will be positively related to blog-posting frequency.
3. Method
3.1 Sample
The data were col ected from March 6 to April 6, 2007. During a month 350 people
participated in an online survey, in which they were required to complete a
questionnaire. The average time to complete a questionnaire was under 15 minutes.
Of the 350 respondents, only those with blogging experience were included for data
analysis. Of the final 282 respondents, 130 were male (49%) and 145 were female
(51%). Sixty-six percent of the sample reported that they were in their 20’s and
twenty-four percent were in their 30’s. Forty percent of the sample reported that they
graduated from college and twenty-nine percent were undergraduates. Based on the
sample’s usage profile, 46% reported that they had 1 blog, and 37% had 2 blogs.
Half of them have experienced blogging between 1 to 3 years and 29 percent from 3
to 5 years. The average time spent blogging per week was mostly between 30 to 60
minutes (30%) and less than 30 minutes (29%). Blogging took place mostly at home
and at work.
3.2 Measures
The questionnaire consists of four parts: usage behavior, usage motivation, intrinsic
motivation, and demographics. Since there was no established scale for bloggers’
intrinsic motivation, new items to measure different motives based on the theories of
opinion leaders and market mavens were developed. A total of 30 items were initially
developed and verified three times by experts, users, and two authors. Fifteen items

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were deemed suitable and were chosen for the survey. The scale used a five-point
Likert response format ranging from 5 (strongly agree) to 1 (strongly disagree) in
which a higher motive score means stronger motive agreement.
4. Results
4.1 Analysis for Intrinsic Motivation Structure
According to a principle components analysis (PCA), 15 items were examined. Since
PCA considers exploratory state of the typology of bloggers’ intrinsic motivation, it is
a necessary procedure to verify the set of items. Kaiser’s eigenvalue criterion
indicated that three factors were greater than one drawn out with a Varimax rotation.
Table 1 indicates the factors loadings of PCA and Cronbach’s ? values. We named
three sub factors based on the theoretical background we discussed earlier in the
literature review: enthusiasm for the work (Factor 1), need for uniqueness (Factor 2),
and pioneering spirit (Factor 3).

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Table 1. Factor Structure and Item Stability
Factor
Indicator
Factor 1
Factor 2
Factor 3
(Cronbach’s ?)
Factor 1
I am willing to work overtime if my talents are recognized by others.
.784


Enthusiasm for the work
I enjoy my work.
.685

(? = .836)
I can take another job in smaller company if it allows me to show more of my talents.
.656


My work comes before everything else..
.647


I want to be evaluated by my capabilities, not by my seniority, age, or gender.
.616


I am a goal-oriented person.
.616


I want more challenges.
.451


Factor 2
I am pressured by hierarchical organization.

.762

Need for uniqueness
I prefer an outfit which can express me than a formal suit.

.648

(? = .617)
I will choose a job I enjoy even if it pays less.

.620

Factor 3
I will choose an unstable job with more money than a stable job with less money.


.657
Pioneering spirit
I like adventures.
.577
(? = .633)
I speak up when I feel something needs to be said regardless of who it is.


.539
I tend to be different from others.


.498
When I do something, I always want to contribute something meaningful.


.379

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4.2 Analysis for Intrinsic Motivation
We investigated what kinds of intrinsic motivation influence online information
sharing. Previously Bloggers’ intrinsic motivation was analyzed by factor analysis
and we found three sub factors. Further, we also performed path analysis to
determine whether online information sharing is positively associated with blog-
posting frequency. If the hypothesis is positive, we can assume that blog-posting
frequency is drawn out by certain intrinsic motivation. Thus, this study advances the
following hypotheses:
H1: Bloggers’ intrinsic motivation wil be positively related to online information
sharing.
H1a: “Enthusiasm for the work” will be positively related to online information
sharing.
H1b: “Need for uniqueness” will be positively related to online information
sharing.
H1c: “Pioneering spirit” will be positively related to online information sharing.
H2: Online information sharing will be positively related to blog-posting frequency.
To test the structural model of the relationships among the variables, path analysis
was performed via AMOS 6.0. Path analysis is a type of multiple regression analysis
which has been used to refer to the analysis of causal models when single indicators
are employed for each of the variables in the model. To test our hypotheses, intrinsic
motivation factors are substituted into the model. Table 2 presents the relationships
among intrinsic motivation, information-sharing, and blog-posting frequency. In this
analysis, path coefficients are needed for each path and standardized regression

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coefficients: beta were fit into the model by regression analysis. All the path
coefficient and significance are shown in Table 2.

Table 2. Path coefficients for causal paths (P*<0.05, p**<0.01)
Dependent Variable
Information-sharing (D)
Blog-posting frequency (B)

Path
Significant
Path
Significant
Independent Variable
Coefficient
Level
Coefficient
Level
Enthusiasm for the work
0.117
0.114
0.098
0.199
Need for uniqueness
0.156*
0.017
-0.030
0.661
Pioneer spirit
0.120
0.107
-0.008
0.920
Information-sharing (D)
-
0.191**
0.002
R2
0.101
0.050

Figures1 is a path analysis model of intrinsic motivation, e-WOM, and blog-posting
behavior. It indicates the relationships among bloggers' intrinsic motivation, online
information sharing, and blog-posting frequency. Table 2 is the parameter estimates
for paths. In Figure 1, the paths represented by solid lines are statistical y significant
and the paths represented by dotted lines are not significant. H1a through H1c stated
that enthusiasm for work, need for uniqueness, and pioneering spirit would be
related to information-sharing. H1 and H2 stated that information-sharing would be
related to blog-posting frequency. As expected, the results show that the need for
uniqueness is related to information-sharing. Also, Information-sharing had a
significant effect on blog-posting frequency. However, enthusiasm for work, need for
uniqueness, and pioneering spirit were found to have no direct effect on blog-posting
frequency. The findings provide strong support for H1b and H2, while H1a and H1c

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were not supported by the data. Thus, path analysis implies that the more bloggers
are motivated by a need for uniqueness, the more likely they are to share information.

Figure 1. Path Analysis Model of Intrinsic Motivation, e-WOM, Blog-posting Behavior


5. Implications
5.1 Blog as a new eWOM channel
In terms of today’s Web 2.0 environments, eWOM study needs to be considered in a
broader range of view. Web 2.0 is all about participation, sharing, openness, user
control, and networking. Along with Wikipedia and UGC, blogs have become a
powerful source of information on the Internet. When bloggers review cultural
contents like movies on the Web, many people share the information and interact
with others to create more information. Today, blogs are new media and they can be

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