Involvement theory in constructing bloggers' intention to purchase travel products

• Published in: Tourism management (1982) 2010, Vol.31 (4), p.513-526
• Main Authors: Huang, Ching-Yuan, Chou, Chia-Jung, Lin, Pei-Ching
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ad effect; Ad memory; Blog; Brand attitude; Purchase intention
• ISSN: 0261-5177; 1879-3193
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tourman.2009.06.003

Blogs recently have demonstrated their enormous marketing potential, and more and more travel advertisements are being posted in blogs. In light of this observation, this study aims to provide insights into the structural relationship among travel bloggers' involvement level, the advertising effect from blog messages, and travel bloggers' intention to purchase travel products. A travel blogger's purchase intention model was constructed and empirically tested. A total of 900 questionnaires were distributed to identified travel bloggers; 398 valid responses were returned. The data were examined with Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The results demonstrated the positive impact resulting from the ad effect as well as the ad effect on purchase intention, which could be verified in travel blog environments. It also indicated that high-involvement travel bloggers are more likely to form favourable impressions with regard to ads in travel blogs. Travel blogs play a positive role in the processing of ad messages; brand management is essential to business marketers since brand attitude is the most influential factor related to the ad effect on purchase intention. Meanwhile, while ad attitude is not significantly effective concerning purchase intention, it remains essential in forming brand attitudes. Several implications for posting advertisements in travel blogs will be discussed and suggested in this paper.