Let’s face it: When and how facial emojis increase the persuasiveness of electronic word of mouth

Tobias Maiberger (), David Schindler () and Nicole Koschate-Fischer ()
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Tobias Maiberger: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
David Schindler: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
Nicole Koschate-Fischer: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg

Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 2024, vol. 52, issue 1, No 7, 119-139

Abstract: Abstract Facial emojis have increasingly permeated electronic word of mouth (eWOM), but the persuasive consequences of this phenomenon remain unclear. Drawing on emotions as social information (EASI) theory, this research reveals that facial emojis influence persuasion (e.g., product choice) by affecting emotional arousal and perceived ambiguity. While the effect through emotional arousal is generally positive, the effect through ambiguity depends on the emojis’ function in eWOM: facial emojis that replace a verbal expression increase ambiguity and therefore reduce persuasion, whereas those that reiterate a verbal expression decrease ambiguity and therefore enhance persuasion. Both the emotional-arousal and ambiguity pathways determine the net persuasive effect. This research also explores two situations (high verbal context richness and eWOM from strong ties) where replacing facial emojis can increase persuasion. Finally, the authors show that facial emojis’ persuasive power is generalizable to online brand communications, influencing key management outcomes such as click-through rates for digital ads.

Keywords: Emoji; Textual paralanguage; Electronic word of mouth; Persuasion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s11747-023-00932-8

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