Viral Marketing Communication: The Internet Word-of-Mouth

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Viral Marketing Communication – A study on consumer perception and response MBA Thesis ’2009 respondent, 2) the respondent replied saying that he or she seldom uses the internet (it would be ascertained that this was less than our target criteria of logging on once a week), or 3) that the survey had too many blank or erroneous answers and was not corrected at all or in time. 4.1.2 Qualitative – In-depth Interviews An in-depth interview, or depth interview, can be defined as a set of probing questions posed one-on-one to a subject by an interviewer so as to gain an idea of what the subject thinks about something or why he or she behaves in a certain way. Depth interviews can offer great insights into consumer behavior (Burns & Bush, 2000). Interview process Interviews were carried out one-on-one with the respondents. This was done face-to-face in the respondent‟s home. Face-to-face communication allowed for enhanced rapport and response rates (Cruz & Fill, 2008). When a respondent is in a secure, comfortable environment, the likelihood of distraction is reduced and thus believed that respondents take more care in responding to questions (Burns & Bush, 2000). Selection of respondents Similar to the quantitative survey, due to time and resource constraints, we selected friends or friends‟ referrals who fell under the target population of internet users who accessed the internet at least once a week as interviewees. Thus, we also made use of nonprobability sampling in this research. Method of data collection Prior to the interviews, we developed an interview guide (See Appendix III) and conducted a pilot study on three respondents. They were requested to answer the interview questions and also comment on their understanding of them in order to allow us to work out a clearer and more concise final draft. This interview guide provided us with a general direction for the interviews and we would adapt the questions or probe further according to the situational needs. From the pilot study, we also estimated that the average time needed to complete one interview was 45 minutes and we planned our time schedule accordingly. Low Jiun Wee Xavier and Goh Yun Shuang Summer Page 30 of 93
Viral Marketing Communication – A study on consumer perception and response MBA Thesis ’2009 In approaching the interviewees, we explained to them the purpose of our study, stated the approximate time needed and requested for an appointment time. All interviews were scheduled to take place between 29 April and 30 May 2009. The interviews were not recorded on tape but instead, we performed different roles whereby one of us will ask the questions and the other will take extensive short-hand notes. After each interview, we also wrote down a descriptive report immediately based on the notes to avoid forgetting crucial points. Eventually, each interview took an approximate average of 48 minutes in total and this was partially due to the existence of disruptions which we will elaborate on in the later section. Response rate We sent out requests to a total of 22 respondents, explaining to them the purpose of the interview and seeking for permission to hold the interviews in-homes. A total of 15 respondents replied favorably, while the rest cited various reasons such as busy schedules, lack of interest, personal reasons or did not reply at all. This led us to achieve a response rate of 68%. 4.2 Limitations of Research Methodology 4.2.1 General limitations 1) Sample size limitation Due to time and resource constraint, the small size of the sample used in both the structured questionnaire and in-depth interview limits the extent to which we can apply the results as a general theory. Moreover, random sampling instead of convenience sampling might have helped in generating a more valid data analysis and improve the accuracy of our results. 2) Additional research on other forms of VMC As described above, we have conducted our study based on five main forms of VMC. While we acknowledge the existence and importance of other forms of VMC, such as adver-gaming and chat rooms, we have not performed any consumer research in these areas. Thus, there is a need for more investigation and analysis in order to paint a more complete picture. Low Jiun Wee Xavier and Goh Yun Shuang Summer Page 31 of 93
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Viral Marketing Communication: The Internet Word-of-Mouth

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