Abstract

Purpose: One of the characteristics of service companies such as foodservice franchise is that it is easy to imitate, so many brands can imitate the menu that is popular with consumers. Therefore, foodservice franchise company should develop a brand that customers can identify from other brands in order differentiate it from its competitors. In order make the foodservice franchise company identifiable from other brands, it is possible through communication with customers. Therefore, this study proposes a new research model to analyze customer loyalty through online advertising and online word of mouth trust and immersion. Online was provided to customers through a mixture of advertisements and word of mouth, but previous studies have only considered online advertisements or online word of mouth. In addition, we want to verify the difference according to gender, which is an important variable in researching the online information processing behavior of customers. Research design, data, and methodology: The questionnaire of this study was surveyed on 20 years of age or older who have visited the restaurant franchise store within the last 3 months among the foodservice franchise companies operating SNS. During the survey period, 400 surveys were surveyed for a total of 20 days from April 1 to April 20, 2020. Result: The research results are as follows. First, in this study, the effect of online advertisement and online word of mouth on trust and immersion was studied. Second, this study verified the social influence theory in online advertising and online word of mouth. Third, the effect of online advertising and online word of mouth on loyalty according to gender was verified. Fourth, compared to existing advertisements, online advertisements are suitable for marketing by foodservice franchise companies because they can interact with consumers, modify advertisements immediately, execute extensive advertisements at low cost, segment the market, and measure advertisement effectiveness. The recent online expansion has been expanded to mobile-based, allowing foodservice franchisees to provide new communication services such as SMS (Short Message Service), multimedia messaging services, and location-based services. Fifth, a foodservice franchise company can increase brand awareness through online marketing or induce the use of offline stores. Sixth, franchisor can grow into a sustainable company only when they use resources efficiently. Conclusions: Trust is important in foodservice franchise information. This trust has a significant impact on customer commitment and loyalty.