CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE TOWARDS E-WOM (WORDS OF MOUTH): THE EFFECT OF EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING

Daniel Hermawan

Daniel Hermawan Business Administration Department Faculty of Social and Political Science Parahyangan Catholic University

Keywords: customer experience, e-WOM, experiential marketing, Instagram, selfie

Abstract

The selfie trend is a phenomenon favoured by modern society today. The presence of Instagram is a stage to show the existence of someone when they experienced certain events in the form of photos, videos and Instastory features. Nomophobia syndrome is also one of the catalysts of periodic status update behaviour on social media for getting netizen’s likes and comments. This community's passion for selfie is used by SME’s actors in the culinary field to provide a closer consumer experience. Cafe owners with limited capital are able to juggle limited spaces into a new tourist spot, in addition to enjoying the beverages offered. Consumers not only enjoy the food or drink served, but also the experience offered by the cafe. Through this research, the authors are interested in (1) exploring experiential marketing phenomena in SME's, (2) describing esteem economy on Instagram social media, and (3) knowing the influence of experiential marketing in the form of customer experience on e- WOM through social media. Research is classified as qualitative research by collecting data through interviews, observations, and case studies.