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The purpose of this paper is to propose new directions for human resource management (HRM) research by drawing attention to online data as a complementary data source to traditional quantitative and qualitative data, and introducing network text analysis as a method for large quantities of textual material.

The paper first presents the added value and potential challenges of utilising online data in HRM research, and then proposes a four-step process for analysing online data with network text analysis.

Online data represent a naturally occuring source of real-time behavioural data that do not suffer from researcher intervention or hindsight bias. The authors argue that as such, this type of data provides a promising yet currently largely untapped empirical context for HRM research that is particularly suited for examining discourses and behavioural and social patterns over time.

While online data hold promise for many novel research questions, it is less appropriate for research questions that seek to establish causality between variables. When using online data, particular attention must be paid to ethical considerations, as well as the validity and representativeness of the sample.

The authors introduce online data and network text analysis as a new avenue for HRM research, with potential to address novel research questions at micro-, meso- and macro-levels of analysis.

This paper aims to investigate the effects of buzz about the focal brand on competing brands’ attitudes.

Brand-related buzz can be defined as “a general sense of [positive or negative] excitement about or interest in [a brand], as reflected in or generated by word of mouth” (Oxford dictionary). The authors investigate the spillover effects of such positive and negative buzz on brand attitudes of 648 brands in 43 categories over five years.

The authors find that spillover effects are widespread across product categories and affect competing brands through (negative) halo effect and (unfavorable) preference substitution. The authors do not find evidence of positive spillover effects for non-focal brands.

The authors provide generalizable evidence that positive and negative buzz spills over competing brands’ attitudes for hundreds of brands across the largest sectors of the US economy. Interestingly, positive and negative buzz have asymmetric effects on consumer attitudes. These effects vary by consumer attitude metric and are moderated by brand news intensity, strength and similarity.

First, marketing managers should monitor the buzz of competing brands. Second, if managers are concerned with impressions, they should intervene when there is a negative buzz about competitors (halo effect). Third, managers should stimulate positive buzz to negatively affect their competitors’ purchases. Fourth, managing a smaller brand has advantages regarding impressions and recommendations, while news intensity can shield from negative spillover effects for impressions. Finally, brand similarity amplifies the spillover effects across the board.

This paper provides evidence that spillover effects are pervasive and urges marketing managers and academics to incorporate competing buzz in their frameworks and strategies.

Property developers identify the vital role of social media brand engagement (SMBE) in sustaining their businesses in competitive marketplaces, but it remains underexplored. This paper examines how SMBE mediates the effects of firm-generated content (FGC) and user-generated content (UGC) on brand trust, considering the moderating effects of social media influencer endorsement (SMIE) and self-image congruence (SIC) for luxury residential properties (LRPs).

Around 516 high-income homebuyers in Vietnam who shared information about LRP on social media were targeted to test the research model empirically. The primary data collected from paper-based surveys were analysed using SPSS 26 and AMOS 24.

Results indicate that FGC and UGC positively impact SMBE and consequently significantly affect brand trust. Further, results confirm the moderating roles of SMIE and SIC in the effects of FGC and UGC on SMBE.

Data and sample size were limited to meet the generalisation from different nations and cross cultures.

The authors' findings suggest that marketers should apply the authors' integrated SMBE model to strengthen brand–consumer interactions and increase their sales revenue.

This study is the first in its application of the uses and gratifications theory and self-congruence theory to investigate how SMBE mediates the relationship between FGC and brand trust as well as between UGC and brand trust. Noticeably, this study makes a novel contribution as the first to quantitatively explore the moderating effects of SMIE and SIC in the authors' research model.