This book is an innovative attempt to identify and analyse the processes related to social influence in online buying behaviour, with special attention given to the phenomenon of social proof, which is the basis of social media, recommendation marketing, and word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing. It empirically verifies the factors which influence the effectiveness of social proof, and identifies relevant impact factors. Opening with a literature review of this concept from the perspective of social psychology, sociology, and marketing, this interdisciplinary approach to the issue allows for an in-depth understanding of the mechanisms of the effective use of social proof in contemporary online marketing. Following this, in the context of theoretical considerations, the author analyses the social role and significance of social proof in the buying behaviours of online consumers. The second half of the book presents the results of the author's quantitative and qualitative research into the effectiveness of social proof. The quantitative research verifies the hypotheses concerning the social role and significance of social proof in buying decisions and identifies the level of confidence in the opinions expressed by other web users. The qualitative research focuses on the empirical verification of the effectiveness of social proof mechanisms. Additionally, attention is given to sensitivity to social proof, i.e. the factors that increase the effectiveness of such messages, from both the sender's and the recipient's perspective, as well as the forms and channels of communication. Written for scholars and researchers interested in the debate on the transparency of activities carried out by companies in the area of online marketing, the book's detailed analysis of influence utilizing both quantitative and qualitative studies may be of interest to a wider group of academics including economists, psychologists and sociologists.

Advertising is a company's major form of communication with the market; it is a component of the IMC system, having a special impact on the addressee, and is a form of persuasive communication affecting consumer behaviour. Advertising may reflect information asymmetry between an advertiser and recipients. This book presents an assessment of the forms and range of consumer behaviour manipulation through information asymmetry in online advertising and explores the possible causes, forms, and effects. The work offers a new approach to the role of advertising in the digital world, especially its forms and impact strategies. The theoretical framework presented is based on issues related to online advertising, information asymmetry, and social manipulation. The book describes the ways in which these areas can be explored, and it presents the results of empirical studies. Empirical research allows for identifying companies' moral hazard strategies and their consequences - e-consumers' adverse selection. The research provides an empirical answer to the question: to what extent is advertising a transparent form of communication, and to what extent does it represent the world of manipulation? Based on an interdisciplinary theoretical approach, empirical studies conducted by the authors, and theoretical and managerial implication, the book encourages its readers to find their own answers. Given the interdisciplinary nature of this work, it will be of interest to scholars and researchers within the fields of marketing, media and communication, economics, psychology, sociology, and ethics.