본 연구는 기업이미지 제고를 위하여 페이스북, 트위터, 마이크로 블로그 등과 같은 SNS를 기업의 커뮤니케이션 채널로 이용하는 경우, 기업을 대표하는 SNS관리자와 최고경영자(CEO)로 구분하여 기업이미지에 어떠한 영향을 미치는지를 실증분석하였다. 기업이미지에 대한 평가가 기업의 SNS관리주체에 따라 다르게 나타나는지를 살펴보았고, 이용자들이 기업이미지를 평가하는 과정에 있어 자기애, 자존감과 같은 심리적 변수가 영향을 미치는지 그리고 이들간의 관계를 사회적 현존감(social presence)이라는 개념을 통하여 설명하였다. 이를 위하여 실제 페이스북 이용자들을 대상으로 온라인 설문을 실시하였다. 자극물은 기업의 사회적 활동을 대상으로 하여 작성되었으며, 기업을 대표하는 SNS관리자(기업명 사용)와 최고경영자(기업의 대표이사 성명 사용)를 이용하여 구분하였다. 연구 결과에 의하면, 기업의 SNS관리주체가 SNS관리자인 경우에 비하여 최고경영자(CEO)인 경우, 이용자들이 기업이미지를 더 호의적으로 평가하였다. 또한 이러한 영향에 있어 자기애와 자존감의 관계가 조절적 역할을 하였는데, 자기애가 높고 자존감이 높은 경우와 자기애가 낮고 자존감이 낮은 경우에 이러한 효과가 발생하는 것으로 나타났다. 또한 SNS관리주체가 사회적 존재감을 통해 기업이미지에 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 이를 바탕으로 기업이 이미지 제고를 위한 SNS를 사용함에 있어 더 효과적인 의사결정을 할 수 있도록 시사점을 제시하고 후속 연구를 위한 제안을 한다.
SNS(Social Network Service)s such as Tweeter, Facebook, Cyworld, and microblog have become the popular communication tools recently. Particularly the rapid diffusion of smartphone has made it possible any place and any time. People could use SNS for a variety of individual purposes, which one of them is interpersonal relationship. SNS could provide the new opportunity for the effective communication between customers and companies. SNS is web-based services that allow individuals to construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. The nature of these connections may vary from site to site. Facebook is the one of the most popular SNS. So the scope of this study is restricted to Facebook activities as SNS. Already many companies have operated Facebook pages for their brands. As Facebook is designed for two motivations(connect and share), people are connected with other people and can rapidly share information for themselves through Facebook. This study examined how the type of Facebook Fan page manager could influence on corporate image. The corporate Facebook Fan page would be managed by SNS manager of the corporate or CEO(chief executive officer). This study suggested hypotheses as followed; First, the type of SNS manager would influence on the corporate image. Second, the level of narcissism and self-esteem moderate the effect of Facebook Fan page manager type on corporate image, Lastly, social presence mediate the link between the type of Facebook Fan page manager and corporate image. Also social presence mediate the link between the three-way interaction of the type of Facebook Fan page manager, the level of narcissism, the level of self-esteem, and corporate image. To test those hypotheses empirically, we collected the data from 140 subjects who were randomly assigned to one of two conditions(type of Facebook Fan page manager; SNS manager and CEO). The research findings were summarized as follows: First, The result showed that CEO as Facebook Fan page manager had more significant influence on corporate image(t = 1.746, p = .042, one-tailed test) than SNS manager. This means that participants with CEO manipulation evaluate corporate image more favorable than participants with SNS manager manipulation. Second, there is a significant interaction effect among the type of Facebook Fan page manager, the level of narcissism, and the level of self-esteem(F = 4.939, p < .028). In detail, a two-way effect of the type of Facebook Fan page manager, the level of narcissism with higher self-esteem was significant(F = 2.833, p = .048, one-tailed test) but a two-way effect of the type of Facebook Fan page manager, the level of Narcissism with lower self-esteem was not significant(F = 1.992, p = .163). And the effect of the type of Facebook Fan page manager was significant when narcissism and self-esteem was higher(t = 1.857, p = .038, one-tailed test) and narcissism and self-esteem was lower(t = 2.2725, p = .030). Lastly, the mediating role of social presence between the type of Facebook Fan page manager and corporate image was founded. Thus the type of SNS manager would influence the enhancement of corporate image though full mediating role of social presence.