Purpose: The customers’ behavior is influenced by their mental image of the Banks. Information resources are one of the factors that shape this mental image. Electronic word of mouth (eWOM) is considered a powerful advertising tool and an important and influential resource of information on the attitudes and behavior of customers. The aim of the present research is to investigate the position of eWOM among the advertising strategies that shape the mental image of customers at Bank Day branches in the western part of the country. Method: This research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive and analytical in terms of nature. It is also a field survey in terms of data collection. The background of the research was compiled through library resources and web browsing. Then, 8 options and 9 criteria were identified, and a decision matrix questionnaire was designed. Therefore, the researcher’s decision matrix was used to collect data, and its content validity was confirmed by professors. The statistical population of this research consisted of all experts working at Bank Day Gharb branches in the country. In this study, 23 experts were selected using purposive and snowball sampling. Findings: Data analysis was performed using Taxonomy software. The results showed that the eWOM advertising strategy ranked third among the advertising strategies, following television advertising and internet advertising, in shaping the customer's mental image. Conclusion: Based on the research findings, the electronic recommendation advertising strategy is considered an important advertising strategy in shaping the mental image of Bank Day customers. There is a need for skilled managers to design appropriate websites and social networks and provide the necessary preparations for its development.
Hosseini et al. (Wed,) studied this question.