Abstract

Previous research on word of mouth (WOM) has presented inconsistent evidence on whether consumers are more inclined to share positive or negative information about products and services. Some findings suggest that consumers are more inclined to engage in positive WOM, whereas others suggest that consumers are more inclined to engage in negative WOM. The present research offers a theoretical perspective that provides a means to resolve these seemingly contradictory findings. Specifically, the authors compare the generation of WOM (i.e., consumers sharing information about their own experiences) with the transmission of WOM (i.e., consumers passing on information about experiences they heard occurred to others). They suggest that a basic human motive to self-enhance leads consumers to generate positive WOM (i.e., share information about their own positive consumption experiences) but transmit negative WOM (i.e., pass on information they heard about others’ negative consumption experiences). The authors present evidence for self-enhancement motives playing out in opposite ways for WOM generation versus WOM transmission across four experiments.

Autore Pugliese

• Peluso Alessandro Maria

Tutti gli autori

• M. De Angelis , A. Bonezzi , A.M. Peluso , D.D. Rucker , M. Costabile

Titolo volume/Rivista

JOURNAL OF MARKETING RESEARCH

Anno di pubblicazione

2012

ISSN

0022-2437

ISBN

Non Disponibile

Numero di citazioni Wos

61

Ultimo Aggiornamento Citazioni

27/04/2018

Numero di citazioni Scopus

85

Ultimo Aggiornamento Citazioni

26/04/2018

Settori ERC

Non Disponibile

Codici ASJC

Non Disponibile