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Negative information normally has more impact on attitude and cognition than positive information, but there is evidence that positive word of mouth (PWOM) usually has more effect on purchase intention than negative word of mouth (NWOM). We explain how this apparent inconsistency may come about when measures of attitude and intention are used as indicators of behavior. We argue that on/off behaviors, such as purchase, should be predicted better by a measure of intention, rather than attitude, and that consideration should be given to a measure of intention that is proportional to the maximum change that could occur as this reflects the movement toward or away from purchase. A large database is analyzed to show the differences between proportional and absolute measures. In addition, we examine the proportions of respondents reaching certainty (i.e. 0% or 100% probability of purchase) after NWOM and PWOM. Findings from these new analyses show that PWOM has more impact than NWOM on purchase intention (both proportional and absolute), but a higher proportion of respondents reach certainty after NWOM.

PurposePrevious research on luxury consumption has focused on conspicuous consumption; however, research on consumers' self-conceptual mechanism in inconspicuous luxury consumption context is scarce. The present study aims to investigate various self-concepts and their mechanisms for inconspicuous and conspicuous luxury consumption.Design/methodology/approachAn experiment with 215 participants from online survey website was conducted, and the hypotheses were tested using PROCESS Macro 3.4.FindingsThe study findings are as follows. Materialistic consumers' preference between inconspicuous and conspicuous luxury products is dependent on distinctive self-conceptual mechanism. More specifically, materialistic consumers with independent self-construal prefer inconspicuous luxury brands because of high need for uniqueness, whereas non-materialistic consumers with interdependent self-construal prefer conspicuous luxury products because of high self-monitoring.Research limitations/implicationsThe present study uniquely shows conditions (moderated mediation) that the link between need for uniqueness (self-monitoring) and luxury consumption is stronger for those with independent (interdependent) self-construal than for those with interdependent (independent) self-construal. The present results extend and help better understanding of mechanisms and conditions of conspicuous and inconspicuous luxury consumption.Practical implicationsMarketers are advised to design and produce unique vs popular luxury brands depending on consumer's motives and different self-concepts.Originality/valueThis research contributes to extant literature by distinguishing between conspicuous and inconspicuous luxury consumption with two different mechanisms (need for uniqueness and self-monitoring). The present study further demonstrates that the two mechanisms are strongly sustained differently depending on consumer's levels of self-construal.

This article proposes and tests a dual-process model of corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication. Building on the framing theory and associative network theory, the authors examine how including statements about a company's CSR fit and CSR history in apology statements can affect purchase intention and negative word of mouth (NWOM). Perceived integrity, attitude toward the apology statement, and attitude toward the company are sequential mediators that will subsequently affect purchase intention and NWOM. The results show that CSR fit will positively affect purchase intention and negatively affect NWOM through increased perceived integrity and attitude toward the apology statement, which will positively affect their attitude toward the company. The findings also show that CSR history will positively affect purchase intention and negatively affect NWOM through increased perceived integrity and attitude toward the apology statement, which will positively affect their attitude toward the company.

Three surveys, each covering two categories, were used to investigate the decay in WOM output after product experience. The categories were restaurants, fashion stores, hotels, holiday destinations, mobile phones and films. Data were gathered in the UK and Thailand, resulting in a total of 548 usable responses. Word-of-mouth (WOM) output decays rapidly after product experience and then flattens. There is substantial variation by category. The decay rates of positive and negative word of mouth (PWOM, NWOM) are much the same, indicating that ratio measures of the volumes of PWOM to NWOM will be largely independent of the interval over which they are measured. This evidence on WOM decay is useful to those estimating the financial return from new customers and indicates that incentivised referral should be concentrated in the short interval after product experience if it is to draw advantage from the high rate of WOM found at this time. More generally, it is argued that decay in the output of WOM must be studied by consumer researchers if the effect of WOM is to be properly measured and modelled.

Abstract
The Peer-to-Peer sector of the sharing economy relies on reputation systems through which consumers and providers review each other. Whereas prior research has examined the effects of reviews by consumers on providers and firms, this research examines, for the first time, a turn of the tables in which consumers are evaluated. Across a pilot and seven studies (five preregistered), using multiple actual behaviors and sharing contexts, results reveal that a negative review of the consumer from the peer provider leads to negative word of mouth (NWOM) about the platform. Drawing from psychological contract theory, the research demonstrates that this effect is mediated by consumers' perceived betrayal by the platform. Two sets of moderators are identified. The first set establishes that a breach of consumers' psychological contract with the platform underlies the effect. In the second set, platform policies that may render a breach more or less consequential can intensify or mitigate consumer reactions. Specifically, making the review private (vs. public) and providing opportunities for justice restoration (response, revenge, and dispute) attenuate the effect of review valence on betrayal and NWOM. Implications for sharing economy platform managers and consumers are discussed.

The volume and impact of positive and negative word of mouth (PWOM, NWOM) are investigated in relation to the market shares of brands. We find that the volumes of PWOM and NWOM are closely related to market share. By contrast, the average impact of instances of PWOM and NWOM shows no direct relationship with market share. When the direct influence of market share is removed, we find that small brands have somewhat more WOM than is warranted by their size, whereas large brands have slightly less, and this effect is stronger in the case of NWOM. The evidence presented here provides norms for evaluating WOM data and assists in the development of WOM metrics.

Purpose– The authors aim to study the direct and moderating effects of relationship age, continuance commitment and satisfaction on the generation of positive and negative word of mouth (P/NWOM).Design/methodology/approach– Hypotheses based on the notion of liability of adolescence and the motivation to generate P/NWOM were tested with data collected through a survey of a random sample of customers of fixed-line telephone users.Findings– Relationship age adversely impacts PWOM and the effect of satisfaction on both P/NWOM. Continuance commitment increases NWOM and causes dissatisfied customers to generate greater NWOM while not affecting the PWOM of satisfied customers. Satisfaction shows a significant non-linear effect on WOM.Research limitations/implications– Future research could conduct longitudinal or experimental work to explicate the causal mechanisms underlying these cross-sectional survey results. Research could also extend these results to a B-B context.Practical implications– Results offer strong evidence of a dark side to long-term customer relationships. Recommendations focus on managing long-term relationships and perceptions of continuance commitment to minimise adverse effects.Originality/value– As far as the authors know, this research is the first to offer a theoretically grounded explanation of the direct and moderating effects of relationship age on P/NWOM behaviour. Results challenge the premise of long-term customers being a panacea for numerous problems faced by firms. Findings also help explain the contradictory results in prior research on the effects of continuous commitment on WOM.

This study builds on the research of East et al. (2008) into the relative impact of Positive and Negative Word of Mouth (PWOM, NWOM). It examines two low involvement categories with different consumer transaction patterns: TV programs and films. The results reveal that when prior viewing probabilities have equivalent room-to-change, PWOM and NWOM have the same level of impact for films, but PWOM is more influential than NWOM for TV programs. This is an important boundary condition for the work of East et al. (2008) and suggests that the value of NWOM should be discounted in TV programs, irrespective of the prior propensity to view. Consistent with East et al. (2008) , we find that PWOM is more influential on those with lower viewing probabilities. Our findings provide guidance as to which type of viewers should be targeted with WOM campaigns to have the greatest effect on audience growth.

Using a survey of 349 respondents, we investigate the triggers of word of mouth (WOM) in four durable categories and compare this evidence with previous findings for services. For these durables, positive word of mouth (PWOM) is mostly triggered by advertising and customer satisfaction with the product, while negative word of mouth (NWOM) is rare and mostly triggered by the content of conversation and the perception that other persons need advice. This contrasts with previously established findings for services where advertising has little effect on PWOM and dissatisfaction has substantial effect on NWOM. These differences have important implications: they suggest that durable ads should be tested to check that they trigger PWOM and that service providers should pay more attention to the satisfaction derived from the service experience.

AbstractExtending the relational perspective of strategic issues management, this study investigates the relational outcomes of potential risks associated with organizational issues and explores the moderators of the risk perception and relational outcomes relationships. The results from a between‐subjects factorial experiment (N = 297) revealed that stakeholders' perceived risks led to negative word‐of‐mouth (NWOM) intentions. Furthermore, fear and anger amplified the relationship between perceived risks and NWOM intentions, whereas efficacy‐enhancing communication alleviated the negative relationship between perceived risks and organization–public relationships. Crisis and issue managers are recommended to mitigate stakeholders' negative emotions and use efficacy‐enhancing communication to help stakeholders interpret the risks.

AbstractInstances of corporate social irresponsibility (CSI) in popular media, coupled with its negative consequences behooves a systematic assessment of the consequences of CSI. This study responds to calls for such research. Specifically, drawing on attribution theory, we investigate the role of CSI on prospective employees' employment intention (EI) and negative word‐of‐mouth (NWOM) propensity and the role of other condemning moral emotions (OCME) in mediating the relationship between CSI and EI and NWOM propensity. In addition, drawing on construal level theory, we investigate if psychological distance moderates the relationship between CSI and OCME, and thereby, impacts the mediation from CSI to EI and NWOM propensity through OCME. Results indicate that CSI decreases EI and enhances NWOM propensity, and these relationships are mediated via OCME. PD enhances the effect of CSI on EI and NWOM propensity through OCME such that lower PD is associated with a lower EI and higher NWOM propensity.

The Internet, including the social media services, has considerably changed the manner in which consumers voice favourable or unfavourable recommendations about products and services. Development of social media allowed reaching a significantly greater number of persons in a quicker way. One may also notice that the range of thematic comments has been expanded – customers speak not only about the quality of the products, their prices, service levels, but also about other aspects of how marketing companies function. Finally, it is worth paying attention to the language of these opinions, which – in the case of a negative experience with a product or retailer advertising – is often aggressive. With the development and dissemination of social networking, PR and marketing communications managers must learn how to communicate and satisfy customers and those who express their discontent at different stages of the purchase funnel. This is especially important in the case of negative word of mouth (NWOM) because every negative opinion can become the nucleus of major problems within brand image and the brand crisis. The aim of the article is to show the specificity of word of mouth in social media (sWOM) as one of the forms of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) and to depict phenomenon of NWOM in social media basing on selected case studies from the Polish market.

AbstractThis study investigates how three types of emotions (anger, affective empathy, and cognitive empathy) mediate the relationship between crisis type and corporate social responsibility (CSR) fit and organizational outcomes such as purchase intentions, negative word‐of‐mouth (nwom), organizational reputation, as well as forgiveness. An online 2 (crisis type: product‐harm vs. moral‐harm) x 2 (CSR fit: high fit vs. low fit) between‐subjects design (N = 412) was conducted with the participants recruited via CloudResearch, a crowdsourcing platform. The findings indicate that anger significantly mediates the relationship between crisis type and crisis outcomes, with product‐harm crises increasing anger and leading to more negative outcomes. Conversely, high CSR fit reduces anger and enhances positive organizational outcomes. Affective empathy also mediates these relationships, with product‐harm crises lowering affective empathy and CSR fit improving it, subsequently influencing purchase intentions, reputation, forgiveness, and negative word‐of‐mouth. Cognitive empathy partially mediates these effects, particularly affecting negative word‐of‐mouth, reputation, and forgiveness. These results suggest that managing stakeholder emotions through CSR alignment can effectively mitigate negative impacts during crises. Both theoretical and practical implications are discussed.