Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A reward for your voice: The effects of referral rewards on the referrer’s attitude toward the recommended service provider

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover Aktuelle Aspekte in der Dienstleistungsforschung

Part of the book series: Fokus Dienstleistungsmarketing ((FDM))

  • 4449 Accesses

Abstract

Word-of-mouth (WOM) has long been acknowledged as an influential form of communication (e.g. Haywood, 1989; Kornish & Li, 2010). Several studies have repeatedly shown the positive impact of WOM communication on the receiver. The relevance of WOM in shaping recipients’ expectations (Webster, 1991; Zeithaml et al., 1993) and evaluations (Bone, 1995; Herr et al., 1991; Söderlund & Rosengren, 2007) is widely accepted. Research further provides evidence of the impact of WOM on actual purchase behavior (Chevalier & Mayzlin, 2006; Godes & Mayzlin, 2004; Keaveney & Parthasarathy, 2001). Scholars therefore agree that WOM is an effective marketing instrument for gaining new customers (e.g. Kornish & Li, 2010; Kumar et al., 2010; Schmitt et al., 2011; Xiao et al., 2011).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 49.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Aronson, E., Ellsworth, P. C., Carlsmith, J. M., & Gonzales, M. H. (1990). Meth-ods of Research in Social Psychology. New York: Mc Graw-Hill Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Austin, W., & Walster, E. (1974). Reactions to confirmations and disconfirma-tions of expectancies of equity and inequity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 30(2), 208–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bem, D. J. (1965). An experimental analysis of self-persuasion. Journal of Exper-imental Social Psychology, 1(3), 199–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bem, D. J. (1967). Self-perception: an alternative interpretation of cognitive dis-sonance phenomena. Psychological Review, 74(3), 183–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bem, D. J. (1972). Self-perception theory. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology (Vol. 6, pp. 1–62). New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bloch, P. H., & Richins, M. L. (1983). A theoretical model for the study of product importance perceptions. Journal of Marketing, 47(3), 69–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bone, P. F. (1992). Determinants of word-of-mouth communications during prod-uct consumption. Advances in Consumer Research, 19(1), 579–583.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bone, P. F. (1995). Word-of-mouth effects on short-term and long-term product judgments. Journal of Business Research, 32(3), 213–223.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, J. J., & Reingen, P. R. (1987). Social ties and word-of-mouth referral be-havior. Journal of Consumer Research, 14(3), 350–362.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, S. P., & Stayman, D. M. (1992). Antecedents and consequences of attitude toward the ad: a meta-analysis. Journal of Consumer Research, 19(1), 34–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Calder, B. J., Phillips, L. W. & Tybout, A. M. (1981). Designing research for ap-plication. Journal of Consumer Research, 8(2), 197–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Celsi, R. L., & Olson, J. C. (1988). The role of involvement in attention and com-prehension processes. Journal of Consumer Research, 15(2), 210–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chaiken, S., & Baldwin, M. W. (1981). Affective-cognitive consistency and the effect of salient behavioral information on the self-perception of attitudes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 41(1), 1–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chevalier, J. A., & Mayzlin, D. (2006). The effect of word of mouth on sales: online book reviews. Journal of Marketing Research, 43(3), 345–354.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chung, C. M. Y., & Tsai, Q. (2009). The effects of regulatory focus and tie strength on word-of-mouth behaviour. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 21(3), 329–341.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cialdini, R. B. (2009). Influence: Science and Practice. Boston: Pearson Educa-tion.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cialdini, R. B., & Goldstein, N. J. (2004). Social influence: compliance and con-formity. Annual Review of Psychology, 55, 591–621.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cioffi, D., & Garner, R. (1996). On doing the decision: effects of active versus passive choice on commitment and self-perception. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 22(2), 133–147.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark, M. S. (1984). Record keeping in two types of relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 47(3), 549–557.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark, M. S., Powell, M. C., & Mills, J. (1986). Keeping track of needs in com-munal and exchange relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychol-ogy, 51(2), 333–338.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L. (1971). Effects of externally mediated rewards on intrinsic motivation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 18(1), 105–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dick, A. S., & Basu, K. (1994). Customer loyalty: toward an integrated concep-tual framework. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 22(2), 99–113.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eagly, A. H., & Chaiken, S. (1993). The Psychology of Attitudes. Fort Worth: Har-court Brace Jovanovich.

    Google Scholar 

  • East, R., Lomax, W., & Narain, R. (2001). Customer tenure, recommendation and switching. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complain-ing Behavior, 14, 46–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eggert, A., Helm, S., & Garnefeld, I. (2007). Kundenbindung durch Weiteremp-fehlung? Eine experimentelle Untersuchung der Wirkung positiver Kunden-empfehlungen auf die Bindung des Empfehlenden. Marketing ZFP, 29(4), 233–245.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ennew, C. T., Banerjee, A. K., & Li, D. (2000). Managing word of mouth com-munication: empirical evidence from India. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 18(2), 75–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fazio, R. H. (1987). Self-perception theory: a current perspective. In M. P. Zanna, J. M. Olson & C. P. Herman (Eds.), Social Influence: The Ontario Symposium (Vol. 5, pp. 129–150). Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fazio, R. H., Herr, P. M., & Olney, T. J. (1984). Attitude accessibility following a self-perception process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 47(2), 277–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frazier, P. A., Barron, K. E., & Tix, A. P. (2004). Testing moderator and mediator effects in counseling psychology research. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 51(1), 115–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frenzen, J. K., & Davis, H. L. (1990). Purchasing behavior in embedded markets. Journal of Consumer Research, 17(1), 1–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frenzen, J. K., & Nakamoto, K. (1993). Structure, cooperation, and the flow of market information. Journal of Consumer Research, 20(3), 360–375.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fullerton, G. (2003). When does commitment lead to loyalty?. Journal of Service Research, 5(4), 333–344.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garnefeld, I., Helm, S., & Eggert, A. (2011). Walk your talk: an experimental investigation of the relationship between word of mouth and communicators' loyalty. Journal of Service Research, 14(1), 93–107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garnefeld, I., Eggert, A., Helm, S., & Tax, S. S. (2013). Growing existing cus-tomers' revenue streams through customer referral programs. Journal of Mar-keting, 77(4), 17–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gatignon, H., & Robertson, T. S. (1986). An exchange theory model of interper-sonal communication. Advances in Consumer Research, 13, 534–538.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerald, H. B. (1968). Basic features of commitment. In R. P. Abelson (Ed.), The-ories of Cognitive Consistency: A Sourcebook (pp. 456–466). Chicago: Rand McNally.

    Google Scholar 

  • Godes, D., & Mayzlin, D. (2004). Using online conversations to study word-of-mouth communication. Marketing Science, 23(4), 545–560.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Granovetter, M. S. (1973). The strength of weak ties. American Journal of Soci-ology, 78(6), 1360–1380.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gundlach, G. T., Achrol, R. S., & Mentzer, J. T. (1995). The structure of commit-ment in exchange. Journal of Marketing, 59(1), 78–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hackleman, E. C., & Duker, J. M. (1980). Deal proneness and heavy usage: merg-ing two market segmentation criteria. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 8(4), 332–344.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halverson, R. R., & Pallak, M. S. (1978). Commitment, ego-involvement and re-sistance to attack. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 14(1), 1–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haywood, K. M. (1989). Managing word of mouth communications. Journal of Services Marketing, 3(2), 55–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Helm, S. (2003). Calculating the value of customers' referrals. Managing Service Quality, 13(2), 124–133.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herr, P. M., Kardes, F. R., & Kim, J. (1991). Effects of word-of-mouth and prod-uct-attribute information on persuasion: an accessibility-diagnosticity per-spective. Journal of Consumer Research, 17(4), 454–462.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Homburg, C., & Giering, A. (2001). Personal characteristics as moderators of the relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty – an empirical analysis. Psychology & Marketing, 18(1), 43–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, T. O., & Sasser, W. E. (1995). Why satisfied customers defect. Harvard Business Review, 73(November/December), 88–99.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, T. D., Taylor, S. F., & Bansal, H. S. (2009). Targets of commitment in ser-vice provider-consumer relationships: a prototyping study. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 12(1), 36–48.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keaveney, S. M., & Parthasarathy, M. (2001). Customer switching behavior in online services: an exploratory study of the role of selected attitudinal, behav-ioral, and demographic factors. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 29(4), 374–390.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kiesler, C. A. (1971). The Psychology of Commitment: Experiments Linking Be-havior to Belief. New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kornish, L. J., & Li, Q. (2010). Optimal referral bonuses with asymmetric infor-mation: firm-offered and interpersonal incentives. Marketing Science, 29(1), 108–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar, V., Petersen, J. A., & Leone, R. P. (2010). Driving profitability by encour-aging customer referrals: who, when, and how. Journal of Marketing, 74(5), 1–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laczniak, R. N., DeCarlo, T. E., & Ramaswami, S. N. (2001). Consumers' re-sponses to negative word-of-mouth communication: an attribution theory per-spective. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 11(1), 57–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laurent, G., & Kapferer, J.-N. (1985). Measuring consumer involvement profiles. Journal of Marketing Research, 22(1), 41–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lepper, M. R., Greene, D., & Nisbett, R. E. (1973). Undermining children's in-trinsic interest with extrinsic rewards: a test of the “overjustification” hypoth-esis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 28(1), 129–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malaviya, P., & Sivakumar, K. (1998). The moderating effect of product category knowledge and attribute importance on the attraction effect. Marketing Let-ters, 9(1), 93–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mittal, B. (1995). A comparative analysis of four scales of consumer involvement. Psychology and Marketing, 12(7), 663–682.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mittal, B., & Lassar, W. M. (1998). Why do customers switch? The dynamics of satisfaction versus loyalty. Journal of Services Marketing, 12(3), 177–194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mittal, B., & Lee M.-S. (1989). A causal model of consumer involvement. Journal of Economic Psychology, 10(3), 363–389.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moorman, C., Zaltman, G., & Deshpande, R. (1992). Relationships between pro-viders and users of market research: the dynamics of trust within and between organizations. Journal of Marketing Research, 29(3), 314–328.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nisbett, R. E., & Valins, S. (1972). Perceiving the Causes of One's Own Behavior. New York: General Learning Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oliver, R. L. (1997). Satisfaction: A Behavioral Perspective on the Consumer. Boston: Irwin McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olson, J. M. (1990). Self-inference processes in emotion. In J. M. Olson & M. P. Zanna (Eds.), Self-Inference Processes: The Ontario Symposium (Vol. 6, pp. 17–41). Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olson, J. M., & Stone, J. (2005). The influence of behavior on attitudes. In D. Albarracín, B. T. Johnson & M. P. Zanna (Eds.), The Handbook of Attitudes (pp. 223-271), Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Price, L. L., Feick, L. F., & Guskey-Federouch, A. (1988). Couponing behaviors of the market maven: profile of a super couponer. Advances in Consumer Re-search, 15, 354–359.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reichheld, F. F. (1993). Loyalty-based management. Harvard Business Review, 71(March/April), 64–73.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reinartz, W., Krafft, M., & Hoyer, W. D. (2004). The customer relationship man-agement process: its measurement and impact on performance. Journal of Marketing Research, 41(3), 293–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reingen, P. H., & Kernan, J. B. (1986). Analysis of referral networks in market-ing: methods and illustration. Journal of Marketing Research, 23(4), 370–378.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richins, M. L., & Bloch, P. H. (1986). After the new wears off: the temporal con-text of product involvement. Journal of Consumer Research, 13(2), 280–285.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryu, G., & Feick, L. (2007). A penny for your thoughts: referral reward programs and referral likelihood. Journal of Marketing, 71(1), 84–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schindler, R. M. (1989). The excitement of getting a bargain: some hypotheses concerning the origins and effects of smart-shopper feelings. Advances in Consumer Research, 16, 447–453.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmitt, P., Skiera, B., & Bulte, C. v. d. (2011). Referral programs and customer value. Journal of Marketing, 75(1), 46–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simmons, C. J., & Becker-Olsen, K. L. (2006). Achieving marketing objectives through social sponsorships. Journal of Marketing, 70(4), 154–169

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, A. K., Bolton, R. N., & Wagner, J. (1999). A model of customer satisfac-tion with service encounters involving failure and recovery. Journal of Mar-keting Research, 36(3), 356–372.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Söderlund, M., & Rosengren, S. (2007). Receiving word-of-mouth from the ser-vice customer: an emotion-based effectiveness assessment. Journal of Retail-ing and Consumer Services, 14(2), 123–136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tax, S. S., Chandrashekaran, M., & Christiansen, T. (1993). Word-of-mouth in consumer decision-making: an agenda for research. Journal of Consumer Sat-isfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, 6, 74–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, S. E. (1975). On inferring one's attitudes from one's behavior: some de-limiting conditions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 31(1), 126–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thaler, R. (1983). Transaction utility theory. Advances in Consumer Research, 10, 229–232.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tuk, M. A., Verlegh, P. W. J., Smidts, A., & Wigboldus, D. H. J. (2009). Sales and sincerity: the role of relational framing in word-of-mouth marketing. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 19(1), 38–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verhoef, P. C., Franses, P. H., & Hoekstra, J. C. (2002). The effect of relational constructs on customer referrals and number of services purchased from a multiservice provider: Does age of relationship matter?. Journal of the Acad-emy of Marketing Science, 30(3), 202–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verlegh, P. W. J., Pruyn, A. T. H., & Peters, K. A. (2003). Turning shoppers into sellers: two experiments on member-get-member campaigns. Advances in Consumer Research, 30(1), p. 346.

    Google Scholar 

  • Verlegh, P. W. J., Ryu, G., Tuk, M. A., & Feick, L. (2013). Receiver responses to rewarded referrals: the motive inferences framework. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 41(6), 669–682

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, X. (2011). The effect of inconsistent word-of-mouth during the service en-counter. Journal of Services Marketing, 25(4), 252–259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wangenheim, F. v., & Bayón, T. (2004). The effect of word of mouth on services switching. European Journal of Marketing, 38(9/10), 1173–1185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Webster, C. (1991). Influences upon consumer expectations of services. Journal of Services Marketing, 5(1), 5–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • West, S. G., Aiken, L. S., & Krull, J. L. (1996). Experimental personality designs: analyzing categorical by continuous variable interactions. Journal of Person-ality, 64(1), 1–48.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Westbrook, R. A. (1987). Product/consumption-based affective responses and postpurchase processes. Journal of Marketing Research, 24(3), 258–270.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wirtz, J., & Chew, P. (2002). The effects of incentives, deal proneness and tie strength on word-of-mouth behaviour. International Journal of Service Indus-try Management, 13(2), 141–162.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wirtz, J., Orsingher, C., Chew, P., & Tambyah, S. K. (2013). The role of metaper-ception on the effectiveness of referral reward programs. Journal of Service Research, 16(1), 82–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wood, W. (1982). Retrieval of attitude-relevant information from memory: effects on susceptibility to persuasion and on intrinsic motivation. Journal of Person-ality and Social Psychology, 42(5), 798–810.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xiao, P., Tang, C. S., & Wirtz, J. (2011). Optimizing referral reward programs under impression management considerations. European Journal of Opera-tional Research, 215(3), 730–739.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zaichkowsky, J. L. (1985). Measuring the involvement construct. Journal of Con-sumer Research, 12(3), 341–352.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zanna, M. P., Olson, J. M., & Fazio, R. H. (1981). Self-perception and attitude-behavior consistency. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 7(2), 252–256.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zeithaml, V. A., Berry, L. L., & Parasuraman, A. (1993). The nature and determi-nants of customer expectations of service. Journal of the Academy of Marke-ting Science, 21(1), 1–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Marketing und Dienstleistungsforschung, Universität Rostock, Ulmenstraße 69, Rostock, 18057, Deutschland

    Madlen Küster & Martin Benkenstein

Authors
  1. Madlen Küster
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Martin Benkenstein
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Madlen Küster .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Institut für Marketing, München, Germany

    Anton Meyer

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Küster, M., Benkenstein, M. (2015). A reward for your voice: The effects of referral rewards on the referrer’s attitude toward the recommended service provider. In: Meyer, A. (eds) Aktuelle Aspekte in der Dienstleistungsforschung. Fokus Dienstleistungsmarketing. Springer Gabler, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-08090-7_8

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-08090-7_8

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer Gabler, Wiesbaden

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-658-08089-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-658-08090-7

  • eBook Packages: Business and Economics (German Language)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation