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The effects of social- and self-motives on the intentions to share positive and negative word of mouth

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Abstract

We examine social- and self-motives as drivers of Word of Mouth (WOM). The main proposition is that the transmitter expects to gain personal and social benefits from sharing his opinion about a brand. The gains are in the form of expected satisfaction of self- and social-needs. In the research model, self-needs (i.e., self-enhancement and self-affirmation) are considered the initial driver of WOM. The desire for their satisfaction through WOM results in an intended social interaction, which in turn triggers social-motives: social-needs (i.e., social comparison and social bonding) and social-intentions (i.e., helping others and providing social information). WOM is the outcome of the intention to engage in a social interaction that is initiated by the intention to satisfy self-needs. Through an empirical analysis, we examine how the underlying mechanism varies for positive and negative WOM. Positive WOM is motivated primarily by the need for self-enhancement, and negative WOM is motivated by the need for self-affirmation. The need for social comparison affects both valences of WOM, the need for social bonding affects only positive WOM, and intention to help others and share social information affect only negative WOM. The findings suggest that discussing brands can be a mechanism for acquiring personal and social benefits, and consequently, promotional campaigns should highlight the gains customers accrue through WOM.

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Notes

  1. Based on a recommendation from a reviewer, we also modeled self-motives as antecedents of social-motives. The model fit measures worsened. For positive WOM, chi-square increased from 576 to 626, and RMSEA increased from 0.075 to 0.087 (same degrees of freedom). For negative WOM, chi-square increased from 445 to 706, and RMSEA increased from .058 to .092. These results provide empirical support to the proposition that when approaching WOM from an intentional perspective, self-needs precede social-needs.

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  1. College of Business Administration, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Sage Hall 1449, Oshkosh, WI, 54901, USA

    Aliosha Alexandrov & Bryan Lilly

  2. Department of Marketing & Supply Chain Management, Fogelman College of Business & Economics, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, 38152, USA

    Emin Babakus

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  1. Aliosha Alexandrov
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Alexandrov, A., Lilly, B. & Babakus, E. The effects of social- and self-motives on the intentions to share positive and negative word of mouth. J. of the Acad. Mark. Sci. 41, 531–546 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-012-0323-4

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