Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Negative word of mouth can be a positive for consumers connected to the brand

  • Original Empirical Research
  • Published:
Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

It is widely accepted, and demonstrated in the marketing literature, that negative online word of mouth (NOWOM) has a negative impact on brands. The present research, however, finds the opposite effect among individuals who feel a close personal connection to the brand—a group that often contains the brand’s best customers. A series of three studies show that, when self–brand connection (SBC) is high, consumers process NOWOM defensively—a process that actually increases their behavioral intentions toward the brand. Study 1 demonstrates this effect using an experimental manipulation of SBC related to clothing brands, and provides process evidence by analyzing coded thought listings. Study 2 provides convergent evidence by measuring SBC associated with smartphones, and followup analyses show that as SBC increases, the otherwise negative effect of NOWOM steadily transforms to become significantly positive. Study 3 replicates these results using a combination of a national survey conducted by J.D. Power investigating hotel stays and data drawn from TripAdvisor. Results of all three studies, set in product categories with varying levels of identity relevance, support the positive effects of NOWOM for high-SBC customers and have implications for both managers and researchers.

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

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aaker, J. L. (1997). Dimensions of Brand Personality. Journal of Marketing Research, 34, 347–356.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ahluwalia, R. (2000). Examination of psychological processes underlying resistance to persuasion. Journal of Consumer Research, 27, 217–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ahluwalia, R. (2002). How prevalent is the negativity effect in consumer environments? Journal of Consumer Research, 29, 270–279.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ahuvia, A. C. (2005). Beyond the extended self: Loved objects and consumers’ identity narratives. Journal of Consumer Research, 32, 171–184.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Batra, R., Ahuvia, A., & Bagozzi, R. P. (2012). Brand Love. Journal of Marketing, 76(2), 1–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Belk, R. (1988). Possessions and self. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  • Berger, J., & Heath, C. (2007). Where consumers diverge from others: Identity signaling and product domains. Journal of Consumer Research, 34, 121–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berger, J., Sorensen, A. T, & Rasmussen, S. J. (2010). Positive effects of negative publicity: when negative reviews increase sales. Marketing Science, 29(5), 815–827.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blodgett, J. G., Granbois, D. H., & Walters, R. G. (1993). The effects of perceived justice on complainants’ negative word-of-mouth behavior and repatronage intentions. Journal of Retailing, 69(4), 399–428.

    Article  Google Scholar 

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

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, T. J., Barry, T. E., Dacin, P. A., & Gunst, R. F. (2005). Spreading the word: Investigating antecedents of consumers’ positive word-of-mouth intentions and behaviors in a retailing context. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 33, 123–138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, D. T., & Fiske, D. W. (1959). Convergent and discriminant validation by the multitrait-multimethod matrix. Psychological Bulletin, 56(2), 81–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, Z. & Lurie, N. H. (2013). Temporal contiguity and negativity bias in the impact of online word of mouth. Journal of Marketing Research, 50(4), 463–476.

  • Chen, J., Teng, L., Yu, Y, & Yu, X. (2016). The effect of online information sources on purchase intentions between consumers with high and low susceptibility to informational influence. Journal of Business Research, 69(2), 467–475.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, S. Y., White, T. B., & Chaplin, L. N. (2012). The Effects of Self-Brand Connections on Responses to Brand Failure: A New Look at the Consumer–Brand Relationship. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 22, 280–288.

    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 

  • Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, S. G., & Aiken, L. S. (2002). Applied Multiple Regression/Correlation. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cronbach, L. J. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika, 16(3), 297–334.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Matos, C. A., & Rossi, C. A. V. (2008). Word-of-mouth communications in marketing: a meta-analytic review of the antecedents and moderators. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 36, 578–596.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duhan, D. F., Johnson, S. D., Wilcox, J. B., & Harrell, G. D. (1997). Influences on consumer use of word-of-mouth recommendation sources. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 25, 283–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dunning, D. (2005). Self-image motives and consumer behavior: How sacrosanct self-beliefs sway preferences in the marketplace. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 17, 237–249.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • East, R., Hammond, K., & Lomax, W. (2008). Measuring the impact of positive and negative word of mouth on brand purchase probability. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 25, 215–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ein-Gar, D., Shiv, B., & Tormala, Z. L. (2012). When blemishing leads to blossoming: The positive effect of negative information. Journal of Consumer Research, 38(5), 846–859.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Escalas, J., & Bettman, J. R. (2003). You Are What They Eat: The Influence of Reference Groups on Consumers’ Connections to Brands. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 13, 339–348.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Escalas, J. E., & Bettman, J. R. (2005). Self-construal, reference groups, and brand meaning. Journal of Consumer Research, 32(3), 378–389.

  • Fitzsimons, G. J., & Lehmann, D. R. (2004). Reactance to recommendations: When unsolicited advice yields contrary responses. Marketing Science, 23, 82–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forman, C., Ghose, A., & Wiesenfeld, B. (2008). Examining the relationship between reviews and sales: the role of reviewer identity disclosure in electronic markets. Information Systems Research, 19(3), 291–313.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18, 39–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fournier, S. (1998). Consumers and their brands: Developing relationship theory in consumer research. Journal of Consumer Research, 24, 343–353.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fournier, S., & Avery, J. (2011). The uninvited brand. Business Horizons, 54(3), 193–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert, D. T., Pinel, E. C., Wilson, T. D., Blumberg, S. J., & Wheatley, T. P. (1998). Immune neglect: a source of durability bias in affective forecasting. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75(3), 617.

    Article  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 

  • Hayes, A. F. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. Guilford Press.

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

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ho-Dac, N. N., Carson, S. J., & Moore W. L. (2013). The effects of positive and negative online customer reviews: do brand strength and category maturity matter? Journal of Marketing, 77(6), 37–53.

  • Huang, P., Lurie, N. H. & Mitra, S. (2009). Searching for experience on the web: an empirical examination of consumer behavior for search and experience goods. Journal of Marketing, 73(2), 55–69.

  • Jiménez, F. R., & Mendoza, N. A. (2013). Too popular to ignore: the influence of online reviews on purchase intentions of search and experience products. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 27(3), 226–235.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kähr, A., Nyffenegger, B., Krohmer, H., & Hoyer, W. D. (2016). When hostile consumers wreak havoc on your brand: the phenomenon of consumer brand sabotage. Journal of Marketing, 80(3), 25–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kamins, M. A., & Assael, H. (1987). Two-sided versus one-sided appeals: A cognitive perspective on argumentation, source derogation, and the effect of disconfirming trial on belief change. Journal of Marketing Research, 24(1), 29–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kapferer, J. N., & Laurent, G. (1985). Consumer involvement profiles: a new and practical approach to consumer involvement. Journal of Advertising Research, 25, 48–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • King, R. A., Racherla, P., & Bush, V. D. (2014). What we know and don’t know about online word-of-mouth: A review and synthesis of the literature. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 28(3), 167–183.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kirmani, A., Sood, S., & Bridges, S. (1999). The ownership effect in responses to brand line stretches. Journal of Marketing, 63(1), 88–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar, V., Choi, J.B., & Greene, M. (2016). Synergistic effects of social media and traditional marketing on brand sales: capturing the time-varying effects. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, forthcoming.

  • Laczniak, R. N., DeCarlo, T. E., & Ramaswami, S. N. (2001). Consumers’ responses to negative word-of-mouth communication: An attribution theory perspective. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 11, 57–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liberman, A., & Chaiken, S. (1992). Defensive Processing Of Personally Relevant Health Messages. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 18, 669–679.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, Y. (2006). Word of mouth for movies: Its dynamics and impact on box office revenue. Journal of Marketing, 70(3), 74–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loten, A (2012). Hoping to fix bad reviews? Not so fast. Wall Street Journal, available online at http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390444840104577548982072928526.

  • Mahajan, V., Muller, E., & Kerin, R. A. (1984). Introduction strategy for new products with positive and negative word-of-mouth. Management Science, 30(12), 1389–1404.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mangold, G., & Smith, K. T. (2012). Selling to millennials with online reviews. Business Horizons, 55(2), 141–153.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maxham, J. G. (2001). Service recovery’s influence on consumer satisfaction, positive word-of-mouth, and purchase intentions. Journal of Business Research, 54(1), 11–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mintel.com (2015). Seven in 10 Americans Seek out Opinions Before Making Purchases, October 1, Retrieved from http://www.mintel.com/press-centre/social-and-lifestyle/seven-in-10-americans-seek-out-opinions-before-making-purchases.

  • MSI.org (2014). 2012–2016 Research Priorities. October 2, retrieved from http://www.msi.org/research/2014-2016-research-priorities/.

  • Petty, R. E., & Cacioppo, J. T. (1979). Effects of forewarning of persuasive intent and involvement on cognitive responses and persuasion. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 5, 173–176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Purnawirawan, N., Eisend, M., De Pelsmacker, P., & Dens, N. (2015). A meta-analytic investigation of the role of valence in online reviews. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 31, 17–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reed, A. (2004). Activating the self-importance of consumer selves: exploring identity salience effects on judgments. Journal of Consumer Research, 31(2), 286–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richins, M. L. (1983). Negative word-of-mouth by dissatisfied consumers: A pilot study. Journal of Marketing, 47(1), 68–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roehm, M. L., & Brady, M. K. (2007). Consumer Responses to Performance Failures by High-Equity Brands. Journal of Consumer Research, 34(December), 537–545.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosario, A. B., Sotgiu, F., De Valck, K., & Bijmolt, T. H. A. (2016). The effect of electronic word of mouth on sales: A meta-analytic review of platform, product, and metric factors. Journal of Marketing Research, 53(3), 297–318.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schembri, S., Merrilees, B., & Kristiansen, S. (2010). Brand consumption and narrative of the self. Psychology and Marketing, 27, 623–637.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sherman, D. K., & Cohen, G. L. (2006). The psychology of self‐defense: Self‐affirmation theory. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 183–242.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shin, D., Song, J. H., & Biswas, A. (2014). Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) generation in new media platforms: The role of regulatory focus and collective dissonance. Marketing Letters, 25(2), 153–165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singh, J. (1990). Voice, exit, and negative word-of-mouth behaviors: an investigation across three service categories. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 18, 1–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sirgy, M. J. (1982). Self-Concept in Consumer Behavior: A critical Review. Journal of Consumer Research, 9, 287–300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spencer, S. J., Zanna, M. P., & Fong, G. T. (2005). Establishing a causal chain: why experiments are often more effective than mediational analyses in examining psychological processes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 89(6), 845–851.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spiller, S. A., Fitzsimons, G. J., Lynch, J. G., Jr., & McClelland, G. H. (2013). Spotlights, floodlights, and the magic number zero: Simple effects tests in moderated regression. Journal of Marketing Research, 50, 277–288.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steele, C. M. (1988). The psychology of self-affirmation: Sustaining the integrity of the self. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 21, 261–302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sweeney, J., Soutar, G., & Mazzarol, T. (2014). Factors enhancing word-of-mouth: positive and negative service-related messages. European Journal of Marketing, 48(1/2), 336–359.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tuten, T. L., & Solomon, M. (2015). Social Media Marketing (2nd ed.). Los Angeles: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Verhagen, T., Nauta, A., & Feldberg, F. (2013). Negative online word-of-mouth: Behavioral indicator or emotional release? Computers in Human Behavior, 29, 1430–1440.

    Article  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 

  • Whitler, K. A. (2014). Why word of mouth is the most important social media. Forbes, July 17, 2014.

  • Wright, P. L. (1973). The cognitive processes mediating acceptance of advertising. Journal of Marketing Research, 10(1), 53–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yin, D. Z., Bond, S. D. & Zhang, H. (2014) Anxious or angry? Effects of discrete emotions on the perceived helpfulness of online reviews. MIS Quarterly, 38(2), 539–560.

  • Zeithaml, V. A., Berry, L. L., & Parasuraman, A. (1996). The Behavioral Consequences of Service Quality. Journal of Marketing, 60, 31–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu, F., & Zhang, X. (2010). Impact of online consumer reviews on sales: the moderating role of product and consumer characteristics. Journal of Marketing, 74(2), 133–148.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Economics and Business Administration, Saint Mary’s College of California, 1928 Saint Mary’s Road, Moraga, CA, 94556, USA

    Andrew E. Wilson

  2. School of Hotel Administration, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    Michael D. Giebelhausen

  3. College of Business, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA

    Michael K. Brady

Authors
  1. Andrew E. Wilson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michael D. Giebelhausen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Michael K. Brady
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrew E. Wilson.

Appendix

Appendix

Study 2 Stimulus

Product overview page (shown to all participants)

figure a

NOWOM (shown to only NOWOM-present participants)

figure b

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Wilson, A.E., Giebelhausen, M.D. & Brady, M.K. Negative word of mouth can be a positive for consumers connected to the brand. J. of the Acad. Mark. Sci. 45, 534–547 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-017-0515-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-017-0515-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation