Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
7246835 | Journal of Interactive Marketing | 2016 | 16 Pages |
Abstract
This paper examines the impact of pre-existing brand attitudes on consumer processing of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). This topic is particularly important for brands that simultaneously possess strongly pronounced proponents as well as opponents. Two experimental studies using univalent (study 1, NÂ =Â 538) and mixed (study 2, NÂ =Â 262) sets of online reviews find indications for biased assimilation effects of eWOM processing. Consumers perceive positive (negative) arguments in online reviews as more (less) persuasive when having a positive (negative) attitude towards the brand. Perceived persuasiveness in turn influences behavioral intentions and acts as a mediator on the relationship between attitude and behavioral intentions. We examine two moderators of this effect. When priming individuals to focus on other consumers (vs. a self-focus prime), the biased assimilation effect is weaker (study 3a, NÂ =Â 131). In contrast, we show that biased assimilation becomes stronger under conditions of high (vs. low) cognitive impairment (study 3b, NÂ =Â 124). Our findings contribute to the literature on the relationship between eWOM and brands and advance our understanding of potential outcomes of brand polarization.
Related Topics
Social Sciences and Humanities
Business, Management and Accounting
Marketing
Authors
Alexander Mafael, Sabrina A. Gottschalk, Henning Kreis,