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Journal of Consumer Research
Current Issue Highlights
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Communication Channels and Word of Mouth: How the Medium Shapes the Message Jonah Berger
Raghuram Iyengar
Consumers share word of mouth face to face, over social media, and through a host of other communication channels. But do these channels affect what consumers talk about and, if so, how? Laboratory experiments, as well as analysis of almost 20,000 everyday conversations, demonstrate that communicating via oral versus written communication affects the products and brands consumers discuss. Compared to oral communication, written communication leads consumers to mention more interesting products and brands. Further, this effect is driven by communication asynchrony and self-enhancement concerns. Written communication gives consumers more time to construct and refine what to say, and self-enhancement motives lead consumers to use this opportunity to mention more interesting things. These findings shed light on how communication channels shape interpersonal communication and the psychological drivers of word of mouth more broadly. Volume 40, Number 3, October 2013
DOI: 10.1086/671345
Selected Media Mentions Live Science Is Facebook actually making communication about products and brands more interesting?
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The Dual Role of Power in Resisting Social Influence Mehdi Mourali
Zhiyong Yang
Power enhances consumer ability to resist social influence but produces different resistance outcomes, depending on the level of certainty with which consumers hold their own attitudes. When attitude certainty is high, empowered consumers resist social influence by discounting others' opinions. When attitude certainty is low, empowered consumers intentionally diverge from others' opinions to signal their independence. Data from the first two experiments provide consistent support for the dual impact of power. The last two experiments examine the processes leading to the reactant response. The experience of uncertainty weakens empowered consumer confidence in their sense of power, leading them to perceive others' unsolicited opinions as a threat to their autonomy, which then triggers the reactant response. Finally, consistent with a self-presentation interpretation of reactance, power leads to reactance when evaluations are public but not when they are private. Volume 40, Number 3, October 2013
DOI: 10.1086/671139
Selected Media Mentions Science Daily Empowering your customers? Think twice about social media campaigns
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When, Why, and How Controversy Causes Conversation Zoey Chen
Jonah Berger
How does controversy affect conversation? Contrary to popular belief, controversial things are not necessarily more likely to be discussed. Controversy increases likelihood of discussion at low levels, but beyond a moderate level of controversy, additional controversy actually decreases likelihood of discussion. The controversy-conversation relationship is driven by two countervailing processes. Controversy increases interest (which increases likelihood of discussion) but simultaneously increases discomfort (which decreases likelihood of discussion). Contextual factors such as anonymity and whether consumers are talking to friends or strangers moderate the controversy-conversation relationship by impacting these component processes. The authors' framework sheds light on how, when, and why controversy affects whether or not things are discussed.
Volume 40, Number 3, October 2013
DOI: 10.1086/671465
Selected Media Mentions Canada.com When is controversy (not) good for building product buzz?
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Harmonization Processes and Relational Meanings in Constructing Asian Weddings Thuc-Doan T. Nguyen
Russell W. Belk
Using multimethod data on wedding consumption, this research highlights the pursuit of harmonization as a dynamic and never-ending process that can happen within individuals, between human beings, and among different entities in the world. While prior research on harmony has treated the construct as a core value of Chinese culture or a set of abstract principles that guide consumer behavior, the focus here is on how harmonization happens, the conditions under which harmonization is either promoted or defeated, and the benefits resulting from harmonization that keep people involved in the process of creating it. This examination of Vietnamese weddings demystifies the myth that Asian consumers sacrifice individual preferences and bow to collective interests, explains how face influences Asian consumer behavior, and provides an extension of Richins's categories or levels of consumption meaning.
Volume 40, Number 3, October 2013
DOI: 10.1086/671464
Selected Media Mentions Phys.Org Harmony: How do Vietnamese wedding planners manage to please everyone?
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