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This research examines the relationship between a consumers’ satisfaction toward a brand and their likelihood to share information with the brand (by completing a survey or submitting a comment.) We show that consumers with negative attitude toward a brand are less likely to share than those with positive attitude because they are uncomfortable sharing negative feedback with the target of that negativity (the brand). This has important implications for brands and researchers that rely on consumer’s feedback.
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Related Marketing Courses:
Consumer Behavior;
Full Citation:
Hydock, Chris, Zoey Chen, Kurt Carlson (2020), “Why Unhappy Customers are Unlikely to Share Their Opinions with Brands,” Journal of Marketing (forthcoming)
Article Abstract:
For brands to thrive they must understand consumer sentiment; if consumers’ likelihood to share their opinion is a function of their attitude toward a brand, then brands’ perception of consumer sentiment may be systematically biased. While research in consumer-to-consumer sharing (i.e., word of mouth [WOM]) suggests that those with extreme attitude are more likely to share than those with neutral attitude (a U-shaped relationship), the relationship between consumers’ attitude toward a brand and their propensity to share with a brand is unknown. In contrast to the U-shaped pattern observed in WOM, we find a hockey stick-shaped relationship between attitude and sharing with brands (“__/”). Those with positive attitude are more likely to share their opinion (than neutral), but those with negative attitude do not show a similar increase in sharing. We show that this pattern emerges because among consumers with positive attitude toward a brand (relative to neutral), reciprocity norms drive increased sharing, but among consumers with negative attitude (relative to neutral) competing mechanisms drive behavior: the desire to vent increases sharing, but at the same time an aversion to criticize others directly deters sharing. We test these ideas using a series of studies, including a field study.
Special thanks to Kelley Gullo and Holly Howe, Ph.D. candidates at Duke University, for their support in working with authors on submissions to this program.
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Chris Hydock is Assistant Professor of Marketing, Orfalea School of Business, California Polytechnic State University.
Zoey Chen is Assistant Professor of Marketing, University of Miami Business School, University of Miami.
Kurt Carlson is Associate Dean, Raymond A. Mason School of Business, College of William & Mary.