Word of mouth: How upward social comparisons influence the sharing of consumption experiences

Suárez Vázquez, Ana and Dub, Li and del Río Lanza, Ana Belén (2020): Word of mouth: How upward social comparisons influence the sharing of consumption experiences. Published in: , Vol. 20, No. 3 (2021): pp. 736-747.

Abstract

An outcome of upward social comparisons that has been largely overlooked is its effect on non-transactional behaviours (i.e. word of mouth). Previous research has identified three different emotional reactions to upward social comparisons: admiration, benign envy and malicious envy. Despite the fact that their effect on consumption has been previously analysed, it remains unclear how these reactions affect word of mouth intention. This study carries out an experimental design that demonstrates that admiration and benign envy positively influence word of mouth behaviour. However, there is no effect of malicious envy on such disposition. The results are sustained under different cultural contexts. The findings shed light on the drivers of word of mouth. They offer guidance to companies for developing more effective strategies to encourage both brand message sharing and consumer-to-consumer sharing of consumption experiences.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Word of Mouth; Social Comparisons; Benign Envy; Malicious Envy; Admiration
• Subjects: M - Business Administration and Business Economics ; Marketing ; Accounting ; Personnel Economics > M1 - Business Administration > M10 - General; M - Business Administration and Business Economics ; Marketing ; Accounting ; Personnel Economics > M3 - Marketing and Advertising > M30 - General; M - Business Administration and Business Economics ; Marketing ; Accounting ; Personnel Economics > M3 - Marketing and Advertising > M31 - Marketing

References

Aleti, T., Pallant, J. I., Tuan, A., & van Laer, T. (2019). Tweeting with the stars: Automated text analysis of the effect of celebrity social media communications on consumer word of mouth. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 48, 17-32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2019.03.003

Anaya, G. J., Miao, L., Mattila, A.S., & Almanza, B. (2016). Consumer envy during service encounters. Journal of Services Marketing, 30, 359-372. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-03-2015-0121

Baek, E. C., Scholz, C., O’Donnell, M. B., & Falk, E. B. (2017). The value of sharing information: a neural account of information transmission. Psychological Science, 28, 7, 851-861. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0956797617695073

Bagozzi, R. P. (2006). The role of social and self-conscious emotions in the regulation of business-to-business relationships in salesperson-customer interactions. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 21, 453-457. https://doi.org/10.1108/08858620610708948

Bentler, P.M. (1995). EQS Structural Equations Program Manual, Multivariate Software Inc. USA: Encino.

Berger, J. (2011). Arousal increases social transmission of information. Psychological Science, 22, 891-893. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0956797611413294

Berger, J., & Milkman, K. L. (2012). What makes online content viral? Journal of Marketing Research, 49, 192-205. https://doi.org/10.1509%2Fjmr.10.0353

Berger, J., & Schwartz, E. M. (2011). What drives immediate and ongoing word of mouth? Journal of Marketing Research, 48, 869-880. https://doi.org/10.1509%2Fjmkr.48.5.869

Brachfeld, O. (2013). Inferiority feelings: in the individual and the group. United Kingdom: Routledge.

Bradley, M.M., & Lang P.J. (1994). Measuring emotion: The self-assessment manikin and the semantic differential. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 25, 49-59. https://doi.org/10.1509%2Fjmkr.48.5.869

Cappella, J. N., Kim, H. S., & Albarracín, D. (2015). Selection and transmission processes for information in the emerging media environment: Psychological motives and message characteristics. Media Psychology, 18, 3, 396-424. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2014.941112

Chen, Z. (2017). Social acceptance and word of mouth: How the motive to belong leads to divergent WOM with strangers and friends. Journal of Consumer Research, 44, 3, 613-632. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucx055

Cobo, M. J., López‐Herrera, A. G., Herrera‐Viedma, E., & Herrera, F. (2012). SciMAT: A new science mapping analysis software tool. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 63, 1609-1630. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.22688

Cobo, M.J., López-Herrera, A.G., Herrera-Viedma, E., & Herrera, F. (2011). An approach for detecting, quantifying, and visualizing the evolution of a research field: A practical application to the fuzzy sets theory field. Journal of Informetrics, 5, 146-166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2010.10.002

Cohen, J. (2001). Defining identification: A theoretical look at the identification of audiences with media characters. Mass Communication and Society, 4, 3, 245–264. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327825MCS0403_01

Cohen-Charash, Y., & Larson, E. C. (2017). An emotion divided: Studying envy is better than studying “benign” and “malicious” envy”. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 26, 174-183. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0963721416683667

Crusius, J., & Lange, J. (2014). What catches the envious eye? Attentional biases within malicious and benign envy. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 55, 1-11. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2014.05.007

Ditcher, E. (1966). How word-of-mouth advertising works. Harvard Business Review, 44, 147-66.

Dow, J. (1981). The image of limited production: Envy and the domestic mode of production in peasant society. Human Organization, 40, 360-363.

Dubois, D., Bonezzi, A., & De Angelis, M. (2016). Sharing with friends versus strangers: How interpersonal closeness influences word-of-mouth valence. Journal of Marketing Research, 53, 5, 712-727. https://doi.org/10.1509%2Fjmr.13.0312

Duffy, M. K., Shaw, J. D., & Schaubroeck, J. M. (2008). Envy in organizational life. Envy: Theory and Research, 167-189.

Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7, 117-140. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F001872675400700202

Foster, G. M., Apthorpe, R. J., Bernard, H. R., Bock, B., Brogger, J., Brown, J. K., ... & Freeman, S. T. (1972). The anatomy of envy: A study in symbolic behavior [and comments and reply]. Current Anthropology, 13, 165-202.

Frank, R.H. (1999). Luxury fever: Why money fails to satisfy in an era of excess. New York: Free Press.

Frijda, N. H., Ortony, A., Sonnemans, J., & Clore, G. L. (1992). The complexity of intensity: issues concerning the structure of emotion intensity in M. Clark (ed.), Review of Personality and Social Psychology, 13 (pp. 60-89). Newbury Park: Sage.

Goodman, J. K., Cryder, C. E., & Cheema, A. (2013). Data collection in a flat world: The strengths and weaknesses of mechanical Turk samples. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 26, 3, 213-224. https://doi.org/10.1002/bdm.1753

Hair, J. F., Anderson, R. E., Tatham, R. L. & Black, W. C. (1998). Multivariate Data Analysis. USA: Prentice Hall.

Hanel, P. H. P., & Vione, K. C. (2016) Do student samples provide an accurate estimate of the general public? PLoS ONE, 11, 12, e0168354. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0168354

Hareli, S., & Weiner, B. (2002). Dislike and envy as antecedents of pleasure at another's misfortune. Motivation and Emotion, 26, 257-277. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022818803399

Hox, J. J., & Bechger, T. M. (1998). An introduction to structural equation modeling. Family Science Review, 11, 354-373.

Hu, L. T., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6, 1-55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118

Hu, H. H., Wang, L., Jiang, L., & Yang, W. (2019). Strong ties versus weak ties in word-of-mouth marketing. BRQ Business Research Quarterly, 22, 4, 245-256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brq.2018.10.004 Jin, S. V., Muqaddam, A., & Ryu, E. (2019). Instafamous and social media influencer marketing. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 37, 5, 567-579. https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-09-2018-0375

Jin, S. V., & Ryu, E. (2020). “I'll buy what she's# wearing”: The roles of envy toward and parasocial interaction with influencers in Instagram celebrity-based brand endorsement and social commerce. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 55, 102121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102121

Kao, D. T. (2019). The impact of envy on brand preference: brand storytelling and psychological distance as moderators. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 28, 4, 515-528. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-08-2018-2004

Lange, J., Paulhus, D. L., & Crusius, J. (2018). Elucidating the dark side of envy: Distinctive links of benign and malicious envy with dark personalities. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 44, 601-614. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0146167217746340

Lee, J. A., & Eastin, M. S. (2020). I like what she’s# endorsing: The impact of female social media influencers’ perceived sincerity, consumer envy, and product type. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 20(1), 76-91. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2020.1737849

Leibenstein, H. (1950). Bandwagon, snob, and Veblen effects in the theory of consumers' demand. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 64, 183-207. https://doi.org/10.2307/1882692

Lemay, D.J., Doleck, T., & Bazelais, P. (2019). Do instrumental goal pursuits mediate feelings of envy on Facebook and happiness or subjective well-being? Computers in Human Behavior, 91, 186-191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.09.043

Liu, H., Wu, L., & Li,X. (2019). Social media envy: how experience sharing on social networking sites drives millennials’ aspirational tourism consumption. Journal of Travel Research, 58, 3, 355–69. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0047287518761615

Lockwood, P., & Kunda, Z. (1997). Superstars and me: predicting the impact of role models on the self. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73, 1, 91-103. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0022-3514.73.1.91

Loureiro, S. M. C., de Plaza, M. A. P., & Taghian, M. (2020). The effect of benign and malicious envies on desire to buy luxury fashion items. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 52, 1-14 (forthcoming). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2018.10.005

Luminet, O., Bouts, P., Delie, F., Manstead, A.S., & Rimé, B. (2000). Social sharing of emotion following exposure to a negatively valenced situation. Cognition Emotion, 14, 661-688. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699930050117666

McQuitty, S. (2004). Statistical power and structural equation models in business research. Journal of Business Research, 57, 175-183. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0148-2963(01)00301-0

Morris, J. A., & Feldman, D. C. (1996). The dimensions, antecedents, and consequences of emotional labor. Academy of Management Review, 21, 986-1010. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1996.9704071861

Mueller, R. O. (1999). Basic Principles of structural equation modeling: An introduction to LISREL and EQS. USA: Springer Science & Business Media.

Parrott, W. G., & Smith, R. H. (1993). Distinguishing the experiences of envy and jealousy. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 906-920. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0022-3514.64.6.906

Pennebaker, J.W. (1989). Confession, inhibition, and disease. Advances in Experimental. Social Psychology, 22, 211-244.

Peterson, R. A. (2001). On the use of college students in social science research: Insights from a second-order meta-analysis. Journal of Consumer Research, 28, 3, 450-461. https://doi.org/10.1086/323732

Quintanilla, L., & de López, K. J. (2013). The niche of envy: Conceptualization, coping strategies, and the ontogenesis of envy in cultural psychology. Culture & Psychology, 19, 1, 76-94. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1354067X12464980

Rammstedt, B., Kemper, C. J., & Borg, I. (2013). Correcting Big Five personality measurements for acquiescence: An 18‐country cross‐cultural study. European Journal of Personality, 27, 1, 71-81. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.1894

Rand, W., & Rust, R. T. (2011). Agent-based modeling in marketing: Guidelines for rigor. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 28, 3, 181-193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2011.04.002

Rentzsch, K., & Gross, J.J. (2015). Who turns green with envy? Conceptual and empirical perspectives on dispositional envy. European Journal of Personality, 29, 530-547. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2012

Rimé, B. (2009). Emotion elicits the social sharing of emotion: Theory and empirical review. Emotion Review, 1, 60-85. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1754073908097189

Salerno, A., Laran, J., & Janiszewski, C. (2019). The bad can be good: When benign and malicious envy motivate goal pursuit. Journal of Consumer Research, 46, 388-405. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucy077

Saucier, G., Kenner, J., Iurino, K., Bou Malham, P., Chen, Z., Thalmayer, A. G., ... & Çankaya, B. (2015). Cross-cultural differences in a global “survey of world views”. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 46, 1, 53-70. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0022022114551791

Smith, T. D., & McMillan, B. F. (2001). A primer of model fit indices in structural equation modeling. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Southwest Educational Research Association, New Orleans. Retrieved May 10th, 2020 from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/16/cc/b3.pd

Smith, R.H. (2004). Envy and its transmutations in L.Z. Tiedens and C.W. Leach (eds.), The social life of emotions (pp. 43-63). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

Smith, R.H., Parrott, W.G., Diener, E.F., Hoyle, R.H., & Kim, S.H. (1999). Dispositional envy. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 25, 1007-1020. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F01461672992511008

Steenkamp, J. B. E., & Baumgartner, H. (2000). On the use of structural equation models for marketing modeling. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 17, 195-202. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-8116(00)00016-1

Stephen, A. T. (2016). The role of digital and social media marketing in consumer behavior. Current Opinion in Psychology, 10, 17-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2015.10.016

Stieglitz, S., & Dang-Xuan, L. (2013). Emotions and information diffusion in social media—sentiment of microblogs and sharing behaviour. Journal of Management Information Systems, 29, 217-248. https://doi.org/10.2753/MIS0742-1222290408

Sung, B., & Phau, I. (2019). When pride meets envy: Is social superiority portrayal in luxury advertising perceived as prestige or arrogance? Psychology & Marketing, 3, 2, 113-119. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21162

Thomas, V. L., Fowler, K., & Saenger, C. (2020). Celebrity influence on word of mouth: The interplay of power states and power expectations. Marketing Letters, 31, 105-120. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11002-020-09513-z

Tracy, J. L., & Robins, R. W. (2004). Putting the self into self-conscious emotions: A theoretical model. Psychological Inquiry, 15, 103-125. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli1502_01

Van de Ven, N., Zeelenberg, M., & Pieters, R. (2009). Leveling up and down: The experiences of benign and malicious envy. Emotion, 9, 419-429.

Van de Ven, N., Zeelenberg, M., & Pieters, R. (2010). Warding off the evil eye when the fear of being envied increases prosocial behaviour. Psychological Science, 21, 1671-1677. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0956797610385352

Van de Ven, N., Zeelenberg, M., & Pieters, R. (2011a). The envy premium in product evaluation. Journal of Consumer Research, 37, 984-998. https://doi.org/10.1086/657239

Van de Ven, N., Zeelenberg, M., & Pieters, R. (2011b). Why envy outperforms admiration. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 37, 784-795. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0146167211400421

Wenninger, H., Cheung, C. M., & Krasnova, H. (2019). College-aged users behavioral strategies to reduce envy on social networking sites: A cross-cultural investigation. Computers in Human Behavior, 97, 10-23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.02.025

Wobker, I., & Kenning, P. (2013). Drivers and outcome of destructive envy behavior in an economic game setting. Schmalenbach Business Review, 65, 173-194.

Wojnicki, A.C., & Godes, D. (2008). Word-of-mouth as self-enhancement, marketing research paper [6-01]. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School. https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.908999

Zeng, F., Chi, Y., Xiao, Z., & Dong, M. C. (2020). Understanding the spillover effects of channel reward on observers' commitment: The mediating role of envy. Industrial Marketing Management. In Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2019.01.003