Trash talk rebuffed: consumers' defense of companies criticized in online communities
Abstract
Purpose
Marketing literature views word-of-mouth (WOM) as unidirectional communication in which consumers transmit either positive or negative messages based on their consumption experiences. Becoming visible in online forums, however, are consumers who engage in WOM as part of interactions with other consumers. This article aims to investigate a phenomenon frequently occurring in these interactions: consumers who defend companies and brands against others' negative WOM.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors investigated the online defense phenomenon in its natural setting using an online ethnography, known as a netnography.
Findings
This study provides empirical evidence for the existence of six different defense styles, as well as details of the identified factors underlying consumers' choices of defense styles. Moreover, the authors' analysis highlights the different outcomes of various company- and brand-defending behaviors and illustrates that this consumer phenomenon can be effective in preventing the spread of negative WOM or in mitigating its impact.
Research limitations/implications
Future research could benefit from further testing the effectiveness of the various defense styles as well as investigating how to stimulate this important buffer against negative WOM.
Practical implications
Companies are increasingly allocating resources to the monitoring of online conversations so as to be able to respond to criticisms in social media. The authors' findings indicate that other consumers frequently respond to these complaints before the companies do. These company and brand defenders could replace some of the resources companies currently devote to social media.
Originality/value
The present study identifies company and brand defending as a new WOM activity, thus extending the concept of WOM beyond praising and complaining. In addition, this study suggests that consumers who counter negative messages are not necessarily loyal, as previously assumed, but rather motivated by a sense of justice or a need for self-enhancement.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Micael Dahlén and Svein O. Olsen for their helpful comments on a previous draft of this article. Special thanks also go to Robert Kozinets for his insightful comments and for his help in positioning this article. The authors also gratefully acknowledge the generous support from the Torsten and Ragnar Söderberg foundations and the Research Council of Norway (Project 167553/110) that has enabled this research. The authors are listed in alphabetical order; both authors contributed equally to the article.
Citation
Colliander, J. and Hauge Wien, A. (2013), "Trash talk rebuffed: consumers' defense of companies criticized in online communities", European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 47 No. 10, pp. 1733-1757. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-04-2011-0191
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2013, Emerald Group Publishing Limited