Viral Marketing and Social Networks

Chapter 9

Negative Viral Campaigns

Researchers and marketing practitioners have noted that approximately 25 percent of consumer comments are critical or negative, showing that word-of-mouth can be both positive and negative and can bring not only benefits but also disadvantages (Plummer et al. 2007). Even though positive word-of-mouth has a significant positive impact on consumer decision making and in their purchasing decisions, research has shown that negative word-of-mouth can be even more influential and have a higher impact on consumer attitude and behavior. Negative consumer communication can stand out and be more impactful because of the fact that dissatisfied customers tend to be more aggressive in their communication and tell more people ...