Negative reviews, positive impact: Consumer empathetic responding to unfair word of mouth

This research documents how negative reviews, when perceived as unfair, can activate feelings of empathy toward firms that have been wronged. Six studies and four supplemental experiments provide converging evidence that this experienced empathy for the firm motivates supportive consumer responses s...

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Main Authors: ALLARD, Thomas, DUNN, Lea H., WHITE, Katherine
Format: text
Language:English
Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2020
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Online Access:https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/7079
https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/lkcsb_research/article/8078/viewcontent/UnfairNegativeReviewsEmpathy_AllardDunnWhiteJM2020.pdf
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spelling sg-smu-ink.lkcsb_research-80782022-09-15T07:29:33Z Negative reviews, positive impact: Consumer empathetic responding to unfair word of mouth ALLARD, Thomas DUNN, Lea H. WHITE, Katherine This research documents how negative reviews, when perceived as unfair, can activate feelings of empathy toward firms that have been wronged. Six studies and four supplemental experiments provide converging evidence that this experienced empathy for the firm motivates supportive consumer responses such as paying higher purchase prices and reporting increased patronage intentions. Importantly, this research highlights factors that can increase or decrease empathy toward a firm. For instance, adopting the reviewer's perspective when evaluating an unfair negative review can reduce positive consumer responses to a firm, whereas conditions that enhance the ability to experience empathy-such as when reviews are highly unfair, when the identity of the employee is made salient, or when the firm responds in an empathetic manner-can result in positive consumer responses toward the firm. Overall, this work extends the understanding of consumers' responses to word of mouth in the marketplace by highlighting the role of perceived (un)fairness. The authors discuss the theoretical and practical implications of the findings for better management of consumer reviews. 2020-07-01T07:00:00Z text application/pdf https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/7079 info:doi/10.1177/0022242920924389 https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/lkcsb_research/article/8078/viewcontent/UnfairNegativeReviewsEmpathy_AllardDunnWhiteJM2020.pdf http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business eng Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University word of mouth fairness negative reviews customer complaints empathy emotions Advertising and Promotion Management Marketing
institution Singapore Management University
building SMU Libraries
continent Asia
country Singapore
Singapore
content_provider SMU Libraries
collection InK@SMU
language English
topic word of mouth
fairness
negative reviews
customer complaints
empathy
emotions
Advertising and Promotion Management
Marketing
spellingShingle word of mouth
fairness
negative reviews
customer complaints
empathy
emotions
Advertising and Promotion Management
Marketing
ALLARD, Thomas
DUNN, Lea H.
WHITE, Katherine
Negative reviews, positive impact: Consumer empathetic responding to unfair word of mouth
description This research documents how negative reviews, when perceived as unfair, can activate feelings of empathy toward firms that have been wronged. Six studies and four supplemental experiments provide converging evidence that this experienced empathy for the firm motivates supportive consumer responses such as paying higher purchase prices and reporting increased patronage intentions. Importantly, this research highlights factors that can increase or decrease empathy toward a firm. For instance, adopting the reviewer's perspective when evaluating an unfair negative review can reduce positive consumer responses to a firm, whereas conditions that enhance the ability to experience empathy-such as when reviews are highly unfair, when the identity of the employee is made salient, or when the firm responds in an empathetic manner-can result in positive consumer responses toward the firm. Overall, this work extends the understanding of consumers' responses to word of mouth in the marketplace by highlighting the role of perceived (un)fairness. The authors discuss the theoretical and practical implications of the findings for better management of consumer reviews.
format text
author ALLARD, Thomas
DUNN, Lea H.
WHITE, Katherine
author_facet ALLARD, Thomas
DUNN, Lea H.
WHITE, Katherine
author_sort ALLARD, Thomas
title Negative reviews, positive impact: Consumer empathetic responding to unfair word of mouth
title_short Negative reviews, positive impact: Consumer empathetic responding to unfair word of mouth
title_full Negative reviews, positive impact: Consumer empathetic responding to unfair word of mouth
title_fullStr Negative reviews, positive impact: Consumer empathetic responding to unfair word of mouth
title_full_unstemmed Negative reviews, positive impact: Consumer empathetic responding to unfair word of mouth
title_sort negative reviews, positive impact: consumer empathetic responding to unfair word of mouth
publisher Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University
publishDate 2020
url https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/7079
https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/lkcsb_research/article/8078/viewcontent/UnfairNegativeReviewsEmpathy_AllardDunnWhiteJM2020.pdf
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