Joseph T. Plummer, Vol. 47, No. 4, Dec 2007, pp.385-386
Editorial of JAR 47,1 (2007), discussing and introducing the issue's theme of word of mouth advertising. ...

Ted Smith, James R. Coyle, Elizabeth Lightfoot and Amy Scott, Vol. 47, No. 4, Dec 2007, pp.387-397
In today’s fragmented media landscape, generating positive word of mouth (WOM) among consumers has become an important tool for marketers. Marketers are challenged with identifying influential individuals in social networks and connecting with them in ways that encourage WOM message movement. In this article, we explore the nature of social networks, their role in influence, an ...

Dee T. Allsop, Bryce R. Bassett and James A. Hoskins, Vol. 47, No. 4, Dec 2007, pp.398-411
Word of mouth (WOM) is an important component of a complex and dynamic marketplace environment, and as such, WOM research is best undertaken as part of a holistic research program. Five principles describing the operation of WOM are discussed, supported by data, and examples drawn from recent research studies. Complexity science modeling is introduced as an effective method for ...

Jim Nail, Vol. 47, No. 4, Dec 2007, pp.412-419
Super Bowl advertisers count on media coverage and word-of-mouth discussion to provide ROI beyond the game’s viewership and to justify the most expensive 30-second commercial time of the year. Many companies have historically thought the best strategy was to keep their Super Bowl advertisements secret, hoping that the element of surprise will generate this postgame buzz. In 200 ...

Kate Niederhoffer, Rob Mooth, David Wiesenfeld and Jonathon Gordon, Vol. 47, No. 4, Dec 2007, pp.420-426
Marketers are interested in the phenomenon of "consumer-generated media", or "buzz", given its potential to affect the commercial prospects for their products. Within the consumer packaged goods (CPG) sector, advertisers experiment with a variety of tactics to generate buzz in their marketing communications strategies, including stimulating it. An in-depth analysis of this rapi ...

Jeffrey Graham and William Havlena, Vol. 47, No. 4, Dec 2007, pp.427-435
For decades, marketers have trumpeted the importance of word of mouth in influencing purchase choice, but have still spent billions on brand advertising—without any proof of the link between the two. Using newly available data, we sought to resolve this contradiction by searching for the “missing link” between positive word of mouth about brands and brand advertising. We also t ...

Cate Riegner, Vol. 47, No. 4, Dec 2007, pp.436-447
The internet stands apart from other media in enabling its “users” to interact. From this perspective, the internet will always be, at its core, a tool for interpersonal communication. While consumers find emotional and practical benefits in participating in online discussions, these conversations have profound commercial implications as well. Everyday consumers are wielding gr ...

Ed Keller, Vol. 47, No. 4, Dec 2007, pp.448-452
The evidence is abundantly clear: word of mouth (WOM) is the most important and effective communications channel. Now, the search is on for strong, quantifiable research to help marketers navigate this new terrain, where control rests with the consumer and not the marketer. This article lays out important insights drawn from Keller Fay’s continuous monitoring of America’s offli ...

Terence A. Shimp, Stacy L. Wood and Laura Smarandescu, Vol. 47, No. 4, Dec 2007, pp.453-461
Various forms of traditional promotions (e.g., free-standing inserts) as well as newer versions of viral marketing campaigns ask consumers to write personal testimonials about their brand-related experiences. In the present research we pose this question: does the act of testimonial writing simply record the consumer’s extant attitude toward the brand or does this act serve as ...

Jenni Romaniuk, Vol. 47, No. 4, Dec 2007, pp.462-471
For television programs, positive word of mouth (PWOM) is four times more common than negative word of mouth (NWOM). PWOM also had a positive impact on those it reached, while the effects of NWOM were small and insignificant. The level of PWOM for any program was highly correlated with viewer levels and was most likely to be received by past viewers. This suggests that PWOM wor ...

Chun-Yao Huang, Yong-Zheng Shen, Hong-Xiang Lin and Shin-Shin Chang, Vol. 47, No. 4, Dec 2007, pp.472-484
During the past few years, there has been an exponential growth of blogs, and behind these blogs are numerous bloggers who create and manage them. It is widely expected that bloggers armed with their own blogs will make a tremendous impact on both mass communication media and marketers who rely on such media. However, given the widespread use of blogs, there has been little sys ...

Kineta H. Hung and Stella Yiyan Li, Vol. 47, No. 4, Dec 2007, pp.485-495
Word of mouth (WOM) is a highly credible form of marketing information. However, because it is difficult to study WOM in the face-to-face context, researchers have limited understanding of its sources of effectiveness or its effects beyond product and brand communications. We analyzed computer-mediated data and conducted face-to-face interviews with beauty product enthusiasts i ...

Peyton R. Mason and Boyd H. Davis, Vol. 47, No. 4, Dec 2007, pp.496-506
Advertisers, marketers, and researchers all wrestle with finding the personal human presence in text-based online communication. Social features are present, if subtle. Users of online research must work to identify when and how unseen writers are or are not strongly committed to what they have just written, and must work even harder to keep from reading themselves and their ow ...

May-May Meijer and Jan Kleinnijenhuis, Vol. 47, No. 4, Dec 2007, pp.507-517
This study focuses on the effects of news and advertising expenditures on corporate reputation. Both advertisement expenditures and the tone (or tenor) of business news exert a positive influence on corporate reputation. In addition, advertising expenditures were found to magnify the effects of the tone of the news. In particular, moderately educated customers are susceptible t ...

Daniel M. Haygood, Vol. 47, No. 4, Dec 2007, pp.518-523
Podcasting has begun to capture the public’s imagination. Content creators are now providing a growing stream of intriguing and diverse content for downloading on MP3 players or personal computers, allowing consumers to control the time and place of their viewing or listening. And even advertising is emerging as a presence in podcasts. This article examines the landscape of pod ...

Hung-Chang Chiu, Yi-Ching Hsieh, Ya-Hui Kao and Monle Lee, Vol. 47, No. 4, Dec 2007, pp.524-534
To investigate the determinants of the effects of a viral campaign, we employ the classical framework of a persuasive communication model, designated as “Who says what to whom in which channel and with what effect?” We also consider theories of consumer value, personality, word-of-mouth communication, and source credibility. On the basis of an experiment conducted in Taiwan, we ...

Stephen D. Rappaport, Vol. 47, No. 4, Dec 2007, pp.535-538
A book review of Why We Talk: The Truth Behind Word-of-Mouth—Seven Reasons Your Customers Will or Will Not Talk About Your Brand, Bolivar J. Bueno, Creative Crayon Publishers, February 2007, ISBN: 978-0971481534, $24.95, 135 pp. ...

Vol. 47, No. 4, Dec 2007, pp.539-540
Provides a bullet-point summary of key learnings and conclusions from the main articles in JAR issue 47,4 (2007). ...