New Product Buzz: Measurement, Mode of Action and Influence of Dynamic, Collective Anticipation in Digital Social Media; first funding phase: Trash-Talk and Firestorm: Influences of Negative Customer Comments in Digital Social Networks on Brand Value

在B1的第一个资助阶段，我们总共发表了六篇学术论文，我们对负面口碑（nWOM）的影响和管理有了全面的了解，尤其是社交媒体风暴。首先，我们通过实验发现，与pwm相反，nwm在功能性品牌社区中受到重视，但在DSM中社会性品牌社区中引发负面反应。第二步，我们分析了品牌经理对新口碑发生的反应策略。在这里，我们表明没有一般优越的策略，但在DSM中处理消费者批评的有效性取决于管理层回应的调性和用户的目标，从而使反应策略的最佳选择依赖于上下文。第三步是解决社交媒体风暴现象。我们通过实验证明，如果火风暴的原因涉及道德失败，那么火风暴参与者的数量和他们表达的愤怒会增加，这反过来又会增加参与火风暴是社会适当的感觉，以及与其他参与者共享相似性的感觉。火风暴的原因也是解释社交媒体火风暴对消费者和品牌影响的核心驱动因素。通过对一手数据和第二手数据的独特结合，我们发现了火风暴的强度、生动性和原因，可以解释哪些火风暴会对品牌认知产生负面影响，哪些火风暴在发生多年后仍被记住，哪些火风暴很快就被遗忘了。在即将到来的B1项目中，我们希望利用这些在DSM中获得的关于firestorms的知识来研究“new product buzz”（NPB）的相关现象。我们将NPB定义为消费者行为的集合，这些行为表达了对新产品的期望，并且可以被其他人观察到。这种消费者运动在本质上也是集体的和动态的，与风暴相反，它的特点是前瞻性的预测，因此本质上是典型的积极的。在B1的第二个资助阶段，我们首先想为NPB建设引入一种基于理论的测量方法。在此基础上，研究NPB对个人消费者的心理影响将是非常有趣的——NPB为消费者提供了什么样的价值，是什么使NPB具有影响力？这种影响是如何随着时间的推移而演变的——是否存在饱和点，是否存在“过多”的NPB？最后，我们想分析NPB的经济后果，并找出其驱动因素。预期的研究结果将为学者和实践者涵盖NPB的相关方面，并为进一步研究NPB及其管理提供重要启示。

In the first funding phase of B1, with a total of six academic papers, we arrived at an encompassing understanding of the effect and management of negative word of mouth (nWOM) in general and social media firestorms in particular. In the first step, we i. a. experimentally showed that nWOM –contrary to pWOM—is valued in functional brand communities, but triggers negative reactions in socially-oriented brand communities in DSM. In a second step, we analyzed reaction strategies to the occurrence of nWOM of brand managers. Here we showed that there is no generally superior strategy, but that the effectiveness of handling consumer criticism in DSM depends on the tonality of the management’s response and the goals of the users, thus making the preferable choice of reaction strategy context-dependent. The third step addressed the social media firestorm phenomenon. We showed experimentally, that the number of firestorm participants and their expressed outrage increases particularly if the reason of the firestorm involves a moral failure which, in turn, increases the perception that firestorm participation is socially appropriate as well as the perception of shared similarity with other participants. The firestorm reason is also a central driver for explaining the effects of social media firestorms on consumers and brands. Using a unique combination of primary and secondary data, we showed that the strength of the firestorm, its vividness, and its reason explain which firestorms affect brand perceptions negatively and which firestorms are remembered even years after their occurrence – and which are forgotten sooner rather than later.In the upcoming project of B1, we want to use this gained knowledge on firestorms in DSM to investigate the related phenomenon of “new product buzz” (NPB). We define NPB as the aggregation of consumer behaviors that express anticipation for a new product and are observable by others. This consumer movement, which is also collective and dynamic in nature, is –in contrast to firestorms—characterized by forward-looking anticipation and is thus typically inherently positive in nature. In the second funding phase of B1, we first want to introduce a theory-based measurement approach for the NPB construct. Building on that, it will be very interesting to investigate the psychological effect of NPB on the individual consumer – what kind of value does NPB provide to consumers, what makes NPB impactful? How does this impact evolve over time – are there satiation points, can there a “too much” of NPB? Finally, we want to analyze the economic consequences of NPB and identify its drivers. The expected findings shall cover the relevant aspects of NPB for scholars and practitioners and provide important implications for further research on NPB as well as its management.