Project B.1

Second funding period (2018-2021)

New Product Buzz: Measurement, Mode of Action, and Influence of Dynamic, Collective Anticipation in Digital Social Media

Thorsten Hennig-Thurau, Henrik Sattler, Ann-Kristin Kupfer, Franziska Völckner

Project B.1 strives to investigate the fascinating phenomenon of “new product buzz”, which has risen in the environment of digital social media. Although it is often named by managers as a critical success factor for new products in our digital times, it is not sufficiently understood by practitioners or scholars.

New product buzz captures the aggregation of observable expressions of anticipation by consumers for a forthcoming new product. This consumer movement, which is also collective and dynamic in nature, is –in contrast to the previously investigated phenomenon of social media firestorms (see the first funding phase of B.1)—characterized by forward-looking anticipation and is thus typically inherently positive in nature.

In this second funding phase of B.1, we first want to introduce a measurement approach for this construct. Building on that, it will be very interesting to investigate the psychological effect of buzz on the individual consumer – what kind of value does buzz provide to consumers, what makes buzz impactful? How does this impact evolve over time – can there a “too much” of buzz? Finally, we want to analyze the economic consequences of buzz and identify its drivers. The expected findings shall cover the relevant aspects of buzz for scholars and practitioners and provide important implications for further research on buzz as well as its management.

First funding period (2015-2018)

Trash-Talk and online firestorms: Impact of negative customer statements in digital social media on brand equity

Henrik Sattler, Thorsten Hennig-Thurau, Franziska Völckner

Project B.1 aims at identifying and characterizing different types of negative customer statements on brands in digital social media (negative dsWOM e. g. via Facebook). This shall provide a better understanding of the various influences of these statements on brand value. We therefore analyze the impact of individual customer messages on membership benefit in digital social brand communities, the members’ willingness to participate within these communities as well as in social processes initiated by negative customer statements and their impact on brand value.

We furthermore simulate online firestorms (multiple negative customer statements on a brand as result of dynamic network processes). With regards to the effects that are reducing brand value, a contingency model will be developed. Secondary and experimental data will be used to examine the strength of effects dependent on brand-, sender-, and network-based variables. Last but not least, the effects of management reactions on negative dsWOM shall be studied.