Softening the Blow from Negative Word of Mouth
Strong brand identification can help shield against negative word of mouth. The February 1998 edition of The Iowa Stater reported on marketing professors Russ Laczniak, Thomas DeCarlo, and Sridhar Ramaswami's study of 300 college students who reacted to negative information about brands of personal computers.
16% of the surveyed students who received negative information about a brand not only ignored it, but rallied to the brand's defense. This should be somewhat reassuring for the WOM-fearful, as it demonstrates that one instance of negative word of mouth is not necessarily enough to tip the scales of consumer opinion.
