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From the Archives: In Person Word of Mouth More Persuasive Than Print
Face-to-face word of mouth messages pack more punch than printed word of mouth communications, according to a 1991 Journal of Consumer Research article titled, "Effects of Word-of-Mouth and Product-Attribute Information on Perspective." The article also reports that the effect of a word of mouth communication is diminished when a prior impression (from memory) exists or when very negative information is presented. The authors propose that things which seem unrelated to the judgment of a piece of word of mouth can be explained and understood using the accessibility-diagnositicity model, which takes into account internal frames of reference.