Our conditional love for the underdog: The effect of brand positioning and the lay theory of achievement on WOM
Abstract In this research, the authors examine the effect of underdog versus top dog brand positioning on different stages of WOM generation, from mental representation (i.e. WOM intention) to action implementation (i.e. WOM behavior) and the underlying mechanism. Across five experiments, the authors find that an underdog (versus top dog) positioning leads to higher WOM intention, whereas its effect on actual WOM behavior demonstrates a reverse pattern. Additionally, the results show that consumer self concepts (i.e. idealistic self vs. pragmatic self) mediate the relationship between brand positioning and WOM (i.e. intention vs. behavior) Moreover, the authors find that the consumer lay theory of achievement moderates the effect of brand positioning on WOM behavior, in that consumers who hold an incremental (vs. entity) theory are more likely to generate WOM for a brand with an underdog (vs. top dog) positioning. These findings provide contributions to WOM and branding literatures and offer important implications to managers.