The contagious nature of pre-release consumer buzz: How observing other consumers' anticipation for a new product influences adoption

Abstract

Many launch strategies for new products now aim at building pre-release consumer buzz (PRCB), defined as consumers' collective expressions of anticipation for an upcoming product. While a positive association of PRCB with innovation success has been established, little is known about how, under what conditions, and to what extent PRCB influences consumers' adoption decisions. This research sheds light on these issues by investigating PRCB's contagious nature as one of the concept's defining characteristics. Drawing on herding theory, the authors develop a conceptual framework and provide comprehensive experimental evidence that consumers' exposure to PRCB for a new product triggers distinct psychological mechanisms that influence their own adoption decisions: PRCB-observing consumers exhibit both greater social attraction to the “buzz movement” (group-related evaluation) as well as more curiosity and higher quality expectations about the new product (product-related evaluation). Furthermore, these effects are particularly strong for consumers who are highly susceptible to social influence and for products with low popular appeal. The authors complement their consumer-level analysis with an illustrative market-level what-if analysis that approximates the financial consequences of PRCB's contagious effects. Results suggest that the financial impact of PRCB can be substantial but differs significantly across scenarios, depending on product type and consumer segment. These findings have important implications for the management of innovations before launch.