Analyzing prerelease consumer buzz and information cascades within the film industry: are there differences by gender and age groups?

ABSTRACT The concept of prerelease consumer buzz (PRCB) is a relatively new phenomenon. It is the excitement generated by consumers in anticipation of a forthcoming new product, film, song, or play. The PRCB is closely associated with information cascades because the buzz generated can be a mechanism for driving consumers to experience the said new product. Earlier research has called for scholars to test the pervasiveness of the concept, but there is also concern that current studies only adopt a national overview. We have addressed these concerns using a large original dataset, collected weekly for approximately 1 year. We analyze the determinants of information cascades and PRCB by considering films premiered in the USA and the UK. More specifically, we examine online user ratings by differing demographic clusters of the population (by sex and age) and through the qualitative characteristics of films (i.e., genre). Our results demonstrate that males between the ages of 18–29-years are more compliant to information cascades and expert reviewers are more likely to instigate herding behavior.