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A Room of One’s Own: Need for Uniqueness Counters Online WoM
Robin Chark; Lawrence Hoc Nang Fong; Candy Mei Fung Tang
2019-08-01
Source PublicationCornell Hospitality Quarterly
ABS Journal Level2
ISSN19389655
Volume60Issue:3Pages:216-232
Abstract

We examine how consumers’ desire to be different reduces their reliance on others’ suggestions and thus increases their tendency to diverge from the average opinion. While the extant literature focuses on the role of need for uniqueness in attitude formation and choice behavior, not much has been done to test the effect of uniqueness seeking on reactions to persuasive, word of mouth (WoM) messages. In four studies, we find converging evidence for a uniqueness effect. Specifically, the uniqueness motivation interacts with the valence of the average opinion such that when uniqueness motivation is low, consumers follow others’ advice and thus their attitudes depend primarily on the valence of the average opinion; meanwhile, the uniqueness seekers rely less on the valence and are more likely to form less favorable attitudes after reading positive reviews and to hold less unfavorable ones when the reviews are negative. These effects are found when trait need for uniqueness is measured as well as when situational need for uniqueness is manipulated. We further examine the process through which uniqueness motivation results in nonconformist attitudes. Uniqueness seekers perceive minority opinions as more diagnostic. Thus, these minority opinions are disproportionately represented in uniqueness seekers’ nonconformist views. These findings are important to the hospitality industry as consumers often rely on others’ experiences by reading online reviews to help make decisions concerning their own hospitality needs, which are highly experiential in nature.

KeywordNeed For Uniqueness Electronic Word Of Mouth Online Reviews Nonconformity
DOI10.1177/1938965518790223
URLView the original
Indexed BySSCI
Language英語English
WOS Research AreaSocial Sciences - Other Topics ; Sociology ; Business & Economics
WOS SubjectHospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism ; Management ; Sociology
WOS IDWOS:000474898600005
PublisherSAGE PUBLICATIONS INC, 2455 TELLER RD, THOUSAND OAKS, CA 91320 USA
Scopus ID2-s2.0-85052233448
Fulltext Access
Citation statistics
Document TypeJournal article
CollectionFaculty of Business Administration
DEPARTMENT OF INTEGRATED RESORT AND TOURISM MANAGEMENT
Corresponding AuthorRobin Chark
AffiliationUniversity of Macau, China
First Author AffilicationUniversity of Macau
Corresponding Author AffilicationUniversity of Macau
Recommended Citation
GB/T 7714
Robin Chark,Lawrence Hoc Nang Fong,Candy Mei Fung Tang. A Room of One’s Own: Need for Uniqueness Counters Online WoM[J]. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 2019, 60(3), 216-232.
APA Robin Chark., Lawrence Hoc Nang Fong., & Candy Mei Fung Tang (2019). A Room of One’s Own: Need for Uniqueness Counters Online WoM. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 60(3), 216-232.
MLA Robin Chark,et al."A Room of One’s Own: Need for Uniqueness Counters Online WoM".Cornell Hospitality Quarterly 60.3(2019):216-232.
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