A Negation Bias in word of Mouth

We find that consumers use more negations (e.g., “not fast” instead of “slow”) in word-of-mouth describing experiences that are incongruent with brand image, such as slow service at a high-end hotel. This use of negations implicitly communicates the brand’s reputation, and influences the audience’ responses to word-of-mouth. Experiment 1 shows that consumers are more likely to use negations when describing unexpected (versus expected) experiences. Experiment 2 shows that the audience rates an experience as unexpected and surprising when another consumer uses negations. Experiment 3 shows that negations affect the evaluation of products reviewed by other consumers.