The Mind-Set to Share: An Exploration of Antecedents of Narrowcasting Versus Broadcasting in Digital Advertising

Word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing has recently attracted a great deal of attention from marketers, especially since the emergence of social media. Three field experiments demonstrate the effects of consumer mind-set (i.e., competition versus collaboration) on narrowcasting and broadcasting intentions and actual behaviors. The results show that a collaborative mind-set promotes narrowcasting, whereas a competitive mind-set encourages broadcasting. Further, self-affirmation moderates the relationship between consumer mind-set and broadcasting. Our findings provide important insights into investment prioritization and resource allocation when managing WOM campaigns.