Inducing word-of-mouth by eliciting surprise – a pilot investigation

Abstract

This research – using the critical incident technique – brings to the fore the emotion of surprise and its influence on word-of-mouth (WOM). The results show –as expected- that the intensity of surprise is significantly correlated with the frequency of WOM and that this relationship is not completely mediated by subsequent positive or negative emotions. This relationship is explained in terms of social sharing of emotions.