The Impact of Social Motivations on Word-of-Mouth Generation by Japanese Consumers

The authors examine the role of three social motivations (social bonding, social comparison, and the sharing of social norm information) in generating word-of-mouth (WOM) among consumers in a culture (Japan) where many consumers have an interdependent construal of self. Based on existing discussions of East Asian cultures in general and Japanese culture in particular, the authors hypothesized that these social motivations would be positively associated with the generation of WOM among Japanese consumers. To test these hypotheses, the authors surveyed 618 Japanese mothers who had purchased products designed to protect the health, safety, or well-being of their children. The resulting data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings indicate that, among Japanese consumers, the generation of both positive and negative word-of-mouth is a function of the desire to share social information. In addition, positive WOM is positively related to the desire for social comparison, while negative WOM is positively related to the desire for social bonding. Finally, the desire for social bonding has positive and significant indirect relationships with both positive and negative WOM.