We study the differential effects of a variety of WOM and mass communication activities
on the means and on the variances of individual preference parameters. Analyzing the
effects of communication on the means of individual preference parameters provides
useful information regarding how much WOM and mass communication activities
increase or decrease consumers’ preference parameters. Such a study helps us better
understand how communication activities influence consumer heterogeneity. This raises a
new question: “Do WOM and mass communication activities make consumers
homogeneous or heterogeneous in terms of their product preferences?”
This important question has not been previously addressed in the marketing literature. We
propose a two-level choice model using a hierarchical Bayesian probit to incorporate the
differential effects of mass and WOM communication activities, and the proper
interaction between communication activities and product attributes. Using actual movie
choice data, we analyze the effects of WOM communication activities compared to those
of mass communication activities. Furthermore, we measure the differential effects of
communication activities and the interaction effects between communication and product
attributes. Based on the empirical analysis, we provide relevant managerial guidelines
about communication activities.