Ezgi Akpinar: What gets some product content talked about more than others?

Without actually knowing what drives and shapes consumers sharing information, companies invest huge amounts of time and money to make sure consumers talk favourably about their products, share their viral advertisements or make their slogans catch on. Watch PhD candidate Ezgi Akpinar of Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) reveal three surprising psychological drivers that boost word of mouth. She has found that first, consumers are reluctant to share relevant but negative news about a product if it's personally relevant to them or if it makes them feel threatened; second, that ads that go viral do not necessarily guarantee favourable outcomes for the company; and third, that including one of the five human senses in a phrase makes people more likely to remember them and makes those phrases more popular over time.