Electronic Word-of-Mouth (e-WOM) Generation in the Book-to-Movie Adaptation:

A Comparison of Original Novel Fans and Non-Novel Readers

Abstract

One of the common strategies in the content business is the book-to-movie adaptation, where the textual content in the book medium is derived as visual and sound content in the film medium. While books include a variety of genres, the novel is most widely used as the basis for a movie. A unique feature of the novel-based movie is the presence of two types of movie consumers: “original novel fans,” who read the original novel and watch the movie because they like it, and “no-novel readers,” who watch the movie without having read the original novel. Given this unique consumer feature and the fact that electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) is the key factor in film success, it is essential to address the following questions: “Are original novel fans and non-novel readers are more active in e-WOM generation?” and “What is their mechanism of e-WOM generation?”. We aim to address these research questions through two studies. In Study 1, we examine which of the two types of movie consumers generate e-WOM and show that original novel fans are more likely to generate e-WOM. In Study 2, we focus on original novel fans, which are key consumers of e-WOM generation, and examine their e-WOM generation mechanisms; the results show that original novel fans generate e-WOM through social needs. Our study contributes to a better understanding of consumer behaviors regarding e-WOM generation. Moreover, we provide useful insights for business managers involved in the novel-to-movie adaptation.