Electronic Word-of-Mouth (e-WOM) Generation in 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 book-to-movie adaptation, in which the textual content in the book medium is presented 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 liked the book, 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 a key factor in film success, it is important to address the following questions: “Are original novel fans or non-novel readers more active in e-WOM generation?” and “What is their mechanism of e-WOM generation?”. We aim to address these questions through two studies. In Study 1, we examine which of the two types of movie consumers generate e-WOM, and we show that original novel fans are more likely to generate e-WOM. In Study 2, we focus on original novel fans, who are key consumers of e-WOM, and examine their e-WOM generation mechanisms. The results show that original novel fans generate e-WOM through social pathways. This study provides a better understanding of consumer behaviors regarding e-WOM generation. Moreover, we provide useful insights for business managers involved in novel-to-movie adaptation.