What Leads to Longer Word of Mouth Discussion?

While a great deal of research has demonstrated word of mouth’s impact, less is known about the broader discussions in which such sharing takes place. Some things are talked about for longer, and longer discussion tends to increase persuasion, but how might the language consumers use to talk about something shape discussion length? Natural language processing of hundreds of conversations begins to address this question. Results indicate that discussions last longer when conversation partners speak more concretely and asking narrow (but not broad) questions. These results hold even controlling for who is talking, what they are talking about, and a variety of other aspects of the discussion. Overall, the findings deepen understanding of word of mouth, shed light on linguistic drivers of conversation, and highlight how natural language processing can provide insight into consumer behavior.