Keep it vague? New product preannouncement, regulatory focus, and word-of-mouth

This paper aims to examine the interaction between firm's new product preannouncement (NPP) strategies and consumers' regulatory foci on their WOM intention and the underlying mechanisms. In three experiments, we find that (1) the promotion-focused (prevention-focused) consumers have higher WOM intentions for vague (specific) NPP; (2) curiosity (outcome expectancy) mediates the effects of the NPP strategies on WOM intention for promotion-focused (prevention-focused) consumers; and (3) brand familiarity plays a moderating role, such that the interaction effect between NPP strategy and regulatory focus on consumers' WOM intention holds for a low-familiarity brand only. Our research contributes to a better understanding of NPP strategies and provides actionable strategic support for firms to conduct NPP.