Purpose -This study shows how customers engage in negatively-valenced influencing behavior (NVIB) and what triggers customers to use different forms of NVIB in an online context. Design/methodology/approach -A qualitative study is conducted using an unobtrusive netnography. Data collected comprises 954 negatively valenced online reviews posted on TripAdvisor to hotels, restaurants, and 'things to do' in twelve different destinations worldwide. Findings -Drawing on recent literature relating to customer engagement behavior (CEB), this paper identifies and conceptualizes the relationship between five cognitive (service failure, overpricing, deception) and emotional (disappointment and insecurity) triggers of six forms of direct (dissuading, warning and endorsing competitors) and indirect (discrediting, expressing regret and deriding) NVIB. Research limitations -The unobtrusive netnography has inherent limitations that lend itself to inductive rich insights rather than generalization. The study only focuses on NVIB within a specific online context namely TripAdvisor. Practical implications -This paper provides managers with knowledge of the specific triggers of NVIB. Additionally, the paper conceptualizes the various forms of NVIB, how customers use them and what triggers them to use each form. Moreover, the paper offers relevant data-inferred recommendations to service managers on how to manage each form. Originality/value -This research is the first to identify forms and triggers of NVIB, classify direct and indirect forms, and conceptualize relationships between forms and triggers.

Recent developments in marketing and service research highlight the potentially detrimental impact of negative customer engagement behavior (CEB) on the attitudes and behaviors of other actors in social networks toward service providers. Specifically, in online contexts, negative CEB is contagious and viral in nature, with ensuing implications that may have short and long-term financial and reputational repercussions for service providers. Nevertheless, the extant literature predominantly captures only the negative impact of what customers say about service providers in their negative reviews and fails to provide any understanding of different intensity levels of negative engagement. This article marks the first attempt to provide a more nuanced view of the impact of negative CEB. This paper empirically investigates the impact of six distinct forms of negatively valenced influencing behavior (NVIB) using two experimental studies in an online review setting. Our results provide new insights into different intensity levels of NVIB and how they are moderated by the number of positive reviews. Practically, this paper addresses one of the challenges for service providers in managing NVIBs, centered on understanding the heterogeneity of its forms and, hence, their different intensity levels. The results suggest that service providers use semantic tools to detect the intensity levels of NVIB and to prioritize handling and/or mitigating the more intense NVIBs when they occur. Statement of contribution:Our study contributes by the first empirical more nuanced view regarding different intensity levels of NVIB and how they are moderated through the number of positive reviews. Accordingly, we encourage managers to use semantic tools to detect these different intensity levels of NVIB and to prioritize handling and/or mitigating the more intense NVIBs when they occur.

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