Research shows that funny reviews are a double-edged sword

Consumers may enjoy reading funny or sarcastic online product reviews, but does it influence what they buy? That’s the question my colleagues Susan Mudambi, David Schuff, Ermira Zifla, and I wanted to answer with our new research into “pseudo-reviews.” By that, I don’t mean fake reviews that are designed to mislead consumers. Rather, pseudo-reviews, which could be written by anyone, are typically intended to amuse or wink at the reader, often while saying something genuine about the...