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The effect of individual professional critics on books’ sales: capturing selection biases from observable and unobservable factors

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  • Marco Caliendo
  • Michel Clement
  • Edlira Shehu

Abstract

We propose a combined approach of propensity score matching with difference-in-differences methods for reducing selection biases of products being reviewed by critics. Critics’ decision to review products may be driven by observable (e.g., star power) and unobservable (e.g., critics’ individual preferences) factors, raising the question of reverse causality and selection biases. Our proposed approach enables to rigorously control for selection biases by observable and unobservable characteristics. We apply our methodological framework on data from the German book market and estimate the sales effect of a well-known TV critic. We identify substantial selection effects of individual critics, which result in serious underestimation of the short-term effect (up to 29 %) and the long-term effect (up to 37 %). The results emphasize the relevance of the proposed methodological framework by demonstrating that observable and unobservable factors drive selection effects. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Marco Caliendo & Michel Clement & Edlira Shehu, 2015. "The effect of individual professional critics on books’ sales: capturing selection biases from observable and unobservable factors," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 26(4), pages 423-436, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:kap:mktlet:v:26:y:2015:i:4:p:423-436
    DOI: 10.1007/s11002-015-9391-9
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Michel Clement & Dennis Proppe & Armin Rott, 2007. "Do Critics Make Bestsellers? Opinion Leaders and the Success of Books," Journal of Media Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(2), pages 77-105.
    2. Marco Caliendo & Sabine Kopeinig, 2008. "Some Practical Guidance For The Implementation Of Propensity Score Matching," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(1), pages 31-72, February.
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    4. Edlira Shehu & Tim Prostka & Christina Schmidt-Stölting & Michel Clement & Eva Blömeke, 2014. "The influence of book advertising on sales in the German fiction book market," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 38(2), pages 109-130, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Dieter Pennerstorfer & Christoph Weiss & Andreas Huber, 2019. "Experts, Reputation and Umbrella Effects: Empirical Evidence from Wine Prices," Economics working papers 2019-08, Department of Economics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Critics; Reviewer; Propensity score matching; Difference-in-difference; Selection effects; M30; C520; L820;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • M30 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Marketing and Advertising - - - General

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