口碑效应下网络视频定价与广告投放最优决策

Optimal Pricing and Advertising Decisions for Online Video Services Considering Word of Mouth

近年来,网络视频成为一种重要的新型消费内容,同时网络口碑对在线内容扩散的影响也日益深刻。本文考虑网络视频收费期内用户情绪效用产生的网络口碑对视频节目扩散过程的影响,运用数理分析方法,研究了网络视频运营商关于节目价格与广告投放量的最优决策问题,并分析了节目口碑属性、节目试看、节目体验质量和收费期等因素对最优决策结果的影响。研究发现,当付费用户与普通用户的视频体验质量差异足够大时,运营商将选择广告主导型策略(广告投放水平相对较高),反之则选择收费主导型策略(收费水平相对较高)。当节目口碑越好、试看时间越短、付费模式体验质量越低或免费模式体验质量越高时,运营商越倾向于选择收费主导型策略,相应的节目价格、广告投放量和运营商期望利润也将视条件发生不同变化。基于前述最优决策结果,运营商可进一步针对节目口碑属性对收费期进行优化。

In recent years, online video has become an important part of online content consumption, and its diffusion is significantly affected by online word of mouth(WOM). Considering the impact of online WOM on the diffusion process of online videos during the premium period, the optimal decisions of the online video operator on video price and advertising volume are studied, and how the WOM attributes, free trial, video quality and premium period affect the optimal decision results is analyzed. Results show that when the experience quality of the subscribers is sufficiently higher than that of the non-subscribers, the operator chooses the advertising-oriented strategy(with advertising level relatively higher than pricing level);otherwise, the operator chooses the payment-oriented strategy(with pricing level relatively higher than advertising level). The operator is more likely to choose the payment-oriented strategy when the video is with better WOM attributes, when the free-trial time is shorter, when the premium content is with lower quality, or when the free content is with higher quality. Based on the above optimal decision results, the operator can further improve the premium period according to the video’s WOM attributes.This study contributes to the literature at the intersection of innovation diffusion and online content marketing.