Breaking Up is Hard to Do: The Ups and Downs of Divorcing Brands

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Fournier
Keyword(s):  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Negative Word ◽  
Brand Relationships ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Best Friend ◽  
Brand Relationship ◽  
Point Of No Return ◽  
Platonic Love ◽  
Speed Up ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Relationships with brands are like relationships between people. Even when they were very close, they can fail for diverse reasons. The disadoption of favorite brands doesn't happen overnight. It tends to be an extended, often painful process and not a clear-cut, one-off event. Breakups are not isolated to the person and the brand. Friends and family often get involved and offer their opinions and advice. Other brand relationships are also affected by the disconnection, and this can speed up or delay the process of breaking up. The brand relationship changes its form and can go from being a best friend to a platonic love, a distant friend, a stalker or even an enemy. A breakup is never the end of the relationship. Rather, it redefines the relationship and is part of a never-ending cycle of change. If the former relationship is perceived positively, it is easier to eventually activate and intensify it. If negative aspects prevail, negative word of mouth is a danger and companies must be able to counter it. Some relationships reach a point of no return. But there are also customers who might regret having abandoned a brand. With some sensitivity, it might be possible to win them back.

scholarly journals The impact of brand concept on brand equity

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joo-Eon Jeon
Keyword(s):  
Brand Equity ◽  
Emotional Attachment ◽  
Brand Performance ◽  
Brand Relationships ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Commitment ◽  
Brand Relationship ◽  
Brand Concept ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeResearches on the impact brand equity have grown considerably in recent years, as it has been shown to have significant impact on a company’s financial performance. This paper aims to empirically test the relationships between brand concepts and brand equity, while exploring the mediating roles of emotional attachment and customer commitment. Design/methodology/approachThe research investigates the effect of brand concept on the customer–brand relationship and brand performance. Additionally, it examines how the relationship between brand concept and brand equity is mediated by customer–brand relationships such as emotional attachment and commitment. FindingsThe results empirically demonstrate the important contribution of the three brand concepts to brand equity. The results empirically demonstrate the important contribution of the three-brand concept to customer commitment and to brand equity that has been predicted by prior research. Originality/valueThe main contribution of this study is to demonstrate the effects of the brand concepts related to aesthetic, functional and symbolic benefits on brand equity. From this, brand equity may be viewed as a link in the path of effects that indirectly connects brand concepts with market performance. Brand concept, emotional attachment and customer commitment are relevant constructs underlying brand equity, and commitment and loyalty are key mediating variables in relational exchanges.

A Negative Actor Engagement Scale for Online Knowledge-Sharing Platforms

2021 ◽  
pp. 183933492110220
Author(s):  
Loic Pengtao Li ◽  
Catherine Frethey-Bentham ◽  
Biljana Juric ◽  
Roderick J. Brodie
Keyword(s):  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Negative Word ◽  
Measurement Instruments ◽  
First Order ◽  
Development And Validation ◽  
Positive Engagement ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Engagement Scale

Prior research shows that negative engagement is conceptually different from positive engagement, and necessitates further understanding and measurement instruments. This study reports a series of four studies leading to conceptualization, development, and validation of a negative actor engagement scale for online knowledge-sharing platforms. An online learning service platform Piazza is chosen as the research context, where learners engage intensively in knowledge-sharing with one another as well as instructors. We conceptualize negative engagement as actors’ negative engagement dispositions (i.e., negative emotions and cognitions) during interactions on the platform. Negative engagement disposition is shown to be a second-order formative construct comprising four first-order reflective constructs—annoyance, social anxiety, failed expectations, and futility. The relationship between negative engagement disposition and its behavioral consequence of negative word-of-mouth is established. This is the first study to conceptualize and operationalize negative actor engagement.

Effects of CSR Messages on Apparel Consumers’ Word-of-Mouth: Perceived Corporate Hypocrisy as a Mediator

2021 ◽  
pp. 0887302X2110559
Author(s):  
Gargi Bhaduri ◽  
Sojin Jung ◽  
Jung E. Ha-Brookshire
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Negative Word ◽  
Injunctive Norm ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

This study focused on understanding how (mis)match between a company's corporate social responsibility claims as indicated in their mission and the activities it actually undertakes to meet its CSR goals leads to consumers’ corporate hypocrisy and how consumers’ CSR-CA beliefs moderate the relationship between the two. Using the Moral Responsibility Theory of Corporate Sustainability as a framework, this research analyzed the difference in corporate hypocrisy between consumers with high versus low CSR-CA tradeoff beliefs. In addition, we examined the impact of consumers’ corporate hypocrisy on their negative word-of-mouth intention and how participants’ injunctive norm impacts the relationship between the two. A sample of 538 adult US consumers were recruited for an online experimental study. The study extends the findings of MCRS and also provides implications for apparel businesses.

scholarly journals The consequences of the heritage experience in brand museums on the consumer–brand relationship

2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (10) ◽  
pp. 2193-2212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathilde Pulh ◽  
Rémi Mencarelli ◽  
Damien Chaney
Keyword(s):  
Brand Relationships ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Supportive Behaviors ◽  
Brand Relationship ◽  
Physical Setting ◽  
Deep Relationship ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Heritage Experience

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the consequences of the heritage experience in brand museums on the consumer–brand relationship. By highlighting its heritage within a museum, the brand proposes a specific experience that deserves attention because it is based on memory and communal identity, thus creating or strengthening a relationship with consumers. Design/methodology/approach Ethnographic case studies were conducted through direct observation and extensive interviews with 72 visitors at two brand museums, the Fallot Mustard Mill and the House of the Laughing Cow. Findings The results highlight the emergence/strengthening of the relationship between consumers and the brand through the development of intimacy with the brand and the emergence of supportive behaviors toward the brand in the form of commercial support, ambassadorship and volunteering. Research limitations/implications By characterizing and articulating the different relational consequences of visiting a brand museum, this research contributes to the literature dedicated to heritage experiences in consumption contexts and to the literature dedicated to consumer–brand relationships in servicescapes. Practical implications The study shows the necessity of grounding “heritage” in the physical setting of the brand museum to create a meaningful experience for visitors and, in turn, a deep relationship. Managers should treat brand museums as a relational tool in the marketing strategy of the brand and approach them from the perspective of long-term profitability. Originality/value While the literature has examined the spectacular and esthetic experiences brand museums offer, this study is the first to characterize the heritage experience and to document its consequences in terms of the consumer–brand relationship.

Antecedents of WOM: Product Appraisal and Brand Relationship as Drivers of Customer Referral Dimensions

Marketing ZFP ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-70
Author(s):  
Tobias Reckmann ◽  
Thorsten Teichert
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Brand Relationships ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Brand Relationship ◽  
Consumer Experiences ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Different Dimensions

Word of Mouth (WOM) is typically investigated as an exogeneous variable influencing consumers´ future product purchases. Whereas drivers of positive and negative WOM are well investigated, antecedents of different types of positive WOM are hardly differentiated. This research investigates the multifaceted nature of consumers’ product and brand encounters as antecedents of distinct WOM referral dimensions. A large-scale cross-sectional survey connects WOM incidents with consumers’ a-priori product and brand interactions. Seemingly unrelated regressions are applied to disentangle the effects of product appraisal and brand relationship on different dimensions of customer referral. Whereas product appraisals evoke functional referral, brand relationships particularly foster prescriptive and emotional WOM. Researchers are thus encouraged to inspect ex ante experiences with products and brands to better explain and predict consumers’ WOM behavior. Practitioners can use the derived insights to proactively steer desirable forms of WOM by designing supportive consumer experiences.

The effects of consumer ethnocentrism and consumer animosity on perceived betrayal and negative word-of-mouth

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsiang-Ming Lee ◽  
Tsai Chen ◽  
Yu-Shan Chen ◽  
Wei-Yuan Lo ◽  
Ya-Hui Hsu
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Negative Word ◽  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumer Ethnocentrism ◽  
Consumer Animosity ◽  
Subject Experiment ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Positive Effect

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to survey whether consumer ethnocentrism and animosity will affect consumers' perceived betrayal and cause negative word-of-mouth (NWOM).Design/methodology/approachThis study conducted a 2 (consumer ethnocentrism) × 3 (consumer animosity) between-subject experiment design to test the hypotheses. Comprised of 380 respondents, this study used ANOVA to examine the data.FindingsThe results showed that if a brand violates the perception of fairness, ethnocentrism and animosity will have a positive effect on perceived betrayal. In addition, low consumer animosity revealed a significant consumer ethnocentrism effect and low ethnocentrism revealed a significant animosity effect, while the relationship between perceived betrayal and word of mouth is negative.Originality/valueThe current research adds to the understanding about how the reaction to a domestic brand's marketing strategies that are viewed as unfair and hurt the domestic consumers' expectations.

The asymmetric impact of other-blame regret versus self-blame regret on negative word of mouth

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (11/12) ◽  
pp. 1799-1816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruijuan Wu ◽  
Cheng Lu Wang
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Negative Word ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Self Blame ◽  
Return Policy ◽  
Other Blame ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This study aims to distinguish two regret conditions, other-blame regret (O-regret) and self-blame regret (S-regret), and investigate the underlying mechanism and boundary conditions of the relationship between regret and negative word of mouth (NWOM). Design/methodology/approach Four experiments and one survey study test hypotheses regarding how O-regret and S-regret influence NWOM through mediating mechanism of anger and sadness and how the impact of regret on NWOM is moderated by boundary conditions. Findings The results show that consumers who experience O-regret transmit more NWOM than those who experience S-regret. Anger is a dominant emotion when consumers experience O-regret and mediates the impact of regret on NWOM, and sadness is a dominant emotion when consumers experience S-regret and mediates the impact of regret on NWOM. In addition, purchased price (full vs discount price), regret context (private vs public context) and return policy (strict vs lenient policy) are found to moderate the effect of regret on NWOM. Research limitations/implications This study was conducted in China, which has a unique business environment that may differ from other countries. Therefore, this research opens a new avenue to further examine such a phenomenon in countries where a more lenient return policy is a standard business practice. Cross-nation studies comparing how different return policies and other business environment conditions are warranted in future research. Practical implications The study provides several insights for marketers considering the management of NWOM by understanding consumer O-regret and S-regret in either online or offline retailing situations. Originality/value This paper contributes to the extant literature by distinguishing different outcome regrets. The theoretical conceptualization and empirical findings shed further lights on the relationship between regret and other negative emotions and how O-regret and S-regret lead to different impacts on NWOM through different paths of mediation mechanism.

Does involvement shapes consumers’ response to product failure?

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 283-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bahman Hamzelu ◽  
Ali Gohary ◽  
Salar Ghafoori Nia ◽  
Kambiz Heidarzadeh Hanzaee
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Negative Word ◽  
Product Failure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Level Of Involvement ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Customer Reaction ◽  
Different Levels

Purpose Customer reaction to failure is of essential importance and varies by level of involvement with products and services. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to use the FCB grid to examine effects of involvement and emotion on failure of products and services. It also explores effects of negative word-of-mouth, consumer advocacy, customer voicing and gender on the so-called silent killers. Design/methodology/approach A 2 (male or female)×4 (high and low involvement, feelings, thinking in FCB grid) between-subjects experiment on 311 college students, who have recently experienced product failure, is performed. Findings Results reveal that customers with different levels of involvement react differently to product failure. Furthermore, low-involvement products are more likely to develop silent killers. The results also show that silent killer is more common among men. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no similar study is performed on the relationship between involvement and failure of products or services. In addition, this attempt is the first quantitative study to examine the phenomenon of silent killers in this field.

scholarly journals Brand Betrayal: A Comprehensive Study to Examine the Indicators and Consequences of Brand Betrayal Towards Consumer Behavior

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 28-39
Author(s):  
Sana Rehmat ◽  
Manahil Wasim
Keyword(s):  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Negative Word ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Moral Obligations ◽  
Consumer Behaviors ◽  
Brand Relationship ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Novel Theory ◽  
Type Of Behavior ◽  
Comprehensive Study

Abstract Brand betrayal is induced by the brand itself when it fails to fulfill its promised moral obligations and involves the type of behavior that fractures the strong self–brand connection with the consumers. Brand managers must come across several negative types of consumer behaviors that depict their sense of dissatisfaction. Additionally, the effort of a brand to reduce the effects of brand betrayal is reflected by the sheer amount of customer apologies and compensation paid to the affected consumers. Having a sound knowledge about the primary indicators of brand betrayal encourages the brand managers to take necessary measures to deal with the challenges of the negative consumer-brand relationship. The resultant revenge behaviors depicted by the consumers include different types of activities such as spreading negative word-of-mouth and avoiding the brand itself, customer incivility, etc. The existing literature on the consequences  of brand betrayal is insufficient to build the novel theory around the construct and differentiate it from brand dissatisfaction. The current research in brand dissatisfaction argues that it is a more generalized construct than brand betrayal that becomes the immediate cause of brand avoidance.  The effect of these consequences needs to be addressed by the marketing theorists and practitioners to strengthen the consumer-brand relationship and manage the longer-lasting results of negative consumer behaviors.

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