Betrayed by the favorite brand: rise and consequences of brand shame
研究消费者最爱的品牌犯错后，品牌背叛感和羞耻感如何引发报复欲望和负面口碑，对品牌管理者有警示作用。
Purpose This study aims to investigate how consumers’ desire for retaliation and intention to voice negative word-of-mouth – following a transgression of their favorite brand – can be explained by feelings of brand betrayal and brand shame. Design/methodology/approach A scenario-based online survey (Study 1; n = 627 adult consumers; freely selectable favorite brand) and an online experiment (Study 2; n = 603 adult consumers; favorite smartphone brand) were conducted. In both studies, participants were confronted with a realistic, symbol-laden transgression of their favorite brand. All hypotheses are tested using structural equation modeling. Findings The empirical results showed that after a transgression of the favorite brand, the impact of brand dissatisfaction on the desire for retaliation is sequentially mediated by brand betrayal and brand shame. An increase in desire for retaliation leads to a rise in negative word-of-mouth. Overall, the findings demonstrate that even minor brand transgressions make brand fans realize that they have relied too long on the wrong favorite brand. Research limitations/implications This work enriches the literature on consumers’ negative reactions after brand transgressions. More specifically, this study is the first, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, to highlight the mediating role of betrayal-initiated brand shame, which is responsible for brand-harming outcomes. However, research limitations may arise because of missing field data and the possibility of neglecting moderating variables. Practical implications The results of this study show that marketers are well advised to avoid even small transgressions of their brand, but when they occur, marketers should focus on reducing feelings of betrayal and shame, which typically arise among earlier brand fans. Originality/value This study is the first, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, to consider the interplay of brand betrayal, brand shame, brand retaliation and negative word-of-mouth to show consumers’ sensitive reactions to transgressions of their favorite brand. Most notably, the authors pioneer in explaining customer retaliation based on brand betrayal and brand shame.