Is brand activism an emotional affair? The role of moral emotions in consumer responses to brand activism

Abstract

As brand activism continues to move up the corporate agenda, a more comprehensive understanding of its effects is needed. This paper contributes to the evolving research by investigating moral emotions (i.e. other-praising and other-condemning emotions) as mediating factors and consumer-brand identification (CBI) as a moderator that shape consumer reactions to brand activism. Three scenario-based experiments on two divisive topics show that activist messages elicit moral emotions that determine how individuals respond to them, depending on whether or not they agree with the brand’s stance. Moreover, this effect of (dis)agreeing with the brand’s stance on brand attitude is moderated by CBI. In case of a strong identification, an activist message does not affect brand attitude as CBI attenuates the activation of moral emotions – both in the positive case of agreement and in the negative case of disagreement. Finally, brand activism may counter the brand’s social goals, as it disproportionally motivates opponents of the brand’s stand to advocate their own contrary views on the contentious issue. In sum, these findings underscore both the emotional nature of consumer reactions to brand activism and the high level of social responsibility of companies that position themselves as political actors.

What drives business-to-business brands to be conscientious?

“…Thus, B2B brands respecting shareholder expectations are most likely governed by social exchange theory instead of transaction cost economics. Nevertheless, the assessment of potential risk (Milfeld and Flint, 2021;Swaminathan et al, 2020;Wannow et al, 2023) suggests that B2B brands' decision to pursue conscientiousness This study also confirms the critical role of brand authenticity (Morhart et al, 2015;Moulard et al, 2021;Schallehn et al, 2014) in developing B2B brands' conscientious strategies, reinforcing past literature regarding strategies to avoid CSR opportunism (Pirsch et al, 2007), greenwashing (Laufer, 2003) or woke washing (Mirzaei et al, 2022;Vredenburg et al, 2020). Nevertheless, past research studied the importance of authenticity from a customer perspective, not from an employee perspective.…”

“…Thus, B2B brands respecting shareholder expectations are most likely governed by social exchange theory instead of transaction cost economics. Nevertheless, the assessment of potential risk (Milfeld and Flint, 2021; Swaminathan et al , 2020; Wannow et al , 2023) suggests that B2B brands’ decision to pursue conscientiousness could be purely economic, implying the decision being driven by transaction cost economics.…”

“…COVID-19 added a new level of consumer scrutiny as, post pandemic, consumers are reflecting on how brands performed under pressure to deliver value on their promise and purpose (Accenture, 2020). There is ample discussion and previous research that supports that being conscientious is beneficial for business-to-consumer (B2C) brands (Ahmad et al , 2022; Hajdas and Kłeczek, 2021; Haupt et al , 2023; Ketron et al , 2022; Schmidt et al , 2022; Vredenburg et al , 2020; Wannow et al , 2023), but lack of clarity remains regarding the importance of conscientious strategies for their business-to-business (B2B) counterparts (Beitelspacher and Getchell, 2023; Markovic et al , 2023).…”

Who is more responsive to brand activism? The role of consumer-brand identification and political ideology in consumer responses to activist brand messages

“…As shown by past research, the use of humor can ease tensions and allow difficult topics to be addressed and discussed (Lynch, 2002). Further, conveying positive emotions, such as hope and showing empathy for both sides could potentially contribute to a constructive atmosphere (Ahmad et al, 2022;Hesse et al, 2021;Wannow and Haupt, 2022). Managers also need to understand that companies and their brands have the power to act as moral authorities in society, as they can "provide clarity and guidance to others [about] what is right in terms of values and actions" (Hoppner and Vadakkepatt, 2019, p. 418).…”

Analisis Deskriptif Brand Switching dan Purchase Intention Dampak Pemboikotan Merek Terkait dengan Peristiwa di Gaza

“…Merek yang dapat memahami dan merespons perubahan ini dengan baik akan lebih sukses dalam mempertahankan dan menarik pelanggan di pasar yang kompetitif ini. Sejalan dengan penelitian Wannow et al (2024) tentang kontribusi utama dalam analisis deskriptif brand switching dan purchase intention terkait pemboikotan merek yang terafiliasi dengan Israel telah menyoroti beberapa hal penting. Pertama, penelitian sebelumnya menunjukkan adanya hubungan yang signifikan antara faktor politik dan sosial dengan perilaku konsumen, terutama terkait preferensi merek dan niat beli.…”