Two Faces of Brand Hate: Corporate vs. Human Brands: An Abstract

Abstract

In rapidly evolving online environments, brands must meaningfully engage consumers to foster consumer-brand relationships and to communicate brand values that permeate consumer self-identity and culture. Recent research into negative consumer-brand relationships explores brand hate. Much of the brand hate literature examines the brand hate construct in the context of corporate brands, while little research explores brand hate in the context of human brands. Given the increasing reliance on human brands among marketers, it is important to better understand differences in how brand hate is manifested toward corporate and human brands.

Building upon the psychological literature and Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Hate (2003), research finds three primary drivers of brand hate including: negative consumer experiences with the brand, the consumer’s perceptions of the organization and its values, and negative perceptions of the brand as a social entity. Consistent with the brand hate literature, consumer behavior in response to these drivers included brand avoidance or reduction of patronage (exit), mild negative WOM behaviors (voice), and more extreme reactions of active complaining and protesting about the brand (revenge). Therefore, we turn to the Huefner and Hunt’s (2000) adaptation of Hirshman’s exit voice framework (1970), which they expand to include retaliation.

To explore the drivers of brand hate as it relates to human and corporate brands, a critical incident technique survey was constructed. Respondents were randomly assigned to one of two conditions—identifying either a corporate brand or human brand that they hate. After identifying a specific brand, respondents were asked to describe why they hated that brand and then to describe any actions they had taken towards that brand as a result of their hatred toward the brand. Responses included a total of 124 usable responses from the corporate brands survey and 86 usable responses from the human brands survey.

Based on the results of the qualitative study and our review of the brand hate literature, we find support for a theoretic model of brand hate consistent with Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Hate (2003), where consumer response to negative brand experiences is mediated by the degree to which they experience hate toward the brand. We also find support for the notion that these relationships are moderated by the type of brand (corporate or human) that is the object of the consumer’s hate, with human brands having a stronger moderating effect.