Brand crisis and consumer-brand relationship: a study on correlations between product crisis and intentional consumer behavior.

Abstract

Product crises represent 'extra-ordinary' critical events, which occur when a branded product, or production processes that generate this product, are such as to pose a serious risk (and cause a serious damage) for consumers, workers and also to the environment. The first part of the elaborate would give a detailed explanation of this aspect because the consumers process of evaluation about the responsibility and guilt of the company for the detrimental event - consisting in three dimensions: locus, stability and controllability- is a key element for understanding the effects of crises on market responses. In fact, it is able to influence the attitudes and behavioral outcomes of consumers in relation to the branded product involved in the crisis. In addition, differences in behavioral attitudes and outcomes of consumers are attributable to 'moderating’ variables that influence the process of this attribution of guilt. Among these, the present research analyses the role played by the relationship between the consumer and the branded product (consumer-brand Relationship − CBR) and underlines how in the presence of good relations with the brand, consumers are more benevolent, more favorable to forgive and almost 'immune' from negative assessments against the brand. The second part of the elaborate would continue with the case of reference of the scandal concerning H&M and the sweatshirt ad featuring a dark skinned child model wearing a green sweatshirt saying “Coolest Monkey in the Jungle”. The research would therefore produce an empirical investigation that it would involve a sample of young adults and adults characterized by a different intensity of relationship with the brand (weak CBR vs. strong CBR. The aim of the thesis would be to highlight the different intensities of the relationship between the consumer and the branded product, resulting in different attributions of blame on the part of the user about the critical event. The CBR has a significant effect on the three dimensions of the blame process (locus, stability and controllability) which, in turn, affect the behavioral outcomes of consumers. In the presence of a strong CBR, due to the mediator effect of a lower blame on the company, the attitude and behavioral outcomes by consumers towards the branded product are better.