Abstract
We argue that consumers with high self-brand connections (SBC) respond to negative brand information as they do to personal failure - they experience a threat to their positive self-view. After viewing negative brand information, high (vs. low) SBC consumers reported lower state self-esteem. Consumers with high SBC also maintained favorable brand evaluations despite negative brand information. However, when they completed an unrelated self-affirmation task, they lowered their brand evaluations the same as low SBC consumers. This finding suggests that high SBC consumers' reluctance to lower brand evaluation might be driven by a motivation to protect the . self rather than the brand.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 280-288 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Journal of Consumer Psychology |
Volume | 22 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 2012 |
Funding
The authors gratefully acknowledge guidance by Journal of Consumer Psychology reviewers, the associate editor, and C.W. Park. The authors also thank James R. Bettman, Jennifer Escalas, Robert S. Wyer Jr., and Allison Jing Xu for their comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript. This research was funded by research support from Hong Kong Baptist University , University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign , University of Arizona , and Villanova University .
Keywords
- Brand connections
- Brand evaluations
- Brand failure
- Self-affirmation
- Self-concept
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Applied Psychology
- Marketing