University of Twente Student Theses
Haters gonna hate : the influence of avoidance type, company characteristics and anthropomorphism on brand hate
Bernhard, Iris (2015) Haters gonna hate : the influence of avoidance type, company characteristics and anthropomorphism on brand hate.
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| Abstract: | The aim of this research is to investigate topic of brand hate, a relatively new subject in the scientific community. But, the interest in the negative characteristics of consumer-brand relationships is growing. Brand hate can be described as extreme negative feelings towards a specific brand, due to various reasons. The purpose of the current study is to explore to what extent avoidance type, company characteristics and consumer characteristic anthropomorphism have an influence on brand hate. For this study, a 3 (experiential avoidance, moral avoidance, identity avoidance) x 2 (high level of corporate social performance vs. low level of corporate social performance) x 2 (high level of corporate social ability vs. low level of corporate social ability) between subjects design was performed. The consumer characteristic anthropomorphism was used as a covariate in the current study. This was done with the use of an online survey, and a total of 382 respondents participated. Thereby, a fictional brand, ‘Calmida’ was used, to avoid effects due to for example brand preferences or even brand aversion. Results from this research show that moral avoidance is the most influential motivator for brand hate, compared to experiential- and identity avoidance. Thereby results show that companies with low corporate social performance are more susceptible to develop brand hate compared to high corporate social performance. Results did not show any influence of corporate ability on brand hate. However, results do support that the tendency to anthropomorphize is negatively related to brand hate. Thus, individuals who have the tendency to anthropomorphize brands are less likely to hate brands. At last, research in the topic of brand hate in general, its motivations and influences, is still in its very early stages, and more research needs to be executed to fully comprehend the phenomenon. Further research should focus on a wider population, various nationalities, countries and other cultures. Thereby, additional research should also have a closer look at various product groups to see whether motivations or influences for brand hate differ in product categories. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 05 communication studies, 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Communication Studies MSc (60713) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/68810 |
| Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
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