ABSTRACT:
Today’s customers are not afraid to voice their opinions when they feel that a brand has done wrong. Certain customers even develop brand hate, especially when companies do not respond adequately. Against this backdrop, we investigate the roles of brand attachment and corporate crisis response strategies in shaping brand forgiveness following value-based brand transgressions. We empirically show how different levels of brand attachment and crisis response strategies lead to different levels of brand forgiveness. Our findings reveal that while customers with medium to high brand attachment demonstrate forgiveness levels that are unrelated to crisis response strategies, those with low attachment are significantly influenced by the nature of the response. Specifically, strategies that involve taking responsibility and apologising enhance forgiveness amongst less attached customers. These insights underscore the pivotal role of fostering brand attachment as a buffer against negative outcomes during crises, while emphasising the need for appropriately tailored crisis communication.
KEY WORDS:
brand attachment, brand forgiveness, brand hate, brand transgression, crisis communication, customers, Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.34135/communicationtoday.2025.Vol.16.No.2.11