How Does Brand Age Influence Consumer Attitudes Toward a Firm’s Unethical Behavior?

Chi Zhang (), Saim Kashmiri () and Melissa Cinelli ()
Additional contact information
Chi Zhang: University of Indianapolis
Saim Kashmiri: The University of Mississippi
Melissa Cinelli: The University of Mississippi

Journal of Business Ethics, 2019, vol. 158, issue 3, No 7, 699-711

Abstract: Abstract This paper identifies brand age as an important factor in consumers’ brand evaluations following unethical firm behavior. In two experiments, we assess the effect of brand age on three types of brand evaluations: perceived quality, brand credibility, and behavioral intentions following a brand crisis. The findings suggest that disclosing an older brand’s age can not only improve consumers’ brand evaluations in general, but can also provide a buffering effect when the firm is involved in unethical behavior. Moreover, the relationship between brand age and consumers’ post-crisis intentions is mediated by perceived brand credibility. By exploring consumers’ attitudes following the most common firm response strategies, this research also identifies a boundary condition of the mitigating effect of brand age. Several significant implications for practitioners are discussed.

Keywords: Brand age; Firm unethical behavior; Brand credibility (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10551-017-3696-y

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