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1 – 10 of over 19000
Article
Publication date: 1 November 2011

Melodena Stephens Balakrishnan

Managing brands during crisis (in the context of terrorism) does not have much historical research and the studies that exist focus on communication. Terrorism is more frequent;…

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Abstract

Purpose

Managing brands during crisis (in the context of terrorism) does not have much historical research and the studies that exist focus on communication. Terrorism is more frequent; not easily prevented; and rarely a top management priority for risk management. The purpose of this paper is to use exiting theory on brand components and architecture to prevent brand burn. Brand burn is defined as the accidental negative impact formed on a brand due to a crisis outside the control of an organization, which may not be perceived as directly related to the organization's product or management.

Design/methodology/approach

Crises are characterized by an overload of information. The exploratory study uses a case study methodology to get insights on how to manage a brand through a crisis. To validate findings, triangulation using independent reviewers, theory and secondary reports is used.

Findings

First, a conceptual framework to manage brand burn is presented. Second, from the practitioner's point of view, the paper provides a checklist that gives strategic tips for preparing for and managing brand crisis. The findings show that both brand components and brand architecture can be used to manage brands through crisis.

Research limitations/implications

The findings contribute to theory by adding to the evolving literature on brand architecture, brand components and crisis management. Key challenges were organizing and prioritizing the vast amount of data from secondary sources, including social media sites; time was an issue as memories fade; and another limitation was getting official confirmation since perceptions play a key role.

Originality/value

This is the first study looking at a terrorist crisis from a brand management point of view. This paper contributes to theory by adding to the research in brand architecture and brand components and crisis management. Future studies can look at the model robustness in other crisis situations and the impact of managing social media.

Details

Management Research Review, vol. 34 no. 12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8269

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 January 2012

Paul Custance, Keith Walley and Dongni Jiang

This paper seeks to address a gap in the literature relating to crisis brand management in emerging markets.

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper seeks to address a gap in the literature relating to crisis brand management in emerging markets.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on secondary research and 15 qualitative depth interviews with mothers living in Beijing.

Findings

The study found that the Chinese infant milk powder incident significantly reduced confidence in domestic brands, altered perceptions of domestic brands, and had a profound effect on buying behaviour.

Research limitations/implications

The study is based primarily on a consumer perspective and the findings cannot be generalised to a wider population with known levels of statistical significance because of the qualitative methodology and small sample size.

Practical implications

The paper concludes that while crisis brand management requires managers to undertake similar actions whether they work in an emerging or a developed market, the cultural environment may cause them to actually take different actions.

Originality/value

This paper makes an original contribution to knowledge regarding crisis brand management in an emerging market via insight provided by the 2008 Chinese infant milk powder incident.

Details

Marketing Intelligence & Planning, vol. 30 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-4503

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 June 2021

Beatriz Casais and Lucilene Ribeiro Gomes

This paper focuses on the analysis of fashion blog activity regarding brands under corporate crisis situations and discusses how these opinion leaders may be agents of corporate…

1092

Abstract

Purpose

This paper focuses on the analysis of fashion blog activity regarding brands under corporate crisis situations and discusses how these opinion leaders may be agents of corporate crisis management.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors analyzed four influential Portuguese fashion blogs regarding eight fashion brands that had experienced a corporate crisis situation. In total, five of the selected brands were mentioned in 2.846 posts of blog content, whose discourse was deeply analyzed.

Findings

The absence of express reference to brand crisis suggests that fashion bloggers tend to ignore these crisis events or divert the readers' attention to the brands' more positive aspects. This result opens the discussion whether fashion bloggers downplay corporate crisis in brand equity or whether it expresses strategies of brand crisis communication through digital influencers.

Originality/value

Though social media may be a source of negative word-of-mouth, social media influencers have been considered important partners of corporate crisis communication in particularly challenging times. Many studies have focused on the role of social media influencers in crisis management, but there was a dearth of research on the specific case of blogs. This study contributes to the understanding of fashion bloggers as agents of brand communication, particularly regarding crisis management and their role on brand activation and positive electronic word-of-mouth, even under crisis situations. This contribution paves the way for future research on whether this is a spontaneous phenomenon or the reflection of possible partnerships between companies and fashion bloggers for the management of corporate crisis situations in the context of fashion brands.

Details

Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, vol. 26 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1361-2026

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 September 2022

Ourania Gkouna, Georgios Tsekouropoulos, Dimitrios Theocharis, Greta Hoxha and Athanasios Gounas

The aim of the current study is to investigate the effect of consumers' brand trust in family businesses and the impact of crisis management practices on customer purchase…

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of the current study is to investigate the effect of consumers' brand trust in family businesses and the impact of crisis management practices on customer purchase intention during the period of Covid-19.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a primary quantitative research on a sample of 817 consumers who bought products from 20 food and beverage family companies. Simple random sampling was used to collect the primary data. Data collection was made with the use of questionnaires. The questionnaires were developed based on previous studies and were tested in terms of reliability and validity.

Findings

The research findings indicate, among others, that there is a positive significant relationship between brand trust and purchase intention. As a result, the higher the trust of the consumers in a family business brand name, the higher their intention to make purchases. Additionally, it was found that the higher the performance of family businesses on crisis management practices, the more the consumers intent to make purchases.

Research limitations/implications

Nonetheless, there are some limitations in the current research. First, the research sample consists of companies and consumers from a specific location, which can create issues regarding the generalization of the findings. Thus, to ensure improved research implications, a future research should include sample units from different locations and countries in order to reinforce the research findings and enable comparisons and more easily generalized outcomes. Moreover, a future research could assess additional factors that potentially affect purchase intention within a family business environment. Factors such as human resources and the relationship between customers and companies as well as communication and promotional efforts will allow the creation of a more stable and holistic framework and the prediction of consumer behavior. This potential follow-up research will further contribute to the theoretical argumentation of the findings and highlight the connection among purchase intention, trust and crisis managements practices within the family business environment.

Practical implications

Regarding the managerial and practical implications, the research outcomes can lead to specific strategies related to brand trust and crisis management practices. Specifically, family companies should invest on their brand name and their relationship with the consumers by reinforcing any action which can potentially affect the trust of the consumers. This could be realized by providing a safe purchase environment according to health and safety standards and through their response strategy and adaptability to the current pandemic conditions through the use of crisis management practices. Finally, a practical response to social and physical distancing measures would increase brand trust, and the performance on crisis management practices could also lead to sufficient financial outcomes since all these factors positively affect consumers' purchase intention.

Originality/value

The outbreak of the pandemic directly affected the profitability but also the viability of companies, regardless of industry. In particular, the impact that the pandemic had on family businesses, financially, organizationally and operationally, was massive and in many cases, catastrophic. Several studies have focused on family businesses, analyzing their structure, advantages and disadvantages. However, in these studies, there is little focus on the brand's influence on consumer behavior and market intention, especially compared to nonfamily businesses and under unique circumstances such as those of a pandemic.

Details

Journal of Family Business Management, vol. 13 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2043-6238

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 April 2023

Kalpana Chandrasekar and Varisha Rehman

The brand crisis literature remains unilateral and scattered, necessitating academic effort to comprehend the extant body of knowledge. This study aims to provide the required…

Abstract

Purpose

The brand crisis literature remains unilateral and scattered, necessitating academic effort to comprehend the extant body of knowledge. This study aims to provide the required comprehensive overview of the domain, by outlining its significance, progression and future research directions.

Design/methodology/approach

Following the PRISMA approach, journal articles for review are selected. The study uses a hybrid (structured and bibliometric) review, to provide a systematic insight and graphical visualization of the existing literature. It applies VOSviewer software to analyse bibliographic data through citation and co-occurrence analysis.

Findings

The hybrid review outlines most-cited articles, authors, frequently used theories, methodologies and data analysis techniques in this domain. Findings are further presented as integrative framework that distinctly highlights prior studies from a dichotomous perspective and across three stages of crisis. Finally, research opportunities and directions for future research are presented.

Research limitations/implications

The study is useful for scholars and practitioners to understand the brand crisis literature and to cognize the inferences drawn by distinct researchers. It provides contemporary research agendas using the theory, context and method (TCM) framework, to augment future investigations through interdisciplinary approach.

Originality/value

To the best of our knowledge this is the first study that synthesizes the academic work of brand crisis using a hybrid method. Also, the novelty of the work lies in presenting the future research direction in the form of multiple (macro, meso and micro) levels with inter-disciplinary theoretical underpinnings.

Details

Marketing Intelligence & Planning, vol. 41 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-4503

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 February 2021

Julie Robson and Jillian Dawes Farquhar

Building on crisis management studies, this study aims to advance research on brand recovery from the existing focus on product brand/customer dyad into stakeholder marketing and…

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Abstract

Purpose

Building on crisis management studies, this study aims to advance research on brand recovery from the existing focus on product brand/customer dyad into stakeholder marketing and corporate branding.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a single case of industry-dominant corporate brand in an enriched context through in-depth analysis of industry informant and secondary data.

Findings

The paper uncovers detail of corporate brand and stakeholder interactions directed towards recovering corporate brand and restoring trust in the industry.

Research limitations/implications

This study offers an evidence-based framework of stakeholder interactions designed to support corporate brand recovery (CBR). The rich data are bounded within a single case.

Practical implications

Framework illustrates the importance of drawing on stakeholders in CBR, particularly in an industry crisis, emphasises trust restoration and reveals the peripheral role of customers in CBR.

Social implications

This study points to significance of stakeholder networks, particularly in insurance and financial services, in addressing social and ethical issues related to corporate misdeeds is identified.

Originality/value

This study makes noteworthy contribution to brand recovery research in two ways: firstly, by investigating the recovery of brands at corporate level and, secondly, by detailing the interactions between corporate brand and industry stakeholders in recovering the brand within a stricken industry.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 55 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 April 2024

Kalpana Chandrasekar and Varisha Rehman

Global brands have become increasingly vulnerable to external disruptions that have negative spillover effects on consumers, business and brands. This research area has recently…

Abstract

Purpose

Global brands have become increasingly vulnerable to external disruptions that have negative spillover effects on consumers, business and brands. This research area has recently garnered interest post-pandemic yet remains fragmented. The purpose of this paper is to recognize the most impactful exogenous brand crisis (EBC) and its affective and behavioural impact on consumers.

Design/methodology/approach

In Study 1, we applied repertory grid technique (RGT), photo elicitation method and ANOVA comparisons, to identify the most significant EBC, in terms of repercussions on consumer purchases. In Study 2, we performed collage construction and content analysis to ascertain the impact of the identified significant crisis (from Study 1) on consumer behaviour in terms of affective and behavioural changes.

Findings

Study 1 results reveal Spread-of-diseases and Natural disaster to be the most impactful EBC based on consumer’s purchase decisions. Study 2 findings uncover three distinct themes, namely, deviant demand, emotional upheaval and community bonding that throws light on the affective and behavioural changes in consumer behaviour during the two significant EBC events.

Research limitations/implications

The collated results of the two studies draw insights towards understanding the largely unexplored conceptualisation of EBC from a multi-level (micro-meso-macro) perspective. The integrated framework drawn, highlight the roles and influences of different players in exogenous brand crisis management and suggests future research agendas based on theoretical underpinnings.

Originality/value

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study which identifies the most important EBC and explicates its profound impact on consumer purchase behaviour, providing critical insights to brand managers and practitioners to take an inclusive approach towards exogenous crises.

Details

Marketing Intelligence & Planning, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-4503

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 January 2023

Jiyun Kang, Amy A. Faria, Judy Lee and Woo Jin Choi

Merely being known as a highly ethical or strong performer cannot shield a company from every kind of crisis. From product failures to environmental and social issues, a brand’s…

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Abstract

Purpose

Merely being known as a highly ethical or strong performer cannot shield a company from every kind of crisis. From product failures to environmental and social issues, a brand’s ability to manage crises and rapidly regain consumer trust is essential. This study aims to explore whether consumer perceptions of a brands’ prior commitments to two different areas of corporate responsibility (social and product responsibility) alleviate the postcrisis attribution of accountability and further build brand resilience, examining differences between two types of crisis situations – values versus performance crises.

Design/methodology/approach

A scenario-based online survey on product versus ethical labor issues was conducted. The data were collected from a highly valid, nationwide sample set of more than a thousand US consumers. Multigroup structural equation modeling was used as the primary data analysis method.

Findings

A brand’s precrisis commitment to social responsibility was found to decrease attribution of accountability across both types of crises. It also strengthened brand resilience, but this effect was more prevalent in a performance than a values crisis. The effects of precrisis commitment to product responsibility on brand resilience were minimal or insignificant across crisis types.

Originality/value

Previous research underexplores which types of corporate responsibility commitments provide a firm with a better protection against crises. This study significantly advances the knowledge regarding the type of commitments that can substantially increase brand resilience, which supports the rationale of making stronger commitments to social responsibility than to product responsibility. Practical insights are provided into how investments in corporate social responsibility help alleviate consumers’ negative perceptions during the outbreak of a brand crisis and build more brand muscle that enables resilience against future crises.

Details

Journal of Product & Brand Management, vol. 32 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1061-0421

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 2016

Yan Wang

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how companies make use of social media communication to turn crises into opportunities and how consumers respond to this brand

11097

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how companies make use of social media communication to turn crises into opportunities and how consumers respond to this brand management strategy, and evaluate the effects of this kind of advertising campaign.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses the textual analysis method to examine the verbal fight between two brand competitors on Sina Weibo. An interpretative analysis approach is adopted to analyze a series of micro-blog messages and relevant responses and comments. A statistical analysis is conducted to reveal the public opinion on this case.

Findings

The brand crisis due to trademark dispute has been successfully turned into an advertising campaign, which received eager and favorable responses from the consumers. In the name of making apologies, the company in crisis availed itself of the Weibo platform to make a veiled protest against the verdict of the Court. The technique “acting cute” was proved to be effective in diminishing the negative effect of a brand crisis and winning public sympathy and support.

Research limitations/implications

The research findings may provide insights into the interplay between brand advertising and corporate crisis communication on the platform of social media.

Practical implications

This study can inform practitioners of useful techniques to deal with brand crises via social media.

Originality/value

The value of this study lies not only in its contribution to the body of knowledge on online crisis management with a case of Chinese companies, but also in its validation of the interplay between crisis communication and advertising.

Details

Corporate Communications: An International Journal, vol. 21 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1356-3289

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 June 2019

Rajesh Kumar Srivastava

The purpose of this paper is to study whether the controversy because of brand crisis based on quality had any impact on consumer brand equity, brand image, brand reliability…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study whether the controversy because of brand crisis based on quality had any impact on consumer brand equity, brand image, brand reliability, brand perception of quality, perceived value, brand sentiments and purchase behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

The research methodology consisted of two types of data: primary and secondary data. The secondary research consisted of social media brand sentiments and financial analysis. The primary research focused on perception study of brand quality, consumer brand equity, brand reliability, brand image, purchase and brand switch behavior.

Findings

Maggi used social media extensively to address the issue and re-build the brand reliability and confidence among its users. Communication strategy adopted by focusing on the past experience of consumers and using them as a spokesperson generated a positive sentiment towards the brand under crisis.

Research limitations/implications

While Maggi suffered the backlash because of the controversy across the length and breadth of India and was banned in a number of states, the author could conduct the primary research only in one city of the state of Maharashtra, Mumbai. The effectiveness of the survey was impacted because of the geographic limitations the author faced while collecting the responses. The survey would have definitely been more effective, with responses collected from different states and with more number of respondents. Fishbein is very old, from the 1980s, even though this theory has met the test of time. Application of the effect of experiences on experiential perceptions and how this influences value through networking could have been used to explain the same.

Practical implications

An important implication of this paper’s findings for practice, therefore, is that brands should incessantly strive to maintain the consumers’ level of trust, as it is essential for the preservation of the brand equity after a crisis. Crisis-stricken brands should safeguard their reputations from the negative effects of crises. It is even more important for any brand to act appropriately when the cause of the crisis is attributed to its actions and processes. Managers have to address the quality of products in case of brand crisis for restoring trust, image and reliability in the brand. Right type of communication to right targeted consumers will help in the restoration of the image, trust on the brand and bring back loyal customers. Managers have to build brand equity on a regular basis, as a strong brand can recover faster as seen from this paper.

Originality/value

This paper helps to upgrade the knowledge and understanding of the impact of the controversy on brand equity and image and how the crisis management strategy can be adopted to regain the mind share and equity. This paper will help the brands in the future to know how a crisis can be managed efficiently by drawing a cue from the strategies implemented by Maggi.

Details

International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing, vol. 13 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6123

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 19000