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This study aims to discuss the antecedent roles that corporate social responsibility and consumer complaints perform in consumer brand hate and anti-branding activities.

The reasons for the existence of anti-brand websites and how they operate in dynamically changing digital platforms are discussed with a literature review and data analysis.

The findings of this study reveal that there is a direct link between consumer dissatisfaction and brand hate, and that there is a partially mediating impact by customer dissatisfaction and corporate social responsibility on consumer brand hate.

This study is the first-of-its-kind investigation of the relationships that might exist among corporate social responsibility, consumer complaints and dissatisfaction, consumer anti-branding and brand hate with macro-level indicators. The study is the first of its kind to test macro-level brand hate measures with a set of longitudinal analyses.

Although marketer-generated brand anthropomorphism impacts on positive company returns is studied broadly, consumer-generated brand anthropomorphisms that focus on demonizing and hitlerizing brands is not extensively studied. This study aims to examine these consumer interpretations of the evil, its symbols and personifications of brands as evil, with a new concept: “reverse brand anthropomorphism.”

This paper provides a literature review of brand anthropomorphism and the application of the concept of evil. This paper also uses a qualitative analysis with consumer interviews to explore the proposed reverse brand anthropomorphism concept.

This study’s findings reveal that consumers see corporations as consciously evil, loosely as an embodiment of Adolf Hitler. Consumer interviews points out that corporate brand power aimed at controlling consumer value systems is associated with “evil,” an evil that secretly aims at possessing consumers and controlling their consumption practices. The findings of this study indicate that consumers also develop their own alternative moral market value systems, ones parallel to religious morality. Although “evil” imagery is often found distractive and disrespectful by consumers, the younger generation accept it as a new and alternative form of market speech.

This is the first study to introduces and conceptualize a “reverse brand anthropomorphism” concept with examples of consumer brand hitlerization semiotics. Further, this study is also the first study to discuss evil in a consumption context.

This study aims to investigate a neglected phenomenon, conceptualized as “brand-bullying.” The study aims at defining the brand bullying phenomena with adolescents who are actively experiencing brand bullying. Potential impacts of brand bullying experience on adult consumption behaviors are also investigated.

This paper provides a literature review of brand bullying and uses two qualitative analyses with adolescent and adult consumers through face-to-face interviews.

Study-1 found five different styles of brand bullying behavior with adolescents. Study-2’s findings revealed four distinct styles of brand bullying coping behaviors in adulthood. Study-2 also found that brand-bullying’s negative effects could continue after the bullying process is long over and has the potential to cause consumer brand hate (in the form of brand avoidance and disgust) and can cause conspicuous consumption patterns in adulthood in the future. The study further reports that neither the economically unfortunate nor the wealthy are immune to brand bullying.

This is the first study to investigate the brand bullying concept and its expression among adolescents, as well as its impact on adult consumption behaviors. The study is among the first to report the negative impact of brand bullying on adult consumer behaviors and consumption patterns in adulthood from a consumer psychology perspective.

Although consumer sophistication and empowerment is on the rise as a result of the digital revolution, there is insufficient academic exploration with the aim of understanding how this empowerment functions on the internet. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to fill this gap by proposing a new conceptual model in light of available literature.

The paper employs a deep and broad literature review and discussion regarding possible consumer power sources on the internet to develop the proposed conceptual model, which is defined as consumer empowerment model (CEM). The components of the model are discussed in detail to reveal possible links, consumer empowerment actualization, and impacts on consumer markets on the internet.

The components of CEM are structured in light of the theory of reasoned action's main proposals as follows: “Perceived consumer power,” “Perceived consumer trust,” “Attitudinal consumer power” and finally “Behavioral consumer power.” Each component is discussed in terms of its possible contributions to the model in order to illustrate how this new form of consumer power actually works. The possible implications of consumer empowerment are also discussed in light of the newly proposed model.

There is no paper discussing how consumer power actualization works and thus how consumer power revolutionizes today's cyberspaces. In this context, the study is the first of its kind.

The purpose of this paper is to provide clear insights into the influence of product availability, and thus distribution on double jeopardy (DJ) patterns, for frequently‐purchased products (FPP). This paper also aims to provide important strategies in order to maximize the efficiency of retailers' stocking decisions and manufacturers' branding efforts by discussing distribution dynamics in a set of experiments developed in light of related theoretical discussions.

This study provides an in‐depth literature review of DJ, distribution, out‐of‐stock and consumer behavioural brand loyalty in many marketing and supply chain decisions. A practical simulation is developed to test the main hypotheses in the study in light of the theoretical discussion.

The study's results indicated that distribution might explain DJ patterns. In addition, distribution might create behavioural brand loyalty when FPP are widely available (excessive availability) in the market.

Although the study provides a simulation structure and varying experiments, more field data about FPP might also enhance the study's results.

Small brands can break their curse as indicated by the DJ phenomenon by focusing on distribution. Also, they might create some level of behavioural brand loyalty by being available everywhere in the market.

The impact of distribution on DJ has seldom been discussed in general terms previously, and has never been discussed and explored theoretically with specificity using experimental analysis. Therefore, this study provides the first evidence that distribution has a strong potential to explain the reasons behind DJ patterns and might create behavioural brand loyalty.

Collaborative consumption, such as car sharing, specifically implicates customer-to-customer interaction, which must be regulated by service providers (companies, peers and self-regulating communities), comprising different challenges for business organizations. While in conventional business relations, consumers are protected from undesirable customer behavior by laws, regulations (power) in the context of collaborative consumption are rare, so that trust becomes more relevant. It is the purpose of the study to investigate possible mechanisms to prevent undesirable customers in collaborative consumption.

In between subject designs, samples of 186 and 328 consumers filled in experimental online questionnaires with vignettes. Analyses were made of differences among car sharing companies, private persons and car sharing communities in terms of the power of providers, trust in providers and trust in other users of the shared goods, undesirable customer behavior and consumer–provider relations.

Companies, private persons and self-regulating communities differ in terms of perceived power and trust. Participants specifically perceive mainly coercive power with the car sharing company, but with the private person and the community, reason-based trust in other users is perceived as prevalent. Nevertheless, undesirable customer behavior varies only marginally over the models.

The present study is the first to investigate measures to prevent undesirable customer behavior over different collaborative consumption models. This enables appropriate identification of market segments and tailoring of services. The study identifies opportunities for companies in contrast to private persons and self-regulating communities and, in doing so, provides important stimulation for marketing strategy and theory development.

This study aims to investigate the interplay between brand and consumer personalities in shaping brand hate and its consequences. More specifically, it investigates the relationship between fallacious character of the brand, brand betrayal feelings and brand hate, and identifies two response routes leading to consumer avoidance and revenge. Furthermore, the study explores the moderating impact of narcissism on the relationships between brand hate and its outcomes.

Data are collected from an online survey of a French representative consumer panel where participants were asked to cite a particular brand they hate, and then assess the different constructs tested in the model. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used for data analysis.

The study sheds light on the possible mediators and moderators of brand hate. Particularly, brand betrayal is hypothesized as a mediator between fallacious character of the brand and brand hate. Moreover, the study assesses the impact of narcissism on the relationship between brand hate and desire for avoidance and revenge. Findings show that active brand hate leads to a desire for revenge, whereas passive brand hate positively influences desire for avoidance. Finally, the current research suggests that consumer narcissism fuels desire for revenge on the brand.

To the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to integrate brand personality (the fallacious character of the brand) and consumer personality (narcissism). The study describes the mechanism through which brand transgressions activate two response routes to brand hate associated with the desires for revenge and avoidance.

This study proposes integrating the perceived risk and social influence literatures on online group buying (OGB) intentions with the basic TAM variables (perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use).

Based on an empirical survey of 304 online adopters of OGB in Taiwan, the paper uses structural equation modeling to confirm the research model.

The results reveal that perceived critical mass had the largest total effect on intention to use group buying websites. The findings also indicate that perceived usefulness and a sense of virtual community (SOVC) have significant effect on OGB intention. In addition, both perceived ease of use and website quality influence perceived usefulness. As expected, perceived risk has negative effect on OGB intention.

This study only considered buying intention with regard to foodstuffs, and it is unclear whether these analytical results can be generalized to other items. Further research could apply this model to examine group coupons (such as discount vouchers for restaurants).

To sustain a successful group buying website, attention must be paid to enhancing user's SOVC, enlarging the critical mass, and lowering the perceived risk. Practitioners can apply the findings of this study to focus on the determinants of success for their online shopping websites.

Theoretically, while drawing upon TRA studies, this paper provides a model that is capable of lending an understanding of the determinants of OGB intention. From a managerial perspective, the findings indicate that webmasters can improve or manage website members' buying intentions by increasing the sense of virtual community and critical mass.

This paper sets out to review the business history of consumerism and to ask whether over‐consumption is leading to an unacceptable level of inappropriate social behavior that is detrimental to both society and business.

The paper reviews Peter Drucker's writings on management and explores the meaning of consumerism and how it could have led to the over‐use of marketing. The paper discusses how the word “consumerism” has evolved and brings attention to the role of the internet in consumerism. It explains why poor knowledge management strategies are presenting a new set of challenges for business. Finally, it discusses the reasons why the balance of power between businesses and consumers needs to revert to a status of equilibrium.

The paper contends that the growth of consumerism has led to the over‐use of marketing and it explains why, in twenty‐first century marketing, social responsibility should be extended to a wider group of stakeholders that includes government, businesses and consumers.

The “consumer is king” concept has implications for management because of the emphasis businesses have placed on their customers. The paper asks managers to review their knowledge management systems and processes. Electronic document management systems (EDMS) and business process management systems (BPMS) will protect corporations from some of the cybercrime examples discussed here.

The research reviews Drucker's work on knowledge management and asks why management continues to fail to implement appropriate knowledge‐based systems for protecting their business.