Impact of social media brand blunders on brand trust and brand liking

Abstract

More companies are engaging with consumers in real-time on digital platforms, which may lead to accidental or unintentional sharing of messages. Accordingly, how to manage online brand crises has become an increasingly important issue for marketing managers. The present research explores how online brand blunders influence consumers’ trust and liking toward the blunderer brand, and the role of brand commitment in this relationship. Three studies show that consumers evaluate online brand blunders differently than they do product performance problems. Specifically, upon receiving negative brand blunder information, high (vs. low)-commitment consumers’ brand trust and brand liking decrease to a higher extent due to finding the blunder less humorous and more offensive. On the contrary, upon receiving negative product performance information, low (vs. high)-commitment consumers’ brand trust and brand liking decrease to a higher extent, which supports previous literature. Our findings suggest that managers should prioritize high and low-commitment consumers differently and tailor blunder communication in handling online brand crises.