The allure of controversial brands: are controversial brands perceived as more authentic?

• Autor(a) principal: Ferrão, Simone Gabriela Camacho
• Data de Publicação: 2021
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10362/138049
• topic: Consumer behavior; Controversial brands; Domínio/Área Científica::Ciências Sociais::Economia e Gestão

This research aims to test the effects of controversy on consumers. Specifically, if powerless individuals view controversial brands as powerful and consume them to compensate for the low feelings of power. I researched the perception consumers have of controversial brands, whether they are perceived to be powerful or authentic. Furthermore, I investigate if the way the brand engages in the controversy, through action or statement affects the perception of commitment of the brand. Through an experimental study, two scenarios were presented to manipulate controversy and the results indicated support for the main theory, controversial brands are perceived as more powerful when compared to non-controversial brands.