Cynical Brand Distance: Is it a response or not? Its Relationship with Social Distance, Brand Congruency and Brand Switch

Abstract

The present article examines the brand-contextual effects of the recent pandemic in the form of cynical brand distance conceptualization. The study aims to determine whether the consumers' perception of social distance and brand congruency perceptions affects the cynical brand distance and then brand shift perception. The research was carried out in the form of a web survey on social media on 298 consumers and analysis was done with PLS algoritm with SmartPLS software. It is found that a positive relationship between brand congruency and cynical brand distance. A positive association between social distance and cynical brand distance is determined. It was also positive effect of cynical brand distance on brand switch. They are considering that the impact of the social distance comes from pandemic on the consumer's preferences, especially on their attitudes towards brands, it has been considered that the consumer may create a subjective or general negative attitude or distance to the brand or brands. Especially because it triggers brand cynicism, the validity of the brand distance scale based on brand cynicism, again, its relationship with social distance, and brand switch concepts were examined. Brand cynicism items created in the form of netnography were handled as brand distance and an item pool was created.