SALIENCE OF NEGATIVE BRAND RELATIONSHIP AND ITS IMPACT ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

Abstract

Marketing theory and practice has long shifted focus from just customer satisfaction to building customer relationship. Though a resultant positive brand relationship is aimed at, sometimes negative brand relationships evolve. Brand relationship literature proposes that just as positive and negative relationship exist in the interpersonal domain, positive negative relationship also develops in the personobject domain. Also, the different types of negative relationships that exist in the interpersonal domain can be extended to the person- object/brand domain. So, brands too take up negative roles such as master-slave, adversary, fling, secret lover etc. In this study, we try to understand which of such negative brand roles are salient? How does it affect the customer’s tendency to persuade or dissuade others from purchasing the same brand? Are some negative relationships more salient than others? The study uses empirical data collected through structured questionnaire from 150 respondents. Such data is analysed using SPSS and it was found that some negative brand relationship based on consumer power are more salient than others and are likely to affect further consumer behaviour as influencers. The findings would contribute to the existing academic acumen by expanding the knowledge about those types of brand relationships which are more salient. For the brand managers it would throw light on the need to be wary of negative brand relationships that are more salient and needs immediate attention before it spirals into a tirade of negative word-of-mouth.