Abstract
While most studies focus on positive consumer-driven brand outcomes, this study set out to understand a negative consumer-driven brand outcome - online brand detraction (OBD). Through the lens of social exchange theory, OBD was operationalized and compared to its direct opposite manifestation - online brand advocacy (OBA). A big data, qualitative analysis, with a longitudinal approach was used to understand OBD in an online opinion platform (OOP). Four key dimensions of OBD were found: brand negativity, brand attack, negative brand knowledge and experience sharing, and virtual visual cues. These dimensions are polar opposites of OBA - a highly sought-after organic form of user-generated content. Both OBD and OBA are required for authentic social exchanges in OOPs. The study provides brand managers with insights to better identify and understand OBD, suggesting a necessity for the development of an OBD scale to measure the construct. Theoretical and practical implications, and future research suggestions are discussed.
Keywords
Online brand detraction, Online brand advocacy, Social exchange theory, Brand negativity, Consumer engagement, Online restaurant reviews
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
1-1-2022
Publication Title
International Journal of Hospitality Management
Publisher
Elsevier
School
School of Business and Law
RAS ID
45504
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Comments
Wilk, V., Lambert, C., & Meek, S. (2022). Online brand detraction in an online opinion platform. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 107, Article 103345. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2022.103345