The cost of contradiction: exploring consumer negative responses to activist brands’ moral transgressions

Brands are increasingly aligning themselves with social, environmental, and political causes, actively positioning themselves as activists. This research investigates consumer reactions to activist brands that fail to uphold their proclaimed moral ideals. It compares the negative effects of moral transgressions committed by activist brands versus non-activist brands and examines how perceived brand hypocrisy mediates this relationship. It also examines the differential consequences of moral transgressions related and unrelated to an activist brand’s activism focus. The findings of three studies suggest that activist brands face more intense negative responses than non-activist brands when committing identical transgressions, as evidenced by an increased likelihood of brand boycotts and the likelihood of negative word-of-mouth and, particularly, when the transgression directly contradicts the brand’s activism focus.