I hate what you love: brand polarization and negativity towards brands as an opportunity for brand m...

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Bibliographische Detailangaben
Beteiligte: Osuna Ramírez, Sergio Andrés, Veloutsou, Cleopatra, Morgan-Thomas, Anna
In: Journal of Product & Brand Management, 28, 2019, 5, S. 614-632
veröffentlicht:
Emerald
Medientyp: Artikel, E-Artikel

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Umfang: 614-632
ISSN: 1061-0421
DOI: 10.1108/jpbm-03-2018-1811
veröffentlicht in: Journal of Product & Brand Management
Sprache: Englisch
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Kollektion: Emerald (CrossRef)
Inhaltsangabe

<jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Purpose</jats:title> <jats:p>Negativity towards a brand is typically conceived as a significant problem for brand managers. This paper aims to show that negativity towards a brand can represent an opportunity for companies when brand polarization occurs. To this end, the paper offers a new conception of the brand polarization phenomenon and reports exploratory findings on the benefits of consumers’ negativity towards brands in the context of brand polarization.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Design/methodology/approach</jats:title> <jats:p>To develop a conception of brand polarization, the paper builds on research on polarizing brands and extends it by integrating insights from systematic literature reviews in three bodies of literature: scholarship on brand rivalry and, separately, polarization in political science and social psychology. Using qualitative data from 22 semi-structured interviews, the paper explores possible advantages of brand polarization.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Findings</jats:title> <jats:p>This paper defines the brand polarization phenomenon and identifies multiple perspectives on brand polarization. Specifically, the findings highlight three distinct parties that can benefit from brand polarization: the polarizing brand as an independent entity; the brand team behind the polarizing brand; and the passionate consumers involved with the polarizing brand. The data reveal specific advantages of brand polarization associated with the three parties involved.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Practical implications</jats:title> <jats:p>Managers of brands with a polarizing nature could benefit from having identified a group of lovers and a group of haters, as this could allow them to improve their focus when developing and implementing the brands’ strategies.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Originality/value</jats:title> <jats:p>This exploratory study is the first explicitly focusing on the brand polarization phenomenon and approaches negativity towards brands as a potential opportunity.</jats:p> </jats:sec>