Navigating brand activism: the role of brand betrayal and brand anthropomorphism in influencing consumer backlash

Purpose Brand activism can elicit backlash among consumers with opposing political views. The purpose of this study is twofold: (1) to understand the mechanism underlying negative consumer responses to brand activism; and (2) to identify strategies for mitigating this potential outrage. Design/methodology/approach Hypotheses were tested through two online experimental studies that used different stimuli and samples (MTurk, n = 161; University participant pool, n = 89). Findings A mismatch between a brand’s political position and an individual’s political affiliation leads to more negative brand attitudes than a political match, an effect mediated by brand betrayal. This mediation process is moderated by brand anthropomorphism. In a political mismatch, high anthropomorphism intensifies feelings of betrayal, whereas low anthropomorphism mitigates them. This effect is asymmetric, as brand anthropomorphism does not influence consumer emotional reactions in a political match. Originality/value This research introduces brand betrayal into the conceptual domain of brand activism and identifies brand anthropomorphism as an effective strategy for mitigating consumer backlash in a political mismatch.