Consumer brand hate: The role of ambivalence

ABSTRACT

Despite the importance of consumer brand hate and the negative consequences for brands, scant research has examined how consumer brand hate is formed and what is the role of consumer ambiguity in this process. The purpose of this study is to address this gap and explore how consumer ambivalence is manifested in consumer feelings of brand hate. A qualitative methodology was conducted to address the research question and the data collection method involved two studies: thirty-eight in-depth interviews and eight focus group interviews with consumers located in Chile. The findings confirm that consumer brand hate is not always an absolute feeling because in some cases consumers may be ambivalent (feel simultaneous positive and negative emotions) while feeling brand hate. The findings provide implications for brand managers, retailers and academics.

KEYWORDS:

• Brand hate
• ambivalence
• Chile

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Consuelo Valenzuela

Consuelo Valenzuela is the Founder and Owner of Rubik Deep Thinking, a market research agency located in Santiago, Chile.

Luciano Castellucci

Luciano Castellucci is an Assistant Professor at Universidad Adolfo Ibañez, in Santiago, Chile.

Maria Trinidad Mena

Maria Trinidad Mena is the Research DIrector of Rubik Deep Thinking, a market research agency in Santiago, Chile.

Constanza Bianchi

Constanza Bianchi is a Full Professor at the School of Business, Universidad Adolfo Ibañez, Santiago, Chile.