Don’t make me hate you, my love! Perceived brand betrayal and the love-becomes-hate phenomenon

作者：Aslı Tolunay, Cleopatra Veloutsou · 发表于：Journal of business research · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.115060 · 被引用次数：20

Through three scenario-based experiments and under the theoretical lens of Emotion-in-Relationships Model, this work examines the interplay between brand passion and brand transgression type (Studies 1 and 2), perceived betrayal severity (Studies 2 and 3) and betrayal source (Study 3) affecting the important yet under-examined “ love-becomes-hate ” phenomenon. Study 1 unveils passion as an emotional response post-transgression indicator and evidences the wrongdoing type ’ s influence on the generated hate type among erst-while brand lovers. Study 2 finds perceived betrayal important in brand lovers ’ brand relationships transformation, supporting that the wrongdoing type influences the generated hate type, with functional wrongdoings creating more severe hate forms than moral or symbolic wrongdoings. Study 3 reveals that for brand lovers brand wrongdoings produce more brand hate than employee wrongdoings. Overall, while consumers assess trans-gressions distinctively, functional and brand initiated wrongdoings need to be avoided at any cost.