Brand misconduct: Consequences on consumer–brand relationships

This paper investigates the effects of brand misconduct on a consumer–brand relationship. Brand misconduct describes a brand's behavior that disappoints consumers' expectations of the brand, for example the alleged use of child labor in soccer ball factories contracted by Adidas, Nike and Puma. Based on relationship and congruency theory, this paper develops a model to explain consumer–brand relationship and its impact on consumers' repurchase intentions. According to this model, functional congruence, actual and ideal self-congruence, partner quality and brand relationship quality represent factors determining repurchase intention. An empirical investigation with regard to jeans brands serves to test the postulated relationships in two distinct situations: before and after brand misconduct. On the one hand, the findings provide a deep insight into the consequences of brand misconduct. On the other hand, the results enable practitioners to develop sustainable brand strategies and create lasting brand preferences.