Purpose

This study aims to examine how brand transgression (BT) affects brand relationship quality (BRQ). Brand forgiveness (BF) and brand evangelism (BE) are tested as mediators between BT and BRQ. This study advances knowledge in consumer behavior by showing how consumers offer to deal with their relationships with brands through BE and BF. This provides relevant information to managers to seek strategies to obtain forgiveness from consumers in case the unfortunate happens. Not only must they seek to obtain forgiveness but also seek ways to ensure BE of their brands. These act as buffers for the brands in case a transgression happens.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a survey approach, this study tests whether forgiveness mediated the relationship between BT and BRQ. Also, whether BE mediated the relationship between BT and BRQ was examined. The test was conducted using PROCESS bootstrapping method (Model 4 of Hayes [2018]).

Findings

Consistent with the predictions, this study finds that, following a BT, consumers engage in BE and BF to maintain the relationship they have already established with their brands.

Originality/value

This study extends the existing literature by showing that after a BT, response from consumers may take different forms. The consumer’s response or the relationship with the brand may be affected by whether the consumer forgives the brand or evangelizes about the brand. Based on the cognitive dissonance theory, the results of this study imply that, forgiveness and BE act as important mechanisms in understanding consumer-brand relationships after brands act unacceptably. Further, this study contributes to the social media brand management literature by investigating a real-world BT case of social media.

中文翻译：

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品牌违规的后果：品牌宽恕和品牌传播的作用

目的

本研究旨在检验品牌越轨 (BT) 如何影响品牌关系质量 (BRQ)。品牌宽恕 (BF) 和品牌传播 (BE) 作为 BT 和 BRQ 之间的中介进行了测试。本研究通过展示消费者如何通过 BE 和 BF 来处理他们与品牌的关系来推进消费者行为方面的知识。这为管理者提供了相关信息，以寻求策略，以在不幸发生时获得消费者的原谅。他们不仅必须寻求宽恕，还必须设法确保其品牌的 BE。这些作为品牌的缓冲，以防发生违规行为。

设计/方法/途径

使用调查方法，本研究测试宽恕是否调解了 BT 和 BRQ 之间的关系。此外，还检查了 BE 是否介导了 BT 和 BRQ 之间的关系。该测试是使用 PROCESS 引导方法（Hayes [2018] 的模型 4）进行的。

发现

与预测一致，这项研究发现，在 BT 之后，消费者参与 BE 和 BF 以维持他们已经与品牌建立的关系。

原创性/价值

本研究扩展了现有文献，表明在 BT 之后，消费者的反应可能采取不同的形式。消费者的反应或与品牌的关系可能会受到消费者是否原谅品牌或宣传品牌的影响。基于认知失调理论，本研究的结果表明，在品牌行为不可接受后，宽恕和 BE 是理解消费者与品牌关系的重要机制。此外，本研究通过调查真实世界的社交媒体 BT 案例，为社交媒体品牌管理文献做出了贡献。