Research on brand transgressions has suggested that when a brand is involved in a transgression and perceived as harmful, consumers will punish the brand. The present research seeks to extend this literature by investigating how having a cute brand logo may reduce consumer punishment of a transgressing brand. Across five experimental studies, this research shows that a brand logo with high (vs. low) levels of cuteness associated with a transgressing brand can motivate consumers to protect the brand from harm, thus reducing consumer punishment of that brand. Notably, such motivations to protect the brand are driven by an incremental belief about the brand’s development. Moreover, the cuteness effect is attenuated in the case of repeated transgressions. Theoretical contributions to the literature on cuteness, brand logo, and brand transgression are discussed, as well as practical implications.

对品牌违规行为的研究表明，当品牌涉及违规行为并被视为有害时，消费者会惩罚该品牌。本研究旨在通过调查拥有可爱的品牌标志如何减少消费者对违规品牌的惩罚来扩展这一文献。在五项实验研究中，这项研究表明，与违法品牌相关的具有高（与低）可爱程度的品牌标志可以激励消费者保护品牌免受伤害，从而减少消费者对该品牌的惩罚。值得注意的是，这种保护品牌的动机是由对品牌发展的增量信念驱动的。此外，在反复违规的情况下，可爱效果会减弱。对可爱性、品牌标志等文献的理论贡献，