How to Radicalize the Moderate Consumer
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Date
2019-03
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Abstract
When corporations take strong political stances on controversial issue, who precisely is contributing to oppositional backlash? Those who feel subjectively ambivalent about a given topic might perceive staunch, one-sided messages as overly simplistic, and may therefore feel compelled to set the record straight by providing the opposite perspective. Across two studies, we tested the hypothesis that those high in ambivalence about the death penalty would respond more oppositionally to a one-sided versus balanced tweet. We found that, indeed, whereas those low in ambivalence engaged in pro-attitudinal word of mouth regardless of tweet they received, those high in ambivalence only responded more pro-attitudinally when they received the one-sided tweet (and not when they saw the balanced version). The implications for brands that seek to engage in socially conscious marketing strategies are discussed.
Description
Business: 1st Place (The Ohio State University Edward F. Hayes Graduate Research Forum)
Keywords
Subjective ambivalence, Word of mouth, Advocacy, Attitudes