Consumers’ attributions in performance- and values-related brand crises

Purpose During a brand crisis, consumers construct attributions to understand the cause of the crisis and to assign blame, with attributions of blame to firms consequently lowering brand attitudes. The purpose of this paper is to explore attributions of blame in performance- versus values-related brand crisis. Do consumers assign different levels of blame to values- versus performance-related brand crises? Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted three experimental studies, plus one pilot study, with American, British and Australian participants in which they manipulated the type of brand crisis as values- or performance-related to determine the extent to which consumers attribute blame to the firm and the effects of those attributions on consumers’ brand attitudes. Findings Findings indicated that consumers assign more blame to firms for a values-related brand crisis than for a performance-related brand crisis. Research limitations/implications The findings of this study explain how consumers are harsher towards firms that violate some moral or social standards than those that exhibit product defects. Practical implications For branding and public relations officials, finding greater internal attribution for values-related brand crises offers implications for how and what information about such crises ought to be conveyed to manage consumer response and brand reputation. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the findings are the first to explore attributions in blame toward values- and performance-related brand crises.