Can brand activism help stigmatized brands? Examining the roles of prior brand attitude, social issue attitude and consumer brand engagement

Purpose Brand activism, defined as brands' participation in social issues, has emerged as an effective marketing tool for enhancing consumer brand engagement and purchase intention. However, its effectiveness for stigmatized brands remains unexamined. Specifically, this study explores whether brand activism has a stronger influence on stigmatized brands than on non-stigmatized brands by examining the halo effects of prior brand attitude and prior social issue attitude. Design/methodology/approach The hypothesized effects were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM) and multi-group analysis. The empirical study was conducted on two leading Chinese e-commerce platforms, Pinduoduo and JD.com, representing stigmatized and non-stigmatized brands, respectively. A total of 405 valid responses were obtained for Pinduoduo and 408 for JD.com. Findings Results indicate that brand activism is more effective for stigmatized brands, which depend more on cognitive brand engagement and direct activism effects to drive purchase intention. In contrast, non-stigmatized brands rely more on behavioral brand engagement. Additionally, a spillover effect of social issues on brand activism is found only in stigmatized brands, where attitudes toward social issues have a greater impact on brand activism than prior brand attitudes. Originality/value This study extends the concept of brand activism to the context of stigmatized brands, examining the effectiveness of their participation in social issues. It also contributes to consumer engagement research by demonstrating how cognitive and behavioral engagement strengthen the relationship between brand activism and purchase intention across stigmatized and non-stigmatized brands respectively.