Consumers' brand attitudes in a deglobalized world: external threats boost attitudes toward local brands through emotional bonding

Purpose The era of deglobalization, marked by intensifying trade conflicts, directly translates into heightened external threats for brands, which often disrupt their provision of products and services. However, such threats can rally domestic consumers and boost brand attitudes. This study explores whether, how and when external threats can lead to positive brand attitudes under deglobalization. Design/methodology/approach In Study 1, a qualitative exploratory analysis was conducted to identify the topics of social media data on brands in different situations (with vs. without external threats). Study 2 experimentally examined the impact of external threats on consumers' brand attitudes and the mediating mechanisms. Study 3 explored the moderating effect of brand innovation on brand attitudes in response to external threats. Findings The results of Study 1, which used latent Dirichlet allocation, reveal that different brand situations (with vs. without external threats) produce distinct discussion themes, showing consumers are more likely to express opinions about threatened brands. Additionally, external threats significantly enhance domestic consumers' brand attitudes. External threats can strengthen emotional bonding, leading consumers to exhibit more positive brand attitudes. However, a brand's innovation information reduces the positive effect of external threats on consumers' brand attitudes. Originality/value By situating external threats within the context of deglobalization, we offer a novel psychological perspective of how geopolitical and economic pressure shape consumer responses to brands. External threats can activate emotional bonding, serving as a mechanism that converts external pressure into enhanced brand attitudes. Moreover, it underscores that information about external threats and brand innovation should be strategically diffused across time and space to optimize brand management under deglobalization.