When does negative brand publicity hurt? The moderating influence of analytic versus holistic thinking

Abstract Negative publicity can diminish positive consumer perceptions of a brand. We explore the impact of processing style on mitigating the effects of negative publicity. We hypothesize that holistic thinkers are less susceptible to negative publicity information than are analytic thinkers. Holistic thinkers are more likely to consider external context‐based explanations for the negative publicity, resulting in little or no revision of beliefs about the parent brand. Analytic thinkers, in contrast, are less likely to consider contextual factors, attributing negative information to the parent brand and updating their brand beliefs accordingly. Across three studies, we find support for our predictions.