Loyal Customers Start to Withdraw After Brand’s Socially Unacceptable Mentions on Social Media

A new article published in the Journal of Marketing by researchers from the University of Arkansas and Northeastern University focuses on the study of social media disengagement. Social media disengagement refers to the psychological motivation of individuals to distance themselves from a brand on social media.

The article, titled “For Shame! Socially Unacceptable Brand Mentions on Social Media Motivate Consumer Disengagement,” is authored by Daniel Villanova and Ted Matherly.

In today’s digital landscape, brands understand the significance of driving consumer engagement on social media platforms. Retaining existing users is often easier than acquiring new ones. However, little is known about the factors that drive disengagement.

This study explores social media disengagement, which is the act of distancing oneself from a brand on social media platforms due to psychological reasons. Understanding social media disengagement is crucial as it can negatively impact the reach of future marketing content. For example, when a user unfollows a brand on Twitter, not only does it cut off direct communication between the user and the brand, but it also restricts the visibility of the brand’s content to the user’s followers.

Similar to how customer retention differs from customer acquisition, consumers’ reasons for engaging with brands on social media may not completely overlap with their reasons for disengagement. The research focuses on one potential driver that explains why highly connected consumers may choose to disengage from a brand: observing socially unacceptable mentions of the brand on social media. These behaviors are found to threaten the identity of highly connected consumers, resulting in consequences for the brand.

The study reveals that when consumers come across socially unacceptable brand mentions, such as tweets with profanity, they feel motivated to distance themselves from the brand. This motivation is then manifested as a desire to reduce their own posting activity and even unfollow the brand on social media.

The Concept of Vicarious Shame

Socially unacceptable brand mentions do not impact all consumers equally. Villanova explains that “these problematic posts have a greater impact on people who are more connected to the brand. They threaten a part of these consumers’ identities and generate vicarious shame. Unlike guilt, which involves a personal sense of wrongdoing and a motivation to atone for it, shame leads to weakness, incompetence, and a desire to withdraw from the situation.”

Consumers who strongly associate themselves with a brand are more likely to perceive socially unacceptable brand mentions as reflections of their shared brand-related identity. In contrast, consumers with weaker self-brand connections can brush off such mentions and move on. Consumers with stronger self-brand connections, however, experience vicarious shame when confronted with such behaviors, leading to their desire to disengage from the brand.

One of the studies conducted by the researchers examines fans of ten Major League Baseball teams that competed in the 2018 postseason. The findings indicate that fans who had a strong connection to the brand were more likely to unfollow it in response to socially unacceptable brand mentions on Twitter. Additionally, a separate lab experiment showed that a socially unacceptable tweet led fans of National Football League teams to experience a greater sense of shame, which subsequently motivated their intention to disengage from the brand on social media.

Strategies for Brands

Matherly suggests that brands can take proactive measures to mitigate the risks of disengagement for highly connected consumers. For example, when consumers strongly connected to various apparel brands encountered a socially unacceptable Reddit post, their initial response was to disengage from the brand. However, when they were informed that the brand actively moderates and removes such posts, their desire to disengage decreased. This highlights the importance of actively managing a brand’s social media environment.

The study offers valuable lessons for chief marketing officers:

• Be proactive in mitigating the potential damage caused by socially unacceptable content.
• Actively moderate posts that contain socially unacceptable brand mentions to prevent disengagement from highly connected consumers.
• Educate consumers by providing explanations for the removal of certain social media content.
• Facilitate consumers in becoming productive members of the community when clarifications are provided.
• Generate high-quality content to outweigh socially unacceptable brand mentions.

Social media disengagement can have significant consequences for brands, and it is essential for both researchers and practitioners to understand its drivers. While previous research suggests that highly connected consumers can maintain positive attitudes towards a brand when exposed to negative brand information, these findings reveal that socially unacceptable brand mentions may lead to vicarious shame and subsequent disengagement. The protective effects of strong brand relationships may not be as straightforward as previously believed.

 

Reference

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Denial of responsibility! TechCodex is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.