How Unethical Brands Motivate Self-Interested Behavior of Consumers

Existing studies have documented that strong consumer-brand relationships can protect a brand from negative consequences of the brand’s unethical behavior. The current research investigates another possible outcome for brands that engage in questionable ethical activities: the potential to influence a consumer’s subsequent decisions. Across three studies, we provide support for our prediction that a strong connection to a brand that engages in unethical actions triggers consumers' self-interested conduct in a domain unrelated to the brand action. This occurs because the feeling of self-brand connection increases consumers’ tendency to engage in moral justification efforts on behalf of the brand, which reduces self-deterrents to morally questionable behaviors and encourages self-interested conduct in a subsequent decision. We conclude with a discussion of the theoretical and managerial implications of this research.