Is Good + Bad = Neutral? How Consumers Integrate Information to Form Ethical Brand Perceptions

Companies are increasingly concerned about their ethical image and that of their brands. This research builds on the recently emerging literature on consumer perceived ethicality (CPE) and quantitatively explores how consumers form moral impressions of brands. Our analysis suggests that the process is consistent with the configural model of impression formation rather than following an algebraic information integration approach. We furthermore provide empirical evidence for the presence of a negativity bias by showing that unethical information is highly diagnostic in CPE formation.