Effects of Psychological Distance in Brand-Related Social Media Posts on Consumers’ Evaluation and Attitude Formation

This study examines the effects of temporal and spatial distance in negative online brand post narratives on consumers’ evaluations of brands. Drawing on construal level theory, the authors demonstrate that low temporal distance (compared to neutral or high temporal distance) in a brand post has a negative effect on consumers’ attitude towards the brand which ultimately results in a decreased purchase intention. However, they do not find this effect for spatial distance. Surprisingly, low spatial distance (compared to neutral or high spatial distance) seems to reduce the consumers’ perceived likelihood of negative experiences with the brand, which in turn ultimately has a positive effect on attitude towards the brand and purchase intention. Implications for companies’ social media management as well as construal level theory are discussed.