Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/335518 
Year of Publication: 
2025
Citation: 
[Journal:] Journal of Brand Management [ISSN:] 1479-1803 [Volume:] 32 [Issue:] 6 [Publisher:] Palgrave Macmillan UK [Place:] London [Year:] 2025 [Pages:] 484-509
Publisher: 
Palgrave Macmillan UK, London
Abstract: 
Conscientious brands guided by ethical and moral principles are actively involved in social issues, taking public stances on sociopolitical topics. However, conscientious purpose-driven branding (CPB) can backfire if consumers disagree with a brand’s stance, highlighting the need for brands to understand how consumers perceive brands’ political engagement and how, in turn, they can positively influence consumer perceptions without compromising their stance. Based on moral foundations theory (MFT), we conducted an experimental study in a university context, focusing on higher education students and employees. Our findings show that their moral foundations (equality and loyalty) determine how they perceive brands’ political campaigns. Moreover, we highlight an affective response towards CPB, focusing on other-condemning emotions, which are negative emotions (e.g. anger, disgust) directed towards moral violations, as an essential mediator towards brand attitude and behavioural intentions. Finally, moral reframing, the strategic emphasis on moral values in a message, moderates the impact of moral foundations on moral emotions. When a pro-immigration stance is aligned with consumers’ moral values, negative perceptions can be significantly reduced, particularly among consumers with high levels of loyalty. In conclusion, we develop an initial application of MFT in the context of conscientious brands and contribute to the understanding of CBP.
Subjects: 
Moral foundations theory
Other-condemning emotions
Conscientious purpose-driven branding
Moral reframing
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by Logo
Document Type: 
Article
Document Version: 
Published Version

Files in This Item:
File
Size





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.