Brands motivate consumers to engage in positive, supportive as well as negative, oppositional actions (e.g., Gregoire, Tripp, and Legoux 2009; Lovett, Peres, and Shachar 2013; Wolter 2015). However, although extensive research has been afforded to positive and negative brand-related communication by consumers of a brand (e.g., Baker, Donthu, and Kumar 2016; Berger 2014; Hollebeek, Glynn, and Brodie 2014; King, Racherla, and Bush 2014), attention on negative brand-related communication by non-consumers is lacking. Yet, brands are constantly subjected to negativity, slander, avoidance, and hate (e.g., Zarantonello et al. 2016) from consumers who are psychologically, behaviorally, and ideologically disconnected from them (Hegner, Fetscherin, and van Delzen 2017). Accordingly, researchers have expounded that it is imperative to investigate – in addition to positive brand outcomes and brand development strategies – negative brand outcomes and brand defense strategies (Veloutsou and Guzman 2017). Responding to such calls, this study focuses on the construct of online brand derision. Online brand derision is conceptualized as the volitional act of avoiding, openly ridiculing, discrediting, or denigrating a brand in the online environment. Correspondingly, drawing from diverse literature streams such as brand-related communication, social identity theory, and social dominance theory, this study develops and tests a framework of the antecedents of brand derision in the online environment. Results from analysis of data gathered from 320 respondents reveal that some consumers are likely to perceive a discord between themselves and the users of a brand, which along with an oppositional self-categorization of the self and the brand, influences hostile cognitive judgments and attitudinal evaluations regarding the brand. Consequently, animosity toward the brand influences online brand derision. The results further indicate support for the moderating effects of consumers’ social dominance orientation and extraversion on brand animosity’s influence on brand derision. Based on the findings, several theoretical and managerial implications as well as directions for future research are offered.

• Vishag Badrinarayanan(Texas State University, USA)
• Enrique Becerra(Texas State University, USA)