Title: An empirical investigation of brand resilience through disclosure of negative information: a consumer preference perspective

Authors: Ra'd Almestarihi; Sharyn Rundle-Thiele; Owen Wright; Mahmoud Migdadi

Addresses: Griffith Business School, Griffith University, Kessels Road, Nathan, Brisbane, Q.4111, Australia ' Department of Marketing, Nathan Campus, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Road QLD 4111, Australia ' Department of Marketing, Nathan Campus, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Road QLD 4111, Australia ' Management Information Systems Department, King Talal School of Business and Technology, Princess Sumaya University of Technology, P.O. Box 1438, Aljubiha 11941, Amman, Jordan

Abstract: Many consumer brands present some level of harm. Consumers, however, are not always aware of the level of harm involved (Rundle-Thiele et al., 2008). A repeated measure Best-Worst design was used to measure consumers' stated choice preference for three brands of baby shampoo before and after information on the effects of petrochemicals on baby's skin was disclosed. A total of 323 valid questionnaires were collected before and a total of 79 valid questionnaires were collected after information disclosure. Preferences for the brand containing petrochemicals decreased and preferences for one competing brand which contained natural ingredients increased following disclosure of information on the effects of petrochemicals on baby skin. This study contributes to the literature showcasing how a repeated measure Best-Worst design can be used to predict the consequences of disclosing harmful information on brands to the public and, how consumers' purchase preferences can be predicated according to brand resilience.

Keywords: best-worst design; information disclosure; brand resilience; baby shampoo; petrochemicals; stated choice preferences.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBEX.2017.087225

International Journal of Business Excellence, 2017 Vol.13 No.3, pp.299 - 317

Received: 16 Feb 2016
Accepted: 27 Jun 2016
Published online: 11 Oct 2017 *

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