En negativ association med en folkkär person : En kvalitativ studie kring konsumenternas upplevelse av negativa händelser involverande varumärkesrepresentanter

Sammanfattning

The study was conducted from an interest of an up and coming phenomenon where representatives have a bigger role in advertising and branding. The purpose of the study is to examine how consumers' perceptions of brands are affected in connection with negative events concerning its representatives. The theoretical framework was structured with a few keywords; brand image, trust and negative publicity. Other than the keywords there are a few sub-chapters including brand representative, parasocial relationships, betrayal and handling of negative publicity. The chapter ends with a visualization of the theoretical concepts through a model made by the authors. Furthermore the methodology is described in the third chapter. The authors chose a qualitative approach with the main method of collecting empirical investigation being semi-structured interviews. Starting with a literature review to get the relevant theories for an interview guide. The empirical investigation presents results of the 10 completed interviews conducted with a variety of respondents. The results are presented with the concepts and themes presented in the theoretical framework. The analysis provided new insight which is presented in the conclusion. The authors came to the conclusion that there is a strong bond between the consumers and their favorite representatives. This bond creates a community where consumers find security with their purchases. The study shows that the community tends to protect their favorite representative, depending on the level of harm the event has caused. Furthermore a few recommendations will be presented and finally the authors own reflections will be presented.