Brand attachment and oppositional loyalty: The moderating role of moral identity

Abstract

Comprehension of the driving factors and dimensional structure of oppositional loyalty (OL), which comprises willingness to pay a price premium, oppositional referrals, schadenfreude, and antibrand actions, is limited. To analyze OL behavior, we collected 453 surveys from Xiaomi mobile online communities. The results show that brand attachment had a positive effect on each dimension of OL. In addition, moral identity positively moderated the brand attachment–oppositional referrals relationship, and negatively moderated the impact of brand attachment on schadenfreude and antibrand actions. Our results can help corporate managers understand OL behavior, and contribute to new understanding of brand loyalty, customer relationships, and business ethics.