Testing the effects of moral intensity news frames on consumer boycott intention
ISSN: 0736-3761
Article publication date: 16 February 2024
Issue publication date: 11 March 2024
Abstract
Purpose
This exploratory research examined how emphasizing a brand’s unethical behaviour through high moral intensity news framing influences consumer boycott intention.
Design/methodology/approach
The hypotheses were tested and validated using two experimental studies that expose customers of real retail and personal care product brands to news articles that have high and low moral intensity news frames.
Findings
The results showed high moral intensity news framing’s positive effect on consumer boycott intention. The frame’s influence is moderated by moral awareness and partially mediated by perceived moral intensity and moral judgement. The findings suggest that consumers’ perception of the frame and their attitude towards the brand will have a substantial role in boycott intention.
Practical implications
These research outcomes aid in the understanding of news framing effects on boycott intention, providing both insights for consumer activists and managerial implications for stewards of brands.
Originality/value
While previous research have examined the impact of news frames on the typical audience, there has been relatively little focus on news framing’s impact on consumers and their decision to boycott brands. This study addresses this gap by applying the work on emphasis framing to a consumer decision-making context. It also introduces moral intensity framing to the news frame classification. In addition, this study expands current conceptualizations of individual ethical decision-making to help explain consumer boycott intent.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Citation
Bravo, O.S.-A.C. and Chapa, S. (2024), "Testing the effects of moral intensity news frames on consumer boycott intention", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 41 No. 2, pp. 226-238. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCM-06-2022-5413
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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