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Cognitive and emotional dimensions of negative customer engagement
Author(s)
Date Issued
2023
Publisher
Academy of Marketing
Conference
ISBN
9781399958042
Citation
Ng, C. H. (2023). Cognitive and emotional dimensions of negative customer engagement. In Kerrigan, F. (Ed.). Proceedings of academy of marketing 2023 annual conference and doctoral colloquium: From revolution to revolutions. 2023 Academy of Marketing Conference, University of Birmingham (pp. 171-173). Academy of Marketing.
Type
Conference Paper
Abstract
Introduction
Customer engagement (CE) has emerged as a key concept in brand management since 2010 (Kumar
& Pansari, 2015; van Doorn et al., 2010). The dimension of valence in engagement was first defined
in van Doorn et al. (2010) to reflect the range of positive and negative engagement. CE research has
mostly centered around the conceptualization of positive CE, antecedents of positive CE such as
satisfaction (van Doorn et al., 2010), perceived values (Huang & Chen, 2022), participation (Leckie et
al., 2016), and its influence on customers (Hollebeek et al., 2022). Research into the negative CE and
its potential impact has received very limited attention (Do et al., 2021). Seeking to extend current
knowledge about CE valence, this study contributes to a better understanding of the cognitive and
emotional components of negative CE.
Negative CE is defined as “consumers’ unfavourable brand-related thoughts, feelings and behaviours
during focal brand interactions” (Hollebeek & Chen, 2014, p. 69). Negative valence of customer
engagement can include both customer disengagement and negative engagement (Naumann et al.,
2017). Negative CE is defined as a customer’s unfavourable thoughts, feelings and behavioural
intentions towards a brand or provider resulting from their negative experiences. This study
examines the key negative thoughts and emotions of Chinese customers, which can allow marketers
to develop better understanding on the negative CE and design service and marketing strategies to
prevent negative CE.
Research Method
This study used a qualitative method to examine the characteristics of cognitive and affective
components of negative CE. Two interview studies were conducted with different approaches to
enhance the quality of information. 30 respondents who had experience of positive and negative
engagement with different brands participated in each study. In the Study 1, after recording their
demographic background, interviewers asked the respondents about their relationship with
positively engaged brands and experience of disengagement with positively engaged brands, and
their relationship with negatively engaged brands and experience of recovery. In Study 2, Critical
Incident Technique (CIT) method was adopted to examine negative incidents experienced by
customers in their consumption experiences. CIT is a method commonly applied in service related
research, which can generate useful insights for exploratory research studies (Gremler, 2004). Each
interview lasted approximately 20 to 25 minutes and was recorded with the consent of the
interviewee.
Results and Implications
The findings revealed the major negative thoughts and emotions towards brands and services in a
wide range of contexts. The interrelationships between different cognitive dimensions and affective
dimensions are examined to enhance the understanding of the complex nature of negative CE. The
findings confirm and expand the prior research studies on the cognitive, affective, and behavioural
dimensions (Do et al., 2021; Naumann et al., 2017), revealing a range of negative thoughts,
emotions, and behaviours that were experienced by Chinese customers in Hong Kong. Based on the findings in this study, a draft measurement scale for measuring the cognitive and affective
dimensions of negative CE was proposed for validation.
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