Spurring and sustaining online consumer activism: the role of cause support and brand relationship in microlevel action frames
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2023
Author(s)
Abstract
Research suggests that social media consumer activism can be motivated through multiple microlevel action frames (MAFs-or simply, microframes). In this study, we examine an online consumer activism campaign against the supermarket chain Carrefour in Brazil and develop a typology of microframes that emerged during this episode of consumer activism. We leverage Twitter data to illustrate the distinction between cause-oriented (centered on animal rights issues) and brandoriented MAFs (emphasizing consumer disappointment in Carrefour) and examine their influence on the emergence of other online consumer activism microframes. Our findings reveal the complex interplay between cause support (cause-oriented MAF) and perceptions of a brand transgression (brand-oriented MAF) to galvanize collective action. We theorize the roles of distinct MAFs in spurring and sustaining consumers' online mobilization. Practical recommendations for brand managers are discussed.
Language
English (United States)
Keywords
Consumer activism
Collective action framing
Microframing
Boycotting
Computational research
Publisher
Journal of Brand Management
Volume
30
Start page
461
End page
477