Brand Hypocrisy and Brand Equity: A Review and Future Research Agenda
Abstract
This systematic literature review examines the phenomenon of brand hypocrisy and its impact on brand equity within marketing—a pressing issue for brands aiming to uphold consumer trust and authenticity. The study synthesizes and analyzes significant theoretical frameworks and empirical findings to clarify how these constructs influence consumer behavior and brand value. Twenty peer-reviewed articles were sourced from the Web of Science and Scopus databases; after a rigorous screening process, seven studies were selected for in-depth analysis. The review utilized bibliometric analysis and co-occurrence mapping to pinpoint influential studies, key themes, and trends across various regions. Results indicate that brand hypocrisy, as a multidimensional construct, critically undermines consumer trust, loyalty, and brand equity. The analysis highlights a predominant reliance on quantitative methodologies within the literature, suggesting an opportunity for qualitative and mixed method approaches that could offer deeper insights into consumers' emotional responses to brand hypocrisy. The findings also emphasize the need to consider cultural, generational, and geographic differences in consumer reactions, and to investigate the roles of mediators and moderators—such as brand transparency and consumer values, shaping the effects of perceived hypocrisy on brand equity. The review concludes by outlining a future research agenda, advocating methodological diversity and broader contextual analysis to fully capture the complex dynamics of brand hypocrisy. These insights provide a valuable foundation for both scholars and practitioners looking to mitigate the adverse effects of brand hypocrisy and strengthen brand equity in today’s conscientious market landscape.Keywords:
brand hypocrisy , brand equity , systematic literature reviewReferences
Aaker, D. A. (1991). Managing brand equity. https://openlibrary.org/books/OL1532721M/Managing_brand_equity
Aaker, D. A. (1996). Measuring Brand Equity Across Products and Markets. California Management Review, 38(3), 102-120. https://doi.org/10.2307/41165845
Aaker, J., Fournier, S., & Brasel, S. A. (2004). When good brands do bad. Journal Of Consumer Research, 31(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1086/383419
Alicke, M., Gordon, E., & Rose, D. (2012). Hypocrisy: What counts? Philosophical Psychology, 26(5), 673-701. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515089.2012.677397
Altaf, M., Iqbal, N., Mokhtar, S. S. M., & Sial, M. H. (2017). Managing consumer-based brand equity through brand experience in Islamic banking. Journal Of Islamic Marketing, 8(2), 218-242. https://doi.org/10.1108/jima-07-2015-0048
Banister, E. N., & Hogg, M. K. (2004). Negative symbolic consumption and consumers’ drive for self‐esteem. European Journal Of Marketing, 38(7), 850-868. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090560410539285
Barden, J., Rucker, D. D., & Petty, R. E. (2005). “Saying One Thing and Doing Another”: Examining the Impact of Event Order on Hypocrisy Judgments of Others. Personality And Social Psychology Bulletin, 31(11), 1463-1474. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167205276430
Batson, C. D., Kobrynowicz, D., Dinnerstein, J. L., Kampf, H. C., & Wilson, A. D. (1997). In a very different voice: Unmasking moral hypocrisy. Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology, 72(6), 1335-1348. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.72.6.1335
Batson, C. D., Thompson, E. R., & Chen, H. (2002). Moral hypocrisy: Addressing some alternatives. Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology, 83(2), 330-339. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.83.2.330
Beverland, M. B., & Farrelly, F. J. (2009). The Quest for Authenticity in Consumption: Consumers’ Purposive Choice of Authentic Cues to Shape Experienced Outcomes. Journal Of Consumer Research, 36(5), 838-856. https://doi.org/10.1086/615047
Callahan, J. L. (2014). Writing literature reviews. Human Resource Development Review, 13(3), 271-275. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534484314536705
Callon, M., Courtial, J., Turner, W. A., & Bauin, S. (1983). From translations to problematic networks: An introduction to co-word analysis. Social Science Information, 22(2), 191-235. https://doi.org/10.1177/053901883022002003
Cheah, I., Shimul, A. S., & Teah, M. (2022). Sustainability claim, environmental misconduct and perceived hypocrisy in luxury branding. Spanish Journal Of Marketing - ESIC, 27(3), 306-323. https://doi.org/10.1108/sjme-02-2022-0012
Chen, A. C. (2001). Using free association to examine the relationship between the characteristics of brand associations and brand equity. Journal Of Product & Brand Management, 10(7), 439-451. https://doi.org/10.1108/10610420110410559
Chen, X., Chen, J., Wu, D., Xie, Y., & Li, J. (2016). Mapping the Research Trends by Co- word Analysis Based on Keywords from Funded Project. Procedia Computer Science, 91, 547-555. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2016.07.140
Datta, H., Ailawadi, K. L., & Van Heerde, H. J. (2016). How Well Does Consumer-Based Brand Equity Align with Sales-Based Brand Equity and Marketing-Mix Response? Journal Of Marketing, 81(3), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.15.0340
Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Mukherjee, D., Pandey, N., & Lim, W. M. (2021). How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines. Journal Of Business Research, 133, 285-
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070
Erol, F. (2023). The Effects of Brand Hypocrisy on Consumer Evaluations and Behaviors: Moderating Role of Nutrition Consciousness. Organizations And Markets In Emerging Economies, 14(1(27)), 133-151. https://doi.org/10.15388/omee.2023.14.85
Fassin, Y., & Buelens, M. (2011). The hypocrisy‐sincerity continuum in corporate communication and decision making. Management Decision, 49(4), 586-600. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251741111126503
Fisch, C., & Block, J. (2018). Six tips for your (systematic) literature review in business and management research. Management Review Quarterly, 68(2), 103-106. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11301-018-0142-x
Gabrielli, V., Baghi, I., & Bergianti, F. (2021). Brand scandals within a corporate social responsibility partnership: asymmetrical effects on for-profit and non-profit brands. Journal Of Marketing Management, 37(15-16), 1573-1604.
https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257x.2021.1928267
Guèvremont, A. (2019). Brand hypocrisy from a consumer perspective: scale development and validation. Journal Of Product & Brand Management, 28(5), 598-613.
https://doi.org/10.1108/jpbm-06-2017-1504
Kamran, M., Khan, H. U., Nisar, W., Farooq, M., & Rehman, S. (2019). Blockchain and Internet of Things: A bibliometric study. Computers & Electrical Engineering, 81, 106525. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compeleceng.2019.106525
Keller, K. L. (1997). Strategic Brand Management: Building, Measuring, and Managing Brand Equity. https://yrewik.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/strategic-brand-management- building-measuring-and-managing-brand-equity.pdf
Kumar, V., & Kaushik, A. K. (2018). Building consumer–brand relationships through brand experience and brand identification. Journal Of Strategic Marketing, 28(1), 39-59. https://doi.org/10.1080/0965254x.2018.1482945
Lee, Z., Spry, A., Ekinci, Y., & Vredenburg, J. (2023). From warmth to warrior: impacts of non-profit brand activism on brand bravery, brand hypocrisy and brand equity. Journal Of Brand Management, 31(2), 193-211. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41262-023-00319-8
Li, M. (2021). Influence for social good: exploring the roles of influencer identity and comment section in Instagram-based LGBTQ-centric corporate social responsibility advertising. International Journal Of Advertising, 41(3), 462-499. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2021.1884399
Lin, Y. H. (2015). Innovative brand experience’s influence on brand equity and brand satisfaction. Journal Of Business Research, 68(11), 2254-2259.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.06.007
Marabelli, M., & Newell, S. (2014). Knowing, Power and Materiality: A Critical Review and Reconceptualization of Absorptive Capacity. International Journal Of Management Reviews, 16(4), 479-499. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr.12031
Merigó, J. M., Mas-Tur, A., Roig-Tierno, N., & Ribeiro-Soriano, D. (2015). A bibliometric overview of the Journal of Business Research between 1973 and 2014. Journal Of Business Research, 68(12), 2645-2653. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.04.006
Netemeyer, R. G., Krishnan, B., Pullig, C., Wang, G., Yagci, M., Dean, D., Ricks, J., & Wirth,
F. (2003). Developing and validating measures of facets of customer-based brand equity.
Journal Of Business Research, 57(2), 209-224. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0148- 2963(01)00303-4
Paul, J., & Criado, A. R. (2020). The art of writing literature review: What do we know and what do we need to know? International Business Review, 29(4), 101717. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2020.101717
Rana, A., Bhat, A., & Rani, L. (2015). A classificatory scheme for antecedents of the sources of “online brand equity”. Journal Of Research In Interactive Marketing, 9(4), 262-298. https://doi.org/10.1108/jrim-02-2014-0008
Rezaei, S., Mazaheri, E., & Azadavar, R. (2017). Determinants of experienced tourists’ satisfaction and actual spending behavior: a PLS path modelling approach. International Journal Of Culture Tourism And Hospitality Research, 11(2), 157-181. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijcthr-09-2015-0107
Snyder, H. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines.
Journal Of Business Research, 104, 333-339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.039
Veloutsou, C., & Guzman, F. (2017). The evolution of brand management thinking over the last 25 years as recorded in the Journal of Product and Brand Management. Journal Of Product & Brand Management, 26(1), 2-12. https://doi.org/10.1108/jpbm-01-2017-1398
Xiao, Y., & Watson, M. (2017). Guidance on Conducting a Systematic Literature Review. Journal Of Planning Education And Research, 39(1), 93-112. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456x17723971
Xiao, Z., Wang, Y., & Guo, D. (2022). Will Greenwashing Result in Brand Avoidance? A Moderated Mediation Model. Sustainability, 14(12), 7204.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su14127204
Yoo, B., & Donthu, N. (2001). Developing and validating a multidimensional consumer- based brand equity scale. Journal Of Business Research, 52(1), 1-14.
https://doi.org/10.1016/s0148-2963(99)00098-3
Zarantonello, L., & Schmitt, B. H. (2013). The impact of event marketing on brand equity. International Journal Of Advertising, 32(2), 255-280. https://doi.org/10.2501/ija-32-2-255- 280
Zollo, L., Filieri, R., Rialti, R., & Yoon, S. (2020). Unpacking the relationship between social media marketing and brand equity: The mediating role of consumers’ benefits and experience. Journal Of Business Research, 1117, 256-267.
