Self-Critical Brand Communications: Conceptual Differentiation and Consumer Responses

Abstract

Brand communications have traditionally emphasized positive product attributes to foster favorable consumer perceptions. However, a growing trend in marketing deviates from this norm by embracing self-directed negative messaging. This dissertation introduces and investigates the novel phenomenon of Brand Communications with Self-Directed Negative Messages (BCSNMs), encompassing three distinct strategies: self-deprecation, humblebragging, and two-sided messaging. Despite their apparent counterintuitiveness, BCSNMs present significant opportunities for brands seeking to communicate effectively with consumers and build strong relationships. Chapter 1 establishes presents a comprehensive conceptual framework integrating psycholinguistic theories with the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM). It BCSNMs based on whether they are monosemic (single meaning) or polysemous (multiple meanings). Utilizing the ELM, this framework explains how varying consumer involvement influences their interpretations and responses to BCSNMs. This chapter clarities the interpretative processes underlying consumers’ evaluations and proposes an agenda for future research. Chapter 2 empirically tests consumer responses to self-deprecating advertisements and the brands who employ them through six experimental studies. Findings indicate that when self-deprecation targets less critical product attributes, consumers perceive brands as more socially attractive. This enhanced social attractiveness mitigates consumer skepticism, fosters brand trust, and reduces advertisement avoidance. In Chapter 3, the focus shifts to examining consumers’ product-related evaluations when exposed to self-deprecating advertisements. The chapter posits that self-deprecating messages, deliberately disclosing flaws, disrupt consumer expectations, prompting them to rationalize these weaknesses by inferring compensatory strengths in unobservable, experience-related attributes. Four experimental studies consistently confirm that self-deprecating (vs. self-promoting) advertisements prompt more positive, experience-focused consumer inferences. Overall, this dissertation contributes to marketing theory by systematically categorizing BCSNMs and empirically substantiating the nuanced strategic advantages of self-deprecation. It offers actionable managerial insights, emphasizing how marketers can effectively leverage transparent self-criticism to cultivate consumer trust, reduce skepticism, and positively shape product evaluations within increasingly skeptical consumer markets.