Cancel Culture: A Study on Factors Influencing Consumers' Decision to Cancel Brands

Abstract

This thesis explores cancel culture and the factors that influence consumers’ decision to participate in brand cancellation. Brand cancellations are a growing phenomenon where consumers collectively withdraw support from brands due to their controversial attitudes and actions. The fast spread of calls for cancellations can have detrimental consequences for brands in a short time. Therefore, this thesis aims to contribute to the understudied concept of cancel culture while advancing the field of brand management both academically and practically. The study draws from existing theories within brand management, consumer behavior, and social influence, to develop and test a conceptual framework that incorporates both individual factors (symbolic incongruity and ideological incompatibility) and social factors (social media exposure and social influence). A deductive approach was taken in which a quantitative experimental survey was conducted with 88 female respondents aged 18-25 currently residing in Denmark. The survey used hypothetical brands and scenarios to measure the level of symbolic incongruity and ideological incompatibility, and cancellation intentions before and after social media exposure. The results indicate that both symbolic incongruity and ideological incompatibility significantly increase brand cancellation intentions. Furthermore, social media exposure was found to further increase these brand cancellation intentions. Surprisingly, it was found that susceptibility to normative and informational social influence did not moderate the effect of social media exposure, which indicates that individuals with a higher susceptibility to social influence were not influenced more by social media exposure. The findings of this thesis provide important implications for both academic research and practitioners. Academically, this study advances the understanding of cancel culture by offering a comprehensive framework that integrates both individual and social factors influencing brand cancellation intentions. Moreover, the study furthers the field of brand management, by focusing on brand-harming behavior, a topic that is generally focused less on. Practically, the findings provide crucial information for brand managers and other practitioners that aids them in navigating brand cancellations and potentially mitigating the detrimental consequences it can cause.