Corporate brand avoidance scale: Antecedents and consequences in industrial markets

Abstract

This study addresses a significant gap in industrial B2B branding research by conceptualising, developing, and validating a generalisable measurement scale for Corporate Brand Avoidance (CBA). Grounded in Social Exchange Theory and Signalling Theory, the research adopts a sequential mixed-methods design to uncover how and why firms avoid corporate brands across industrial markets. The first study involves a qualitative exploration through semi-structured interviews with managers in the lift industry, chosen as a representative proxy for complex B2B environments, to generate initial insights into the drivers and outcomes of CBA. The second study develops and validates a multidimensional CBA scale using a large-scale survey sampling diverse sectors across the broader industrial value chain, and PLS-SEM analysis.

The resulting reflexive six-dimension scale introduces two new B2B-specific dimensions – Deficit-Liquidity Avoidance and Work-Related Avoidance – reflecting financial fragility and operational performance issues that motivate avoidance in industrial contexts. The findings further reveal that corporate brand distrust and corporate brand inauthenticity are the most influential antecedents of CBA, whereas negative corporate brand equity is its most prominent consequence. By demonstrating that negative past experience does not significantly trigger avoidance in long-term B2B relationships, the study highlights the distinctive nature of industrial decision-making. Overall, this research makes a clear contribution to advancing the theoretical understanding of negative corporate brand relationships across B2B contexts and provides a robust measurement instrument applicable across various industrial sectors.