Anti-branding on the internet

Anti-brand web sites are online spaces that focus negative attention on a specific targeted brand. Although anti-consumption movements on the internet have been gaining in numbers and in strength, research has not fully uncovered the nature of such sites and their impact on brand value and consumer anti-consumption. We present a conceptual framework describing online anti-branding and investigate causal relationships in two empirical studies. Study 1 investigates the brand valueʹs impact on likelihood of the presence of anti-brand sites. Strong brands are more likely to have anti-brand sites. Study 2 is a content analysis of a representative sample of anti-brand sites that assesses the nature of the language used by such sites. Anti-brand sites use three types of language — market, ideological and transactional speech. The study finds that market speech is most prevalent and relates to brand value.