Disgust and preference for familiar brands

Abstract

Disgust represents an undesired state that signals the presence of threats in the external environment, leading to a change in needs and motivations aimed at coping with the threats. The present research aims at studying the effects of disgust in a consumer setting, proposing that once disgusted consumers show an immediate avoidance for familiar (vs. unfamiliar) brands. However, this avoidant reaction is followed by an opposite response of preference for familiar (vs. unfamiliar) brands. Moreover, conversely to the immediate response of avoidance of familiar brands, the subsequent response of preference for familiar brands is even stronger in case the consumer is depleted, showing a more deliberative nature of that response. The proposed results contribute to both emotion and consumer research debates demonstrating how an externally induced emotion, as disgust, influences consumers’ brand choice over time. Moreover, the present findings offer interesting suggestions to brand managers and retailers in order to better promoting the commercialized brands.