The Effect of Brands' Unethical Actions on Consumers' Attitudes in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods Domain

Two experiments were conducted to determine how consumers respond to information about a brand's unethical actions in the fast moving consumer goods domain. Participants were randomly assigned to unethical action conditions and then instructed to complete a series of consumer measures. There was no evidence that different types of unethical actions by brands in a specific product category had an effect on consumer attitudes and behaviors. These findings suggest that consumers are not always focused on the ethical behavior of brands when making consumer decisions. This research adds to a growing literature on consumer response to brands after the brand has violated consumer trust. The implications of these results in an applied marketing context are discussed