Does outrage sell?
Discussions on social media can facilitate offline change. However, the role that online outrage targeted against brands has in affecting their market performance is challenged by several psychological mechanisms. Leading us to question whether outrage is actually a good indicator of our buying behaviour.
Understanding the effect of social media outrage and cancel culture on brand performance
There’s an old adage that ‘all press is good press’. With periodic social media backlash to the latest insensitive fashion campaign, show or garment design a continual feature in current news cycles, you’d be right in thinking there may be another reason for brands’ continual mishaps that goes beyond political indifference and ignorance. Some are even going a step further - from Vaquera to Sunnei, brands are embracing and resharing online hate as a marketing tactic. They say it builds community and helps them reach new audiences.
Somewhat confusingly, brands in the public hot seat seem to bounce back from their latest public faux pas unscathed, performing as usual or sometimes even better, with minimal damage to their sales. Despite the torrent of negative comments on social media, the brand's market performance remains fine.
For example, research has shown that sales do not tend to falter after a public scandal, such as in the case of LuLuLemon. Fatphobic comments were made by the CEO of LuLuLemon but they did not actually harm the long-term sales growth of the company. Suggesting a brand’s online buzz can be affected although consumers’ purchase intention is not negatively affected.
Therefore, it begs the question:
Does public outrage negatively affect brand market performance?
What can psychology tell us about brand scandals and sales?
To answer these questions, let’s explore 3 psychological mechanisms that can help explain the effects of social media outrage on brand performance.
The role of Affective Engagement
When considering if online outrage has an impact on market performance, research on affective engagement may shed some light.
Research on negative emotion and internet behaviours has shown that whilst emotional content is more likely to be shared online, negative emotions are even more effective at increasing the virality of the content. The content, therefore, becomes more shareable not because of its message per se but because of the emotional reactions it triggers in the audience.
Hence, in the case of online outrage and brand performance, not everyone who has actually shared the disparaging posts may be offended by the brand’s insensitivity, resulting in a less detrimental impact on their sales.
Further, social media algorithms facilitate the consumption of content that engages people the most, prompting us to continue spending more time online. This can create more opportunities for users to come across inflammatory content as the algorithm fans the flames of outrage.
Therefore, the increased time spent online may contribute to the wrath of the social media crowd, rather than being fueled by actual feelings of disapproval. Hence fewer people than thought will stop buying from the brand.
The role of our Attentional Spotlight
It may also be that online outrage and buzz help to cast a spotlight, focusing our attention on the latest brand mishap.
For example, research into visual attention suggests that our attention is comparable to the beam of a spotlight, in which our attention has a limited focus. Once the spotlight moves so does our attention (and perhaps our concern).
In this way, the fast-past nature of social media news may mean the events of the controversy are not held within our minds for much longer than the time between it appears on our timeline and when we click refresh. Therefore, when consumers next approach the shop counter or add an item to their basket, the event may be long forgotten.
The role of our Social Identities
Alternatively, it may be that the outrage seen on social media sites, particularly Twitter which is often used as a platform to enact social justice, can be facilitated by our social ties and identities.
Our moral outrage can signal our values and ideals to others, which helps us to maintain our reputation in our social communities.
Additionally, the opportunity of anonymity online may lend itself towards making disparaging remarks and joining in with the online ‘mob’. Phenomenons such as ‘cancel culture’ may also further push the idea that the corporations and people causing offence need to be called out.
However, research has shown that viral outrage, whilst inspiring further outrage actually increases sympathy for the offender.
Therefore, the public shaming and vitriol we see online may in fact be a misrepresentation of people’s true feelings, trickling into the discrepancies we sometimes see between a company’s performance and its social media comments.
Does social media outrage impact brand performance?
Overall, social media outrage and backlash against a brand may not be the fatal blow it is perceived to be. Psychological mechanisms such as our brain’s preference for negative content, our attentional spotlight and the importance of moral outrage to our social identities, may account for the disparity we see in a brand’s performance and their latest comments on social media. Whilst the online buzz may harm the brand's reputation in the short term, whether it really impacts its performance in the long term is less likely.
Final thoughts
Do you think online behaviours can be used as a reliable tool for our offline actions?
Does social media outrage influence your purchasing?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Key points - Does outrage sell?
Social media outrage has become an increasingly visible part of our online experience but its ability as an accurate measuring stick for holding brands accountable is weak.
Social media algorithms capitalise on our preference for emotional content which can skew the validity of our online feedback.
Our attentional biases and desire to save social face also mean our reactions online can sometimes mismatch with our offline behaviours.
Further reading
Should you wish to know more about social media, cancel culture and online outrage, check out the resources below.
You are Cancelled: Virtual Collective Consciousness and the Emergence of Cancel Culture as Ideological Purging | Research article
Cancel Culture or Reasonable Callout? The Influence of Instagram Watchdog Account Diet Prada on Brands | Research paper
The Omnipresence of Cancel Culture: A Balanced Contrast | Research paper
Why fashion campaigns need sensitivity checks | Business of Fashion
