This article investigates how the specificity of environmental claims and external disconfirming information interact to shape consumer responses. Across two experiments, specific claims countered by specific disconfirmation led to heightened skepticism, reduced corporate credibility, and lower brand attitudes and purchase intentions. The findings offer strategic guidance for brands navigating sustainability messaging, emphasizing the importance of defensible specificity in building consumer trust.

When brands apologize after a data breach, not all consumers respond the same way. Drawing from my published research, this article explores how political ideology shapes trust recovery—revealing that liberals (with incremental beliefs) are more receptive to apologies, while conservatives (with entity beliefs) remain skeptical. We unpack the psychological mechanisms behind this divide and offer practical strategies for brands to tailor crisis responses based on audience belief systems. Because in trust repair, who you’re speaking to matters just as much as what you say.

This article explores how consumers’ self-construal—whether they see themselves as independent or interdependent—moderates their response to brand activism. Across four studies, independent consumers responded more positively to brands that opposed prevailing public opinion, viewing them as bold and courageous. Interdependent consumers preferred brands that aligned with mainstream views. The findings offer practical strategies for tailoring brand activism to audience psychology, beyond political ideology.