How Brand Hate and Subjective Norms Drive Avoidance in Emerging Markets Mohamed Assoud Consumer Behavior and Digital Influence in Global Markets, 2026 Brand avoidance is an increasingly relevant outcome in consumer-brand relationships, particularly in contexts marked by symbolic or ideological tensions. Drawing on data from 238 Moroccan consumers, this study investigates how symbolic incongruity and ideological incompatibility lead to brand avoidance through the mediating role of attitudinal brand hate. Additionally, we examine how subjective norms moderate the link between brand hate and avoidance. Using PLS-SEM, the results reveal that both symbolic and ideological misalignments influence brand avoidance via attitudinal brand hate. Mediation analysis indicates partial mediation for symbolic incongruity and full mediation for ideological incompatibility. Furthermore, the negative and significant interaction effect demonstrates that subjective norms strengthen the relationship between brand hate and avoidance. These findings offer theoretical insight into the emotional and social mechanisms of brand avoidance and provide practical guidance for managing brand meaning and social alignment in emerging markets.
Corporate Social Irresponsibility, Brand Hate, and Consumer Behaviors: A PLS-SEM Study Among Young Consumers in an Emerging Market Mohamed Assoud Ethical Marketing and Consumer Trust in Digital and Sustainable Markets, 2026 This study examines how young consumers in Morocco respond to corporate social irresponsibility (CSI). It investigates how perceptions of CSI trigger brand hate and influence consumer behaviors like brand avoidance, negative word-of-mouth, and revenge. Focusing on young consumers in an emerging market, data were collected via a questionnaire from 300 respondents. Using PLS-SEM, results confirm CSI activates brand hate, which drives distinct consumer responses from passive avoidance to active retaliation. Positioning brand hate as a multidimensional emotional response, the study provides a framework for understanding reactions to corporate misconduct. Findings contribute to anti-consumption and brand management literature, showing how young consumers' values and emotions impact brand equity. Practical implications include the need for brands to address irresponsibility to mitigate risks among digitally active, socially conscious young consumers in emerging markets.
Towards a Theory of Brand Hate: Empirical Evidence of Mediterranean Countries Mohamed Assoud, Lahoucine Berbou, Luis Sergio Vieira Consumer Behavior and Digital Influence in Global Markets, 2026 This chapter advances the understanding of brand hate by developing an integrative Antecedents-Emotions-Behaviors (AEB) framework, drawing on empirical evidence from Mediterranean countries. Addressing critical gaps in brand hate literature, we investigate the multidimensional nature of brand hate—distinguishing between cold, cool, and hot brand hate—and examine how personal and societal antecedents shape these emotions and their resulting behaviors. Using SEM-PLS on data from 522 respondents, our findings reveal that brand hate serves as a pivotal emotional mediator, with strong indirect-only effects linking antecedents to behavioral outcomes. Contrary to existing literature, the moderation effect of culture on these relationships was mainly insignificant, suggesting that brand hate operates as a universal phenomenon rooted in fundamental psychological mechanisms. The current study proposes a comprehensive model that captures both cognitive and emotional pathways and highlights the importance of proactive brand management strategies to mitigate brand hate.
The Dynamics of Brand Hate During a Social- Political Conflict: Empirical Evidence From Moroccan Consumers During the 2023 War on Gaza Mohamed Assoud, Lahoucine Berbou Reinventing Corporate Strategy for Competitive Advantage, 2025 This study examines the antecedents of attitudinal and behavioral brand hate among Moroccan consumers during the 2023 Gaza conflict, focusing on geopolitical tensions. Using a quasi-experimental design with 520 respondents, findings reveal that symbolic incongruity, ideological incompatibility, and subjective norms drive attitudinal hate, while negative experiences influence behavioral hate. The conflict amplifies ideological incompatibility, intensifying hate levels. This research pioneers the exploration of socio-political conflict as a situational variable, demonstrating how macro-environmental factors shape brand-consumer relationships. Practical implications highlight the need for aligning brand values with consumer ideologies and employing proactive strategies, such as brand audits and sentiment analysis. While context-specific, these findings contribute to advancing strategic marketing in emerging markets by providing a framework to understand brand hate dynamics and actionable insights for managing brand relationships in culturally diverse and volatile environments.
The Impact of Political Brand Hate on the Re-Vote Intention: A Moderating Role of Performance Tolerance Mohamed Assoud, Lahoucine Berbou Understanding Voter Behavior with Predictive Modeling, 2025 Hate is a powerful negative emotion extensively studied in psychology and marketing, notably as brand hate. Applying this to politics, this quantitative study investigates political brand hate among 345 Moroccan electors ahead of the 2026 elections, using PLS-SEM. Findings reveal that negative experiences, ideological incompatibility, and symbolic incongruence are key antecedents driving political brand hate. Crucially, the research demonstrates that this hate significantly and negatively impacts voters' intention to re-vote for political parties. The study also shows that political brands can work to regain trust by maintaining their promises. Contributing uniquely, this is the first study on political brand hate in the MENA region, the first to empirically test the direct link between political hate and re-vote intention, and it introduces the concept of performance tolerance to brand hate theory. The results provide essential theoretical insights and practical guidance for political strategists on understanding and mitigating political brand hate
MAPPING THE EVOLUTION OF BRAND HATE: A COMPREHENSIVE BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS Journal of Consumer Satisfaction Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, 2025
Brand hate semiotics: hate as a story theory. Netnographic approach during the war on Gaza Mohamed Assoud, Lahoucine Berbou, Luis Sérgio Vieira Journal of Islamic Marketing, 2025 Purpose This study aims to investigate brand hate semiotics among Muslim and Arabic-speaking consumers during the 2023 war on Gaza, exploring traits associated with hated and boycotted brands within a sociopolitical context. Design/methodology/approach The research uses semiotic analysis and a netnographic approach to examine 3,000 public consumer-generated content linked to the hashtag #قاطع (boycott in Arabic) from Instagram and Facebook. Findings Brands such as McDonald’s, KFC, Coca-Cola and Starbucks, which were subjected to hate and boycotts, are linked to negative associations and narratives, including The Stranger, The Faceless Foe, The Enemy of God and The Criminal. User-generated content significantly influences brand boycotts among Muslim and Arabic-speaking consumers. Research limitations/implications Future research should explore additional sociopolitical contexts and demographics to generalize the findings further. Practical implications Understanding the semiotic drivers of brand hate can help marketers develop effective crisis management and brand recovery strategies tailored to specific cultural contexts. Social implications The findings highlight the impact of sociopolitical events on consumer behavior, emphasizing the need for brands to be aware of their cultural and ethical stances in global markets. Originality/value This research contributes to brand hate theory by using the “hate as a story” lens, offering a unique theoretical perspective. It systematically explores the semiotic aspects of brand hate and pioneers’ semiotic analysis and netnography in this field. The study also addresses the underrepresentation of Muslim and Arabic-speaking consumers in brand hate literature.
TOWARDS A THEORY OF BRAND HATE: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE OF MEDITERRANEAN COUNTRIES Journal of Consumer Satisfaction Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, 2025
RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Brand Hate Detector: An R Shiny Application for Automated Detection and Multilevel Classification of Brand Hate in Consumer Reviews M Assoud Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction & Complaining Behavior 39 … , 2026 2026 Citations: 1
How Brand Hate and Subjective Norms Drive Avoidance in Emerging Markets M Assoud Consumer Behavior and Digital Influence in Global Markets, 321-354 , 2026 2026
Corporate Social Irresponsibility, Brand Hate, and Consumer Behaviors: A PLS-SEM Study Among Young Consumers in an Emerging Market M Assoud Ethical Marketing and Consumer Trust in Digital and Sustainable Markets, 317-348 , 2026 2026
The dynamics of brand hate during a social-political conflict: empirical evidence from moroccan consumers during the 2023 war on Gaza M Assoud, L Berbou Reinventing Corporate Strategy for Competitive Advantage, 169-204 , 2026 2026 Citations: 2
The Impact of Political Brand Hate on the Re-Vote Intention: A Moderating Role of Performance Tolerance M Assoud, L Berbou Understanding Voter Behavior With Predictive Modeling, 359-398 , 2026 2026 Citations: 1
Brand hate semiotics: hate as a story theory. Netnographic approach during the war on Gaza M Assoud, L Berbou, LS Vieira Journal of Islamic Marketing, 1-35 , 2025 2025
Conceptualizing Brand Hate Escalation: A Dual SEM-PLS/Necessary Condition Analysis Approach. M Assoud, L Berbou African Journal of Human Resources, Marketing & Organisational Studies … , 2025 2025 Citations: 6
Mapping the evolution of brand hate: A comprehensive bibliometric analysis M Assoud, L Berbou Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior … , 2025 2025 Citations: 13
Towards a Theory of Brand Hate: Empirical Evidence of Mediterranean Countries M Assoud, L Berbou, LS Vieira Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior , 2025 2025
Phygital: Toward the empowerment of the customer and the competitiveness of the retail businesses K EL BADIA, M ASSOUD, R WAHABI Revue Internationale des Sciences de Gestion 6 (2) , 2023 2023 Citations: 4
Brand hate: one decade of research a systematic review M Assoud, L BERBOU Available at SSRN 5037055 , 2023 2023 Citations: 9
Brand hate: Types And Antecedents M Assoud, B Lahoucine La 1ère édition de la Journée du Doctorant (UHP-Doc'22), 55-56 , 2022 2022
Antecedents of brand hate M ASSOUD Social Science Research Network (SSRN) , 2020 2020
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Mapping the evolution of brand hate: A comprehensive bibliometric analysis M Assoud, L Berbou Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior … , 2025 2025 Citations: 13
Brand hate: one decade of research a systematic review M Assoud, L BERBOU Available at SSRN 5037055 , 2023 2023 Citations: 9
Conceptualizing Brand Hate Escalation: A Dual SEM-PLS/Necessary Condition Analysis Approach. M Assoud, L Berbou African Journal of Human Resources, Marketing & Organisational Studies … , 2025 2025 Citations: 6
Phygital: Toward the empowerment of the customer and the competitiveness of the retail businesses K EL BADIA, M ASSOUD, R WAHABI Revue Internationale des Sciences de Gestion 6 (2) , 2023 2023 Citations: 4
The dynamics of brand hate during a social-political conflict: empirical evidence from moroccan consumers during the 2023 war on Gaza M Assoud, L Berbou Reinventing Corporate Strategy for Competitive Advantage, 169-204 , 2026 2026 Citations: 2
Brand Hate Detector: An R Shiny Application for Automated Detection and Multilevel Classification of Brand Hate in Consumer Reviews M Assoud Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction & Complaining Behavior 39 … , 2026 2026 Citations: 1
The Impact of Political Brand Hate on the Re-Vote Intention: A Moderating Role of Performance Tolerance M Assoud, L Berbou Understanding Voter Behavior With Predictive Modeling, 359-398 , 2026 2026 Citations: 1
How Brand Hate and Subjective Norms Drive Avoidance in Emerging Markets M Assoud Consumer Behavior and Digital Influence in Global Markets, 321-354 , 2026 2026
Corporate Social Irresponsibility, Brand Hate, and Consumer Behaviors: A PLS-SEM Study Among Young Consumers in an Emerging Market M Assoud Ethical Marketing and Consumer Trust in Digital and Sustainable Markets, 317-348 , 2026 2026
Brand hate semiotics: hate as a story theory. Netnographic approach during the war on Gaza M Assoud, L Berbou, LS Vieira Journal of Islamic Marketing, 1-35 , 2025 2025
Towards a Theory of Brand Hate: Empirical Evidence of Mediterranean Countries M Assoud, L Berbou, LS Vieira Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior , 2025 2025
Brand hate: Types And Antecedents M Assoud, B Lahoucine La 1ère édition de la Journée du Doctorant (UHP-Doc'22), 55-56 , 2022 2022
Antecedents of brand hate M ASSOUD Social Science Research Network (SSRN) , 2020 2020
