Will Consumers Silence Themselves When Brands Speak up about Sociopolitical Issues? Applying the Spiral of Silence Theory to Consumer Boycott and Buycott Behaviors

To investigate boycott and buycott as responses to brand activism, this study adopted a 2 (consumer personal stance: consistent vs. inconsistent with the target company) x 2 (magnitude of public support: personal stance congruent with majority vs. minority) x 2 (perceived credibility of public support information: high vs. low) between-subjects experimental design. The experimental findings suggested a moderated moderated mediation effect: Consumers tend to buycott (or boycott) a company when their personal stances on a sociopolitical issue are consistent (or inconsistent) with the company's, and such effects are mediated by brand attitude and moderated by magnitude of public support and perceived credibility of public support information.