Work

Young consumers’ brand distrust model: Understanding the antecedents of young consumers’ distrust of brands

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: • This study sheds light on the antecedents of young consumers’ brand distrust. • Latent Dirichlet allocation and manual coding were used together. • The proposed brand distrust model integrates past and present findings. • Bad reviews, fake news, SMI cooperation, and impression management raise distrust. • Profit focus, unrealistic advertising, and poor content also raise distrust. Consumer research has shown that brands benefit from consumers’ trust in them. However, although consumers’ distrust of brands can accordingly have harmful effects on brands, the antecedents of young consumers’ brand distrust are not entirely clear. This study proposes a model for young consumer’s brand distrust antecedents based on the integration of our findings and prior research. Manual coding and latent Dirichlet allocation were utilized to analyze online research panel participants’ open-ended responses on what makes them distrust brands on social media. Our examination revealed several antecedents of young consumers’ brand distrust in the context of social media, such as reputation issues, advertising issues, impression management, and commercial collaboration. This study significantly contributes to consumer research by addressing the understudied topic of what makes young consumers distrust brands within the social media context.

Source: Journal of Business Research

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115250

Authors: Tuominen Jesse, Sormanen Niina, Hietajärvi Lauri, Luoma-aho Vilma, Wilska Terhi-Anna

Institutions: University of Jyväskylä, University of Turku, University of Helsinki

Language: English

Topic: Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification

Subfield: Marketing

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,440

Funders: Academy of Finland, Strategic Research Council