Academic literature on the topic 'Brand Controversial Action'

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate consumers’ subconscious/emotional responses to brand tarnishment. Design/methodology/approach Brand tarnishment and the responses of business firms in protecting their brands against economic harm have been controversial topics for many years. Unfortunately, those who have resorted to the courts to protect their brands have met with mixed success, mainly because the methodologies used to demonstrate economic harm have proved controversial. One caveat in the history of court cases is the absence of any investigation related to emotional responses to brand dilution in general, and to brand tarnishment in particular. This is so, despite several calls to investigate this relationship. Findings It is concluded that the brand tarnishment of fairly well-known brands is largely ineffectual (neutral emotional responses). Research limitations/implications The primary contribution of this study is that, for the first time, some light is shed on consumers’ emotional responses to brand tarnishment. Irrespective of the neurophysiological measure used, the results consistently demonstrate that the subconscious responses to brand tarnishment are generally neutral. The results thus do not suggest any likelihood of severe economic harm due to negative emotional responses to brand tarnishment. Practical implications The results of this study have important managerial implications for brand managers, and particularly for those responsible for relatively well-established brands. It is clear that at the unconscious level, brand tarnishment is not as harmful as many seem to believe. There is evidence that brands will not be harmed if the “tarnishment” consists of social commentary. Social implications It could also suggest that consumers can differentiate between different forms of tarnishment, and that tarnishment involving social commentary is not frowned upon. This may be because the consumer agrees with the social commentary, or finds it amusing. In short, it seems that consumers may see the tarnishment as mildly amusing, but realize that it is not of a serious nature. Originality/value The results seem to suggest that legal action against those who tarnish brands is unnecessary and probably ineffective. Instead, this study proposes more innovative ways to respond to brand tarnishment.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explain how online brand communities work to support the denormalization of controversial (i.e. illegal yet normalized) gaming practices.Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative study was characterized by long-term immersion in an online brand community for Brazilian Xbox gamers. The dataset includes online and offline interactions with community members, interviews, and online archival data.FindingsThis study shows how online brand community members promoted legal gaming in a market where piracy was prevalent. It demonstrates how community members worked to establish coherence; engaged in cognitive participation; developed collective action that extended beyond the community; and reflected on their own work.Research limitations/implicationsThis study identifies online brand communities as a potential ally in combating controversial practices in online gaming; complements individual and behavioral approaches in explaining why consumers adopt controversial practices in online environments; and adds a normalization framework to the toolkit of Internet researchers.Practical implicationsThis study identifies ways in which the potential of online brand communities can be leveraged to reduce consumer adherence to controversial gaming practices through denormalizing these and normalizing alternative practices that may be more desirable to companies and other stakeholders.Originality/valueThis long-term, qualitative study inspired by normalization process theory offers an innovative perspective on the online practices of consumers who engage with a brand in ways that create value for themselves and for the brand.

Communication across languages and cultures is a markedly complex issue, and translation is more than just a careful linguistic transfer: it is a purposeful action designed to achieve the most effective result in a target group. Few studies have discussed the role of communicative intent in translation, and this paper is a small step towards filling the gap. The conceptual framework adopted in this study is Skopostheorie (Vermeer, 1989), a functionalist approach with an emphasis on communicative Skopos (purpose or aim), target texts and audiences. Using a method of contrastive comparison among effective, ineffective and controversial brand name translations from English to Mandarin Chinese, a systematic analysis is conducted regarding four translation strategies: phonetic appeal, suitable meaning, socio-cultural adaptation and consumer acceptance. The findings demonstrate that any effective communication strategy needs to be in accordance with the communicative purpose of achieving an optimal impact upon the target group, and a successfully translated brand name should function in a target culture as effectively as the original name in a source culture. They suggest that a function oriented approach, rather than a source-text oriented approach, holds the key for a successful outcome. The most important thing is that translated brand names suit the needs of Chinese consumers. This study is significant in that it challenges the traditional sound/meaning-based approach, and provides enriched understanding of the importance of achieving communicative purposes and optimal functional impact in a target group. The insights gained from this study add a vital conceptual dimension to the study of translation, and cross-cultural communication in general. In addition, the findings of this study may also provide practical assistance for an effective outcome in translation, and have pedagogical value in the teaching of translation. While the discussion in this study is based on Chinese data, the findings have implications for the translation of other languages.

Personal hygiene products are used on a daily basis by many people. Many are comparable to the Trojan horse. On the outside, they appear to be harmless. They are contained in attractive bottles and they rely on misleading ads to attract consumers. However, these products may contain potentially harmful chemicals and many people are unaware of how individuals, societies and environments are affected in the various stages of the life cycle of many personal hygiene products. Our STSE issue deals with an everyday product that falls under the Trojan horse analogy–lotion. We are concerned that our peers and other young adults are purchasing lotions without the knowledge of how they came to stand on the shelves of a store. We conducted a correlation study between gender and popular lotion brands among teenagers and the reasons behind their choices. We came to the conclusion that more females than males were interested in popular lotion brands due to enticing features that targets mainly feminine interests (e.g. scent is an aspect of lotion that more females than males consider when purchasing the brand). For our actions, we prepared an educational mind-map on our issue and a video compilation where we interviewed female students on their reactions to various lotion brand commercials. Our actions are meant to inform the public about the controversies surrounding our issue and the techniques companies use to gain the attention of potential consumers.

During the latter part of the 2010s, many fashion brands – e.g., Gucci, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Dior – have been caught up with scandals and called out for racism, cultural appropriation and other types of insensitivity towards vulnerable groups. This article will unpack, through critical analysis of some of these examples, the changing landscape of the ‘fashion scandal’ in the late-2010s. We understand fashion scandals as the fuel of fashion. They are debated in social media and they are controversial actions, statements or events that cause strong emotional responses. Even though scandal has been proven effective in fashion marketing for decades, and despite it is still frequently used, there might be a change on the way. Our examples suggest that with the rise of social media and its so-called ‘citizen journalism’ the tactics of creating scandals may have lost their lustre and can easily turn against the brand. We will also discuss new tactics that brands have adopted to escape undesired scandals by establishing new roles such as the ‘diversity consultant’.

The online publicity/advertising is a form of promotion utilizing the internet as a quasi-exclusive mean of marketing, serving to attract new customers in larger numbers at costs as low as possible. The online advertising is considering actions by which the organization submits to general or specific audience information on its products and services, its brand names or more about itself. The online advertising success depends significantly on a solid knowledge of the advertising domain in general, on a good knowledge of internet as a medium of communication and prompt information, as well as on the consumer reaction and feedback.As it is an area of utmost interest, where time equals money literally, the air transportation and especially the low-cost air transportation involves a need for a versatile and offensive online advertising.The case analyzed is paradoxical underlying perhaps the microeconomics principle of communicating vessels applicable to any system, but favorable to consumers (in this case). Even inconveniencies occurred (extra fees, more curious requirements regarding luggage, services on board…), by overall, hence in a balanced situation, the possibilities to get sound and in a shorter time at destination, is more appreciated by the consumers (passengers).We speak about a psychological aspect in the relationship customer- service provider, meaning that the consumer retains the needed information, brand, even under the publicity form and becomes attached to the activity or service which brings him profit (tangible or not tangible).

Before modern day toothpaste people tried several different things to clean their teeth such as using eggshells, ash, ground oyster shells and salt. When an American dentist Peabody added soap to his toothpaste things started to change, but did they change for the better? Modern toothpaste includes all kinds of chemicals from natural ingredients to synthetically made ingredients. These ingredients are added to help with oral health. At least that’s what it’s supposed to be! However, some of the ingredients may do some harm to our well-being and to our environment. For this social action project, I discuss some effects of toothpaste ingredients on personal health as well as the environment. I also conducted an experiment to test teeth whitening claims and I checked to see if there are controversial microbeads in some toothpaste brands. My proposed action is to inform people of what is in toothpaste so they can make an informed decision and I suggest healthier alternatives such as homemade toothpastes with healthier ingredients.

SCIENTISM AND SECULARISM: Learning to Respond to a Dangerous Ideology by J. P. Moreland. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018. 224 pages. Paperback; $16.99. ISBN: 9781433556906. *Early in his new book, Scientism and Secularism: Learning to Respond to a Dangerous Ideology, J. P. Moreland relates a story of a hospital stay. After telling his nurse that he earned his BS in physical chemistry, his ThM in theology, his MS in philosophy, and his PhD in philosophy, she observes that he "had taken two very unrelated, divergent paths" (p. 23). "Before she could explain further, I asked if this was what she meant: I started off in science, which deals with reality--hard facts--and conclusions that could be proved to be true. But theology and philosophy were, well, fields in which there were only private opinions and personal feelings ... (p. 23)." *In response, Moreland's nurse looks surprised and acknowledges this "was exactly what she had in mind" (p. 24). Rather than supposing his interlocutor is simply a kind nurse hoping to move on to her next patient, Moreland instead interprets the position he articulates for her as illustrating that "scientism" is "the intellectual and cultural air that we breathe" (p. 24). *Scientism is the nemesis in Moreland's book. He loathes it. But the precise definitional target of his loathing is not always clear. Early in the book, Moreland distinguishes "strong scientism" and "weak scientism." Strong scientism claims "something is true, rationally justified, or known if and only if it is a scientific claim that has been successfully tested and that is being used according to appropriate scientific methodology" (p. 27). Weak scientism, by contrast, "acknowledges truth apart from science," but "still implies that science is by far the most authoritative sector of human knowing" (p. 28). That's a helpful distinction, even if it is doubtful whether many accept strong scientism (Moreland provides no examples), and depending on how one defines "authoritative," it is also doubtful whether many people reject weak scientism. Having thus introduced the distinction, however, this nuance is often lost in the pages that follow, even in places where the clarity could have proved useful. More problematically, we never get a definition of what Moreland means by "science." To his credit, Moreland defends the omission, claiming that science cannot, in principle, be demarcated from nonscience (pp. 160-63). Still, it is difficult to follow the implications of Moreland's argument--effectively, an extended argument against scientism--without a working definition of what science is. Do only the hard sciences count? Or do the so-called soft sciences count as well? Or might empirical-leaning philosophy and theology and history count too? These distinctions are not readily available, and so it isn't clear precisely what position Moreland is arguing against. It is clear only that Moreland really dislikes it. *When Moreland offers data to support his argument, the results are also disappointing. For example, while reflecting on the supposed conflict between science and religion, Moreland estimates *"that 95% of science and theology are cognitively irrelevant to each other ... in that other 5% or so of science, there is direct interaction with Christian doctrine. Within this category, I would say that 3% of science provides further evidential support for Christian teaching ... that leaves 2% of current scientific claims that may seem to undermine Christian theology" (pp. 173-74, emphasis Moreland's). *None of these data are cited. They instead appear to be precisely what Moreland says they are--Moreland shooting from the hip. Oddly, he includes a pie chart to illustrate his guesswork. *Worse than these eccentricities, Moreland regularly falls prey to the very kind of scientific thinking he decries. On one hand, he proposes that "[t]he primary academic disciplines suited to studying the nature of consciousness ... are biblical studies, theology, and philosophy of mind" (p. 85). This view, to be frank, seems rather idiosyncratic and is not one that many academics, including religious ones, would ascribe to. Theistic philosophers rarely lean on biblical scholarship in developing their views of consciousness. On the other hand, Moreland's own variety of scientism appears in his defense of intelligent design, a position that accepts God's direct action throughout evolutionary history. Moreland strongly endorses intelligent design understood this way. Moreover, he emphasizes that we have scientific reasons to endorse the position: "intelligent design advocates believe that they can and have discovered scientific data that is best explained by an intelligent designer--the origin of the universe, life, consciousness, cases of irreducible complexity, and so on" (p. 171). *Understood in this way, intelligent design takes the hypothesis of an intelligent designer to be our best scientific explanation for a range of phenomena. Intelligent design thus stands against rival theistic accounts of evolution such as theistic evolution. Theistic evolution rejects the perspective offered by intelligent design, claiming that a creator is not best construed as a scientific hypothesis. Rather, according to theistic evolution, our reason to believe in God comes largely from nonscientific disciplines such as theology or philosophy. Accounts of creation such as theistic evolution are therefore comfortable with the claim that we can know about God as creator without requiring that this knowledge be distinctively scientific. For Moreland, by contrast, it seems God's creative action is best understood as empirically detectable, and that science offers a privileged perspective on our knowledge of God as creator. In discarding rival theistic accounts in favor of his brand of intelligent design, Moreland thus seems to embrace the very kind of scientism he pleads with us to reject. *Do some of Moreland's arguments land? Of course! Moreland is a professional philosopher with an impressive record. For example, his argument that scientism is self-refuting (p. 47-51) has strong moments: if scientism claims that science offers our only route to knowledge, then accepting that claim entails that we ought not accept scientism, since the position stakes a claim that can't be scientifically verified. Of course, this kind of argument works only for a particularly strong version of scientism, one that resembles the discarded logical positivism of the early twentieth century more than the subtler kinds of scientism that are widely held today. Likewise, some of Moreland's arguments for the immateriality of consciousness (pp. 86-88), the cosmological argument (p. 133-39), and the fine tuning argument (pp. 141-47) track contemporary conversations, even if these arguments are more controversial than Moreland gives them credit for. The problem with Moreland's book is not that it is completely devoid of clear philosophical thinking. The problem is that the wheat is mixed thoroughly with the chaff, and the two are difficult to separate. *Do we recommend the book? Not for the casual reader. Moreland's book is misleading: dangerous for the believer in its mischaracterizations and simplifications, infuriating for the unbeliever in its handling of both science and religion. Importantly, we (the reviewers) agree on this despite coming from different places: one of us (Vukov) is a Catholic and philosopher; the other (Burns), an atheist and biologist. For the careful scholar, though, the book may be worth skimming, as a spur to more careful reflection. Whether scientism is true or false, it has wide-reaching implications. We agree that the subject merits a serious and careful book-length discussion. That's just not what Moreland's book delivers. *Reviewed by Joe Vukov, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60660; and Michael B. Burns, Assistant Professor of Biology at Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60660.

Society, countries, chaps and organizations are going through an atypical moment in history because of the Covid-19 pandemic, which highlights the need to strategically propose local, regional and planetary solutions for phenomena that affect the health and the economy. In this context, the communication of organizations is driven by the frenetic circulation of content and meanings disseminated by digital media, a phenomenon that has changed - and continues to change - the modes of subjectivation, conversation and sociability, as it elevates the actors, the shares to infinity and the connections. This challenging environment constitutes a favorable territory for building relationships, but also foments of conflicts and reputational crises that may involve people, governments, institutions, brands, organizations, etc. Hence, the current scenario shows that the production of information and the building of relationships through digital media reflect on identity, image and reputation. We highlight the existence of a fine line that can become unfavorable through controversial and contradictory communicative actions, given that the contents are disseminated and subject to all kinds of evaluation by the “inhabitants” of the online ecosystem. The organizational performance must align ethical, transparent and coherent principles with corporate and public objectives, as well as paying attention to the rapid changes on the contemporary society. The monitoring of communication becomes a fundamental tool so that, given the fast connections made possible by the development of digital technologies and media, organizations can prevent and manage possible crises and conflicts. These theoretical-pragmatic scenario reinforce the nature of the Public Relations activity as a true sine qua non, as poorly planned speeches and strategies can trigger negative reactions when produced in a time of heightened social sensitivity. In conclusion, the scenario also points to challenges related to the surveillance of citizens, which cover issues related to security, integrity and privacy. Thus, the objective of this article is to analyze, discursively, based on the notion of ethos, two audiovisual utterances from Rede Globo de Televisão on its official Youtube channel, in July 2020, entitled: “Globo – Qualidade também é respeito” and “Globo – Qualidade também é brasilidade”. The methodological procedures correspond to bibliographic research, discussing themes such as digital media, public relations, identity, image, reputation and organizations, and principles of discourse analysis, discussing the production of meaning effects in images of the self (ethos) that can produce cognitive dissonance in the audience. We investigated surveys carried out and made available by the Public Relations consultancy entitled Edelman to understand the trust of citizens in the Brazilian media, which show that more than half of the interviewees distrust the mass media. We infer that ethical, honesty and truth issues become central to reputation due to the acceleration of mediatization processes, marked by interactivity, participation, and clashes, launching organizations into an ocean of vulnerability characterized by praise, boycotts and cancellations who place the strategic management of public relations as imperative in the face of reverberations and negative conversations about the image and reputation of organizations on the digital media.

Purpose This study aims to investigate some factors that might drive Muslims in Indonesia to get involved in a French brands boycott movement by examining the moderating role of brand judgment and counterargument. Design/methodology/approach An online survey has been conducted to 1,063 respondents from all over Indonesia. The respondents are selected using the purposive sampling technique. The model is assessed using covariance-based structural equation modeling, which includes the assessment of measurement and structural model. An interaction moderation technique is applied to examine the effect of moderators on the structural model. Findings This study shows that the French brand boycott is strongly affected by consumer animosity, perceived efficacy and subjective norms. Moreover, this study also found that the effect of animosity on boycott intention is dampened by brand judgment and counterargument. Practical implications First, multinational companies are advised to be careful in creating a campaign. They should avoid sensitive words or the use of specific figures or places highly respected by Muslims. A sensitive campaign might spread hatred, and it is directly connected with the boycott movement based on history. Second, it is pivotal for multinational companies to focus more on product or brand values instead of controversial issues. Finally, multinational companies are also advised to strengthen brand love. When brand love is strong, it is difficult for them to stop patronizing the brand or even switch to other brands. Originality/value Prior studies’ findings are still inconclusive in explaining some factors that lead to the success of a boycott call-to-action. Therefore, this study contributes to boycott literature by revealing the importance of brand judgment and counterargument to moderate consumer animosity and boycott intention link.

Psychopharmacology: A Concise Overview, 3rd Edition discusses and reviews currently available psychiatric medications and their evidence-supported use in current clinical practice. It discusses the therapeutic uses of antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, stimulants, and other medications for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as well as medicines for substance use disorders. It reviews the medications’ mechanisms of action, therapeutic effects, potential drug–drug interactions and short- and long-term adverse effects and risks. It includes sections on complementary and alternative pharmacotherapies as well as on emerging therapies. Every chapter includes an in-depth discussion of the clinical use of the reviewed classes of medications as they are used for the alleviation of their target psychiatric disorders, such as depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and opioid, alcohol, and tobacco use disorders. Treatment challenges and controversies are reviewed. In addition, each chapter discusses the use of these medications in other psychiatric and medical conditions as well. Each chapter also discusses the use of these medications in women of childbearing age, especially in light of pregnancy and breastfeeding considerations. Finally, each chapter includes a table that provides each reviewed medicine’s generic and brand names, usual adult doses, pertinent clinical comments, black box warnings, and Food and Drug Administration indications. This book provides a concise and accessible overview that would be helpful to medical students, psychiatric residents, psychiatrists, primary care physicians, clinical nurse specialists, and nonmedical mental health practitioners.

This chapter charts a key moment in the consolidation of the Asia Extreme label: the 2003 touring film festival and aggressive marketing campaign to court a wider audience by screening seven films exclusively in multiplex cinemas in the UK. This chapter considers Tartan’s marketing tactics, the critical reception of these films, as well as Tartan’s multiple strategies to consolidate a strong brand identity, which included shrewdly appropriating the pre-Asia Extreme fan culture through its assimilation of the Japanese cult auteur Shinya Tsukamoto. Finally, a fan’s response to the festival is examined, as the overarching analysis begins to address the increasing anxieties of fans and experts at the commodification and mainstreaming of ‘their’ niche passion. The revitalization of the Hong Kong action film is discussed, in relation to Asia Extreme’s appropriation of the genre and the legacy of John Woo’s ‘Heroic Bloodshed’ action films, as well as the controversial reception of A Snake of June (2002).

This chapter reviews the literature on green marketing from the sustainable marketing phase to the latest paradigm of green marketing based on the concept of consumer empowerment and customer-initiated innovation process. In particular, the authors delve into the evolution of green marketing in order to highlight critical contrasts including product-based vs. service-based green marketing approach; top-down (business-initiated) vs. bottom-up (customer-initiated) green-based innovation; physical vs. online distribution of green products/services; positioning and advertising vs. brand co-creation; passive vs. active/empowered role of consumers and focus on customers vs. focus on multiple stakeholders. This chapter illustrates, through a series of cases and consumer insights, the contradictions, and controversies of green marketing. The chapter shows how customer participation and value co-creation, have changed the way green products are consumed and developed, and have forced organizations to adopt completely new business models.