Abstract

Purpose: This paper aims to reveal similarities and differences in behaviors in negative consumer-brand relationships. Thus, we focused on consumer motivation which includes intensity and direction of behaviors. The motivation for negative customer behavior has been discussed in the context of brand hate, but there is only limited research that has tried to measure it using quantitative methods. We are trying to measure customers' motivation in negative consumer-brand relationships and reveal the relationship between in-field customers' negative behaviors. Research design, data, and methodology: We adopt Reactive-Proactive aggression to measure the motivation of customers' behaviors in a negative consumer-brand relationship. Also, to reveal the relationship between in-field behavior and customer aggression, we survey Korean game communities to reactive-proactive aggression and behaviors, whether they participate, in each observed behavior during the serial negative consumer movements that occurred in the Korean game industry. As a methodology, we run multinomial logistic regression. Results: We observed 9 behaviors in this case, and we found that reactive-proactive aggression is related to participation and motivation of these behaviors. Conclusions: We suggest the potential of reactive-proactive aggression as motivation for customers' complex negative behaviors. Based on this potential, we hope reactive-proactive aggression could be used to reveal similarities and differences in behaviors in negative consumer-brand relationships.