Implications of brand communities for rival brands: Negative brand ratings, negative stereotyping of their consumers and negative word-of-mouth

The importance of understanding competitive influences in the marketplace is well understood, but most prior brand community research has focused on the positive ramifications for the focal brand rather than on the negative repercussions for competing brands. This research introduces a conceptual model that uses Social Identity Theory and the Stereotype Content Model (SCM) as theoretical frameworks for investigating negative word-of-mouth (NWOM) about out-group brands, negative ratings of out-group brands and negative stereotyping of out-group brand consumers by brand community members. Using a Macintosh User Group (MUG) as the research context, the results of the study demonstrate that as MUG members more strongly identify with the community they perceive themselves to be more prototypical members. Higher levels of prototypicality are then shown to lead to lower out-group brand ratings that, in turn, lead to increased negative stereotyping of out-group brand consumers along both dimensions of the SCM (warmth and competence) and to increased NWOM about out-group brands. Based on the support found for the conceptual model, theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.