How believing in brand conspiracies shapes relationships with brands

Given how widespread business-related conspiracy theories have become, this research examines how associating a brand with a conspiracy theory shapes the consumer's relationship with that brand. Our three studies show that when consumers believe a brand is involved in a conspiracy, this belief leads them to perceive the brand as having a Machiavellian personality, which decreases their trust and purchase intentions. Furthermore, we show that when people have an external locus of control and believe their life is influenced by Powerful Others, their belief in a brand conspiracy leads them to exhibit lower purchase intentions toward that brand. Importantly, this decrease in purchase intentions among people with an external locus of control was not observed in the control condition, indicating that the moderating effect of Powerful Others occurs only when consumers believe in a conspiracy. Our findings add to the emerging marketing literature on dark brand personality.