Abstract

The Customer-brand relationship has always remained under threat due to various adverse experiences of customers. Out of many negative customer experiences, little is known about social ostracism as a negative event or experience which customer could face. The present study investigates the indirect relationship between social ostracism and negative word of mouth through brand hate with the moderating effect of customer resilience on ostracism-hate relation. Data collected cross-sectionally from Pakistani customers availing services offered by hotels/restaurants/food points reveal that customers who gets socially ostracized generates negative word of mouth due to the emotion of hate caused by a negative experience. Consumers' resilience buffers the positive effect of ostracism on brand hate, i.e. turning strong brand hate into mild brand hate, as the relationship gets weaker at higher level of resilience. Lastly, the presence of moderated mediation is indicated by the results that show the indirect relation between social ostracism and negative word of mouth is stronger at higher levels of resilience as a result of mild brand hate instead of strong brand hate. Service providers or hotel/restaurant management shall consider strategies based on these results to work on their service delivery by minimizing such negative events and strengthening customer-brand relationship accordingly

Key words: Social Ostracism, Brand Hate, Negative Word of Mouth, Customer Resilience, Affective Events Theory