The Role Of Consumer Distress In Driving Brand Sabotage: An Empirical Study Of Brand Experience, Reputation, And Relationship Quality In Pakistan

Abstract

In recent years, brands have increasingly encountered a novel and detrimental form of consumer behavior characterized by deliberate hostility aimed at damaging brand equity. The present research aims to explore the interrelationships among brand experience, brand reputation, and brand relationship quality in relation to consumer brand sabotage, with a particular focus on the mediating role of consumer distresss. Drawing on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework, the research investigates how these brand-related constructs influence consumer behavior within the context of Pakistan's railway sector. Data were collected using a systematic intercept survey at major railway stations and analyzed through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings reveal that both brand experience and brand reputation significantly contribute to the formation of consumer distresss, which in turn, are significantly associated with consumer brand sabotage. Conversely, brand relationship quality demonstrated no significant impact on either consumer distresss or sabotage behavior. The study concludes by outlining theoretical insights, practical implications for brand management, and methodological contributions, while also acknowledging research limitations and proposing directions for future inquiry.