A new study suggests brands may benefit from embracing—rather than fighting—certain negative reviews, The Wall Street Journal writes.
Researchers examined a strategy known as “reappropriation,” in which companies lean into mild or unreasonable insults to signal confidence and humor.
In one Facebook experiment involving more than 27,000 users, a fictitious retailer that embraced a one-star insult saw a 7.12% click-through rate, compared with 5.62% for an ad that denied the criticism. In another test, participants viewed different responses to a social media user calling MTV “overly dramatic.”
Those shown branded merchandise adopting the phrase rated the network more favorably than those told it ignored, denied or apologized for the comment. Still, researchers caution the tactic can backfire if the criticism highlights legitimate problems or moral failings, or if the original commenter appears vulnerable.
The Wall Street Journal has the full story.
