Considering the increasing amount of brand transgressions, their impacts on consumer attitudes
have received very limited attention by literature. Research on resistance to persuasion and
attitude change has shown that individuals are motivated to maintain stable belief systems and
are reluctant to change their attitudes towards products, brands or services. Relatively little is
known about attitude formation after brand scandals. In this study, the author investigates (1)
the influence of subjective knowledge, ethnocentrism and country-of-origin on magnitude and
mode of individual attitude change after a major brand transgression as well as (2) the
underlying resistance strategies used to prevent attitude change. The results of a study reveal
that the likelihood of employing efficient resistance strategies can be used as substitute for
attitude retention. The level of subjective knowledge and ethnocentrism show a positive
interaction with the degree of attitude change. In contradistinction to the majority of research
on country attitudes, attitude change is not influenced by a country-of-origin effect.

Considering the increasing amount of brand transgressions, their impacts on consumer attitudes
have received very limited attention by literature. Research on resistance to persuasion and
attitude change has shown that individuals are motivated to maintain stable belief systems and
are reluctant to change their attitudes towards products, brands or services. Relatively little is
known about attitude formation after brand scandals. In this study, the author investigates (1)
the influence of subjective knowledge, ethnocentrism and country-of-origin on magnitude and
mode of individual attitude change after a major brand transgression as well as (2) the
underlying resistance strategies used to prevent attitude change. The results of a study reveal
that the likelihood of employing efficient resistance strategies can be used as substitute for
attitude retention. The level of subjective knowledge and ethnocentrism show a positive
interaction with the degree of attitude change. In contradistinction to the majority of research
on country attitudes, attitude change is not influenced by a country-of-origin effect.

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