A Disaster Is Contagious: How a Brand in Crisis Affects Other Brands

Micael Dahlén and Fredrik Lange

Negative publicity is increasing in frequency to become part of the everyday lives of consumers and everyday business of brands.

A Disaster Is Contagious: How a Brand in Crisis Affects Other Brands

Micael DahlÉNFredrik Lange

INTRODUCTION

Tylenol poisonings, questionable ethics at Arthur Andersen, defective Firestone tires, contaminated Taco Bell products-the list of high-profile brand crises in recent years is a long one. Flip through the pages of any newspaper on a given day and you can be sure to find reports of brands in crisis. The authors perused four major newspapers on a Thursday morning and found 19 articles relating to brands-11 were negative. The frequency of negative brand publicity is increasing in...

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