Moderating role of brand attachment in brand crisis - case of Volkswagen brand crisis

Abstract Crisis managers believe in the value of a favourable, pre-crisis reputation. The prior reputation can protect an organization during the crisis. This thesis focuses on consumers perception and attitude when finding out that they were unwillingly participating in Volkswagen Dieselgate. The research also investigates whether the brand attachment is a moderator of consumer purchase intention when a company has received widespread negative media exposure. To gain the deep understanding of customers perception of the Volkswagen brand after Dieselgate, in-depth interview research method was used. The interview was held with 26 participants from European countries. Finally, discussions, recommendations, and limitations of findings are presented.