How Consumers React When They Feel Betrayed by a Brand

Brand loyalty may look simple on the surface, but when a company acts in a way that goes against what consumers believe it stands for, things can get surprisingly emotional. A new study from George Mason University digs deeply into what happens when people perceive a brand as inauthentic, and the findings show that the fallout resembles the emotional experience of being betrayed by a person—not just a product or corporation.

This recently published research, conducted by marketing professors Jessica Hoppner and Russell Abratt along with co-author Ryan White, examines how consumers emotionally process and respond to brand behavior that feels inconsistent, deceptive, or out of line with their expectations. The study lays out detailed connections between specific emotional reactions—anger, anxiety, and disappointment—and the different ways consumers behave afterward.

What the Study Looked At

The researchers recruited 218 participants through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk platform and asked each person to describe an experience where they felt a brand behaved inauthentically. They also answered a series of questions about what happened, how it made them feel, and what actions they took in response.

From these responses, the researchers collected mentions of 156 different brands, showing that the issue isn’t limited to big names with massive reach. Only 25.2% of the brands listed by participants appeared on Interbrand’s list of the Top 100 Best Global Brands. Inauthenticity is clearly not something consumers associate only with famous corporations—it spans small companies, niche sectors, and everyday businesses.

The study relied on psychological approaches such as appraisal theory (how people evaluate and interpret events) and balance theory (how people maintain mental consistency in relationships). This is important because consumers relate to brands in ways that mimic human relationships. When a brand acts “out of character,” consumers feel a break in the relationship—and the emotional consequences can be intense.

What Brand Inauthenticity Actually Means

According to the researchers, brand authenticity exists entirely within the brand–consumer relationship. That means it isn’t an objective label—it depends on what the consumer believes the brand stands for. When a brand behaves in a way that runs counter to its perceived core values, consumers interpret that as inauthenticity.

This subjectivity is important for brands because it means that inauthenticity won’t look the same to every consumer. For one person, a brand may have violated something deeply important; for another, the same action might barely register. That variability makes it difficult for companies to predict when their actions might provoke backlash.

What Happens Emotionally When a Brand Feels Fake

One of the most significant findings of the study is that perceived brand inauthenticity leads consumers to experience emotions similar to betrayal in personal relationships. The three primary emotional reactions across the study were:

Anger

This was described as a hot emotion. When consumers feel angry at a brand, they tend to lash out or take action. Their behavior might include:

• Retaliating against the brand
• Posting complaints
• Expressing frustration publicly
• Withdrawing their loyalty

Anger drives consumers toward confrontation, and these responses are usually easy to detect because they show up in complaints, ratings, social media comments, and cancelation behavior.

Anxiety

Anxiety is more complex because it stems from uncertainty. Consumers who become anxious after a brand appears inauthentic are often trying to fill in missing information. Their thoughts may revolve around questions such as:

• Why did this happen?
• Was it intentional?
• Is the brand still trustworthy?

The surprising part is that anxiety sometimes leads consumers to actually increase engagement with the brand. They seek clarity, look for explanations, and try to understand what changed. This emotional response doesn’t necessarily signal abandonment—it can temporarily strengthen loyalty as consumers search for reassurance.

Disappointment

This emotion leads to passive withdrawal rather than confrontation. Disappointed consumers often avoid the brand quietly. They don’t always complain or seek resolution; they simply reduce or stop their interactions. This makes disappointment particularly challenging for companies because it’s less measurable. If consumers walk away silently, the brand may not even realize what went wrong.

Why These Emotional Differences Matter for Brands

One of the major insights of the study is that brands cannot rely on a single standard recovery strategy after a misstep. Each emotional reaction leads to different behavior, and brands risk making the situation worse if they don’t understand what consumers are actually feeling.

For example:

• Angry consumers may respond well to compensation, sincere apologies, or corrective action.
• Anxious consumers may benefit more from transparency and clear communication.
• Disappointed consumers may require efforts that rebuild the emotional connection rather than immediate transactional fixes.

Because disappointment often goes unnoticed, brands may interpret the situation incorrectly. They might assume the problem wasn’t severe simply because nobody complained, even though quiet disengagement is happening beneath the surface.

How Brands Can Avoid Being Seen as Inauthentic

The researchers highlight that the best approach is prevention. This means brands must:

• Understand their true identity
• Communicate their values clearly
• Ensure employees embody these values
• Maintain openness and dialogue with consumers

A brand’s identity can shift over time, but inconsistency between messaging and behavior is at the heart of perceived inauthenticity. Proactive communication helps keep expectations aligned.

Additional Insights About Brand Trust and Consumer Psychology

To add more context, it’s helpful to understand how brand trust generally works across marketing research:

1. Consumers Form Parasocial Relationships With Brands

People can develop emotional connections to brands similar to friendships. When these expectations are violated, the emotional response is stronger than a typical customer-service frustration.

2. Highly Loyal Consumers React the Strongest

Research across brand betrayal studies shows that the more loyal the customer, the more severe the emotional reaction when something feels wrong. This mirrors how betrayal hurts more when it comes from someone close.

3. Inauthenticity Is Often About Values, Not Mistakes

Consumers tolerate operational failures more easily than value-based failures. For instance:

• A delayed shipment
• A product defect

These can often be forgiven.

But if a brand that promotes sustainability is caught polluting, or a brand that claims transparency hides important information, the backlash is worse because it feels like a violation of values.

4. Silent Losses Are More Dangerous Than Loud Complaints

Angry customers complain.
Disappointed customers vanish.

Most brands focus too much on visible criticism and overlook the quiet erosion of trust. The study’s identification of disappointment as a passive but damaging emotional response adds an important dimension to understanding customer retention.

Why This Study Matters Today

In an age where consumers expect brands to be socially responsible, consistent, and value-driven, even small contradictions can trigger strong emotional reactions. Social media amplifies these feelings and spreads them quickly. As more brands build identities around purpose, the risk of being perceived as inauthentic grows.

This research offers a structured way to understand how consumers think and feel when brands fail to live up to expectations. And because these reactions influence purchasing decisions, loyalty, and long-term brand perception, they matter enormously.

Research Reference

The Impact of Brand Inauthenticity on Consumer Emotional and Behavioral Responses
https://www.emerald.com/jpbm/article/doi/10.1108/JPBM-01-2025-5732/1303537/The-impact-of-brand-inauthenticity-on-consumer