From unity to uproar: exploring how advocacy fusion and relationship norms shape cause advocate response to brand activism

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to examines how consumer advocates of the cause respond to value-aligned brand activism by drawing on identity fusion and consumer–brand relationship norms. Design/methodology/approach Four online experiments tested these dynamics. Study 1 assessed whether induced advocacy fusion increases support for aligned activism. Study 2 examined whether fusion moderates the effect of relationship norms on positive WOM and whether perceived authenticity mediates this effect. Study 3 replicated these effects using trait fusion. Study 4 investigated how fusion and relationship norms drive negative reactions to inconsistent activism via perceived hypocrisy. Findings Studies 1 and 2 found that induced advocacy fusion increased positive WOM intentions. Across Studies 2–3, fusion weakened the advantage of exchange norms over communal norms, with authenticity mediating effects. Study 4 showed that high fusion amplified negative responses to inconsistent activism, particularly in communal relationships, through heightened perceptions of hypocrisy. Originality/value This study extends the brand activism literature by identifying identity fusion as a primary driver of cause advocates’ responses. It conceptualizes relationship norms as an underlying relational contract and shows that identity fusion can both amplify and attenuate these norms, offering a framework for authentic sociopolitical engagement.