“There’s no such thing as bad publicity”—we’ve all heard it repeatedly, but new research reveals that the iconic adage may no longer apply. United’s recent PR crisis was so poorly received by consumers that 53 percent now say they are less likely to continue purchasing tickets from United—and all the negative media coverage around the incident just fanned the flames, according to new research from B2B research company Clutch.
Negative press coverage that companies generate seemingly has a direct impact on consumers’ purchasing decisions. The survey finds that when considering a high-cost purchase, like a plane ticket, double the amount of consumers care about a company’s presence in the news than they do when making low-cost purchases. According to the report, 52 percent of consumers say they do not believe United handled the situation correctly, influencing them to change their buying behavior in a way that weakens the United brand.
Clutch interviewed David Kippen, CEO of Evviva Brands and industry expert in branding and PR, to gather his thoughts on the relationship between press coverage and consumer purchase decisions.
