Corporate social irresponsibility unleashed: igniting brand hate and betrayal to fuel negative eWOM

Purpose This study aims to examine the emotional and behavioral consequences of corporate social irresponsibility (CSI) on consumers in a non-Western, collectivist cultural context, specifically exploring how brand hate and brand betrayal mediate the relationship between CSI and negative electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) on social media. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional survey was conducted with consumers in Tehran, Iran. Hypotheses were tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling to assess the causal relationships between CSI, brand hate, brand betrayal and negative eWOM, using the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework. Findings CSI significantly predicts brand hate and brand betrayal. Brand betrayal further intensifies brand hate, and both emotions significantly influence negative eWOM. The model demonstrates strong explanatory power. The findings are consistent with theoretical expectations in cultural settings where communal trust is emphasized in the literature on collectivist societies. Originality/value This study provides contextual validation and empirical extension of the relationships among CSI, brand hate, brand betrayal and negative eWOM by examining them simultaneously within the S-O-R framework in a non-Western collectivist setting (Iran). While prior research has applied comparable stimulus–response logic and examined related emotional pathways, this work contributes by testing the dual-mediation structure (including the sequential betrayal → hate path) in an under-researched cultural context and by offering contextually relevant managerial implications for brand recovery.