When Brands Cross the Line: A Bibliometric Review of Brand Transgression

Brand transgression occurs when a brand’s action violates consumer expectations or prevailing societal values, potentially damaging consumer-brand relationships and diluting brand equity. Although scholarly attention to this domain has increased, the literature remains fragmented, offering no consolidated view of the field’s development. To address this gap, this study systematically reviews 269 publications on brand transgression indexed in Scopus and Web of Science from 2015 to 2025. Through performance analysis, co-citation analysis and keyword co-occurrence mapping, we identify key knowledge foundations, major research themes and emerging research directions. The findings provide managers with insights into proactive and preventive strategies to address brand transgression.