This study aims to investigate how brand community exit following a scandal might be affected by factors such as membership duration, participation, premium vs non-premium brand status and model implication in the scandal.
Using hazard modeling, this study compares the exit behavior of 15,418 brand community members of Audi and Volkswagen (VW) forums within the VWVortex community before and after the VW turbocharged direct injection emissions scandal. Exit likelihood was assessed based on participation, duration, brand status and scandal implication.
Although long-term members remained less likely to exit than newer members, the scandal increased their likelihood of exit relative to the pre-scandal period. Overall community participation generally reduced members’ likelihood of exit, with particularly strong retention effects observed among members of the premium-brand community during the post-scandal period. Contrary to predictions from prior research, members of the implicated premium-brand community (Audi) were more likely to stay than those of the implicated non-premium brand (Volkswagen) following the scandal.
Brand communities can buffer against losses during negative brand events, but at the expense of longer-tenured members. The relative status of brands also affects the likelihood of exit, such that the resilience of brand communities depends on brand positioning. Brand managers should monitor long-tenured members closely following a scandal and focus recovery efforts on non-premium members.
This is one of the first studies to examine exit behavior within brand communities during major scandals using large-scale, real-world data. It provides clear comparisons of how different brand communities within a shared brand portfolio respond in times of crisis.
