Doppelganger brand image
As doppelganger Brand Image (DBI) in is marketing the spread pejorative or derogatory pictures or texts on a brand designated by a loosely organized network of activists, bloggers and opinion leaders.
The spread of DBIs is mostly motivated by the activists' perception that a brand is not “authentic”, for example when the brand owner presents a false, misleading or incomplete image of the brand.
DBIs are mostly directed against well-known brands and often similar in their design. They are often distributed through social networks such as Twitter , Facebook , Reddit , Digg and Buzzfeed , but also through websites.
Research shows that the look-alike brand images can negatively influence a potential customer's propensity to buy.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Markus Giesler : How Doppelganger Brand Images Influence the Market Creation Process: Longitudinal Insights from the Rise of Botox Cosmetic , Journal of Marketing, 76, November 2012, pp. 55-68