Fetscherin Publishes Article in Hospitality and Tourism Journal

Business professor Marc Fetscherin has co-authored a new article titled “The Multi-Emotion Brand Hate Model” alongside Muhammad Danish of the Islamia University of Bahawalpur and Saqib Ali of COMSATS University Islamabad. The study examines a growing challenge for companies in the app business: what happens when customers move beyond mere dissatisfaction with an app and develop strong negative feelings toward it? Focusing on travel apps, the researchers surveyed 549 users to better understand what causes these reactions and how they affect consumer behavior.

The findings show that “brand hate” or the “hate” toward using an app is not a single emotion. Instead, consumers may experience different combinations of anger, fear, and sadness depending on what went wrong with the app and how strongly they identify—or fail to identify—with that app. Negative experiences with an app, poor customer relationships, or a feeling that a mobile app developer does not reflect a consumer’s values can all contribute to these emotions. Those feelings can then lead consumers to react in different ways. Some may simply stop using the app or reduce their purchases, while others may complain privately, post negative comments publicly, or actively discourage others from using the app.

For app developers and marketers, the research underscores the importance of addressing negative customer experiences before frustration grows into something stronger. By understanding the emotions behind consumer dissatisfaction—and the experiences that trigger them—companies can better protect customer relationships, respond more effectively to problems, and reduce the likelihood that unhappy users become vocal critics of the brand.