Communication Behavior of Companies in Product Recalls Without Customer Identification Information

Marketing - Journal of Research and Management, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 19-30, 2010

34 Pages Posted: 7 Oct 2011

See all articles by Raoul V. Kübler

Raoul V. Kübler

Christian-Albrechts-Universitaet at Kiel

Sönke Albers

University of Kiel

Date Written: January 11, 2010

Abstract

Although companies that sell products such as automobiles can easily track down their clients, companies that produce consumer goods usually lose direct contact with their customers at the retailer’s cash register. This anonymity results in the obligation to communicate any product failure and/or recall action to a wide range of anonymous and potential customers, while running the risk of scaring off future buyers. Hypothesizing that companies know how to best communicate a recall, we investigate a sample of 104 German recall campaigns to identify common dimensions of recall messages and behavioral drivers that may minimize the risk of alienating future customers and reduce potential sales losses due to the product crisis. We identify six major underlying dimensions of recall messages and find empirical evidence for existing recall routines of companies depending on the degree of hazard and the probability of a product defect.

Keywords: Product Recall, Product Crisis, Communication, Retail Industry, Consumer Goods, Content Analysis, 3SLS

Suggested Citation

Kübler, Raoul V. and Albers, Sönke, Communication Behavior of Companies in Product Recalls Without Customer Identification Information (January 11, 2010). Marketing - Journal of Research and Management, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 19-30, 2010, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1940496

Raoul V. Kübler (Contact Author)

Christian-Albrechts-Universitaet at Kiel ( email )

Olshausenstr. 40
D-24118 Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein 24118
Germany

Sönke Albers

University of Kiel ( email )

Germany

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