2026-09-19T16:26:11.432255500Zhttps://opus.uleth.ca/server/oai/request
oai:opus.uleth.ca:10133/63322022-09-16T06:05:06Zcom_10133_3346com_10133_1com_10133_296col_10133_3351col_10133_298
ULethbridge OPUS Repository supervisor Lafreniere, Katherine Carol author Grewal, Gurinder Singh author University of Lethbridge. Dhillon School of Business 2022-09-15T15:41:42Z 2022-09-15T15:41:42Z 2022 https://hdl.handle.net/10133/6332 When might brands benefit from using swearwords in their communications material? This research theorizes and finds that the effect of a swearword in an advertisement on consumers’ attitudes towards the brand is moderated by the consumers’ self-construal. When the swearword was present (verses absent), those with an independent self-construal reported stronger interpersonal closeness and resultingly more favorable attitudes towards the brand. In contrast, those with an interdependent self-construal reported weaker interpersonal closeness and less favorable attitudes towards the brand. The study also assessed humour, credibility, and arousal as alternative explanations. The study contributes theoretically to the areas of marketing and psychology. It introduces a new mediator for the swearing effect and extends prior work on the relationship between self-construal and interpersonal closeness. This study also informs marketers by making recommendations for the use of swearwords in their communication material. en_CA linguistics marketing public relations PR brand communications swearwords self-construal interpersonal closeness IOS interdependent independent construal B2C consumer behaviour consumer psychology transgressions crisis response brand crisis profanity communications advertising brand attitudes FCK, we're sorry: self-construal, interpersonal closeness, and swearwords in brand communications Thesis 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