Product crises and babyfaces: the face of a company affects consumer judgments

Abstract

Search the web for today’s business news or read the business section of the newspaper and you will likely come across a headline about a company facing a public relations (i.e., PR) crisis. Take the recent headline “Edelman Eats Humble Pie, Unmasked as Force behind Wal-Mart Blog; PR Giant Does Damage Control” in Advertising Age (2006). The accompanying article and photo of Richard Edelman contains an apology by him for a fake blog that his firm created on behalf of Wal-Mart. The question we address is how consumers will respond to Edelman’s public apology for the “error in failing to be transparent about the identity of the two bloggers from the outset.” How will Edelman’s apology impact consumer liking for the Edelman and Wal-Mart brands? We believe that Edelman’s photo in the news article, specifically whether he is perceived to have a “babyface” (large eyes, small nose, high forehead, and small chin) or a mature face will be one of the determinants of their response.