What the study found
The study found that misleading greenwashing crisis communication is linked to higher consumer brand avoidance in hospitality. It also found that omission is more damaging than paltering, which means giving information that is technically true but misleading.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors conclude that their findings support adding misleading tactics and sincerity-based pathways to Situational Crisis Communication Theory, which is a framework for understanding how organizations should respond to crises. They also say hospitality firms should avoid omission, communicate transparently, and assess perceived severity early because sincerity and trust restoration are crucial for reducing brand avoidance.
What the researchers tested
The researchers conducted two scenario-based online experimental studies. They used analysis of variance and the PROCESS macro to test direct, indirect, and moderated mediation effects, examining perceived response sincerity and brand trust as sequential mediators and perceived crisis severity as a moderator.
What worked and what didn't
Misleading crisis communication significantly increased consumer brand avoidance. The difference between omission and paltering appeared in the negative consumer responses, with omission producing stronger harm; this difference emerged only when perceived crisis severity was lower.
What to keep in mind
The abstract does not provide detailed limitations beyond noting the study's focus on greenwashing crises in hospitality and on crisis response strategies rather than prevention. The findings are based on scenario-based online experiments, so the summary does not describe how they would apply in other settings.
Key points
- Misleading greenwashing crisis communication was associated with greater brand avoidance.
- Omission was more damaging than paltering in shaping negative consumer responses.
- Perceived response sincerity and brand trust were tested as sequential mediators.
- Perceived crisis severity moderated the indirect pathway to brand avoidance.
- The difference between omission and paltering appeared only at lower perceived severity.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Misleading crisis communication increases brand avoidance in hospitality
- Authors:
- Anni Ding, Tiffany S. Legendre, Juan M. Madera, Ki‐Joon Back, Yan Huang
- Institutions:
- César Ritz Colleges, Pennsylvania State University, University of Houston, University of Houston, University of Houston
- Publication date:
- 2026-02-24
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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