Consumer response to crisis: Exploring the concept of involvement in Mattel product recalls

The present study examines two hypotheses: (1) there is a difference between how highly involved consumers perceived the 2007 Mattel product recalls and how national daily newspapers covered those recalls in terms of crisis responsibility and reputation; (2) the frequency of emotion manifested among highly involved consumers will increase over time. A content analysis of the bulletin boards for two parent online communities and a content analysis of four major daily newspapers were conducted. The data were consistent with the hypotheses proposed. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.