The Upside of Immorality: The Signal Value of Offensive Producer Behavior

• In Event: 9.7 In Praise of Badness

Short Abstract

Though ample research documents the harmful consequences of morally offensive producer behavior, we propose that it can enhance judgments of producers’ creative output. Four studies demonstrate that a willingness to offend signals authentic producer motives for creative expression and an indifference to audiences, improving consumers’ evaluations of their work.

Authors

• Amit Bhattacharjee, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands

• Jonathan Zev Berman, London Business School, UK

• Gizem Yalcin, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands