This scale captures how untrustworthy a consumer believes a brand to be because of its perceived attempts to persuade through inappropriate means. Bock and Thomas (2023) used it to examine when expressions of brand gratitude backfire and are read as manipulative rather than genuine.
7-point semantic differential; stem: "To what extent do you think ___ is . . ."
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The scale performed reliably (α = .87; Bock and Thomas 2023, p. 220) with a sample of 288 participants recruited from MTurk. Validity was not separately discussed. Though used with a brand, the wording is readily adaptable to other targets such as a company, salesperson, or public figure.
Bock, Dora E. and Veronica L. Thomas (2023), "Too Exciting to Care? When Expressing Gratitude Is a Detriment to the Brand," Journal of Advertising, 52 (2), 211-228.
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