Abstract
During the pandemic, as people dealt with fatalities, lockdowns, and the psychological impact of reduced social interactions, some marketing messages still captured significant public attention. What was the key element contributing to the success of these communications during such challenging times? This study focuses on the role of collectivism as a stress-coping mechanism included within marketing communications. Analyzing approximately 56,000 brand-generated posts on Platform X, the research examines how the use of collectivist language (e.g., we, us, etc.) relates to message likability, particularly as the pandemic nears its peak. The findings reveal that collectivist terms are positively associated with the number of likes during worsening pandemic conditions, while individualist words (e.g., I, me, etc.) are associated with lower likability, especially as concern about the pandemic increases. This study underscores the effectiveness of utilizing collectivism in marketing communications to enhance positive engagement during societal crises. Although the pandemic provides the empirical setting, the same theoretical logic and the text‑analytic tools can be applied to other collective threats, such as climate-related, environmental, or economic crises, to give marketers evidence-based guidance on how to adjust message framing during future societal disruptions.
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DOI
10.20429/jamt.2026.130105
Publication Date
6-2026
First Page
51
Last Page
84
Recommended Citation
Hour, M., Parsimoghadam, G., & Jamei, A. (2026). “I” or “We” in times of crises: Should marketers use individualist or collectivist language when times are tough? Journal of Applied Marketing Theory, 13(1), 51-84. https://www.doi.org.10.20429/jamt.2026.130105
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