Antecedents and outcomes of brand love: utilitarian and symbolic brand qualities

Abstract

Purpose Brand love is associated with consumer behaviours that are key for organisational performance. However, research on the antecedents of brand love is sparse. The current research draws on the information processing model as well as on the experiential approaches to consumer behaviour to develop a model comprising a novel set of antecedents. Design/methodology/approach To test the research hypotheses, we resort to two samples, which implied the collection of usable 1,018 questionnaires. For hypotheses testing, we resort to structural equation modelling. Findings Both functional constructs as well as more symbolic/emotional ones are positively associated with brand love. In addition, constructs with a more functional nature tend to have an indirect effect on brand love, whereas constructs with a higher level of abstraction tend to mediate the effects of more specific brand qualities. Finally, brand love is related with important outcomes, including loyalty, word of mouth and willingness to pay a premium price. Research/limitations implications This research has a cross-sectional nature. Moreover, we rely on a single informant, but the procedural remedies as well as the statistical tests we conducted suggest that common method variance is not a concern. Practical implications The findings suggest that managers should emphasise both functional as well as emotional/symbolic aspects to strengthen the links between brands and consumers, which will be beneficial for both sides. Originality/value This study is the first to investigate the relationship between a number of symbolic and functional brand aspects and the development of brand love feelings.

Fashion Brand Love: Application of a Cognition–Affect–Conation Model

“…Researchers have demonstrated the positive and significant relationship between brand love and brand loyalty (e.g., Alnawas and Alrarifi 2015;Bairrada et al 2018;Batra et al 2012;Bıçakcıoglu et al 2018;Carroll and Ahuvia 2006;Drennan et al 2015;Huang 2017;Kim et al 2008;Thomson et al 2005;Wallace et al 2014). Likewise, the importance of brand love in brand loyal behaviors was reported in several studies of fashion brands.…”

Antecedentes y consecuencias del valor de marca. Un estudio centrado en los consumidores jóvenes

“…Otra corriente de investigaciones presenta a WOM como una consecuencia de AM (Bairrada, Coelho & Coelho, 2018;Batra et al, 2012). La relación positiva entre estas variables es natural, puesto que, si los consumidores están satisfechos y aman una marca, mostrarán una mayor disposición a difundir opiniones y comentarios positivos (Aro et al, 2018;Carroll & Ahuvia, 2006).…”

Brand Loyalty Determinants in the Context of a Soft Drink Brand

“…In this sense, the brand continues to be a potential differentiation alternative according to the features of the market it acts and its positioning facing the competitors. Thus, marketing managers must consider some dimensions related to products and/or services and to other aspects involved in the consumption and purchase decision process, which are vital for their market positioning, and may generate favorable, positive and strong associations, resulting in a single brand in the customers' mind (Loureiro, 2013;Giovanis, 2016;Bairrada, Coelho, & Coelho, 2018).…”

“…Brand value is, basically, the customers' perception on what concerns the value relative to it in terms of a greater association to items like quality, reliability, greater awareness, aggregate value and potential incidence or increase of customer loyalty (Sasmita & Suki, 2015;Pappu & Quester, 2016;Wu & Anridho, 2016). This means that customers choose products and services and their associated brands, not just due to their utilitarian benefits, but also to their symbolic ones Bairrada et al, 2018).…”

“…Considering the exposed, the purpose of this research is to develop and validate a theoretical model concerning customers brand loyalty, contemplating some determinants constructs, being them: perceived quality (Drennan et al, 2015), brand awareness (Sasmita & Suki, 2015;Thaichon & Quach, 2015;Molinillo, Japutra, Nguyen, & Chen, 2017), brand personality (Aaker, 1996(Aaker, , 1997Clemenz, Brettel, & Moeller, 2012;Roy, Kahndeparkar & Motiani, 2016), brand love (Carroll & Ahuvia, 2006;Roy, Khandeparkar, & Motiani, 2016;Bairrada et al, 2018) and brand loyalty (Erdogmus & Büdeyri-Turan, 2012;Molinillo et al, 2017), which emphasize a relational understanding between the brand and customers (Aaker, 1997;Drennan et al, 2015).…”