Re-conceptualizing cognitive and affective customer–company identification: the role of self-motives and different customer-based outcomes

Abstract

This article offers a new perspective on customercompany identification (CCI) by focusing on CCI's underlying self-motives: self-uncertainty and self-enhancement. More precisely, an operationalization is proposed in which cognitive (CCI Cog ) and affective (CCI Aff ) dimensions of CCI are driven by different self-motives: CCI Cog by self-uncertainty and CCI Aff by self-enhancement. Focusing on these self-motives reveals that CCI Cog and CCI Aff affect some customer attitudes and behaviors in opposite ways but affect other attitudes and behaviors similarly. A cross-sectional survey that examines outcomes of CCI Cog and CCI Aff supports the proposed conceptualization of CCI and suggests the dimensions differ in how each impacts customer-company relationships. Furthermore, the study suggests that combining the dimensions together in higher order constructs or examining only one dimension can lead to misleading conclusions.

Interpreting Social Identity in Online Brand Communities: Considering Posters and Lurkers

“…Previous research on identification, based on a brand or a company, is almost completely set within the social identity perspective (Lam, 2012;Wolter & Cronin, 2015). Consumers' identification with a company/brand is an intense, significant psychological link (Currás-Pérez, 2009), which involves the consumer's desire to establish a closer, long-term relationship with the company/brand (Bhattacharya & Sen, 2003;Marin & Ruiz, 2007).…”

“…An individual may classify himself or herself as belonging to one group and not another (cognitive dimension), and evaluate the in‐group in a positive way, but still remain quite emotionally unattached to the group (Jackson & Smith, ). Moreover, recent literature signifies the importance of conceptualizing and studying the different components of social identity separately (Wolter & Cronin, ) to clarify which dimension is driving outcomes and which dimension is more important in predicting which outcome (Lam, ). Therefore, it is necessary, rational, and informative to distinguish between these different dimensions, examine relationships among them, and determine the mechanisms through which they influence customers’ commitment to the brand in OBCs.…”

The influence of social identity on value perceptions and intention

“…Ashmore et al ., ; Leach et al ., ; Johnson et al ., ) suggests that social identity is multi‐dimensional. Despite this, little is known about the relationship between cognitive and affective social identity, and tests of their discriminant validity are scarce (Wolter and Cronin, ).…”

“…Based on their similarity to a group's prototypes, consumers self‐categorize themselves into a social group and use this group as a basis for their self‐definition (Leach et al ., ). Cognitive social identity thus refers to ‘cognitive connection between the definition of [a social group] and the definition a person applies to himself or herself’ (Wolter and Cronin, : 401), which is in line with the Leach et al . () self‐stereotyping construct.…”

How Intensity of Cause-Related Marketing Guilt Appeals Influences Consumers

“…For example, guilt is widely recognized as a self-regulatory emotion (Izard, 1977), and selfmotives may play an important role in encouraging reparative actions that lower feelings of guilt. Moreover, self-motivation is shown to influence customer-company identification and ultimately behavior (e.g., Wolter and Cronin, 2016). Future studies could advance research by examining the role of self-motives in explaining how consumers respond to guilt-arousing CM advertising.…”