When brand anthropomorphism alters perceptions of justice: The moderating role of self-construal

Kwak, Hyokjin; Puzakova, Marina; Rocereto, Joseph F.

doi:10.1016/j.ijresmar.2017.04.002

Cited by 36 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Autonomy rights are basic human rights respected by empathic concerns. Given consumers' high identification with underdog brands, they may require the same moral standards and perspective-taking from these brands as they do for people (Waytz et al, 2010;Kwak et al, 2017;MacInnis and Folkes, 2017;Kouchaki et al, 2018;Lin and Huang, 2018;Teresi et al, 2019). On the other hand, consumers do not necessarily hold top-dog brands to such moral standards or expect them to make efforts to be perspective of others' autonomy rights.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

When the Underdog Positioning Backfires! The Effects of Ethical Transgressions on Attitudes Toward Underdog Brands

Kim

Park

2020

Front. Psychol.

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This research investigates the novel link between consumers' support for underdog brands and their ethical expectations of such brands and finds that the underdog brand positioning may not always be beneficial. Rather, we argue that the identificationbased supporting motivation for underdog brands may backfire when the accompanying specific moral expectation is not satisfied. Study 1 demonstrates that the underdog brand falls into an ethical trap in which consumers judge the brand more harshly when ethical transgressions are committed. In Study 2, the psychological underlying mechanism for this ethical underdog trap effect is proved to be perceived betrayal. In Study 3, a boundary condition, community-related (vs. autonomy-related) transgressions, is explored. In Study 4, the three types of transgressions (autonomy, community, and functional) and the mediating effects of perceived betrayal are tested in integrated research design. Finally, theoretical and managerial implications are discussed, followed by conclusions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

When the Underdog Positioning Backfires! The Effects of Ethical Transgressions on Attitudes Toward Underdog Brands

Kim

Park

2020

Front. Psychol.

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“…Puzakova et al have recently demonstrated that, in specific circumstances, the anthropomorphized versions of brands have a more detrimental impact on consumers' impressions, judgments and evaluations than the non-anthropomorphized ones. This occurs when humanized brands undergo negative publicity or product wrongdoing (Puzakova et al, 2013a), they require sensitive personal information from consumers (Puzakova et al, 2013b), they increase prices or are associated with situations of distributive injustice (Kwak et al, 2013(Kwak et al, , 2017. Taken together, these studies assert that negative brand information is perceived as more relevant when the brand is anthropomorphized because anthropomorphic representations trigger perceptions of the brand as a living agent with its own intentions, motivations and emotions (Aggarwal and McGill, 2007).…”

Section: Effects Of Consumers' Liking For the Anthropomorphized Brandmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anthropomorphized vs objectified brands: which brand version is more loved?

Delgado‐Ballester

Palazón

Peláez

2019

EJMBE

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to deal with the role of the human metaphor (anthropomorphism) and consumers’ liking for the humanized version of the brand as antecedents of three key components of brand love: self-brand integration, positive emotional connection and feelings of anticipated separation distress. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 399 consumers provided information about a brand from a stated list of 16 brands of clothing. Findings Both anthropomorphism and consumers’ liking for the humanized brand have positive effects on specific components of brand love. The results confirm that brand anthropomorphism is only desirable when the humanized version of the brand is attractive for consumers. Research limitations/implications A potential shortcoming is the qualitative technique employed to observe anthropomorphic thought. Collecting ratings of anthropomorphic and non-anthropomorphic traits could be viewed as a method more easily applied in market research surveys. Practical implications Managers have to control how consumers imagine the brand as a human entity because it affects brand love. For example, by tracking consumers’ opinions and traits of those people associated with the brand and brand user stereotypes can condition consumers’ imagination of the humanized brand. Originality/value Compared to the limited number of studies about the relationship between anthropomorphism and brand love, this study focuses on the effects of anthropomorphism as a process, and not as a personal trait, on brand love. It also relies on consumers’ imagination instead of brand personification strategies to stimulate anthropomorphism.

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“…Consumers tend to trust advice from celebrities and believe that celebrities have the authority to discuss advertised products. In general, companies prefer celebrity advertising models because they can play the role of drawing consumers' attention in an environment that often overloads consumers with information (Erdogan et al, 2001;Kwak et al, 2015Kwak et al, , 2017Landwehr, McGill, & Herrmann, 2011;Puzakova et al, 2013;Wan et al, 2017).…”

Section: Messages Using Anthropomorphized Symbolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of human brands in consumer attitude formation: Anthropomorphized messages and brand authenticity

Han

Cui

Jin

2021

Cogent Business & Management

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The purpose of the study attempts to assess consumer reactions by classifying anthropomorphized messages according to the authenticity of a human brand with which they are associated. And also the study to investigate the causal relationship between attributions of human brand and consumer-brand relationships, brand attitudes, and purchase intention. An experimental design was used to test the hypotheses. To examine factors that can help brands achieve marketing goals through the use of human brands, this study developed research hypotheses and a structural model by focusing on the consumer information-treating process based on the authenticity of a human brand and message type. The results indicate the existence of a between-group difference with respect to anthropomorphized messages as opposed to non-anthropomorphized messages as well as levels of brand authenticity. An interaction effect was observed for the consumer-brand relationship and attitudes toward a brand. In the main effect analysis, anthropomorphized messages induced a stronger consumer-brand relationship, more positive attitudes toward a brand, and stronger purchase intention for a brand. The results of a path analysis indicated that three dimensions of human brand attributions positively affect consumer-brand relationships. This study provides a new ABOUT THE AUTHORS Hee-Eun Han received Ph.D from Kyonggi University in Korea. Her main research interest is in marketing strategy, brand communication and information technology issues in Marketing.Ge-Qi Cui is Ph.D candidate in the department of Business Administration at Kyonggi University, Korea. His main research interest is in brand Communication, alternative marketing strategy, and consumer behavior.

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When brand anthropomorphism alters perceptions of justice: The moderating role of self-construal

Cited by 36 publications

References 58 publications

When the Underdog Positioning Backfires! The Effects of Ethical Transgressions on Attitudes Toward Underdog Brands

When the Underdog Positioning Backfires! The Effects of Ethical Transgressions on Attitudes Toward Underdog Brands

Anthropomorphized vs objectified brands: which brand version is more loved?

The role of human brands in consumer attitude formation: Anthropomorphized messages and brand authenticity

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