This study examines factors influencing customers’ tolerance of service failures, focusing on brand attachment and loyalty in shaping responses. Specifically, the study examines how customers’ emotional and cognitive connections to a brand, along with their loyalty, shape their tolerance of service disruptions. Additionally, the study considers customer confidence and compensation received as moderating factors in service recovery. A survey of 221 U.S. respondents who experienced service failures at their preferred hotel brands within the past year provided data for analysis. The study employs hierarchical OLS regression to test nine hypotheses. The findings underscore the importance of the customer–brand relationship in fostering tolerance, suggesting that strong brand attachment and loyalty mitigate negative reactions. However, customer confidence and compensation received may not always enhance the positive effects of brand relationships, challenging conventional service recovery strategies. This study demonstrates that the customer–brand relationship remains resilient even in distress situations, emphasizing its enduring influence beyond routine interactions. By broadening the conceptual and empirical understanding of brand management literature on service failure and recovery, this study offers new insights into how brand attachment, loyalty, and trust shape customer responses.
This paper examines how the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in new product design influences consumer perceptions of brand quality, purchase intention, and willingness to pay a premium, with a focus on the moderating role of brand motive attribution (passion vs. profit) and the mediating role of brand extension authenticity. Two experiments were conducted using stimuli of wedding jewellery and craft beer, with data collected via an online panel. Data were analyzed using Generalized Linear Models (GLM) and mediation analysis (PROCESS Models 4 and 7). Results indicate that AI-designed products receive more favourable evaluations when associated with passion-driven rather than profit-driven brands. These relationships are explained by brand extension authenticity, with moderated mediation analyses demonstrating that the indirect effects are stronger for passion-driven brands. To our knowledge, this study is among the first to examine AI use in product design as a novel signal, contingent on brand motive attribution, with implications for brands employing extension strategies. We thus extend prior research on AI-enabled design and brand authenticity (e.g., Lee and Kim 2024; Xu and Mehta 2022) by proposing and testing a conditional-process model linking AI use, perceived authenticity, and brand quality evaluations.
The concept of brand rejuvenation has garnered increasing scholarly interest; however, the execution and efficacy of brand rejuvenation strategies remain underexplored. This paper proposes a research framework from the perspective of brand management to explore and conceptualise the brand rejuvenation process. Study 1 employs template analysis to examine the brand rejuvenation efforts of Chinese time-honoured brands (CTBs), resulting in the development of a typology comprising four distinct rejuvenation strategies: Maintenance, Experimental, Responsive, and Transformative. Study 2 further investigates the consumption experiences of Generation Z through semi-structured interviews, revealing that the success of brand rejuvenation efforts is contingent upon the strength of the historical connection between consumers and the brand. This study uncovers the dynamics of brand rejuvenation, offering a detailed typology and incorporates the critical perspective of Generation Z consumers.
Some consumers continue to purchase brands despite negative emotions towards them, whereas others disengage and actively avoid them. This divergence highlights brand popularity as a socially salient characteristic in the context of negatively evaluated brands. Building on the Social Identity Threat Theory, this study examines the dual-processing nature and the competing effects of brand popularity on purchase intent in the context of brands that elicit negative emotions. The study was conducted across two culturally and economically distinct European countries, using multigroup structural equation modelling to enhance model stability. Our findings demonstrate that brand popularity can trigger a cascade of negative responses by intensifying identity threat and facilitating focused, intense brand hate, ultimately decreasing purchase intent. Importantly, when identity threat and brand hate are absent, the relationship between brand popularity and purchase intent is positive in a developed country context. The findings contribute to theory by refining the applicability of Social Identity Threat Theory in consumer contexts, and further enhance brand management literature by demonstrating when and why an intuitively positive market-related cue (brand popularity) amplifies brand hate and triggers behavioural avoidance. Our findings also provide actionable insights for managers by highlighting risks of brand popularity and uniform consumer approaches.
This study examines the relationship between brand trust and a firm’s financial performance. Utilizing data on 101 public companies from 2016 to 2023, our findings reveal that companies with elevated brand trust levels are associated with stronger financial performance as measured by the net income to sales ratio – a common proxy for a firm’s net profit margin. Our results further suggest that firms considering brand trust initiatives may benefit from first identifying the specific financial outcomes they wish to improve.
Maintaining market relevance is crucial for older brands to remain competitive. This study examines whether situational logo design, in which brands incorporate visual elements from major festivals and events into their logos, can help older brands remain relevant. Across three experiments, we find that situational logo design enhances perceived brand adaptability, which in turn leads to more favorable brand attitudes. However, this positive effect is attenuated when brand-event fit is low. These findings suggest that situational logo design can serve as an effective strategy for helping older brands remain relevant over time and maintain their competitive advantage.
This paper aims to empirically study how inter-brand competition and intra-brand cannibalization affect prices and market share in the auto industry, as well as the moderating effect of intra-brand cannibalization. Using a detailed data set from the Taiwanese automotive industry from 2015 to 2023, the findings show that inter-brand competition negatively impacts auto prices and market share, while intra-brand cannibalization positively impacts them. Furthermore, increasing the number of car models for each brand leads to higher auto prices and market share. Additionally, we examine the moderation effect of intra-brand cannibalization. Our findings reveal that the moderating effect of intra-brand cannibalization increases (decreases) the relationship between inter-brand competition (product mix) and auto prices and market share. This research contributes to the existing literature on brand competition and product proliferation management by examining the price and market share effects of inter-brand competition and intra-brand cannibalization and its moderating role.
Practicing socially conscious initiatives, such as workforce representation, has been shown to reliably improve outcomes such as financial performance. Building on this evidence, many brands promote these initiatives through socially conscious advertising, expecting that consumers will respond positively. Yet practicing socially conscious initiatives and advertising them are not the same. While the benefits of practicing socially conscious initiatives often arise from the initiatives themselves, communicating these initiatives through advertising can introduce skepticism regarding a brand’s motives. As a result, socially conscious advertising may produce different consumer responses than the underlying practices. Across two experiments, we examine boundary conditions that explain when socially conscious advertising weakens brand outcomes. Study 1 shows that weaker brand evaluations occur when socially conscious messages are delivered through a more commercialized communication channel, such as an advertisement, but not when they are presented through a less commercialized channel, such as a brand website. Study 2 demonstrates that this effect depends on sociopolitical polarization context. Specifically, socially conscious advertising produces weaker brand evaluations in a high sociopolitical polarization context, such as the U.S., whereas this effect is mitigated in a low sociopolitical polarization context, such as China. Across both studies, these effects arise through lower brand sincerity.
This study examines gender differences in reactions to LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual or ally, and other identities and expressions not specifically captured by these categories) advertising representation, focusing on perceived brand integrity’s role in shaping purchase intention. As brands increasingly incorporate LGBTQIA+ aspects to reflect societal values, understanding gender-specific responses does not only advance academic literature, but also guide marketers in their communication strategies. Using a quasi-experimental between-subjects design (n = 96) and a 2 × 2 between-subjects design (n = 283), the results indicate that men are more likely than women to reject same-sex orientations and report lower purchase intention for brands advertised with same-sex couples (Study 1) or LGBTQIA+ themed advertised products (Study 2). Additionally, perceived brand integrity mediates the relationship between gender and purchase intention, with women perceiving higher integrity in LGBTQIA+ inclusive brands, leading to higher purchase intention. These findings highlight the importance of nuanced, gender-sensitive approaches while using diversity aspects in marketing. This study contributes to understanding gendered consumer responses in inclusive marketing and provides implications for brands aiming to integrate diversity into their marketing communication.
This study investigates how negative publicity, country-of-origin (COO) and psychological contracts affect consumer response to local versus foreign brands in relational and transactional contexts. Three experimental studies were undertaken to assess these relationships. The findings show that corporate ability (CA)-related negative publicity is significantly related to foreign brand evaluations, whereas corporate social responsibility (CSR)-related publicity disproportionately affects local brands. Psychological contract has a significant mediation effect on the relationship between negative publicity and brand evaluations. The study provides insights into the interplay between corporate communication, branding and consumer behaviors. The study findings can be tailored for optimizing corporate communication strategies and brand management.
This study examines the predictive validity of implicit evaluative brand association measures in real market outcomes and the boundary conditions of their effectiveness. Drawing on dual-process theories, we focus on the Implicit Association Test (IAT) as a tool for capturing subconscious brand associations. The research questions ask whether IAT-based brand image scores can predict actual market share and how this relationship might vary with key product category characteristics, specifically, consumers’ consideration set size and purchase frequency. We conducted a large-scale survey of toothpaste brands measuring implicit brand associations via the IAT and linked these scores to each brand’s market share data. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that implicit brand image significantly predicts market share in the product category. Moreover, the IAT’s predictive validity was stronger when the consumer’s consideration set was small, consistent with intuitive decision-making playing a greater role under low choice complexity. However, the expected moderation by purchase frequency was not supported, frequent, habitual purchasing did not further amplify the IAT–share link. Overall, the findings demonstrate that implicit measures can enrich brand equity assessment by capturing hidden drivers of brand preference that translate into market performance, especially in low-complexity choice contexts.
Although the formation and behavioral consequences of brand stereotypes have been the focus of recent research, little is known about whether and how social media influencers shape the content of brand stereotypes in terms of warmth and competence. Building on associative learning theory, and drawing on stereotyping and influencer marketing literature, we develop and test a multilevel model of (a) the transfer of consumer stereotypical perceptions of influencers to their stereotypical perceptions of brands, and (b) the moderating impact of influencer–brand fit on the aforementioned stereotype content transfer. In a large empirical study of 40 brands, 80 influencers, and 815 consumers, we find that influencer stereotype content indeed transfers to the brand, both in terms of warmth and competence perceptions. Furthermore, the degree of the influencer–brand fit enhances the transfer of warmth perceptions but not of competence perceptions. Our findings contribute to the emerging literature on stereotype content transfer and offer managerial insights for selecting social media influencers.
In today’s economically unstable market, financial pressures prompt even strongly attached consumers to explore more affordable alternatives. This study examines how perceived financial constraints shape brand switching intentions among self-identified brand lovers. Drawing on Consumer–Brand Relationship Theory, Conservation of Resources Theory, and the Theory of Planned Behaviour, it develops and tests a mechanism whereby perceived financial constraints trigger financial anxiety, debt aversion, and perceived financial risk. These factors increase the perceived attractiveness of more affordable alternatives and, consequently, switching intention, despite sustained brand love. Survey data from 430 Turkish apparel consumers were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results robustly support the proposed mechanism and reveal that the intensity of brand love does not meaningfully reduce the effects of perceived financial risk or alternative attractiveness on switching intention. This pattern indicates affective–behavioural decoupling: consumers continue to value brand relationships emotionally while becoming behaviourally vulnerable when resource-protection motives dominate decision-making under financial strain. This study contributes to branding literature by qualifying the assumption that brand love functions as an unconditional behavioural safeguard against brand switching. This study demonstrates that the protective influence of brand love is behaviourally constrained when consumers perceive financial constraints. By integrating resource threat and feasibility mechanisms that operate independently of relational affect, the study advances the understanding of brand switching under financial pressure while bridging emotional branding with financial decision-making. From a managerial perspective, the results show that emotional engagement alone is insufficient to sustain loyalty when feasibility barriers arise. This highlights the need for retention strategies that directly address consumers’ sense of financial risk and reduce the attractiveness of more affordable alternatives.
This study investigates the effects of non-word brand name (NWBN) length on brand name recognition and attitude. Using an experimental design, 98 participants were presented with 36 fictional brands (car, refrigerator, and smartphone), each paired with a non-word brand name varying in syllabic and phonemic length. The study collected 3,528 brand name attitude responses and, using a surprise two-alternative forced choice task, obtained an additional 3,528 recognition measurements. Contrary to previous research, results reveal that longer names are better recognized. Additionally, an inverted U-shaped relationship between NWBN length and attitude emerges when length is measured in phonemes rather than syllables. The originality of this study lies in its support for the layman belief that short names are generally better, while it shows that names shorter than three phonemes lead to less positive attitudes. This finding is important because it highlights the significance of phonemic length, an aspect previously overlooked, as studies have exclusively focused on syllabic length thus far.
Consumers perceive certain brands as trendy, thereby rendering them more desirable than those that are considered untrendy. Although it is common to observe its use by academics and consumers, the meaning and context in which trendy is used are often unclear and ambiguous. This study seeks to address this gap. Employing an abductive approach and thematic analysis, a multi-method and qualitative investigation was undertaken. The data collection involved three focus groups and two sets of interviews. Our findings led to advance a definition and the development of a conceptual framework for trendy brands. Still, our study identified a ‘trendy brands journey’ illustrating how trendy brands evolves over time. Our findings contribute to branding and brand equity theory by suggesting a new brand determinant: trendy brands. This research may hold particular significance for companies’ management. By incorporating trendy attributes into their branding strategies, companies could leverage brand loyalty, purchase intentions and the willingness to pay premium prices by consumers.
Limited research has explored the complex dynamics underlying consumer evaluations of brand activism across diverse socio-political contexts. This study addresses this gap by examining three real-world cases, each involving a different brand and issue context—Nike (racial justice), Dick’s Sporting Goods (gun control), and Patagonia (environmental conservation). Extending source credibility theory to the context of brand activism, the study conceptualizes perceived value orientation (morality credibility cue), brand-issue alignment (domain credibility cue), and consumer-issue alignment (identity credibility cue) as a triad of credibility signals that influence consumer judgement of brand activism, particularity in relation to perceived hypocrisy and brand trust. Using data from a U.S.-based online survey (n = 594), the study finds that these cues influence trust directly and indirectly through perceptions of hypocrisy. Notably, each cue operates differently across activism cases: domain credibility is most salient for Patagonia, moral credibility for Nike, and identity credibility for Dick’s. Further exploratory analyses suggest that consumer sensitivity to these cues is not uniform, highlighting the importance of both contextual and individual characteristics in shaping brand activism outcomes. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Firms face increasing transparency and accountability as to how they operate and manage their brands in the marketplace. Much attention has been placed on if – and in what ways – brand owners are providing benefits to individuals, communities and society. Firms, in turn, are embracing corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives designed to enhance the social welfare of those whose lives are affected by a firm’s operations and to produce positive social outcomes. The success of a CSR initiative depends in large part on the benefits delivered to four key constituent groups: (1) beneficiary organizations; (2) the sponsoring firm engaged in CSR; (3) customers of the sponsoring firm; and (4) employees of the sponsoring firm. We incorporate insights from different disciplines to put forth a Net Benefits Scorecard (NBS) for CSR initiatives to suggest a means by which decision-makers can comprehensively assess both current and potential benefits from a CSR initiative for these four – and potentially other – important types of constituents. Such a quantitative assessment can help companies better understand the relative benefits of both existing and potential CSR initiatives to improve their selection, design, monitoring, implementation and ultimate impact, including on brand equity with stakeholders.
Celebrity endorsement remains a powerful tool for influencing consumer perceptions and behaviours. This study examines the impact of celebrity endorsement on consumer-based brand equity, focusing on how endorser credibility—comprising trustworthiness, attractiveness, and expertise—enhances brand equity. It also explores the role of consumer-brand identification in fostering positive word-of-mouth (WOM), a key driver of brand loyalty and advocacy. Employing PLS-SEM analysis, the findings underscore the significant role of credible celebrity endorsements in strengthening consumer–brand relationships and boosting brand equity. This research offers valuable insights into the complex dynamics between celebrity endorsers, consumer identification, and brand-related behaviours, contributing to a deeper understanding of effective endorsement strategies.
Brand resilience is critical for enterprises to navigate adverse environments and challenges, enabling them to achieve transformative growth through uncertain circumstances. However, theoretical research on brand resilience remains underdeveloped. The conceptual ambiguity and lack of measurement tools for brand resilience have emerged as significant barriers to advancing this field. To address this issue, this study employs a mixed-methods approach, integrating qualitative and quantitative research, to explore the structural dimensions and develop a measurement tool for brand resilience. The qualitative phase, using in-depth interviews and grounded theory, identifies the conceptual connotations and structural dimensions of brand resilience. The quantitative phase follows standardized procedures to construct and validate a measurement scale. Findings reveal that brand resilience comprises three dimensions: brand anticipation, brand adaptability, and brand transcendence. A 10-item scale for measuring brand resilience is finalized through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. This study clarifies the structural dimensions of brand resilience and provides a validated measurement tool, offering theoretical foundations and practical guidance for future academic research and managerial evaluation of brand resilience.
Social media influencers are often viewed as a promising career choice that offers both financial rewards and celebrity-like opportunities. However, they also face intense public scrutiny and the constant risk of reputational harm. This study investigates influencer defence as a strategy for protecting social media influencers against negative feedback. The study utilises an online survey of 541 respondents to explore the impact of attitude homophily, actual self-congruity, influencer interactivity, credibility, and authenticity on building strong influencer-follower relationships and enhancing the resilience of influencer brands. The findings reveal that these factors significantly contribute to influencer defence and purchase intention of recommended products. Influencer credibility is identified as the most critical factor in defending an influencer against negative feedback. This research highlights the necessity of transparency and trustworthiness in online value co-creation. It emphasises the role of influencer credibility in maintaining brand resilience, providing new insights into the strategic management of influencer relationships with their audiences.
