Purpose This study aims to examine the relationships between brand love and brand addiction on consumers’ adverse behaviors: impulsive buying, compulsive buying, social comparison and narcissism. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected from 350 young Chinese fashion brand consumers using a structured questionnaire and analyzed through structural equation modeling using MPlus. Two main models were tested: one with brand addiction (Model 1a) or brand love (Model 1b) as the independent variable; the second, a mediation model (Model 2) explored brand addiction as a mediator. Findings The findings indicate that brand addiction and brand love have a distinct impact on adverse behaviors. Brand addiction is positively associated with compulsive buying, impulsive buying, social comparison and narcissism. On the contrary, brand love is not significantly associated with compulsive or impulsive buying. Originality/value Research on the repercussions of brand love is scarce. The current study bridges this gap by identifying the positive influence of brand love on social comparison and narcissism. Interestingly, it finds that brand love does not lead to compulsive or impulsive buying. In addition, our exploration of brand addiction’s impact on impulsive buying, compulsive buying, social comparison and narcissism unveils unexpected outcomes, contrasting recent optimistic perspectives and emphasizing the critical need for a nuanced understanding of these consumer–brand relationships from theoretical and managerial perspectives.
Purpose Consumer minimalism has emerged as a promising pathway towards sustainable consumption, yet little is known about how minimalist orientations can be actively fostered among adolescents, a developmental stage during which consumption values and identities are formed. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of educational, peer-led and video-based interventions in promoting consumer minimalism among adolescents. Design/methodology/approach A randomised controlled trial was conducted with 629 adolescents from 12 Croatian cities. Participants were assigned to three intervention groups or a control group. Interventions targeted cognitive, social and emotional pathways. Minimalism was measured pre- and one-month post-intervention across limited possessions, sparse aesthetics and mindful consumption. Moderation by financial constraints and gender was examined. Findings Educational interventions showed the strongest effects, particularly in reducing possessions and promoting reflection. Peer-led interventions were weak, while video-based interventions produced modest effects. Outcomes varied across minimalism dimensions. Stronger effects emerged among financially constrained adolescents and among girls. Results indicate that structured, cognitively engaging interventions outperform passive or purely normative approaches. Research limitations/implications Short-term design and self-reports limit conclusions on sustained change. Future research should examine long-term effects, hybrid interventions and identity-based mechanisms. Originality/value This study provides rare experimental evidence on adolescent minimalism, showing that intervention effects are pathway-specific and dimension-dependent. This study offers a developmentally grounded account of how sustainable consumption behaviours can be shaped during youth.
Purpose This study aims to investigate how music albums of varying tangibility (physical versus phygital formats) influence consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP). It examines the mediating roles of psychological ownership (PO) and emotional value (EMV) and the moderating effects of green self-identity and consumer–celebrity attachment (CCA) within the stimulus–organism–response framework. Design/methodology/approach A two-phase experiment design tested these relationships, where Southeast Asian participants were randomly assigned to view either a physical or phygital album differing in tangibility, sensory engagement and sustainability-related cues. Subsequently, measures of PO, EMV, green self-identity, CCA and WTP were assessed using validated multi-item scales. Findings Results show that physical albums show higher WTP than phygital albums (mediated by PO and EMV). Green self-identity moderates the indirect effect of tangibility on WTP through PO, such that the indirect effect of tangibility is attenuated at high levels of green self-identity. However, CCA did not significantly moderate the tangibility–EMV link. Practical implications Findings guide artists and entertainment firms in designing sustainable album formats that balance environmental concerns with consumer attachment, thereby enhancing perceived value and WTP for eco-friendly phygital offerings. Originality/value This research extends PO theory to the phygital consumption context, revealing how hybrid product tangibility shapes emotional and ownership-based responses. It also identifies sustainability motivations and celebrity attachment as boundary conditions influencing phygital product adoption, complicating the view that celebrity attachment is purely emotional.
Purpose Edu-ads represent a hybrid form of media in which an educational lesson is packaged in an ad-like, persuasive format. This study aims to investigate parents’ perceptions of the effect of edu-ads on children and their subsequent mediation intentions. Design/methodology/approach From entertainment education and the influence of presumed influence model perspectives, this experiment (N = 147) tests a serial mediation model exploring the effects of advertisements, edu-ads and educator lessons on parents’ restrictive mediation intent. Mediators include perceived amusement value, perceived informational value, perceived manipulative intent, presumed positive impact and active mediation intent. Findings The serial mediation model proposed is statistically supported, offering a possible explanation for how parents are differentially psychologically processing the three forms of media (e.g. advertisements, edu-ads and educator lessons) and making behavioral (i.e. mediation) decisions. Originality/value Findings highlight that edu-ads are a distinct category of media that bears resemblance in some ways to purely entertainment content and in other ways to commercial advertising. Implications for parents and practitioners are discussed.
Purpose This study aims to explore how young Generation Z consumers evaluate skincare products in the context of influencer marketing, examining how consumption value and credibility are constructed and negotiated in digitally mediated environments. Design/methodology/approach Five focus group discussions were conducted with young Generation Z consumers (aged 18–22) in Thailand. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, allowing iterative movement between empirical insights and the theory of consumption value and influencer credibility literature. Findings Young Thai Generation Z consumers evaluated skincare through a layered evaluative process encompassing functional legitimacy, personal meaning and relational respect. Although influencer content served both informational and aspirational roles, its influence was critically negotiated, with purchase evaluations remaining grounded in product performance and trusted interpersonal sources. Practical implications Skincare brands targeting young Generation Z consumers in Southeast Asian markets should prioritize product effectiveness, transparent communication and clear ingredient disclosure. Influencer partnerships should complement, rather than replace, authentic user reviews and trusted interpersonal recommendations, thereby supporting consumers’ information verification and evaluation processes. Originality/value This study extends the theory of consumption value by demonstrating how consumption values are interpreted and prioritized through a layered evaluative process rather than as isolated value dimensions. It further identifies two paradoxes in influencer-mediated skincare consumption, namely, the skepticism–engagement paradox and the curation–desire paradox, offering new insights into how young Generation Z consumers negotiate digitally mediated beauty content.
