Building the holy brand: Towards a theoretical model of brand religiosity

Abstract

AbstractThis article introduces the brand religiosity construct and delineates its relationship with antecedents and consequences from a dynamic stage‐wise progression perspective. The proposed theoretical framework demonstrates the process that brand religiosity is formed through a series of steps, from brand appreciation, romantic brand love and brand devotion to brand religiosity. The proposed model specifies that the link between brand appreciation and romantic brand love is moderated by individual difference variables including consumer materialism and emotional attachment styles. Meanwhile, the relationship between romantic brand love and brand devotion is further proposed to be enhanced by the sense of brand community but weakened by individual's religiosity. Finally, the influence of brand religiosity on consumer behaviour and brand consumption, such as transcendental experience and proactive sustaining ritualistic behaviour is discussed.