Consumer’s love for functional brands: the Aspirin case

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to check which scale of love brand developed by Carroll and Ahuvia (2006) or Mohammadian and Karimpour (2014) have better adhesion to the perception of Aspirin love brand, that is, a functional brand. Design/methodology/approach The conceptual models and associated hypotheses are tested with a sample of 321 consumers. Data were analyzed through a structural equation model. Findings The results demonstrate strong relationships between the three antecedents (brand engagement, confidence and overall attitude) and brand love and between brand love and its consequences (brand loyalty, positive word of mouth and brand purchase intention) in both scales. Research limitations/implications The main limitation of the study relates to the sample, which is only of Portuguese consumers and does not match the main socio-demographic characteristics of the population. Therefore, the study should be seen as exploratory on the brand love in the case of functional brands. Practical implications The knowledge that a consumer can establish an emotional relationship with a functional brand, in a highly competitive sector as the pharmaceutical sector, in particular in drugs that are sold without a prescription, can help managers in defining their communication strategy appealing to the emotions and long-term involvement with the consumed. Originality/value Few studies about the background of the brand love and those that exist are linked to hedonic product categories and self-expressive brands. It is the first time that the brand love for a medicine is evaluated.