From happy consumption to possessive bonds: When positive affect increases psychological ownership for brands

Abstract

This paper investigates how positive affect experienced during consumption can increase consumers’ psychological ownership for consumed brands. Across five studies, the authors show that consumers who experience positive affect while they consume a brand develop stronger feelings of ownership for this brand. The effect holds for both actual and imagined consumption of real and fictitious brands from various product categories. In line with an account of affect attribution, we find that the effect is contingent on product consumption rather than mere exposure, and that it occurs in particular for brands with an affective positioning. Moreover, results corroborate the role of psychological ownership as a facilitator of consumer responses that signal commitment to brands. The findings entail novel implications for research on affect, psychological ownership and branding.