The Power of Passion: Assessing Antecedents and Outcomes of Brand Passion

Abstract

Nowadays people are increasingly looking out for new opportunities to fill their lives with meaning. Consumers often satisfy this deeply rooted desire through the consumption of material products or the possession of beloved objects (Ahuvia 2005; Wallendorf and Arnould 1988). In this context the development of long-lasting close relationships between consumers and brands are reported (Muniz and Schau 2005; Schouten and McAlexander 1995). Starbucks, Harley-Davidson, and Manolo Blahnik are a few examples of brands that manage to create and maintain deeply rooted emotional bonds with their customers. In order to be able to understand the increasing importance of passionate brands, the analysis of determinants and consequences of brand passion is necessary. A theoretical background is provided by Sternberg’s (1986) triangular theory of love, where the passion component appears as the so called “hot” component that leads to romance, physical attraction and specific actions such as adoration and idealization of the partner (Djikic and Oatley 2004). Based on the triangular theory of love, Shimp and Madden (1988) pointed out fundamental similarities between interpersonal love and consumer love to objects. Ahuvia (2005) verifies consumers’ ability to love products and especially brands. Further research shows that in particular the passion component has a significant impact on consumer behavior (Pichler and Hemetsberger 2007). Whang et al. (2004) highlight that in a love context between bikers and their machines “only the passion component of interpersonal love had an impact on loyalty to their bikes” (p. 320). This perception received support from findings of Fournier (1998), Belk, Ger, and Askegaard (2003), Thomson, MacInnis, and Park (2005), and Carroll and Ahuvia (2006). Thus, in a consumption context, we define brand passion as a primarily affective, occasionally uncontrollable, extremely positive unique form of loyalty toward a specific brand that leads to emotional attachment and influences relevant behavioral factors.