Brand Psychological Ownership Research Articles

Navigating Brand Loyalty: The Dynamic Interplay of Engagement, Attachment, and Usage Patterns

Mobile electronic devices’ demand is greater than any other electronic device currently. This study aims to find the mechanism that creates Brand Loyalty through Brand Engagement in the context of the mobile industry, where market saturation makes it very difficult for organizations to gain it. This study determines the effectiveness of psychological drivers including Brand Awareness; Brand Image; Brand Psychological Ownership; and Value Congruity in developing Customer Brand Engagement, as well as to investigate the effect of Customer Brand Engagement on Behavioral Brand Loyalty through the mediating influence of Brand Awareness. The study also investigated the moderating role of Brand Usage Duration and the role of Usage Frequency between Brand Awareness and Behavioral Brand Loyalty. Customers' data was collected using an existing established questionnaire through convenience sampling, the public intercept sampling approach was used. The data was acquired from 384 respondents. The structure equation model method was used to analyze the data. This study demonstrated the effectiveness of consumer psychological motives in establishing Customer Brand Engagement that further leads to Customer Loyalty and reflects which element is more powerful. Further research indicates the impact of Brand Usage Duration on Customer Brand Engagement and Behavioral Brand Loyalty. All variables were proved to have a positive and significant effect except Usage Frequency. This research will assist Brand managers in determining which aspects are more influential in the growth of Customer Brand Engagement that further leads to Brand Loyalty. Study limitations and future directions have been provided at the end of the study.

How does self-congruity foster customer engagement with global brands? Examining the roles of psychological ownership and global connectedness

PurposeDrawing on the self-congruity theory and customer engagement literature, this research accounts for the influence of the three dimensions of customer self-congruity on customer engagement with global brands by uncovering the mediating mechanism of brand psychological ownership and moderating mechanism of global connectedness. The research framework is tested across developed and developing country contexts to highlight any cultural differences in the drivers of customer engagement with global brands.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from developed (USA; n = 270) and developing (India; n = 273) countries through two online surveys and tested, employing structural equation modeling, across the two markets to investigate cross-cultural variations.FindingsSocial self-congruity has the strongest influence on customer engagement for USA consumers, while all three forms of self-congruity are equally important in India. Psychological ownership consistently works as the mediating mechanism across both contexts. While global connectedness accentuates the relationship between self-congruity and brand psychological ownership for Indian consumers, it attenuates the relationship amongst USA consumers.Originality/valueWhile prior literature mainly establishes a direct link between self-congruity and customer engagement, this study provides a deeper understanding of the self-congruity–customer engagement relationship by: a) investigating the mediating role of psychological ownership; b) examining the moderating role of global connectedness and c) studying all three forms of self-congruity (i.e. actual, ideal and social) simultaneously. The study, testing the framework in developing and developed country settings, highlights cultural nuances in forming customer engagement with global brands.

MEDIATING BRAND TRUST, BRAND ATTITUDE, BRAND PSYCHOLOGICAL OWNERSHIP ON CELEBRITY ENDORSERS TO BEHAVIOURAL INTENTION

The marketing type that is found on social media today is celebrity endorsement. To encourage consumer behavioural intention, luxury brand companies take several strategies, including using celebrity endorsers to introduce their brand and to build brand trust, brand attitude, and brand psychological ownership. This study aims to examine the influence of celebrity endorsers on behavioural intention through the mediation of brand trust, attitude, and psychological ownership. A total of 250 samples were determined by purposive sampling. This research used a quantitative approach and structural equation modelling (SEM) AMOS as a data analysis technique. The result showed a mediating effect of brand trust, attitude, and psychological ownership on the relationship between celebrity endorsers and behavioural intention.

Innocence versus Coolness: the influence of brand personality on consumers’ preferences

PurposeBuilding on the theory of brand psychological ownership, this paper aims to explore the mediating role of brand psychological ownership in the relationship between brand personality (innocence/coolness) and consumers’ preferences, as well as identify the boundary conditions of this relationship.Design/methodology/approachTo test the hypotheses, a series of four experiments were conducted in Wuhan, a city in southern China, using questionnaires administered at two universities and two supermarkets. Hypotheses were tested using PLS-SEM in SmartPLS 4.FindingsThe results indicate that brand personality, specifically the dimensions of innocence and coolness, has a significant impact on consumers’ brand preferences. Brands with a cool personality are preferred over those with an innocent personality. Moreover, the relationship between brand personality and consumers’ brand preferences is moderated by power motivation and identity centrality.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by differentiating between brand personality of innocence and coolness as two separate constructs and proposing brand psychological ownership as a mechanism through which brand personality affects brand preferences. The study’s samples were drawn from universities and supermarkets in southern China, providing evidence for the significant moderating effects of power motivation and identity centrality on consumers’ brand preferences.

It’s mine, that’s why I speak: Destination brand psychological ownership as a mediator of the link between social media brand engagement and local residents’ voice behavior

Local residents’ voices have been regarded as the most important extra-role behavior that determines the growth and survival of tourist destinations. This study examines the antecedents of such crucial extra-role behaviors of local residents. Furthermore, it examines the mediation role of destination brand psychological ownership in the relationship between social media brand engagement and local residents’ voice behavior. The study collected data from 376 local residents and was analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling. The findings suggest that social media brand engagement plays a crucial role in motivating voice behavior among local residents. In addition, destination brand psychological ownership is a mediator of the relationship between social media brand engagement and local residents’ voice behavior. Therefore, Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) should deliberately consider Web 2.0 technologies as strategic assets to engage local residents in enhancing brand-building behaviors through voice behavior.

Examining Antecedents of Customer Engagement: The Role of Customer Engagement towards Driving Purchase Intention of Fashion Apparel Brands

Although the literature on customer engagement is developing considerably, empirical studies on its drivers and outcomes are minimal. The aim of current paper is to examine the effect of brand interactivity, brand intimacy, brand involvement, brand psychological ownership, and brand trust on customer engagement.This research also seeks to measure the effect of customer engagement on purchase intention.A sample of 443 participants was collected employing a convenience sampling technique via a self-administered online survey from the users of fashion apparel brands in Pakistan. For the data analysis, researchers employed partial least squares. The findings of the structural analysis show that brand interactivity, brand involvement, brand intimacy and brand trust affects customer engagement.Overall, the results of this paper broaden the understanding of brand interactivity, brand involvement, brand psychological ownership, brand intimacy, brand trust, customer engagement and purchase intention in the fashion apparel context. This research expands the knowledge base of customer engagement in the fashion apparel sector. Research shows that brand managers should focus on non-brand owners because non-customers can also build intention to buy fashion apparel brands, if they are engaged.The current research focuses only on fashion brands in Pakistan. Future research may conduct research in other sectors and in different countries.

Pseudo-ownership advertising appeal creates brand psychological ownership: the role of self-construal and customer type

PurposeIn the advertising strategy called pseudo-ownership advertising appeal, ownership-implying language (e.g. my, our or your) is used to induce consumers’ “ownership” of a brand. This study aims to investigate the influence of pseudo-ownership advertising appeal on brand psychological ownership and consequent brand attitude, purchase intention and choice. This study also assessed the relative effectiveness of different types of possessive pronouns in different customer segments.Design/methodology/approachFour experiments, involving both students and non-students, were conducted to test the hypotheses. Experiments 1 and 2 investigated the effects of the first-person singular and plural possessive pronouns (“my” and “our”) on psychological ownership and on brand attitude, purchase intention and choice. Experiment 3 investigated the interacting effects of self-construal (independent vs interdependent) and possessive pronoun (singular vs plural) on psychological ownership and brand attitudes. Experiment 4 investigated the interacting effects of customer type (potential vs current) and possessive pronoun (first-person vs second-person) on psychological ownership and brand attitudes.FindingsPseudo-ownership advertising appeal resulted in the development of brand psychological ownership, as well as inducing favorable attitudes, purchase intentions and brand choice. Furthermore, consumers with interdependent self-construal developed stronger psychological ownership when pseudo-ownership advertising appeal incorporated plural possessive pronouns, and consumers with independent self-construal developed stronger psychological ownership when pseudo-ownership advertising appeal incorporated singular possessive pronouns. Potential consumers developed stronger psychological ownership when pseudo-ownership advertising appeal incorporated second- vs first-person possessive pronouns, and current consumers developed the same psychological ownership for first- and second-person possessive pronouns.Originality/valuePossessive pronouns used in advertising can enhance brand psychological ownership. Conditions that moderate the relative effectiveness of first- vs second-person and singular vs plural possessive pronouns on brand psychological ownership and consequential consumer responses can be identified. These findings extend research focusing solely on the self-referencing effects of second-pronoun use (“you”) in advertising on consumer attitudes and behaviors by paying attention to the “ownership” effects of possessive pronouns.

What makes a brand citizen in the restaurant industry?

We proposed a framework comprising the 3 dimensions of formal ownership practices (profit sharing, participation in decision making, and access to business information) that influence brand psychological ownership, thereby facilitating brand citizenship behavior. Data were collected from 342 frontline employees in restaurants in Taiwan. The results of structural equation modeling analysis showed that the 3 dimensions of formal ownership practices were all strong predictors of brand psychological ownership, which enhanced brand citizenship behavior. Also, brand psychological ownership was an effective mediator in the relationship between formal ownership practices and brand citizenship behavior. If employees are to demonstrate positive brand behavior, that is, brand citizenship behavior, it is necessary for organizations to generate employees’ positive brand awareness, that is, brand psychological ownership, which plays a cross-level intermediary role between corporate management and brand citizenship behavior.

Brand Empowerment and Brand Consistent Behavior: Mediating Role of Brand Psychological Ownership and Employee Brand Understanding

This study aimed to investigate the connection of brand empowerment with employee brand understanding, brand psychological ownership, and brand consistent behavior. Secondly, mediating role of brand psychological ownership and employee brand understanding in the relationship of brand empowerment and brand consistent behavior was also examined. Survey method was used to collect data from 274 employees of banking sector through multistage sampling. Measures of Brand Consistent Behavior Scale (King, Grace, & Funk, 2012), Employee Brand Understanding Scale (Piehler et al., 2016), Brand Psychological Ownership Scale (Chang et al., 2012), and Brand Empowerment Scale (King, So, & Grace, 2013) were used. Results affirmed the positive relationship between brand empowerment with brand psychological ownership and employee brand understanding. Moreover, brand psychological ownership and employee brand understanding had positive relationship with brand consistent behavior of the employees. Findings further indicated that the relationship of brand empowerment and brand consistent behavior was mediated by brand psychological ownership and employee brand understanding. Implications of the study were also discussed.

BRAND COMMITMENT DAN BRAND PSYCHOLOGICAL OWNERSHIP DALAM MEMEDIASI PENGARUH INTERNAL CORPORATE BRANDING TERHADAP BRAND CITIZENSHIP BEHAVIOR

This study examined the influence of internal corporate branding on brand citizenship behavior. Research conduct on leading telecommunications services companies in the city of Malang. The results show that internal corporate branding has a positive and significant effect on brand citizenship behavior. Internal corporate branding also has a positive and significant effect on brand commitment and brand psychological ownership. Brand commitment and brand psychological ownership mediate relationship internal corporate branding to brand citizenship behavior, as well as directly each variable has a positive and significant influence on brand citizenship behavior.

Few glitters are original gold

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of brand identification (BI), brand knowledge (BK) and brand psychological ownership (BPO) to predict brand citizenship behaviours (BCB) in a mediating role of brand pride.Design/methodology/approachUsing survey data collected from 372 front line employees (FLEs), employed in different banks in Pakistan, the path analysis through structural equation modelling procedures is used to perform data analysis.FindingsThe results show that BI, BK and BPO strongly predict BCB in a mediating role of brand pride.Practical implicationsThe results have pragmatic value to guide managers and marketing policymakers to develop a brand culture where the company as a brand is internally owned by its employees. The supervisors should offer FLEs with opportunities to speak up and must socialize with them so that communication touch points can be established and strengthened. Furthermore, delegation of authority and positive enforcement are important tools to trigger psychological ownership among FLEs.Originality/valueThree antecedents (i.e. BI, BK and BPO) to advocate and channelize brand-oriented citizenship behaviours are unique to this study. Furthermore, the mediating role of brand pride is yet another unique contribution.

Brand engagement without brand ownership: a case of non-brand owner community members

PurposeConsidering brand ownership as a cause of concern, this paper aims to propose a conceptual model portraying brand engagement as a function of members’ brand psychological ownership (BPO) and value-congruity and to investigate the effect of brand engagement on brand attachment and brand purchase intentions.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 275 brand community members who do not own the brand. Six different brand communities were shortlisted and offline events were targeted. For testing the hypothesised relationships, the authors used structural equation modelling.FindingsThe results indicate that BPO and value-congruity positively influence the brand engagement of the members, which further influences the brand attachment and brand purchase intentions. It is also observed that brand attachment mediates the effect of brand engagement on brand purchase intentions.Research limitations/implicationsThe primary limitation of this paper is the research context, which needs to be further replicated. The specific customer-segment approach of the study adds a new direction to the scope of brand engagement in the brand management domain.Practical implicationsThe study shows that brand managers need to expand their focus from existing brand customers to non-customers as brand engagement subjects because the non-brand owners can also experience brand attachment and develop intentions to purchase the brand, if engaged.Originality/valueThe study endorses the role of psychological ownership theory in brand engagement research; explores the feasibility of brand engagement among “non-owner community members”; highlights the role of their engagement in enhancing attachment towards the brands and purchase intentions; and sheds light on the blurred boundaries between brand engagement and brand attachment.

Consumer psychological motivations to customer brand engagement: a case of brand community

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the psychological motivations behind customers’ engagement with the brands and further investigate the effect of brand engagement on brand attachment and brand loyalty.Design/methodology/approachThe theoretical model is tested with the data collected from 282 brand community members during offline brand community events, and structural equation modeling technique is used for statistical analysis.FindingsThe results indicate that brand psychological ownership and value-congruity act as important psychological motivations for customers to engage with the brands. A sense of brand attachment mediates the relationship between brand engagement and brand loyalty.Research limitations/implicationsCurrent study was conducted on a single brand community. Future research testing and validating the proposed model for multiple brands across different product categories is suggested for the generalization of current study results. The identification and validation of psychological drivers of engagement can have major implications on the ongoing research on customer engagement concept.Practical implicationsAn effectively instilled sense of psychological ownership and value similarity notion in customers can help managers in engaging customers and capitalize on their repurchases and recommendations along with their attachment to the brands.Originality/valueThe study is unique in terms of the brand engagement model depicting the psychological antecedents to engagement with the brands and identifying the mediating role of brand attachment between brand engagement and behavioral loyalty.

Speaking up because it’s my brand: Examining employee brand psychological ownership and voice behavior in hospitality organizations

Employee voice has been regarded as an important organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Within the hospitality industry, employee - customer interactions present opportunities to identify issues and propose change-oriented suggestions (i.e., voice) that can improve performance. Because of the risky nature of voice and potential loss for the voicing individual, employees need to be strongly motivated to overcome such barriers to speak up. Given the central role that the hospitality brand plays in guiding employees’ attitudes and behavior, we consider employees’ brand psychological ownership as a strong motivator for voice. Results from this research suggest that employees are more likely to initiate voice when they develop a sense of ownership toward the brand, invest ideas, time and effort into building the brand, as well as possess sufficient knowledge and skills to deliver brand-aligned performance.

“That’s my job” Exploring the effect of brand empowerment towards employee brand equity: Mediating role of employee critical psychological states

Purpose – Based on the recent call to unfold the dynamics of employee psychological states in branding i.e. employee brand understanding and brand psychological ownership, this study aims to investigate the relationship of brand empowerment, employee psychological states and its outcome i.e. employee brand equity. Moreover, the study tried to investigate the mediating role of employee psychological states i.e. employee brand understanding and brand psychological ownership in the relationship of brand empowerment and employee brand equity. Design/methodology/approach – Survey method was adopted to collect the data from the respondents of public sector banks. Data were collected from 374 employees working in the banking sector through proportionate stratified random sampling technique. Findings – Results of this study confirm the positive relationship among brand empowerment, employee psychological states i.e. employee brand understanding and brand psychological ownership and employee brand equity. Furthermore, employees’ psychological states have a mediating role in the relationship between brand empowerment and employee brand equity as illustrated in the job characteristics theory. Past studies in branding literature have revolved around employees’ psychological states and their impact on personal outcomes i.e. employee brand equity. Originality/value – Based on the recent call to explore the dynamics of employee psychological states, the present study tries to dig the theory by investigate the link between brand empowerment and employee brand equity.

Employee critical psychological states as determinants of employee brand equity in banking: a multi-group analysis

The objective of the study is to investigate the moderating role of affective sentiments of brand psychological ownership of an employee in the relationship among the cognitive sentiments of employee brand understanding and employee brand equity of conventional and Islamic banks. Survey method was adopted to collect data from respondents from conventional and Islamic banks. Data were collected from 279 employees from the banking sector using two-stage probability sampling. Disproportionate stratified random sampling and simple random sampling were employed to collect responses. To analyze the data, multi-group analysis was applied using PLS-SEM technique through SmartPLS 3.0. Results demonstrated that congruence between brand image and individuals has a moderating effect on the relationship between brand confidence and employee brand equity in conventional banking. Responsibility to maintain brand image has a moderating effect on the relationship between brand knowledge and employee brand equity in conventional banking. In case of Islamic banking, only congruence between brand image and individuals exhibited a moderating role on the relationship between brand knowledge and employee brand equity. The importance of brand understanding of employees and psychological ownership of a brand has been widely discussed in branding literature. However, only a few studies investigated the relationship between dimensions of employee brand understanding and the employee brand psychological ownership with employee brand equity. The cognitive and affective sentiments of both exogenous latent constructs, their relationships, and the interaction effect of cognitive and affective sentiments were seldom discussed in branding literature. This study covers the in-depth view and investigation of brand understanding of employ¬ees and the affective and cognitive sentiments of brand psychological ownership with em¬ployee behavior toward a brand. This study also uncovers the moderating role of affective sentiments of brand psychological ownership on the relationship between cognitive senti¬ments of employee brand understanding and employee brand equity. This study will help researchers analyze the in-depth role of affective and cognitive sentiments on brand sup¬portive related behavior of employees.

Extrinsic versus intrinsic approaches to managing a multi-brand salesforce: when and how do they work?

This research contrasts two approaches to managing multi-brand salesperson efforts: (1) the extrinsic approach via a brand-specific quota emphasis, and (2) the intrinsic approach via salesperson brand identification. Using multi-source data from a large food distributor, we uncover how and when each approach is more effective. First, beyond its direct and indirect positive effects on salesperson brand-specific effort through salesperson brand psychological ownership, a brand-specific quota emphasis is more effective in boosting effort in selling the brand among more experienced salespeople. Second, beyond its indirect positive effect on salesperson effort through salesperson brand psychological ownership, salesperson brand identification is less effective at increasing salesperson effort among more competitive salespeople, suggesting a redundancy effect. These findings provide novel insights into the effectiveness of two distinct approaches to managing multi-brand salesperson effort and performance.

Corporate Branding, Brand Psychological Ownership and Brand Citizenship Behaviour: Multilevel Analysis and Managerial Implications

Brand psychological ownership can be defined as a psychological experience producing positive brand attitudes and brand cognitions, such as a feeling of ownership towards a brand, and altruistic spirit towards brand-related activities. Building on, and extending the work of Chang. Chiang and Han (2012), this paper investigates the antecedents and consequences of brand psychological ownership. A multilevel approach is taken to investigate the relationship between three major constructs related to branding efforts: brand psychological ownership, corporate branding and brand citizenship behaviour. In the individual analysis, brand psychological ownership was found to have a positive effect on brand citizenship behaviour. In the multilevel analyses the results show that corporate branding has a positive effect on brand psychological ownership and brand citizenship behaviour. As a result, leaders and general managers can use corporate brand building as a tool for employee motivation and even cultural change. Organisational-level brand citizenship behaviour is found to positively affect brand equity. Furthermore, brand psychological ownership mediated the relationship between corporate branding and brand citizenship behaviour in the multilevel relationship. The paper discusses these findings, their contribution to current literature and their implications for future research and management development.

A multilevel investigation of relationships among brand‐centered HRM, brand psychological ownership, brand citizenship behaviors, and customer satisfaction

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the process of internal brand management that makes employees identify with the corporate brand and produce positive attitudes and behaviors, thus contributing to customer satisfaction. Three constructs, brand‐centered HRM, brand psychological ownership, and brand citizenship behaviors, are utilized to examine the process of internal brand management. The first construct, brand‐centered human resource management (HRM), represents managerial practices that improve brand cognitions and brand attitude of employees. The second construct, brand psychological ownership, explains the psychological experiences that make employees feel brand ownership and then express altruistic spirit of the brand. The third construct, brand citizenship behaviors, shows that employees live the brand.Design/methodology/approachThis multilevel research of collecting data from 453 employees, 172 supervisors, and 933 customers from 26 hotels demonstrates the results of different levels. Hierarchical linear modeling is utilized to investigate the relationships among these constructs.FindingsResults at the individual level show that brand psychological ownership of employees has positive effects on brand citizenship behaviors, and all factors of these two constructs are also correlated positively. Results at the cross level demonstrate that brand‐centered HRM has positive effects on brand psychological ownership and brand citizenship behaviors. Organizational‐level brand citizenship behaviors positively affect customer satisfaction. Furthermore, brand psychological ownership partially mediates the relationship between brand‐centered HRM and brand citizenship behaviors.Practical implicationsAn organization can adopt brand‐centered HR practices to make employees produce brand psychological ownership and brand citizenship behaviors, thus contributing to customer satisfaction. HR managers can strengthen employees' brand citizenship behaviors by fostering their brand psychological ownership feelings.Originality/valueThis paper explores the conception, measurement, and explanatory power of the new research construct (i.e. brand psychological ownership) on the effectiveness of internal brand management.