Romantic Brand Research Articles

Gen Y consumers' brand loyalty: a brand romance perspective

PurposeAs Generation Y is considered to be a lucrative segment for emerging devices, this study investigates the effect of emotional brand attachment, from the brand romance perspective, on brand loyalty of Generation Y smartphone users. Furthermore, this study examines gender differences in the same relationship.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted a cross-sectional survey method and data was collected from 300 respondents. Data was analyzed using the structural equation modelling (SEM) approach and multi-group analysis was performed to examine gender differences in the model.FindingsResults revealed that all three aspects of brand romance (pleasure, arousal and dominance) have a positive impact on smartphone brand loyalty. It further denotes that the relationship between brand romance and brand loyalty differs from males to females.Originality/valueThis study makes a significant contribution by examining emotional attachment and brand loyalty of Generation Y consumers, which has been less investigated. Furthermore, both attitudinal and behavioral brand loyalty has been considered in this study, which has largely been overlooked in similar studies. Examining the gender difference in the above relationship is an additional contribution.

Brand Romance; An Upright Predictor of Brand Loyalty in Mobile Phone Market, based on University Academics in Sri Lanka

Today, the fast-growing mobile phone industry necessitates marketers to develop strong customer-brand relationships in order to maintain a loyal customer base and prevent them from switching to other competitive brands in the market. In such a context; the concept of ‘Brand Romance’ is imperative for marketers to uplift brand attitude and brand loyalty of consumers. So, the main objective of this research is to investigate the impact of brand romance on brand loyalty in the mobile phone market, with a special reference to the University Academics of Sri Lanka. Indeed, this is a cross-sectional study with a deductive approach, supported by three dimensions of brand romance namely brand pleasure, brand arousal and brand dominance, introduced by Patwardhan & Balasubramanian, (2011). A sample of 200 Academics was selected using simple random sampling and data was collected using a structured questionnaire, administered via emails. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics revealed that the sample respondents exhibit a moderate level of brand loyalty as well as moderate levels of all the three dimensions of brand romance towards the currently using mobile phone brand. Further, results of regression analysis revealed that there is a significant impact of brand pleasure (p<0.05), arousal (p<0.05) and dominance (p<0.05) on brand loyalty. Therefore, it is recommended for marketers to develop strategies fostering brand romance in order to develop a loyal customer base with the brand for the long run.

Romancing the Brands on Social Media

Previous studies on emotional attachment with brands have overlooked the importance of brand romance in such relationships. Research has provided ample evidence that suggests brand romance can also strengthen brand loyalty. With the emergence of social media marketing (SMM) in managing consumer-brand relationships, it becomes critical to study the role of SMM in building brand romance. This study is an attempt to study the influence of SMM on Brand Romance and Brand loyalty. Further, this study also examines the mediating role played by brand romance between SMM and brand loyalty. This research has measured SMM as a second order construct which also makes this study unique. This study used quantitative research design targeting luxury consumers in four metropolitan cities in India which has a growing luxury consumer population. This survey targeted 400 customers using convenience sampling method which resulted in 223 functional responses. Both reliability and validity tests were conducted on measurement scales before conducting factor analysis. The relationships were tested using path analysis in SEM which revealed the positive direct influence of SMM on brand romance, direct influence of brand romance on brand loyalty and positive direct influence of SMM on brand loyalty. The results also revealed the full mediation of brand pleasure and partial mediation by both brand arousal and brand dominance in the relationship between SMM and brand loyalty. This study has important marketing implication for marketers which are exploiting social media for promoting their brands and further cementing consumer-brand relationship. Future studies can extend this study to other product and service segments which are more experiential in nature.

The influence of brand romance on Iranian youths' loyalty towards fast-moving consumer goods

Brand romance is considered as an important construct in marketing especially in brand area leading to the occurrence of some behaviours in consumers; however, a few types of research have been conducted on the importance of brand romance in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG). This study aim to identify sub-dimensions of brand romance through depth interview and then analysing the data by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. In qualitative phase, depth interview have been conducted by consumers (48 samples), and in quantitative phase questionnaire have been distributed among consumers of fast-moving consumer goods (400 samples) in Mazandaran province (north of Iran). Data were analysed using SPSS to measure exploratory factor analysis and Lisrel to test the hypotheses. This study has presented a 38-item scale with seven distinct dimensions, including pleasure, uniqueness, intimacy, arousal, liking, connection and indifference. Also, structural equation modelling (SEM) shows that brand romance has positive effect on cognitive, affective, conative and behavioural loyalty. So, brand romance is a good predictor for customer loyalty.

The influence of brand romance on Iranian youths' loyalty towards fast-moving consumer goods

The influence of brand romance on Iranian youths' loyalty towards fast-moving consumer goods

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

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.

Finding desirable post-consumption behaviors

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the antecedents and consequences of romantic brand love in the luxury hotel context.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from guests who had stayed at a luxury hotel within the past year and analyzed using structural equation modeling.FindingsThe findings indicate that uniqueness and hedonic values are a prerequisite of evoking closeness and passionate feelings toward hotel brands, resulting in guests’ advocacy and willingness to pay a premium price.Practical implicationsThis study provides practical implications for luxury hotel marketers by introducing a new angle to understand brand love and suggesting desirable post-consumption behaviors through creating romantic love relationships between guests and hotel brands.Originality/valueResearch on the multidimensional aspects of luxury value is limited. This study proposes a conceptual model to investigate which luxury values enable guests to fall in love with brands and influence future behavior decisions and identifies opportunities for managerial benefits relating to consumers who are not traditional or frequent visitors to hotels.

Ethics of mobile behavioral advertising: Antecedents and outcomes of perceived ethical value of advertised brands

The practice of mobile behavioral advertising, which involves monitoring and analyzing customer mobile browsing behavior and location in order to provide behavior-based personalized advertisements, is on the increase. This study investigated consumer perceptions of the ethical value of the brands advertised using mobile behavioral advertising, and the precursors and outcomes of these perceptions. Data was collected in Gauteng, South Africa from 500 consumers who indicated that they had previously been targeted by mobile behavioral advertising. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. The results suggest that perceived privacy control, desire for privacy, privacy concerns, and attitude towards mobile behavioral advertising exert a significant influence on consumers' perception of brand ethical value. Perceived brand ethical value was found to affect advertisement avoidance and brand customer relationship quality as denoted by brand romance. Marketers can use the study's findings to manage their mobile behavioral advertising practices better.

Moving from Cognitive Loyalty to Behavioral Loyalty through Brand Romance: Evidence from Hotel Industry of Iran

International online peer-reviewed open-access journal offers a possibility for the international community of professionals working in the fields of regional and rural development or tourism to exchange their ideas and research results or practical achievements as it publishes results of both theoretical and applied research in these fields.

Devoted to you my love: brand devotion amongst young consumers in emerging Indian market

Purpose Research investigating brand devotion among young consumers is scarce particularly in emerging Asian market context. The objective of this study was to qualitatively explore the evolutionary process leading to brand devotion amongst the young Indian consumers. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured depth interviews were conducted to collect data. Data was analyzed using grounded theory method. Findings The grounded theory framework developed shows single brand devotion in a product category as the key phenomenon along with the associated factors and evolutionary processes. Originality/value This study explores how single brand devotion is distinct from romantic brand love, as experienced by consumers. Value of this article also lies in developing a grounded theory framework for single brand devotion in emerging Asian market context.

Brand Romance: Using the Power of High Design to Build a Lifelong Relationship with Your Audience

Brand Romance: Using the Power of High Design to Build a Lifelong Relationship with Your Audience

The dimensions of brand romance as predictors of brand loyalty among cell phone users

In a competitive cell phone industry where consumers have a wide variety of cell phone brands to choose from, it is imperative for marketers to foster brand loyalty in order to establish enduring consumer-brand relationships. Nurturing brand romance has been suggested to marketers to cultivate emotional attachments between consumers and brands so as to increase brand loyalty. This study focussed on determining the extent to which the three underlying dimensions of brand romance, namely pleasure, arousal and dominance predict brand loyalty among cell phone users in the North West province. In total 371 respondents participated in the study. Results indicate that with respect to brand romance, respondents’ current cell phone brands generate brand pleasure and brand arousal, but that these brands are not dominant in their minds. Although respondents participating in the study did not exhibit strong levels of brand loyalty towards their current cell phone brands, the three underlying dimensions of brand romance are statistically significant predictors of brand loyalty.

Examination of the roles played by brand love and jealousy in shaping customer engagement

Purpose – The purpose of the present paper is to develop and validate a scale of romantic brand jealousy and to examine the role played by the brand love-jealousy framework on consumers' active engagement. Design/methodology/approach – In order to develop and validate the romantic brand jealousy scale the present study has employed Churchill's methodology. The study has used common factor analysis and structural equation modeling using LISREL 8.72. Findings – This research provides empirical evidence for a three-item romantic brand jealousy scale. The study results indicate that the romantic jealousy scale developed is valid and reliable. It also shows that in contrast to previous literature, wherein authors found that brand love would create customer engagement, the brand love-jealousy framework would act as a better mediator to create customer engagement and also to motivate the customer to purchase the brand. Research limitations/implications – This research was conducted in a specific country (India). It would be more robust if the scale developed by this study could be examined in the context of other countries. Practical implications – This study is expected to help managers to formulate a better marketing strategy to increase customer engagement using the proposed brand love-jealousy framework. Originality/value – This research adds value to the domain of consumer psychology research by proposing that brand jealousy needs to be created along with brand love in customer's mind to augment the level of active engagement.

Romantic brand love: A conceptual analysis

Romantic brand love: A conceptual analysis

Reflections on emotional attachment to brands: Brand romance and brand love

Reflections on emotional attachment to brands: Brand romance and brand love

Investigating brand romance, brand attitude and brand loyalty in the cellphone industry

Orientation: Fast growth and intense competition characterise the South African cellphone industry. Customers switch easily between cellphone brands and marketers are challenged to cultivate brand relationships with customers in order to ensure brand loyalty.Research purpose: This study investigated the brand romance, -attitude and -loyalty of customers toward their cellphone brands in the North West Province, South Africa.Motivation for the study: One way in which brand loyalty in the cellphone industry can be achieved is to influence attitudes and, ultimately, create brand loyalty by promoting brand romance between the customer and the brand.Research design, approach and method: Being quantitative in nature, the study followed a descriptive research design to collect 371 responses through self-administered questionnaires.Main findings: The results indicated that most respondents were contract customers who only use a brand of cellphone for between one and three years. Brand romance toward cellphone brands was positive although room for improvement exists. Brand attitude toward current cellphone brands was also positive, but brand loyalty was fairly low, indicating that marketers need to improve brand loyalty toward their cellphone brand. There were, furthermore, significant and positive relationships between brand romance, brand attitude and brand loyalty toward cellphone brands.Practical/managerial implications: Brand romance can be considered to be a viable way of improving attitude toward a cellphone brand, ultimately leading to brand loyalty.Contribution/value-add: Brand romance in brand relationships has significant and positive relationships with brand attitude and brand loyalty in the cellphone industry of South Africa.

Understanding and measuring romantic brand love

Understanding and measuring romantic brand love

Adapting the Saints: Romantic Hagiography in Felicia Hemans's Records of Woman

Throughout Records of Woman: With Other Poems (1828), Felicia Hemans repurposes biographies of female saints, prosopographies of exemplary women, and sacred art to interrogate women's domestic roles across cultures. By merging secular and religious emotions, Hemans constructs a distinctly Romantic brand of hagiography that venerates exemplary women who embrace suffering and death for a noble cause. Hemans's critics imposed a more traditional model of hagiography onto her biography after her death, thereby shaping the Romantic poet's posthumous reputation into that of a saintly Victorian poetess.

Brand romance: a complementary approach to explain emotional attachment toward brands

PurposeThis research aims to explain consumer attraction to brands when stimulation needs are paramount using the perspective of the Self‐Expansion Model. In doing so, it seeks to identiy brand romance – a more proximal construct to brand loyalty and aims to offer a complementary perspective to understand emotional attachment to brands.Design/methodology/approachA series of four studies developed and validated a three‐factor, 12‐item measurement scale for brand romance using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Reliability, convergent, criterion, discriminant and nomological validities were established.FindingsBrand romance is a reliable, valid, and a more proximal construct that explains loyalty significantly better than attitudes.Research limitations/implicationsStudent subjects constitute the sample and the findings are cautiously generalizable to adult populations. Future research should focus on teasing out product category effects, extending generalizability to other product categories and integrating the Attachment Theory perspective with the study's findings to offer a more comprehensive explanation for loyalty.Practical implicationsConsumers are likely to remain loyal to brands to which they are attracted. The brand romance construct captures this attraction. Marketers need to infuse their brands with novel perspectives, resources and identities on a continuous basis to satisfy stimulation needs and keep the attraction strong. This involves creating new brand associations that help the brand to stay relevant.Originality/valueTo the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to apply the Self‐expansion Model to brand relationships. The research contributes a unique perspective in explaining emotional attachment to brands brought on by stimulation needs. It fills a gap in the emotional attachment literature and provides marketers with a tool to monitor consumers' attraction to brands.

Elite and Popular Religion: The Case of Newman

Among the signal insights of twentieth-century scholarship was the recognition that early Christianity accorded personal importance to the plebs. First, Eric Auerbach analysed the humble speech forms of early Christianity, contrasting them with the literature of learned pagans. The point was developed by Ramsay MacMullen in an important essay entitled ‘Sermo humilis’. Arnaldo Momigliano applied these insights to the theologians, historians and hagiographers of the fourth and fifth centuries. He showed how Augustine, Jerome, Socrates, Sozomen, and Theodoret of Cyr succeeded, as pagan intellectuals had not succeeded, in ‘abolishing the internal frontiers between the learned and the vulgar’. Finally, Peter Brown, in a series of brilliant works from The Cult of the Saints to his revised biography of Augustine, supplied a means of discerning in the practice of universal baptism the ‘antidote’ to the exaggerations of fourth-century ascetical elitism. Augustine imparted to the Western Middle Ages a confidence in the power of sacramental grace as efficacious not only for the ascetic few, but as communicating to the many a capacity for growth in charity, purity, and prayer. Such a perspective on the religion of the many bids adieu to Gibbon’s story of ‘philosophy’ collapsing into ‘barbarism and religion’; to Hume’s account of the superstitious and the credulous; and to Henry Hart Milman’s Romantic brand of Liberal Anglicanism as marked by ‘condescension’ towards ‘popular religion’ occluding ‘the thought processes of the average man’; a habit of mind to which Peter Brown surprisingly appended the name of Newman.