Customer-brand Relationship Research Articles

Examining the Dynamics of Fashion Trends, Self-Brand Congruence, and Consumer Engagement, with a Mediating Lens on Brand Trust in Customer-Brand Relationships

This study examines the intricate relationship between fashion trends, self-brand congruence, brand trust, and the customer-brand relationship within the context of Pakistani consumers' interactions with clothing brands. Furthermore, the study objectives are to examine the mediating role of brand trust between observed variables. The objectives include the clarification of the collective influence of these aspects, filling a theoretical gap within the framework of Pakistan, and providing marketers with practical insights. The study used a quantitative research approach, using a convenience sampling technique to choose a sample of 300 participants. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) is a statistical technique that is often used for the interpretation of data obtained from an online survey. The findings illustrate the interconnectedness of these dimensions by the observation of robust positive associations across fashion trends, self-brand congruency, brand trust, and customer engagement. Furthermore, the findings indicated that there is a significant mediating role of brand trust between Fashion Trends, Self-Brand Congruence, and Consumer Engagement, with a Mediating Lens on Brand Trust in Customer-Brand Relationships. This research has a distinctive quality since it specifically investigates these interactions within the Pakistani garment business, hence offering implications for consumer engagement initiatives and brand strategy. However, the use of cross-sectional data in this research imposes constraints on the capacity to establish causal relationships between the variables. This study is novel in the context of Pakistan as it is significant for customers, marketers, and policy makers for taking prudent decisions based on current research findings.

Understanding customer experience over time and customer citizenship behavior in retail environment: The mediating role of customer brand relationship strength

Understanding customer experience over time and customer citizenship behavior in retail environment: The mediating role of customer brand relationship strength

항공사의 고객자산이 감정적 고객-브랜드관계, 브랜드 만족 및 충성도에 미치는 영향

Based on the social exchange theory, this study proposes a conceptual model to understand the relationship between airline customer equity, brand satisfaction, emotional customer-brand relationship, and brand loyalty. The goals of this study are threefold: 1) to examine the direct effect of customer equity on brand satisfaction, emotional customer-brand relationship, and brand loyalty; 2) to identify the indirect effect of brand satisfaction and emotional customer-brand relationship on the relationship between customer equity and brand loyalty; and 3) to verify the moderating effect of switching costs in financial, procedural, and relational terms. To validate this study, a survey was conducted among users of full-service airlines using an online survey company. Twenty-eight questionnaires with missing values or insincere responses were excluded, leaving 392 out of 420 for analysis. The study found that an airline's customer equity has a direct effect on brand satisfaction and emotional customer-brand relationship, and an indirect effect on brand loyalty. Moreover, financial and relational switching costs were found to have a moderating effect. The study confirms that brand satisfaction and emotional customer-brand relationship mediate the relationship between customer equity and brand loyalty in airlines. Additionally, it was confirmed that financial and relational switching costs act as barriers to switching.

BRAND ATTACHMENT, BRAND EXPERIENCE, BRAND IMAGE, PERCIEVED QUALITY, PERCEIVED VALUE, AND BRAND LOYALTY

This research investigated the relationship between brand attachment, brand experience, and brand image, and their influence on perceived quality, perceived value, and brand loyalty, with a specific focus on the Mashhad Leather brand in Iran. Employing an applied and descriptive research approach, the study utilized a comprehensive survey method facilitated by a standard questionnaire to gather data from a diverse group of 386 Mashhad Leather consumers. Leveraging the SmartPLS software for rigorous analysis, the study uncovered several crucial findings that shed light on the dynamics between the aforementioned variables. The results underscore the substantial impact of brand attachment, brand experience, and brand image on the perceived quality of Mashhad Leather products, highlighting the significance of emotional and experiential connections in shaping consumer perceptions. Additionally, the study reveals a robust correlation between perceived quality and perceived value, indicating that consumers' judgments of product excellence significantly shape their assessment of the brand's worth. Notably, the research findings establish perceived value as a key driver of brand loyalty, emphasizing the pivotal role it plays in fostering enduring customer-brand relationships.

Is Chatbot Marketing have a Relationship with Electronic Word of Mouth? A Mediating Role of the Customer-Brand Relationship

Is Chatbot Marketing have a Relationship with Electronic Word of Mouth? A Mediating Role of the Customer-Brand Relationship

The Power of Emotional Advertising Appeals: Examining Their Influence on Consumer Purchasing Behavior and Brand–Customer Relationship

Irrationality is a strong phenomenon in consumer behavior that significantly impacts final purchase decisions. Through holistic approaches, companies have become more oriented towards emotional experiences. This study investigates the emotional impact of Dove brand advertising appeals on the frequency and intensity of emotions experienced by Slovak consumers. A theoretical framework was created for the conceptual development of emotional appeals in advertising and their impact on irrational purchasing behavior. An online questionnaire was conducted using the scale of subjective emotional habitual well-being (“SEHP”) of the psychodiagnostic tool on a sample of 417 Slovak consumers. The results show that (1) advertising with emotional appeal has different effects on consumers’ purchasing behavior depending on their age, (2) advertising with emotional appeal affects consumers more negatively than positively, and (3) the use of emotional appeal in the advertising space creates an emotional connection with the brand. Our study shows that the current trends in the influence of emotional appeal can promote impulsive and irrational buying behaviors. Thus, consumers become part of the brand, creating an emotional connection between them. This connection can result in positive purchase decisions. Creating emotional appeal in cosmetic products also has social significance in building self-confidence, status, and beauty.

The Impact of Customer-Centric Sustainability on Brand Relationships

This paper contributes to the existing but scarce literature on customer-centric sustainability and measures consumers’ perceptions of fast-fashion brands regarding economic, environmental, and social sustainability. Furthermore, it aims to test the impact of each dimension of customer–brand relationships, specifically brand trust, affective brand commitment, and continuance brand commitment. A research model and nine hypotheses were tested through multiple linear regressions using a convenience sample of 228 Portuguese fast-fashion consumers. It also provides additional insights into how consumers’ perceptions of the three dimensions of sustainability might affect customer–brand relationships, namely brand trust and brand commitment. The results reveal a significant relationship between all dimensions of customer-centric sustainability and brand trust. Furthermore, economic sustainability and social sustainability were found to significantly predict effective brand commitment. Additionally, this study demonstrates that brand trust positively influences consumers’ intentions to maintain long-term relationships with fast-fashion brands. The implications of the results are discussed in detail, shedding light on the importance of incorporating customer-centric sustainability practices into brand management strategies within the fast-fashion industry. Further elaboration and discussion of the results can be found in this study.

Nexus among augmented reality, customer purchase intention, customer experience and customer brand relationship: Application on Vichy brand

Nexus among augmented reality, customer purchase intention, customer experience and customer brand relationship: Application on Vichy brand

Promoting brand gratitude through unique emotional connection: a qualitative study

PurposeA growing challenge for organizations is to keep their brand relevant and connected to consumers. This can be achieved by connecting the consumer not only through conventional lines but also through means of developing emotional bonding, leading to brand gratitude. This study aims to develop a conceptual model by identifying a set of components and establishing a probable linkage between them for the development of brand gratitude.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative study involving three focus group discussions with industry experts was conducted to identify the brand elements that can help build a strong emotional connection between the brand and customers, leading to brand gratitude.FindingsThe study identified the different brand elements and their relative influence on building the consumer-brand emotional connection. These components were then incorporated into a conceptual model for creating a “Unique Emotional Connection” (UEC). The outcome of the UEC model is enhanced and long-lasting association of the brand through brand gratitude.Originality/valueAn integrated study to understand the different elements influencing customer-brand emotional connection is rare. Also, papers studying the role of gratitude in brand management are limited. This study has tried to address these gaps through a conceptual framework that can help marketing practitioners to develop a long-lasting customer-brand relationship.

Role of Technology in Marketing: AI, AR and VR

Artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and Virtual reality have fundamentally transformed customer-brand relationships. These technologies have the potential to allow companies to customize their product or service, and messages to their target audiences the specific preferences and needs. These emerging technologies have gotten a lot of attention in the marketing world as a new way to attract customers and improve their brand experiences. The goal of this study is to identify the most important aspects of AI, AR, and VR for the successful adoption of business in the marketing sector. This research work is aimed to analyze the impact of AI, AR, and VR on marketing.

The Role of Perceived Quality and Customer Self-Incongruence on Customer-Brand Disidentification

Previous research in customer-brand relationships has found brand disidentification as one of the reasons for customers turning against brands. However, there is not much clarity on the antecedents of brand disidentification. Aligning with the balance theory, this research argues that self-incongruence and positive/negative emotions with the brand are related to brand disidentification. Taking the sample of 292 observations and using structural equation modeling (SEM), it was found that self-incongruence is the main driver of customer-brand disidentification (CBD). Similarly, perceived quality was found to be related to CBD for low level of self-incongruence. Based on our survey prompt, which asked respondents to consider brands that they have previously purchased and utilized but no longer use because they no longer align with their current identity, our data analysis suggests that the process of CBD occurs over time. Additionally, we find that CBD is not only associated with negative emotions but also encompasses positive emotions.

Moderating effects of uncertainty on relative brand trust–love

Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide information that reflects the true state of affairs and to develop a conceptual model that examines the moderating effect of uncertainty on relative brand trust–love. Design/methodology/approach Extant empirical studies, conceptual literature and related theories were identified and integrated to develop the conceptual model. Findings Findings of the study suggest that relative brand trust–love arises because of different components of uncertainty. Relative brand trust–love exhibited by the customer is moderated by uncertainty at the individual level, brand level and technology level. These uncertainties represent the situation that considers if relative brand trust–love can be enhanced. A few propositions have been suggested for such situations to enhance relative brand trust–love. Research limitations/implications This paper proposes a conceptual model and also makes research propositions that need to be validated and confirmed empirically. It adds value to theoretical advancements in strengthening the customer–brand relationship. Furthermore, results suggest that relative brand trust–love can be improved over time if these components can be supported by increasing information at different levels. The conclusions will be informative to practitioners and brand managers in strengthening a brand into the market more effectively. Moreover, it can transform the brand into a global brand and help build sustainable long-term relationships. Findings can be useful and interesting information for the researchers who are interested in finding strategic ways for effective decision-making related to brand trust and brand love. Originality/value The conceptual model, and the propositions related to different levels of uncertainty, and its effect on relative brand trust–love, is a new approach in enhancing relative brand trust–love and hence helpful in strengthening the quality of customer–brand relationships.

Quality of Life and the Digital Service Landscape: The Moderating Role of Customer Complaining Effort.

The last decade, and more specifically the COVID-19 pandemic, has created a favorable environment for digitalization, which has become a necessary condition in the context of how everyday life is conducted. Even if digital communication and services have become a trend and help brand-customer relationships, brands still have more gaps to close. The purpose of this study was to investigate how consumers' behaviors and digital interactions impact their shopping well-being and quality of life, and how the level of customer complaining effort affects the relationship between digital behavior and quality of life. This research provides practical implications for companies and marketers that offer digital services and technologies, helping them design and deliver more effective and customer-centric digital experiences. Additionally, it contributes to the growing interest in how digital services and technologies can improve consumer experiences and quality of life. This study surveyed 331 respondents in Romania. Results show that digital behavior influences consumers' shopping well-being and comes with insights that strengthen the importance of reducing consumers' cognitive and procedural effort in order to increase their quality of life. The paper discusses the implications for brands that must design easy experiences to gain more loyal customers, the study's implications and novelty for the warranty area.

A framework for transitioning brand trust to brand love

PurposeThis study aims to propose a conceptual framework for transition of brand trust to brand love in an uncertain market situation, from the perspective of cognitive-emotion theory (CET).Design/methodology/approachSince brand anthropomorphism is successfully established in branding research, this study takes cognitive characteristics of brand trust and emotional characteristic of brand love from extant literature to develop a conceptual framework for transformation of brand trust (cognition) into brand love (emotion). This study situates the relationship in the context of market uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It focuses in the development of the conceptual framework by taking cognitive components of brand trust and brand behavioural characteristics as moderator, in uncertain market situation.FindingsFindings suggest that transition of brand trust (cognition) to brand love (emotion) is possible in uncertain situation, and brand behavioural characteristics moderate this relationship. Brand behavioural characteristics are brand innovativeness, brand ethicality, brand empathy, brand expertise and brand agility, which have the potential to further strengthen the relationship in the given situation.Research limitations/implicationsThis research proposes a conceptual model and propositions that add a rich understanding to the relationship of brand trust and brand love, which requires empirical testing in any brand category context. Through a richer understanding of conditions and the underlying psychological mechanism, researchers and marketers, brand managers, policymakers and so forth can gain insights that aid strategic decision-making. Trusted brands can leverage on the situation by highlighting unique behavioural characteristics to establish a strong and sustainable long-term relationship.Originality/valueThe current research is an attempt to provide deeper insights from the perspective of CET, into the relationship of brand trust (cognition) and brand love (emotion) by introducing conditions under which a trusted brand becomes a lovable brand in uncertain market situation, thereby adding new knowledge to branding, customer-brand relationship sustainability, in uncertainty literature. The new perspective, that is CET, puts forward a novice view on the advantage of brand love over brand trust that could help in formulating strategic decisions in managing brands in crisis situation.

When hospitality brands go green: the role of authenticity and stereotypes in building customer-green brand relationships

Drawing on the logic behind customer-brand relationships, this study presents a model outlining the role of brand authenticity in the context of green hospitality brands. A cross-sectional survey was administered to 352 Korean consumers who visited green hospitality premises. The results indicated that functional qualities and stakeholder involvement are essential to building perceived green brand authenticity. The study supported that an authentic green brand is instrumental in increasing customer beliefs about its warmth and competence. Surprisingly, the results showed that evaluating a green brand as warm is the key to building green brand trust, while found a non-significant influence of green brand competence on green brand trust. This study also provided evidence that when green brand trust is formed, its effect on both green brand love and green brand identification is noticeable, which then translates into green brand choice. Overall, this study enriches the significance of the perception of green brand authenticity in fostering a favorable relationship between customers and green brands. In green brand management, brand stereotypes play a dual role in the brand choice formation. Furthermore, contextually induced green stimuli, which include operations, employee behavior, and customer engagement, are required to influence customer perception of green brand authenticity.

Examining user-generated content, service failure recovery and customer–brand relationships: an exploration through commitment-trust theory

PurposeUser-generated content (UGC) and service failure have attracted considerable marketing inquiry over the last two decades. Previous studies primarily focused on the outcome of service failure and the impact of UGC on perceived failure severity. This article departs from previous studies as it examines the moderating role of UGC on the relationship between service failure recovery (SFR) and customer–brand relationship.Design/methodology/approachBuilding on commitment-trust theory and from a phenomenological hermeneutical perspective, this article explores this phenomenon through the interpretation of 60 in-depth interviews with millennials from three European countries: Italy, France and the UK. An analysis of the data was conducted using a qualitative approach to understand the main constructs and relationships derived from the data.FindingsThis study conceptualises four distinct moderating characteristics of UGC in the SFR process: satisfaction with experience and brand, dissatisfaction with experience and brand, satisfaction with brand and dissatisfaction with brand. The insights from the responsiveness, empathetic response, counterfactual thinking and brand salience (RECB) framework contribute to research on UGC and shed light on the relationship between SFR and consumer–brand relationships in the fashion industry.Originality/valueOverall, this study demonstrates that customer interactions with UGC significantly affect their responses to, and relationships with, a brand. The proposed framework opens up interesting avenues for future research on the moderating role of UGC on the relationship between SFR and customer–brand relationships.

I am attracted to my Cool Smart Assistant! Analyzing Attachment-Aversion in AI-Human Relationships

The conversation between humans and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled intelligent voice assistants (IVA) can create bonds that go beyond a mere utilitarian purpose. The emotional cues in a Human-AI conversation can lead consumers to feel connected with the AI-agents and even consider such a relationship as cool. Although brand coolness is known to affect consumer behavior, little is known about how consumers perceive a close relationship with IVAs and what the drivers of their use or avoidance are. Therefore, the current paper adds to the literature by analyzing how AI-enabled voice assistant experience affects IVA coolness and customer-brand relationships using the attachment-aversion (A-A) theory. A total of 308 consumers showed that affective, behavioral, and intellectual experiences with the intelligent voice assistant affect IVA coolness. IVA coolness was also found to affect A-A relationships positively, influencing consumers’ motivational strength to adopt, maintain and enhance the relationship in the future.

Experience Marketing and Customer Retention in the Nigerian Telecommunications Industry

The Nigerian Telecommunications Industry is classified as the fastest-growing and most competitive Telecommunications industry in the world. It has the largest subscriber base in Africa with over 150 million subscribers. Due to the increased competitiveness in the telecommunication industry in Nigeria, customer retention has become the focus of telecommunication providers. It is in this light that this paper is built. Hence, the general objective of the paper is to determine the effect of experience marketing on customer retention in the Nigerian Telecommunications industry. The study made use of primary data gotten through a validated set of structured questionnaires which was distributed to a selected sample of 402 respondents within the six states of the south-south geo-political zone of the Niger Delta Area of Nigeria, which are Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Calabar, Edo, Delta and River States. The paper adopted correlation and regression analysis to test the formulated research questions and hypotheses. After the analysis, it was discovered that there was a strong and positive effect of experience marketing on customer retention in the Nigerian Telecommunications industry. The study, therefore, concluded that Customer Service Quality, Customer Brand Relationship, and Customer Emotional Experience are good indicators and dimensions of Experience Marketing that could increase the degree to which customer retention is enhanced in Telecommunication Firms in Nigeria. Hence, it was recommended, among others, that Telecommunication operators in Nigeria must switch from the traditional marketing approach to an experience-based marketing strategy if they want to remain relevant and competitive in the globalised telecommunication industry.

Immunizing customers against negative brand-related information

In today’s connected market, brands are more likely than ever to face negative press that can put their customer relationships to the test. Building and fortifying positive aspects of the brand-customer relationship (such as brand commitment, brand love and self-brand connections) may ward off some of the impact of negative information on customers, but this does not always provide full protection. Even customers who love a brand can turn against it when negative information enters the picture. Considering this, the current study provides an exploratory investigation into a new way to build up customer resilience that would otherwise not be formed simply by strengthening positive attributes of the customer-brand relationship. It argues that brands can strengthen their customers’ immunity to negative brand-related information by using an immunity metric (i.e., merely asking customers to reflect on their immunity makes them more resilient to actual negative information in the future). The construct of immunity has the dual benefit of being diagnostic of relationship strength, as well as acting as an immunizing agent. We test this effect and the process underlying it using three pilot studies, three multi-method studies, and interviews with customers and managers across different contexts. By doing so, the study establishes the theoretical and practical value of customer immunity to negative information and makes critical conceptual and pragmatic contributions to the existing body of customer research.

Double jeopardy: effects of inter-failures and webcare on (un-)committed online complainants’ revenge

PurposeThe purpose of this research is the exploration of online complainants' revenge based on their consumer-brand relationship strength and received webcare. The authors introduce inter-failures (i.e. the perceived number of earlier independent service failures that a customer has experienced with the same brand involved in the current service failure) as the central frame condition.Design/methodology/approachTo test our hypotheses, both a scenario-based online experiment (n = 316) and an online survey (n = 492) were conducted.FindingsWith an increasing number of inter-failures, online complainants with a high-relationship strength move from the “love is blind” effect (no inter-failures) to the “love becomes hate” effect (multiple inter-failures), when they ultimately become more revengeful than their low-relationship strength counterparts. In addition, the authors show that in the case of no or few inter-failures, accommodative webcare has a lasting positive effect over no/defensive webcare for both low- and high-relationship complainants. More importantly, however, when consumers have experienced multiple inter-failures, accommodative webcare becomes ineffective (for low-relationship complainants) or boomerangs by cultivating revenge towards the brand (among high-relationship complainants), but not strategic avoidance.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings have pronounced implications for the literature on customer–brand relationships following service failures and the literature, which predominantly emphasizes the unconditionally positive effects of accommodative webcare.Originality/valueThis study is the first that simultaneously considers the prior customer–brand relationship, inter-failures and webcare to explain online complainants' revenge.