This study proposes and empirically tests the impact of two dimensions of brand personality (excitement and sincerity) on brand love and, subsequently, on store brand loyalty and +WOM in the context of online retailers. The data were collected from 500 respondents to test the proposed model using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results demonstrated that the two dimensions of brand personality as well as brand love have a positive impact on store brand loyalty and +WOM. Additionally, ‘sincerity’ and ‘excitement’ had a direct effect on store brand loyalty but not on +WOM. However, both the personality dimensions influenced +WOM through brand love and store brand loyalty.

Manoj Motiani

Marketing

Roy P

Khandeparkar K

IIM Indore seeks to be a contextually-relevant business school with world-class academic standards that develops socially-conscious managers, leaders and entrepreneurs. IIM Indore is committed to: Excellence in management education, research, and training, Use of contemporary participant-centric pedagogies and teaching methods, A presence in emerging segments of management education.

IIM Indore

Journal of Brand Management

Past research has shown that consumers develop a feeling of love for brands that help them in expresssing their self-identity. Along with buyers who purchase original brands, counterfeit-buyers can also develop this feeling for the original brands. Through multi-group SEM analysis, we find a number of differences in antecedents as well as outcomes in the two types of love. The results demonstrate that the two components of self-expressiveness (inner and social) affect the two types of love (real and fake) differently. Additionally, we also study how the two types of love influence+ WOM and brand resilience differently.

Fulltext

Marketing Intelligence and Planning

Fake Love: Brand love in the context of counterfeits

Purpose Recent studies have indicated that consumers who knowingly purchase counterfeits could be in love with the brands whose counterfeits they own. Arguably, this love may not be the same as the love felt by individuals who purchase the original brand. Research in this field has not studied how these two love types differ in its genesis and consequences. Therefore, the paper aims to discuss this issue and intends to fill this gap. Design/methodology/approach This study performed a multi-group analysis using (PLS-SEM) between two groups of customers (real-buyers and fake-buyers) to elucidate the factors that separate fake-love from real-love. This study adopted a combination of convenience sampling and field visits to identify 500 individuals who were classified as either real-buyers or fake-buyers. Findings The relationship between social-self and brand love is significantly stronger for fake-buyers as compared to real-buyers. However, the relationship between inner-self and brand love is significantly stronger in the case of real-buyers as compared to fake-buyers. Real-buyers tend to be more brand resilient than fake-buyers as their love emanates primarily from the inner-self. Additionally, fake-buyers indulge in +WOM more than real-buyers as their brand love emanates from the social-self. Originality/value This is the first study to explore the concept of brand love among consumers who purchase counterfeits in spite of being able to afford the original brands. This is also the first study that is focused on identifying the antecedents and outcomes that separate real-love from fake-love.

Journal	Data powered by TypesetJournal of Brand Management
Publisher	Data powered by TypesetSpringer
ISSN	1350-231X
Open Access	No