Can brand anthropomorphism trigger emotional brand attachment?

Ma, Jianfeng; Tu, Hongwei; Xing, Zhou; Niu, Wanjie

doi:10.1080/02642069.2021.2012163

Cited by 16 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Some researchers have examined the characteristics of brand spokes-characters, mainly character expertise, character relevance and character likability (e.g., Garretson and Niedrich, 2004), among which a few pointed out the importance of nostalgia. Brand spokescharacters were used in many studies as a specific way of brand anthropomorphism (e.g., Zhou et al, 2021), while it was found that the associations between brand anthropomorphism and positive affect/emotional brand attachment were stronger among consumers with feelings of brand nostalgia (Ma et al, 2023). A case study on the Hello Kitty brand also supported the effectiveness of nostalgia as one of the eight strategies that helped build and maintain the Hello Kitty brand (Phillips and Lee, 2005).…”

Section: Conceptual Background and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Brand spokes-characters were used in many studies as a specific way of brand anthropomorphism (e.g., Zhou et al. , 2021), while it was found that the associations between brand anthropomorphism and positive affect/emotional brand attachment were stronger among consumers with feelings of brand nostalgia (Ma et al. , 2023).…”

Section: Conceptual Background and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of brand spokes-characters with personal and historical nostalgia on brand attitude: evidence from Generation Z consumers in China

Jiang

Jie

2023

APJML

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PurposeUsing Generation Z consumers from China as an example and focusing on the nostalgia-driven design of brand spokes-character, this study sought to update research on the causal relationship between nostalgia and brand attitude for younger consumers. Two types of nostalgic brand spokes-characters (i.e., eliciting personal nostalgia and historical nostalgia) were examined separately and compared to verify their contributions to more positive brand attitude, as well as related mechanisms, that is, whether consumer trust in the spokes-character mediated the relationship between nostalgic spokes-characters and brand attitude.Design/methodology/approachAn experiment was first conducted to test the causal effects of brand spokes-characters designed to elicit two types of nostalgic feelings (i.e., personal nostalgia and historical nostalgia). Then, the authors investigated the influencing mechanism of nostalgic brand spokes-characters based on bootstrap mediation models.FindingsThe results revealed that for less familiar brand spokes-characters, either type of nostalgia-driven design would enhance consumers' brand attitude. Moreover, consumer trust in the spokes-character mediated the relationship between personal-nostalgic brand spokes-characters and brand attitude.Originality/valueThis study was the first to examine personal nostalgia and historical nostalgia separately regarding the effects of nostalgic spokes-characters and related mechanisms. By combining methods of experimental design and bootstrap mediation modeling, it provided a more robust evaluation of nostalgia-driven design, and supported using certain nostalgic styles for designing brand spokes-characters, which can help modern brands draw more interest from young consumers and promote more positive brand attitude.

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Section: Conceptual Background and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Conceptual Background and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of brand spokes-characters with personal and historical nostalgia on brand attitude: evidence from Generation Z consumers in China

Jiang

Jie

2023

APJML

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“…Various manipulation strategies have been employed in marketing studies to evoke nostalgia, including brands (e.g., Nam et al, 2016) and products (e.g., Gong et al, 2023; Langaro et al, 2020), such as food (e.g., Quach et al, 2022; Wang & Chao, 2020; Zhou et al, 2019), events (e.g., Hallegatte et al, 2018), places (e.g., Ma et al, 2021), photos (e.g., Chang & Feng, 2016), and songs (e.g., Hallegatte et al, 2018). Nostalgia can also be activated by objects (e.g., incidentally through tastes or songs) or people (e.g., conversations with close friends or family) (Wildschut et al, 2006).…”

Section: Nostalgia and Its Consequencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A meta‐analysis on the psychological and behavioral consequences of nostalgia: The moderating roles of nostalgia activators, culture, and individual characteristics

Santini

Lim

Ladeira

et al. 2023

Psychology and Marketing

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While previous research suggests that nostalgia can stimulate future‐oriented motivation and goal pursuit, the presence of conflicting findings complicate our understanding of the psychological and behavioral consequences of nostalgia. This study introduces and empirically validates a theoretical framework for nostalgia through a meta‐analysis of 90 effect sizes and 9757 aggregate samples from 22 experimental studies. Our findings enrich understanding of the effects of nostalgia, showing that compared to a control, nostalgia enhances consumers' sense of pleasantness, self‐continuity, attitudes, and behavioral intentions. We also identify several moderators that shape the effects of nostalgia, namely nostalgia activators, culture, and individual characteristics. Intriguingly, stronger behavioral intentions manifest in response to nostalgic events (rather than objects), realistic (over nonrealistic) scenarios, visual (as opposed to textual) priming, and female‐majority (vs. male‐majority) samples. However, we observe that long‐term (vs. short‐term) oriented cultures exhibit diminished nostalgia effects. Furthermore, we find no significant variations in responses based on age (older vs. younger), type of nostalgic experience (personal vs. collective), and sample type (students vs. nonstudents). Collectively, our meta‐analysis reveals the intricate dynamics of nostalgia, emphasizing its profound impact on consumer behavior as shaped by moderators such as nostalgia activators, culture, and individual characteristics, thereby providing a multifaceted and nuanced understanding of nostalgia.

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“…Consumers may perceive a brand or product with human‐like characteristics as unique and distinct, leading to increased preference and purchase intention (Khenfer et al, 2020). Evidence suggests that consumers respond positively to anthropomorphized brands and products (Ma et al, 2023). For instance, Aggarwal and McGill (2007) found that consumers were more likely to form positive attitudes towards a brand when endowed with human‐like characteristics.…”

Section: Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anthropomorphism and consumer behaviour: ASPAR‐4‐SLRprotocol compliant hybrid review

Khan,

Anas,

Uddin

2023

Int J Consumer Studies

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The notion of ‘anthropomorphism’ has been a subject of intrigue for transdisciplinary academics and scholars for the longest time, as the origin of this concept dates back to the BCE (Before Common Era). Over the past few decades, anthropomorphism literature has been burgeoning in the marketing discipline and its subfields (branding, advertising, consumer behaviour, etc.). This relatively novel stream adopts anthropomorphism as a concept and offers fascinating insights into consumers and their choices, behaviour, and intentions. Although there have been several qualitative review‐based assessments of anthropomorphism within the marketing field, none have been informed by quantitative tools or through a framework‐based approach. Our hybrid variant of systematic review fills this gap by using bibliometric techniques (performance analysis, co‐authorship analysis of countries and authors, and co‐word analysis of keywords) and Theories‐Context‐Characteristics‐Methods (TCCM) framework to show the evolution, trends, and intellectual structure of anthropomorphism in consumer behaviour research. We depict the evolving trajectory and trends over time using a sample of 432 peer‐reviewed journal articles and 27,671 secondary references (between 2005 and 2023) on anthropomorphism in consumer behaviour. Significant results include identifying and describing the most influential authors, articles, journals and countries, different research streams, their development, and future research directions. We also present six knowledge clusters delineating the intellectual knowledge structure of the field. An additional section depicting theories employed, characteristics explored, contexts examined, and methods utilized in the domain have also been presented. Furthermore, we used the TCCM framework to orchestrate possible trajectories for future research. By doing this, we offer academics and practitioners a systematic comprehension of the advancements in the domain and a comprehensive road map for future research.

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Can brand anthropomorphism trigger emotional brand attachment?

Cited by 16 publications

References 55 publications

Effects of brand spokes-characters with personal and historical nostalgia on brand attitude: evidence from Generation Z consumers in China

Effects of brand spokes-characters with personal and historical nostalgia on brand attitude: evidence from Generation Z consumers in China

A meta‐analysis on the psychological and behavioral consequences of nostalgia: The moderating roles of nostalgia activators, culture, and individual characteristics

Anthropomorphism and consumer behaviour: ASPAR‐4‐SLRprotocol compliant hybrid review

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