On the Role of Brand Stereotypes in Shaping Consumer Response toward Brands: An Empirical Examination of Direct and Mediating Effects of Warmth and Competence

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to contribute to the branding literature by examining the critical role of brand stereotypes in shaping consumers' brand-related responses. Drawing on the Stereotype Content Model, this article examines how warmth and competence stereotypes impact consumers' emotional reaction toward brands and in turn consumers' brand attitudes and behavioral intention. In addition, this article examines how brand stereotypes mediate the relationships between brand personality and consumers' brand emotions. The results from this study support the dual role of brand stereotypes as relevant predictors of brand emotions, and intervening variables mediating the effects from brand personality perceptions on brand emotions. The findings support the view that mechanisms of social perception apply to brand perception and provide new insights about the relationship between consumers' brand perceptions and their responses toward brands.

Hippies, Greenies, and Tree Huggers: How the “Warmth” Stereotype Hinders the Adoption of Responsible Brands

“…Q 2 are higher than zero for all endogenous constructs, supporting the ability of the model to explain a reasonable amount of variance in the dependent variables specified. The predictive relevance of the model is in line with other marketing studies that have applied the SCM to the analysis of brand responses (Ivens et al, 2015).…”

“…The SCM predicts that cognitive stereotypes activate specific emotional reactions (Cuddy et al., ; Ivens et al., ). Emotions ultimately drive prejudiced reaction toward a social target.…”

“…Emotions are expected to drive different types of behaviors that are broadly classified as supportive or harmful toward the social entity evaluated (Cuddy et al., ). In a consumption context, admiration and envy are relevant emotions triggered by cognitive stereotyping (Ivens et al., ). These emotions influence decisions to emulate the consumption of responsible brands (Van de Ven, Zeelenberg, & Pieters, ).…”

“…Recently, the SCM has been applied to the study of brand perception (Ivens, Leischnig, Muller, & Valta, 2015;Kervyn et al, 2012). Brands are stereotyped in a similar way to individuals and groups.…”

“…The benign element of envy triggers a motivation to improve one's own circumstances in order to achieve the desired social position (Van de Ven et al, 2009, 2011a. These two sides coexist in envy experiences, making this emotion intrinsically ambivalent (Ivens et al, 2015).…”