Brand managers are wary of consumers who are either unaware of new brands or have an unfavorable attitude toward their brands. In this study, we investigate the creation of a self-brand connection with new and unfavorable brands in comparison to well-liked brands. Our empirical study reveals that consumers could form a self-brand connection with new and unfavorable brands when the brand serves as a self-presentational strategy—self-presentation by brand. In particular, first, we find that brand attitude predicts self-brand connection positively and significantly for a well-liked brand, but not for a new brand, and second, when consumers hold favorable (unfavorable) attitudes toward a familiar brand, the self-brand connection can exist (be diluted). Thus, the self-brand connection can vary depending upon consumers’ favorability toward the brand. The current study suggests that one-on-one marketing, including customization and personalization, is relevant to new and unfavorable brands.
Keywords: Self-brand connection; Brand attitude; Brand familiarity; Self-presentation; Brand knowledge; Structural equation modeling
- Authors: Teck Ming Tan, Jari Salo, Jouni Juntunen, Ashish Kumar
- Journal: Journal of Business Research
- Year: 2018
- Volume: 92
- Issue: Nov
- Pages: 71-80
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.07.011
Citations: 41 (Till: 2026-05-29) (using R package rcrossref)
Recent: Google Scholar