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Are Lovers More Forgiving? : The Applicability of the Theory of Planned Behavior on Brand Love and Brand Forgiveness.

Avest, A.T.G. ter (2013) Are Lovers More Forgiving? : The Applicability of the Theory of Planned Behavior on Brand Love and Brand Forgiveness.

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Abstract:Brand love is one of the latest developments within the field of marketing and can be considered as the highest aim of brand management. Various studies demonstrate that consumers can actually experience a feeling of love for their brand (Albert et al., 2008a/2013; Batra et al., 2012; Carroll and Ahuvia, 2006), but only Carroll and Ahuvia (2006, p. 81) have yet managed to create a definition of brand love: “brand love is the degree of passionate emotional attachment that a person has for a particular trade name”. An important consequence of brand love is brand forgiveness. Brand forgiveness indicates the consumers’ willingness to forgive a brand failures. Research shows that the quality of a consumer–brand relationship has a significant effect on the consumers’ willingness to forgive mistakes made by the brand (Aaker, Fournier, and Brasel, 2004). However, brand forgiveness is quite an unknown phenomenon. Therefore, the present study contributes to a further understanding of brand love by focusing on the subject of brand forgiveness, and examines the influence of brand love on brand forgiveness. The aim of the present study is to explore the relationship between brand love and its antecedents with brand forgiveness as a consequence. The model that is conceptualized for this study, is based on the framework of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991). According to this theory, attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control influence an individual’s intention to perform a given behavior. Thus, for this research, brand love is applied as a behavioral intention and brand forgiveness is applied as a behavioral outcome. Furthermore, perceived behavioral control is divided into the propensity to anthropomorphize as an internal control factor and the affordability of the brand as an difficulty factor. In addition, the degree of involvement is applied as a moderator. To examine the proposed model, a questionnaire is developed and conducted. The questionnaire measured the seven independent variables: brand love, attitude towards brand love, subjective norms about brand love, propensity to anthropomorphize brands, affordability of the brand, brand forgiveness, and degree of involvement. 274 complete questionnaires are collected and analyzed. Correlation analysis and linear regression analysis are calculated. Results demonstrate that the respondents’ attitudes have strongest causal relationship with brand love. It was found that low involved respondents and high involved respondents are contrary with regard to subjective norms and the propensity to anthropomorphize as predictors for brand love: high involved respondents show a high score on subjective norms but a low score on the propensity to anthropomorphize, whereas the low involved respondents show a low score on subjective norms but a high score on the propensity to anthropomorphize. Furthermore, it appears that there is not a causal relationship between brand love and the affordability of the brand. Concluded is that the Theory of Planned Behavior is a proper framework for building on to more clarification about brand love and brand forgiveness. Furthermore, it is also concluded that brand love will ensure a greater willingness to forgive a brand failures.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:05 communication studies
Programme:Communication Studies MSc (60713)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/64224
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