Does brand authenticity alleviate the effect of brand scandals?

This research investigates to what extent brand authenticity lessens the impact of a brand scandal on consumer responses to the brand involved in the scandal. A 2 × 2 experiment shows that consumers responded more favourably to a more (vs. less) authentic brand in the event of a scandal. The protective effects of higher levels of brand authenticity emerged for emotional and behavioural brand outcomes (i.e., greater affection and willingness to pay) and brand-related inferences (i.e., lower perceived responsibility for the scandal and hypocrisy). Nonetheless, even a more authentic brand was harmed by a brand scandal (vs. no scandal). This suggests that the protective effect of brand authenticity does not fully compensate for the negative consequences of brand scandals. These findings give rise to theoretical and managerial implications

The brand authenticity effect: situational and individual-level moderators

Purpose – This paper examines under what conditions consumers develop emotional attachment towards authentic brands. It proposes that authentic brands’ ability to evoke attachment is contingent upon situational (i.e., need to belong and need to express the authentic self) and consumer individual difference variables (i.e., brand engagement in self-concept and personal authenticity). Design/methodology/approach – Two experiments empirically test the effects of brand authenticity on emotional brand attachment. Experiment 1 considers the moderating roles of social exclusion and brand engagement in self-concept. Experiment 2 examines the moderating roles of situationally induced feelings of self-inauthenticity and enduring personal authenticity. Findings – Consumers with a high level of brand engagement in self-concept show greater emotional brand attachment to authentic (vs. less authentic) brands when they feel socially excluded. Consumers with a high level of enduring personal authenticity show greater emotional brand attachment to authentic (vs. less authentic) brands when they experience situations that make them feel inauthentic. Practical implications – This research has implications for brand communication strategies adopted by brands that are positioned strongly on authenticity. Originality/value – This research is one of the few to examine the effect of brand authenticity on brand attachment taking into account the moderating role of situational and individual difference variables. The findings contribute to the brand attachment and brand authenticity literatures

The influence of passion/determination and external disadvantage on consumer responses to brand biographies

Brands frequently convey their stories in brand biographies in order to elicit positive consumer responses. This article examines the influence of consumers’ perceptions of passion/determination and external disadvantage reflected in brand biographies on narrative transportation, consumers’ post-message engagement, and purchase intentions. Results suggest that passion/determination affects purchase intentions positively, both directly and through narrative transportation and post-message engagement. External disadvantage, on the other hand, affects purchase intentions positively and indirectly through narrative transportation and post-message engagement, while there is no significant direct effect. This article specifically considers the individual roles of passion/determination and external disadvantage in influencing consumer responses to a brand. It is also the first to consider and empirically test the role of post-message engagement in consumers’ responses to brand biographies. This research has implications for theory, as well as for the creation of effective brand biographies in managerial practice

Wine quality and sensory assessments: do distinct local groups of wine experts differ?

This research examines to what extent and in what ways two distinct groups of wine experts differ in their assessments of the same set of wines. Whereas previous research focused on selected wine panels whose members were in some cases trained for a specific tasting, we implemented a blind wine tasting among two distinct groups of wine experts: local wine experts and influencers in two socio-culturally different locations in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia and Montreal in Quebec in Canada. Our findings suggest significant differences in how certain wine sensory attributes are evaluated. This article provides insights into how quality and taste are constructed by two distinct groups of wine experts. Our research results further shed light on how different types of wines might be perceived differently based on the locales in which they are marketed

Ethical attribute and brand concept congruity enhances brand evaluations

Purpose: This research examines to what extent congruity between ethical attributes (i.e., product attributes with positive implications for the environment, human rights, social issues, and animal welfare) and brand concept (i.e., the unique meaning associated with a brand in consumers’ minds) influences consumers’ evaluations of brands offering ethical attributes. Design/methodology/approach: Four studies involving North American consumers empirically tested the moderation effect of brand concept on consumer evaluations of ethical attributes and the mediating role of perceived congruity. Findings: This research finds an interactive effect of ethical attribute type and brand concept on brand evaluations, such that congruent ethical attribute-brand concept pairings (i.e., a utilitarian [symbolic] ethical attribute offered by a brand with a utilitarian [symbolic] brand concept) result in more favorable brand evaluations (Studies 1, 2, 3, and 4). Consumers’ perceptions of congruity between ethical attributes and brand concepts mediate this interactive effect (Studies 2 and 3). Moreover, a positive congruity effect of ethical attributes and brand concepts emerges at higher levels of conspicuous brand consumption (Study 4). Practical implications: For marketing managers, findings indicate that brands gain from ethical attribute introductions only when these attributes are congruent with the brand concept. In addition, brands benefit to a greater extent from offering congruent ethical attributes when brand consumption is conspicuous. Originality/value: The findings of this research contribute to the literature on the effect of ethical attributes on consumers’ responses to brands and highlight the importance of brands’ choice of ethical attributes

Communicating brand biographies effectively: the role of communication source

Although brands increasingly disseminate their brand biographies through brand sources, this research shows that this practice can decrease brand attitudes and consumer preferences. A brand source activates consumers’ persuasion knowledge, increasing negative thoughts and impeding narrative transportation into the brand biography. This research furthermore demonstrates that the negative impact of a brand source in the dissemination of brand biographies depends on self-congruence, such that a detrimental effect on consumer attitudes and preferences occurs when the brand biography is incongruent with consumer's self-concept, but is mitigated when the brand biography is self-congruent. These findings suggest that the dissemination of brand biographies by brand sources requires consideration of source and congruence effects

When Should Private Label Brands Endorse Ethical Attributes?

Ethical attributes (i.e., product attributes that reflect social and environmental issues) do not always increase product evaluations and choice. This article examines whether ethical attributes differentially affect evaluations of retailers’ private label brands (PLBs) and manufacturers’ national brands (NBs). Two experiments show that ethical attributes enhance consumer evaluations of PLBs (but not NBs) in the presence of extrinsic cues signalling high quality (i.e., high price). In the context of extrinsic cues signalling low quality, (i.e., low price), an ethical attribute hurts PLB (but not NB) evaluations. This effect is mediated by consumers’ product quality perceptions. A third experiment replicates these effects of ethical attribute presence on PLB evaluations in the context of retailer reputation serving as an extrinsic cue, and shows a moderating effect of consumers’ resource synergy beliefs. Overall, these results suggest that PLBs benefit from offering ethical attributes in the context of higher-priced PLBs or higher retailer reputation

Consumer Power: Scale Development and Validation in Consumer – Firm Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on the development and validation of a consumer power scale comprising a personal and a social power dimension. Personal power refers to consumers’ perceived ability to resist and ignore a firm’s marketing efforts. Social power refers to consumers’ perceived ability to influence a firm’s actions. Design/methodology/approach Following established scale development procedures, the construct definition and item generation preceded five studies that establish the scale’s dimensionality, psychometric properties and external, predictive and nomological validity. Findings Consumer power was modeled as a reflective first-order, formative second-order latent construct. The consumer power scale is psychometrically sound and possesses external and discriminant validity with regard to other power-related measures. Consumer power mediates the relation between consumers’ cognitive control and consumer satisfaction and between perceived choice and emotional responses. Research limitations/implications This research uses episodic recall tasks to elicit power perceptions in various contexts. Results suggest that the scale is useful in comparative and longitudinal tracking of consumers’ perceptions of power in relation to a firm. Originality/value Building on a comprehensive literature review and rigorous scale development, this paper introduces a scale of consumer power that comprises a personal and a social power dimension. A critical analysis of and a predictive validity test of the scale against existing power scales highlight its unique contribution. The scale lends itself to further theory tests regarding antecedents, consequences and moderators of consumer power

A multi-sensory and embodied understanding of wine consumption

In this paper, we investigate the complex multi-sensory responses required to experience and evaluate wine. We suggest that wine tasting be recognized as an aesthetic experience that allows individuals to enlarge their understanding of wine and experience pleasure. Through interviews, observations, and wine tastings with novices and experts, along with metaphor and blending analysis, we interpret similarities and differences, with the concept of taste referring not only to flavor but also to culture capital. Embodiment processes in wine consumption can be understood at the conscious level using Merleau-Ponty's concept of perception and virtual enactments. We argue that while the structure of perception is given by imagination, fanciful imaginings—in particular those used by experts—to identify wine in blind tastings can also be understood through the foreground/background effect. The perceiver and imaginer are the same; what links them is the imagining body. At the unconscious level, we use conceptual metaphors and conceptual blending processes to elaborate on embodiment to understand the taste regime processes associated with wine. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of embodiment processes through the application of Merleau-Ponty's theory of perceptions/virtual enactments, as well as through metaphor and conceptual integration analysis

The artification of wine: lessons from the fine wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy

In this paper, we address the interrelations between fine art and fine wines, with ‘fine wine’ defined as an aesthetic entity as opposed to a mass-produced product created only to satisfy consumer needs. In the context of fine wines, we discuss the processes of artification, through which such wines are recognized as art (Shapiro and Heinich 2012), and heritagization, in which the cultural differentiation implicit in the concept of terroir (i.e., the various elements of a micro-climate that contribute to a wine’s specific attributes) connects a wine to its history and provenance. Our investigation focuses specifically on fine wines from Bordeaux and Burgundy, which are renowned worldwide for their depth and flavors. What traits are intrinsic to the definition of art, and what social processes culminate in transforming an entity from non-art to art? This article aims to address these questions, and argues that fine wines, as a source of aesthetic pleasure, are themselves an art form