 Self-construal drives preference for partner and servant brandsMeng-Hua Hsieh, Li, Xingbo (Bo), Shailendra Pratap Jain and Vanitha Swaminathan Journal of Business Research, 2021, vol. 129, issue C, 183-192 Abstract: This research examines how consumers evaluate brands represented in one of two social roles—partner or servant. We theorize that partner brands are perceived to offer greater social connection than servant brands. Across four studies,we show that interdependents express greater likelihood topurchase partner brands than servant brands, as the greater social connection afforded by partner brands enables interdependents to self-enhance. Independents, however,areequally likely to purchase the two as they are not motivated to self-enhance on collectivistic dimensions. In addition, self-affirmation eliminates interdependents’ preference for partner brands over servant brands, indicating that the effect is indeed driven by their need for social connection. This research provides implications for managers in terms of enhancing the effectiveness of brand strategies by leveraging self-construal. Keywords: Self-construal; Brand relationship; Partner brands; Servant brands; Anthropomorphism (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:129:y:2021:i:c:p:183-192 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.02.054 Access Statistics for this article Journal of Business Research is currently edited by A. G. Woodside More articles in Journal of Business Research from Elsevier |
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