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

Thanh-Thao Nguyen and Bianca Grohmann ()
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Thanh-Thao Nguyen: Bell Canada
Bianca Grohmann: Concordia University

Journal of Brand Management, 2020, vol. 27, issue 4, No 6, 452-465

Abstract: Abstract To elicit positive consumer responses, many brands use underdog brand biographies in their brand communication strategies. Underdog brand biographies highlight a brand’s passion and determination in overcoming the external disadvantages the brand initially faced. This article examines to what extent consumers’ perceptions of passion/determination and external disadvantage reflected in an underdog brand biography independently influence narrative transportation, post-message engagement, and purchase intentions. Based on a study involving experimental manipulations of underdog and top dog brand biographies, this research contributes to the brand biography literature by demonstrating that passion/determination and external disadvantage have differential effects on narrative transportation, post-message engagement, and purchase intentions. It is also the first to empirically test the sequential mediating roles of narrative transportation and post-message engagement. For managerial practice, this research suggests that underdog brand biographies should emphasize the brand’s passion and determination and highlights the importance of post-message engagement in terms of information seeking, post-message elaboration, and social sharing in increasing purchase intentions.

Keywords: Brand biographies; Underdog brand biographies; Narrative transportation; Post-message engagement (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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DOI: 10.1057/s41262-020-00193-8

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