Consumer brand engagement, satisfaction and brand loyalty: a comparative study between functional and emotional brand relationships
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-08-2017-1545 |
| Pages | 274-286 |
| Published date | 11 March 2019 |
| Date | 11 March 2019 |
| Author | Teresa Fernandes,Mariana Moreira |
| Subject Matter | Marketing |
Consumer brand engagement, satisfaction and
brand loyalty: a comparative study between
functional and emotional brand relationships
Teresa Fernandes and Mariana Moreira
Faculty of Economics, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this study is to understand differences in consumer brand engagement (CBE) according to the functional or emotional
nature of consumer–brand relationships and its direct and/or indirect impact on brand loyalty (BL). Additionally, the study aims to compare CBE and
Satisfaction as predictors of BL, considering the two types of consumer–brand relationships.
Design/methodology/approach –A cross-sectional survey was applied to two independent samples. Respondents of one of the samples were
asked to recall a brand with which they had a functional relationship, while the other respondents were asked to consider a brand with which they
had an emotional relationship. To test research hypotheses, a causal model using SEM was developed.
Findings –Results validate CBE as a three-dimensional construct, stronger for emotional than functional brand relationships and show its significant
direct and indirect impact on BL. Through a comparative analysis, findings also prove that the effects of CBE on BL, directly or indirectly through
Satisfaction,are stronger for emotionalrelationships, while Satisfaction is a strongerdirect predictor of BL for functionalbrand relationships.
Originality/value –Addressing calls to focus on the impact of specific brand types on engagement, this study allows a better understanding of the
moderating role of functional and emotional relationships on CBE. This study further adds to the existing body of knowledge by establishing the mediating
role of Satisfaction and comparing the contribution of CBE and Satisfaction to BL according to the nature of consumer–brand relationships. Overall, our
findings enhance knowledge on how consumersengage with and become loyal to brands, offering important implications for brand managers.
Keywords Satisfaction, Consumer–brand relationships, Brand loyalty, Consumer brand engagement, Functional brands, Emotional brands
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Brand loyalty, the core of brand equity (Keller, 1993), is a driving
force of competitive advantage, as it helps firms develop long-
term relationships with consumers (Hwang and Kandampully,
2012). Defined by Oliver (1999,p.34)as:
A deeply held commitment to rebuy or patronize a preferred product or
service consistently in the future, despite situational influences and
marketing efforts having the potential to cause switching behavior.
Loyalty is commonly acknowledged in the literature as a
dimensional construct (Rundle-Thiele and Bennett, 2001),
categorizedas behavioral,attitudinal or a combination of both.
For several decades, researchers have considered perceived
quality, switching costs and especially satisfaction, fundamental to
brand loyalty (Bowden,2009a, 2009b;Kandampully et al.,
2015). According to Delgado-Ballester and Munuera-Alemán
(2001), this perspective reflects a psychological orientation of the
literature (Fournier and Yao, 1997), more concerned with
cognitive decision-making processes and less focused in a
sociological view of brand loyalty (BL). But given the new role of
consumers as co-owners and co-creators of the brand
(Kandampully et al., 2015;Gong, 2018), the emphasis shifted,
and brands started to focus on a more relational perspective
(Delgado-Ballester and Munuera-Alemán, 2005), where much of
abrand’s value is a result of external relationships (Keller, 1993),
namely brand–consumer relationships. As such, today loyalty
paradigms encompass fresh concepts (Kandampully et al.,2015),
with recent studies identifying other potential determinants, such
as brand trust (Delgado-Ballester and Munuera-Alemán,2001,
2005), brand love (Bergkvist and Bech-Larsen, 2010;Carroll and
Ahuvia, 2006), brand experience (Brakus et al., 2009;Payne et al.,
2009) and, particularly from 2014 onwards, brand engagement
(Hollebeek et al., 2014;Dessart et al., 2015).
Consumer brand engagement (CBE) has been defined as a
consumer’s cognitive, emotional, behavioral, co-creative
brand-related activities related to specific interactions
(Hollebeek et al., 2014) and is expected to have a significant
role in building increasingly experiential relationships with
consumers, namely brand relationships (Dessart et al.,2015).
CBE implies a deeper, relationship-based level and, thus, may be
a better predictor of loyalty-related outcomes than other
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on
Emerald Insight at: www.emeraldinsight.com/1061-0421.htm
Journal of Product & Brand Management
28/2 (2019) 274–286
© Emerald Publishing Limited [ISSN 1061-0421]
[DOI 10.1108/JPBM-08-2017-1545]
The authors would like to thank all three anonymous reviewers and the
guest editors for their (in)valuable feedback throughout the review process.
Further, the authors express their gratitude to the attendees at the CBR
conference for their insightful comments during the developmental stages
of this article.
Received 24 August 2017
Revised 17 January 2018
9 May 2018
5 July 2018
Accepted 6 August 2018
274
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