The role of brand gratitude in consumer relationships with cool brands
| Date | 30 October 2023 |
| Pages | 419-435 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-02-2023-4343 |
| Published date | 30 October 2023 |
| Author | Melanie Moore Koskie,Ryan E. Freling,William B. Locander,Traci H. Freling |
The role of brand gratitude in consumer
relationships with cool brands
Melanie Moore Koskie, Ryan E. Freling and William B. Locander
Department of Marketing and Analysis, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, Louisiana, USA, and
Traci H. Freling
Department of Marketing, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas, USA
Abstract
Purpose –This study aims to explore and extend the consumer–brand relationship literature by integrating the relatively new construct of brand
coolness with a growing body of work on gratitude. Specifically, gratitude is explored alongside emotionalbrand attachment as an additional
mechanism affecting the relationship between cool brands and the loyalty outcome of repurchase intention. Consu mption context is examined as a
boundary condition to the effect of gratitude.
Design/methodology/approach –Datawascollectedfromanonlinesurveyofa Qualt rics panelof356 USconsumers.Amoderatedmediation
model is used to explain the effects of brand coolness on repurchase intention via emotional brand attachment and brand gratitude in the
moderating presence of consumption context.
Findings –Brand coolness significantly increases repurchase intention. Furthermore, emotional brand attachment and brand gratitude are
established as parallel mediators of the relationship between brand coolness and repurchase intention, with brand gratitude exhibiting a
significantly stronger mediated effect. The impact of brand coolness on brand gratitude is moderated by social visibil ity, with publicly consumed cool
brands stimulating greater brand gratitude than their privately consumed counterparts.
Originality/value –Brand gratitude is shown to influence repurchase intention independent of the impact exerted by consumers’emotional brand
attachment. Cognitive appraisal theory is used to distinguish brand gratitude from other mediators studied in consumer–brand relationships.
Findings establish the moderating influence of the social visibility of the brand on the relatio nship between brand coolness and gratitude.
Keywords Gratitude, Brand personality, Brand attachment, Brand loyalty, Brand relationships, Emotional branding, Brand coolness
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Consumers love cool brands, but are they grateful for them? And
if so, do feelings of gratitude result in added value to the
consumer brand relationship beyond emotions associated with
love, such as passion and attachment? The answer is important to
managers of cool brands like Nike, TikTok, Apple and Netflix
(YPulse, 2022). If grateful consumers engage with their cool
brands, then managers can leverage brand gratitude to increase
important marketing outcomes such as repurchase intentions.
The link betweenbrands and loyalty outcomes has benefitted
from an emphasis on consumer–brand relationships (CBRs)
stimulated by Fournier’s (1998) seminal article. In recent
years, scholars have dissected the CBR literature to uncover
themes and important constructs that connect consumers and
their brands, includingbrand personality, brand love and brand
attachment (Alvarez et al.,2023;Fetscherin et al.,2019).
Drawing on these established motifs in the CBR literature,the
current study situates brand gratitude in the CBR research
stream and demonstrates its potential importance to brand
relationships. Specifically, the present research explores how
and when brand gratitude enhancesthe loyalty outcome of
repurchase intention for the personality-related construct of
brand coolness. The mediating effect of brand gratitude is
measured in parallel with another CBR construct, emotional
brand attachment, to further explain the relationship between
brand coolness and repurchase intention. Through the
comparison of brand gratitude and emotional brand
attachment,this research begins to answer the question:
RQ1. What role does brand gratitude play in the CBR literature?
Brand coolness provides an avenue for testing the impact of
these two emotions as it indicates highly symbolic brands that
provide self-expressive and social benefits, like the ability to
help individuals standout from orfit in with others (Koskie and
Locander, 2023).Extant literature relates brand coolness to the
construct of brand personality (Warrenet al., 2019) but also as
a brand personality trait in itself (Feng et al.,2023). Brand
personality is well-integrated in the CBR literature stream and
is conceptually connected with brand coolness; therefore,
brand relationships are a natural space for exploring cool
The current issue and full text archiveof this journal is available on Emerald
Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/1061-0421.htm
Journal of Product & Brand Management
33/4 (2024) 419–435
© Emerald Publishing Limited [ISSN 1061-0421]
[DOI 10.1108/JPBM-02-2023-4343]
The authors appreciate the feedback and insights offered by the editor,
special issue editor, and review team.
Received 8 February 2023
Revised 6 June 2023
20 September 2023
Accepted 22 September 2023
419
brands. It is important to note, however, that brand coolness is
empirically distinct from brand personality, demonstrating
discriminant validity from the five attributes comprising the brand
personality scale (Warren et al., 2019). The present study
contributes to the CBR theory and the nascent body of literature
on cool consumption (Bagozzi and Khoshnevis, 2022;Khan et al.,
2022). The findings from this research add to the conversation
concerning the benefits and power of cool brands, primarily as
related to the emotional connections they create with consumers.
In this research, brand gratitude and emotional brand
attachment serve as emotional connections that help explain
how brand coolnessaffects consumer intentionsto repurchase a
brand. Gratitude, a moderately valenced positive emotion, has
the added benefit of pro-social motivation, meaning that
individuals whofeel grateful are moved to help their benefactor
(Soscia, 2007). Gratitude functions by nudging individuals to
respond to the benefits bestowed upon thembyothers(DeSteno
et al.,2016). While gratitude is an emotion, it is this behavioral
aspect that begets its potentialadvantages as a brand construct.
Additionally, gratitude is already recognized as an important
underlying mechanism in many marketing contexts, including
relationshipmarketing (Palmatier et al., 2009), corporate social
responsibility (De Vries and Duque, 2018), business-to-
business exchanges (Oakley et al.,2021), loyalty programs
(Steinhoff and Palmatier, 2016) and frontline services (Bock
et al.,2016). However, little research examines gratitude’srole
in a brand-specific setting (cf. Suetrong and Pires, 2021). The
present study proposes that gratitude significantly influences
how coolbrands strengthen repurchaseintentions.
To rigorously examine the relationship between cool brands and
repurchase intentions, the current research also includes emotional
brand attachment as a parallel mediator. Comprised of passion,
affection and connection (Thomson et al., 2005), emotional brand
attachment is unique among the key CBR constructs, in that it
measures the emotional core contained in other related emotional
variables (e.g. brand love and self-brand connection). Emotional
brand attachment measures stronger emotions than gratitude
(Kranzbühler et al., 2020) and is already recognized in the CBR
literature for its positive effects on important marketing outcomes,
making it an appropriate point of comparison.
In summary, the primarypurpose and key contribution of the
current research is to advancethe CBR theory by incorporating
brand gratitude, a construct thatis noticeably absent from this
literature stream.This study also expands the CBR literature by
examining the relatively new brand coolness construct and the
emotional outcomes of brand gratitude and emotional brand
attachment. The third contribution lies in uncovering the role
these emotions play in the brand coolness–repurchase
intentions link. Finally, as brand gratitude is proposed to be a
mediator of this relationship, it would be helpful for managers
to know how cool brands might enhance a grateful response.
This current research also explores whether the consumption
context (i.e. public vs private) affects the strength of the
relationshipbetween brand coolness and gratitude.
A selective review of the relevant literature and cognitive
appraisal theory of emotion are first presented to provide the
basis for a series of hypotheses. The direct and indirect effects
of brand coolness on repurchase intentions via two mediating
constructs (i.e. brand gratitude and emotional brand
attachment) are exploredin the moderating presence of public/
private consumption. The survey administered to collect data
and test hypotheses is then described, along with analyses and
results. This manuscript concludes with a discussion of major
findings, important theoretical implications, practical
takeaways and interestingdirections for future research.
Literature review
Since Fournier (1998) provided a theoretical foundation and
typology for consumer brand relationships a quarter of a
century ago, research in this area has continued to flourish and
expand. In fact, a recent review of CBRs yields a bibliometric
citation analysis(Fetscherin and Heinrich, 2015), a text mining
analysis (Albert and Thomson, 2018), two systematic reviews
(Alvarez et al., 2023;G
omez-Su
arez et al.,2017) and a meta-
analysis (Khamitov et al.,2019). This vast literature now
encompasses many emotionalbrand constructs –such as brand
attachment, brand love, brandpersonality –among others (e.g.
brand identification, brand hate, brand trust, self-brand
connection, communal brand relationships, brand friendship
and brand addiction). Featuredhere is a selective review of this
domain, summarizing different CBR variables and describing
how they affect repurchase intentions and relate to brand
coolness, brandgratitude and emotional brand attachment.
Brand attachment is defined as an “emotion-laden target-
specific bond between a person anda specific brand”
(Thomson et al., 2005, p. 78) and is a central componentin the
CBR literature. Among a myriad of other positive outcomes,
brand attachmentfosters brand forgiveness, enhances favorable
word-of-mouth and increases a brand’s ability to command a
price premium –consequences that improve brand equityand
firm profitability (Shimul, 2022). A related CBR construct is
brand love, defined by some authors as a passionate emotional
attachment to a brand (Carrolland Ahuvia, 2006), while others
also include self-integration, positive attitude, long duration,
passion, among other dimensions (Batra et al., 2012). Brand
love, believed to characterize the degree of emotionality a
consumer has with a brand, inspires brand loyalty, promotes
positive word of mouth and cultivates a willingness to pay a
price premium (Batra et al., 2012;Carroll and Ahuvia, 2006).
Another key CBR construct is brand personality.Composed of
five distinct dimensions –sincerity, excitement, competence,
sophistication and ruggedness –it is defined as “the set of
human characteristics associated with a brand”(Aaker, 1997,
p.347). Products with strong, favorable brand personalities
enhance brand preferences, brand name recall, admiration,
willingness to buy and consumer-based brand equity (Aaker
et al.,2012;Freling andForbes, 2005;Luffarelli et al.,2019).
Brand coolness
Like brand personality, brandcoolness serves symbolic andself-
expressive functions for consumers (Warren et al.,2019).
Although these two constructs share similar dimensions (e.g.
brand personality’s dimensionsof excitement andsophistication
are similar to the brand coolnessattributes of energetic
and high status), the higher-order construct of brand
coolness demonstrates discriminant validity with all five
brand personality dimensions. Brand coolness is defined as
“a subjective anddynamic, socially constructed positive trait
attributed to cultural objects inferred to be appropriately
Role of brand gratitude
Melanie Moore Koskie et al.
Journal of Product & Brand Management
Volume 33 · Number 4 · 2024 · 419–435
420
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