Brands as Humans: How Brand Virtuousness Relates to Brand Authenticity and Brand Attachment

Abstract

. Authenticity has become an essential quality for brands, with 86% of consumers preferring brands that are perceived to be authentic (Stackla, 2021). As a result, the drivers of brand authenticity are gaining momentum as an important research object. The role of brand virtuousness and its connection to brand authenticity and brand attachment has received limited attention from the consumer perspective. Meanwhile, the relationship between virtuousness and authenticity has been thoroughly investigated in other fields, such as personality research. Based on personality literature, comparable patterns of association can be anticipated when considering brands as relational entities. Therefore, the arguments elucidating the relationship between the virtuousness of personality and authenticity can be extended to the realm of brand. Given the above, this study aims to examine how brand virtuousness affects brand authenticity and brand attachment.

Keywords

• brand virtuousness
• brand authenticity
• brand attachment.
• m31