Demystifying Brand Love For Luxury Cars Testing The Moderating Impact of Emotional Stability

Journal of Promotion Management
ISSN: (Print) (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wjpm20
Demystifying Brand Love for Luxury Cars: Testing

the Moderating Impact of Emotional Stability
Saubhagya Bhalla & Mohit Pathak
To cite this article: Saubhagya Bhalla & Mohit Pathak (2023) Demystifying Brand Love for
Luxury Cars: Testing the Moderating Impact of Emotional Stability, Journal of Promotion
Management, 29:6, 873-903, DOI: 10.1080/10496491.2023.2165213
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/10496491.2023.2165213
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JOURNAL OF PROMOTION MANAGEMENT
2023, VOL. 29, NO. 6, 873–903
https://doi.org/10.1080/10496491.2023.2165213
Demystifying Brand Love for Luxury Cars: Testing the

Moderating Impact of Emotional Stability
Saubhagya Bhalla and Mohit Pathak
Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Ahmedabad, India
ABSTRACT KEYWORDS
The present research investigates brand love for luxury cars and brand love; attitude; TRA;
extends the knowledge on brand love by testing and validating emotional stability; luxury;
psychographic consumer qualities, including emotional stabil- intention
ity. Data for the present research study was collected through
an online survey administered to 700 respondents. A total of
426 responses were received, and after deleting 26 unfilled
responses, the total sample size came to 400 responses. In the
first stage, the data were tested for the construct reliability.
After testing the composite reliability of constructs, convergent
validity, and discriminant validity was estimated. AMOS 26 was
employed for path analysis which revealed the robustness of
the conceptual model. Using Model 1 and Model 4 in the
PROCESS macro in SPSS Version 26, the present study per-
formed mediation and moderation analysis. The results revealed
that consumers brand love mediates the relationship between
brand anthropomorphism and consumer’s intention to pur-
chase and it also mediates the relationship of NWOM with pur-
chase intention. Further, the analysis revealed that consumer’s
brand attitude mediates the relationship between brand
anthropomorphism and NWOM with purchase intention. The
moderation results showed that emotional stability moderates
the association of brand anthropomorphism with brand love
and it also moderates the association of brand anthropomorph-
ism with brand attitude. Further, emotional stability has a mod-
erating effect on the relationship between NWOM and brand
attitude.
1. Introduction
“Brands may be humanized because they are made and sold by people, and
in fact, in some cases, are people” (MacInnis & Folkes, 2017). Moreover,
consumers perceive a brand as human when the brand is demonstrated in
a manner that signals a “human” schema, thereby creating some degree of
congruence between humans and brands. Therefore, consumers pick brands
and place their faith in them as they trust their friends and family consid-
ering them as human entities. However, contrary to this phenomenon, less
CONTACT Saubhagya Bhalla saubhagyab@iima.ac.in Marketing Area, Indian Institute of Management

Ahmedabad, Ahmedabad 380015, India.
ß 2023 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
874 S. BHALLA AND M. PATHAK
favorable brand evaluations are triggered when negative human schemas

are activated (Aggarwal & McGill, 2007; Kwak et al., 2017).
Nowadays, one’s brand choice might be seen as a reflection of one’s
social standing. Brand status plays a vital role in purchasing decision-mak-
ing by customers who are looking to improve their sense of self-worth
or obtain a higher social standing (Chen et al., 2020; Sivanathan & Pettit,
2010).
Over the last decade, the branding literature emphasized the significance
of constructing powerful brands by establishing an emotional connection
with the customer (Morrison & Crane, 2007). Although researchers have
been studying how customers form "like-dislike" attitudes about companies
for decades, there has been a recent attention among the practitioners’ and
academicians’ interest in consumers’ affection for brands (Batra et al., 2012;
Zhang et al., 2021). Brands (particularly luxury brands) often strive to
understand the characteristics of their current and future consumers. This
involves an awareness of customer sentiments about their brands and the
thoughts and emotions that various consumers associate with luxury goods
(Verma, 2021; Wang et al., 2011).
According to Choo et al. (2012), luxury brand offers experiential value in
terms of personal expression and gratification. Wilcox et al. (2009) stated
that luxury brands provide symbolic value in terms of social status and
prestige. In the similar vein, Seidel et al. (2005) argues that luxury brands
such as automobiles offer functional value such as high-end comfort and
safety features which open up new business prospects. To summarize, we
can understand that luxury brands offer mainly experiential value, symbolic
value and utilitarian value (Xu & Mehta, 2022).
The majority of luxury automobile manufacturers have established them-
selves on a worldwide scale and have the ability to expand readily into
other areas, provided that there is adequate demand. According to a report
by Fortune Business Insights, the market for luxury vehicles is anticipated
to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 9.3% from its current value
of USD 449.7 billion in 2019 to USD 655.0 billion by 2027 (Fortune
Business Insights, 2022). This represents an increase from the present value
of USD 449.7 billion. In the Indian context, the market for luxury cars was
worth USD 1.06 billion in 2021. It is anticipated that its value will exceed
1.54 billion US dollars by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of more than 6.4%
from 2022 to 2027 (Mondor Intelligence, 2022). Further, according to The
Economic Times (2022) in 2021, India sold 27,020 units of luxury cars and
in 2022 (Jan–Aug) 21,797 units were sold and are likely to sell 35,000 by
the end of 2022. Similar stats were reported by Business Standard (2022)
that India will likely buy 38,000-40,000 luxury cars in 2022. Therefore, it
could be argued that luxury cars have substantial growth prospects.
JOURNAL OF PROMOTION MANAGEMENT 875
The consumption of luxury brands has long been a critical study issue
among marketing and brand researchers. Researchers’ interest has increased
as a direct result of the expansion of the luxury goods sector across the
globe. The substantial growth in demand by consumers for luxury goods
across Asian economies has been one of the prominent driving forces
behind this consumption on a global scale. Further, a similar level of
demand of such goods has been observed among the developing economies
such as China, India, and the Middle East which has resulted in the rapid
expansion of the luxury goods industry (Kim & Ko, 2012: Ko et al., 2019).
Therefore, considering the increasing interest among scholars and practi-
tioners, it is very relevant to explore and examine how brand love operates
in the context of luxury car consumption.
In the domain of luxury consumption, one of the most prominent con-
cepts studied is ‘Brand love’ (Hemonnet-Goujot & Valette-Florence, 2022;
Kang, 2018). Brand love is “the amount of passionate, emotional attachment
a satisfied consumer has for a specific brand name” (Carroll & Ahuvia,
2006). In a highly competitive and ever-changing industry like the luxury
sector, businesses need to establish strong, long-lasting, and meaningful
connections with their target demographic (Fournier, 1998) to succeed.
Within the context of consumer’s brand love, researchers have studied fac-
tors such as loyalty (Alnawas & Altarifi, 2016; Bıçakcıoglu et al., 2018),
positive WOM (Borges et al., 2016; Khandeparkar & Motiani, 2018), con-
sumer’s high-quality beliefs and perceptions about the brand (Bairrada
et al., 2018; Rauschnabel & Ahuvia, 2014), brand experiences (Joshi & Garg,
2021; Safeer et al., 2021), brand image (Ayuningsih & Maftukhah, 2020;
Islam & Rahman, 2016), self-concept (Roy & Rabbanee, 2015; Wallace et al.,
2017), and anthropomorphism (Aro et al., 2018; Delgado-Ballester et al.,
2017) to describe consumer perceptions. These variables have also been
used to highlight the benefits that brands garner when they have a loyal
customer base for their products or services. However, researchers have also
highlighted the importance of personality traits in branding (Lin, 2010;
Singh et al., 2021). Existing literature on personality has considered emo-
tional stability as one of the most prominent traits amongst other personal-
ity traits such as extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism (Cobb-Clark &
Schurer, 2012; Roberts et al., 2017; Vittersø, 2001). However, there is a
dearth of literature which has examined the impact of emotional stability in
brand love context. Further, emotional stability as a personality trait in the
domain of luxury cars has rarely been examined.
It is noteworthy that customers often associate and connote luxury as
upmarket, high social status etc., despite the fact that luxury goods may sat-
isfy utilitarian needs (De Silva et al., 2020). Although the marketing of lux-
ury brands has historically gotten only a modest amount of attention in the
academic literature (Berthon et al., 2009), there has been an increase in the
number of research focusing on the marketing of luxury goods and services
in recent years (Ko et al., 2019).
Our desk review revealed that despite enough wealth of literature on lux-
ury branding, there exists a few gaps. First, the majority of the studies,
however, have been undertaken in developed countries and ignored devel-
oping countries (Sedzro et al., 2014; Sharda & Bhat, 2018), such as India.
Second, researchers like Christino et al. (2020) have called for additional
research in the brand love context where they have mentioned to deeply
investigate the word of mouth and researchers like Verma (2021) have
called for future research to be conducted to explore the role of emotions
in brand love context. Contextually, luxury branding literature has majorly
been conducted on luxury fashion (Kong et al., 2021; Singh et al., 2021;
Gautam & Sharma, 2017) and a very few have focused on examining luxury
car context (Gupta et al., 2022) which implies that there is a paucity of
research studies which unraveled consumer behavior in luxury car context.
For instance, a study conducted by Ali et al. (2019) examined the impact of
status motivation on consumer purchase intention of luxury cars moder-
ated by materialism and cultural values. In the similar vein, Ratnasari et al.
(2022) examined the impact of brand association on purchase intention
moderated by religious values and mediated by attitude toward luxury cars.
Therefore, considering the gaps in the existing wealth of literature of luxury
cars segment and the call for additional research within brand love and the
luxury consumption context, the present research aims to achieve the fol-
lowing research objectives: -
RO1: To test the mediating impact of brand love and brand attitude on the
relationship between brand anthropomorphism, NWOM and purchase intention.
RO2: To examine the moderating impact of emotional stability on the relationship
between brand anthropomorphism and brand love, brand attitude and purchase
intention and between NWOM and brand attitude, brand love and purchase intention.
RO3: To propose an integrated and comprehensive model of consumer intention
toward the purchase of luxury cars.
The present research study could contribute to the existing literature on

luxury branding by exploring brand love for luxury cars which to the best
of our knowledge has not yet been explored. It also has potential to extend
the knowledge on brand love by testing and validating psychographic con-
sumer qualities, which includes emotional stability in the booming market
such as India.
The study also addressed the implications for practitioners, such as how
brand marketers should enhance brand love by humanizing the brands and
it also sheds the light on how managers can devise effective techniques to
create emotional connection with consumers, which has significant ramifi-

cations for companies in terms of consumer purchase intention.
The structure of the present study is as follows, after the introduction,
the next section discusses the literature review and the hypotheses develop-
ment by providing the study’s theoretical background. The following sec-
tion then discusses the research methodology. The next section discusses
the analysis and then the findings have been enumerated. Sixth section
presents the research and practical implications, and the last section dis-
cusses the limitations and scope for future research.
2. Literature review and hypotheses

2.1. Theoretical foundation of the present study
Extant literature on brand love reveals that the theoretical foundation of
the majority of the study has been built on theories such as Attachment
Theory (Sreejesh et al., 2017), Social identity theory (Bairrada et al., 2018;
Liu et al., 2018) and Motivational Theories (Thakur et al., 2018). Therefore,
to add to the academic body of literature dealing with brand love, the pre-
sent research study aims to apply and test a different theoretical lens to
explain the consumer’s brand love for luxury cars. Hence, it was decided to
apply the theory of reasoned action for three reasons. First, TRA is often
used to explain how different factors predict an individual’s behavior
(Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980; Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975). Further, according to
TRA, behavioral intention predicts actual behavior. Second, Fishbein and
Ajzen (1975) argues that “the model is cyclical as it is majorly based on
certain individual beliefs of the consequences of a particular behavior, indi-
viduals develop attitudes towards that behavior, such that the behavior is
rewarding or punishing”. Third, our limited knowledge suggests that till
now no study has been conducted which has employed TRA to explain
brand love, specifically in the case of luxury cars. Therefore, building on
these three reasons, the theoretical foundation of the present study has
been built on the theory of reasoned action.
2.1.1. Conceptualization of brand love

Brand love has been built on interpersonal love and has also been discussed
immensely in psychology (Carroll & Ahuvia, 2006; Shimp & Madden, 1988).
Further, Sternberg (1986) argued that interpersonal love could have three
forms, namely intimacy, passion and decision/commitment. Sternberg (1986)
defined intimacy as “the feeling of connectedness”. Passion is associated with
physical arousals and psychological arousals. Commitment refers to the cog-
nitive component of interpersonal love. In the marketing, especially
consumer behavior literature, Shimp and Madden (1988) discussed various

types of relationships; the consumers develop with their favorite brands.
Further, Carroll and Ahuvia (2006) have defined brand love as “an individu-
al’s emotion and passion for a trade name”. Roy et al. (2013) explored and
examined the factors influencing consumer brand love and the subsequent
outcomes. In the similar vein, Albert et al. (2013) explored and examined
consumer’s brand love in the form of brand passion. Therefore, for the pre-
sent study, brand love is operationally defined as “emotional and passionate
feelings for a brand that might lead to commitment or loyalty in due course”.
To summarize, the theoretical background of the present study has been
majorly built on the TRA and interpersonal love conceptualized in the field
of psychology (Thomson et al., 2005).
2.2. Hypothesis development

2.2.1. Brand anthropomorphism
Existing literature suggests that anthropomorphism refers to “a psychological
and cognitive process which demonstrates an alignment between the human
and nonhuman things or events” ’ (Guthrie, 1993). According to Puzakova
et al. (2009), anthropomorphized brands are those brands for which a con-
sumer has an association with an actual human being with diverse emotional
states, souls, and conscious behaviors. In the marketing field, various brands
utilize the various aspects of anthropomorphism, such as human endorsers
and human-like packaging, such as the brand named Paper boat, which
impacts the consumer belief of associating human-like characteristics with
brands, further leading to brand anthropomorphism. Various authors have
studied the influence of brand anthropomorphism in consumer behavior con-
text; however, they have reported mixed findings. For instance, according to
Kucuk (2019a, 2019b), some consumers develop brand anthropomorphism to
demonize brands that they hate. This kind of brand anthropomorphism
focuses on objectifying negative aspects of brands rather than positive aspects.
In the similar vein, Puzakova and Aggarwal (2018) reported that consumers
develop a negative attitude toward brand when it is anthropomorphized
because of perceived salient distinctiveness motives. On the contrary, a few
researchers have highlighted positive impacts of brand anthropomorphism.
For instance, a study by Rauschnabel and Ahuvia (2014) revealed with empir-
ical investigation that a positive and significant association exists between
brand anthropomorphism and brand love. In the similar vein, Delgado-
Ballester et al. (2017) also found that brand anthropomorphism leads to brand
love, as when consumers perceive human-like traits, abilities and motivations
about brands, it further tends to increase their humanity sense (Aggarwal &
McGill, 2007), which makes the consumers believe that brand is also a human
entity and hence consumers perceive brands as plausible relationship partners

(Kervyn et al., 2012).
Further, existing research reveals that the anthropomorphized brand is
more preferred by the consumers; hence the purchase intention toward
such brand is positive (Laksmidewi et al., 2017). Moreover, attitude toward
a brand is imperative as consumers may have different attitudes toward a
brand. Research shows that if the brand is anthropomorphic, then it is very
likely that consumers would have a positive attitude toward such a brand
(Zhang et al., 2020). This may be because human-like brands are more
relatable to the consumers, and it induces positive feelings toward such a
brand. Therefore, building on the discussion, the present study assumes
that if consumers perceive a brand to be anthropomorphic, then they
would develop an emotional connection with the brand, and this would
lead to love for the brand, and it may also lead to purchase intention.
Therefore, the following hypothesis has been framed:
H1: Brand anthropomorphism would positively lead to brand love.
H1a: Brand anthropomorphism would positively lead to purchase intention.
H1b: Brand anthropomorphism would lead to a positive brand attitude.
2.2.2. NWOM
Existing studies define Word of mouth as “informal advice passed between
consumers” (East et al., 2016). WOM has a strong impact on consumer
behavior (Keaveney, 1995). In the literal sense, word of mouth means what
consumers discuss about brands or products. Loureiro et al. (2003) argued
that negative WOM occurs if a consumer experiences a negative situation or
negative experience with the product or service, they are very likely to share
this experience with others, which leads to the dissemination of NWOM.
Further, this NWOM results in the loss of consumers. Hashim and Kasana
(2019) introduced the concept of rumor and hate for a brand in the fast food
industry. According to the study, rumor leads to brand hate as negative infor-
mation gets transmitted from one consumer to another, which triggers nega-
tive feelings toward the brands. Rumors are defined as “an unproven
proposal spread to believe by the individuals and meet the requirements of
the transmitter” (Rosnow & Kimmel, 2000). In the similar vein, Kapferer
(1990) defined rumors as “the development and transmission of information
in a society without confirmation from official authorities”. Therefore, the
present study argues that NWOM results in dissatisfaction, distrust, and per-
ception of injustice that a consumer may have experienced and is more
logical. However, rumor, on the other hand, lacks evidence (Allport &
Postman, 1947). Building on the above discussion, it could be understood
that there is a difference between NWOM and rumor. In the existing litera-
ture, there is no substantial evidence found in the brand context which states
a linkage between NWOM and brand love. Therefore, the present study
assumes that NWOM would negatively impact brand love.
Further, existing research reveals that if the reviews for a brand are
majorly negative, then consumers are likely to believe that the brand is
poor, which results in a negative attitude toward the brand (Casado-Dıaz
et al., 2020). Furthermore, if there is negative word of mouth toward a
brand, then it is very less likely that consumers would intend to purchase
that particular brand (Curina et al., 2020). Following this argument, the fol-
lowing hypothesis has been framed:
H2: NWOM would negatively lead to brand love.
H2a: NWOM would negatively lead to purchase intention.
H2b: NWOM would negatively lead to a negative brand attitude.
2.2.3. Mediating variables: Brand love

Brand love is “a construct that describes the passionate feelings and emo-
tional attachment that satisfied consumers have for brands” (Carroll &
Ahuvia, 2006). It is the deep affection the consumers develop for the
brands because of their quality experience. Existing literature suggests that
the basic foundation of all consumer relationships with a brand is an affect-
ive love in the interpersonal domain (Fournier, 1998). Further, these posi-
tive feelings and emotions are facilitators of brand acceptance (Hwang &
Kandampully, 2012). According to Sternberg’s (1986) theory, brand love
comprises three dimensions, namely intimacy, passion, and commitment. It
combines cognitive, emotional, and behavioral components, as Batra et al.
(2012) suggested.
Interestingly, the existing literature indicates that brand love differs from
consumer satisfaction toward a brand because brand love is a more affective
construct in nature (Kang, 2015). Further, if the consumers have intense
positive feelings toward a brand, such as love and affection, it leads to pur-
chase intention. Brand love results in repatronage intention (Vlachos &
Vrechopoulos, 2012), purchase behavior (Sarkar & Sreejesh, 2014) and con-
sumer’s repurchase intention (Garg et al., 2015). In the similar vein, Verma
(2021) found that brand love results in purchase intention. Further, the
extant literature suggests that the mediating role of brand love has been
tested on the relationship between consumer experience and consumer loy-
alty toward brand (Huang, 2017) and the relationship between customer-
based corporate reputation and consumer engagement (Choi et al., 2022).
However, the mediating impact of brand love within the context of brand
anthropomorphism and negative word of mouth has rarely been studied.

Therefore, the study assumes that brand love would act as a mediator in the
present context. Hence, the following hypothesis has been framed: -
H3: Brand love would positively lead to intention to purchase.
H3a: Brand love would mediate the relationship between brand anthropomorphism
and intention to purchase.
H3b: Brand love would mediate the relationship between NWOM and intention to
purchase.
2.2.4. Brand attitude

Brand attitude is defined as “the general appreciation of a brand by a con-
sumer” (Mitchell & Olson, 1981). According to the extant literature, con-
sumer attitude toward the brand can be positive or negative. For instance,
Hydock et al. (2020) examined positive as well as negative consumer atti-
tudes toward sharing their opinions with brands. In the similar vein,
Tunçel (2022) examined the impact of negative attitudes toward the pur-
chase of counterfeit luxury products. Further, the extant literature within
the context of branding suggests that attitude leads to purchase intention
(Park et al., 2010). Various researchers have explored brand attitudes in dif-
ferent contexts. For instance, Faircloth et al. (2001) studied the effect of
brand attitude and brand image on brand equity, measuring the firm’s
financial performance. Hwang et al. (2021) examined brand attitude in the
context of human baristas and robot baristas and revealed that consumer’s
brand attitude positively impacts their loyalty toward the brand. In the
similar vein, Kao et al. (2020) found a positive relationship between brand
attitude and purchase intention. Studies have also found the mediating
impact of brand attitude (Liu et al., 2020; Zarantonello & Schmitt, 2013) in
the context of factors affecting brand attitude and purchase intention.
Building on the above discussion, the present study argues that if the con-
sumer has a positive attitude toward a brand, it is very likely that the con-
sumer will buy it. Therefore, the present study hypothesizes:
H4: Brand attitude would positively lead to intention to purchase.
H4a: Brand attitude would mediate the relationship between brand anthropomorphism
and purchase intention.
H4b: Brand attitude would mediate the relationship between NWOM and purchase
intention.
2.2.5. Moderating variable

2.2.5.1. Emotional stability. In the extant literature, emotional stability refers
to “a tendency to remain calm in stressful situations versus a tendency to
show strong emotional reactions under stressful circumstances” (Church

et al., 1998; Hammer et al., 1978; Tung, 1981). Further, an individual’s hap-
piness is measured with emotional stability, implying that emotionally sta-
ble individuals are more satisfied with life and are happy (Hills & Argyle,
2001). Linking it with personality traits, research highlights that greater
emotional stability would be regarded as a positive aspect of personality. It
could be understood that emotionally stable people would be calm, imper-
turbable and more complacent with their life. Building on this argument,
the present study posits that if the brand is anthropomorphized, it will lead
to brand love, and an individual’s emotional stability would strengthen this
positive relationship. It could be argued that if an individual considers a
brand as a human and the individual is also emotionally stable and happy
in life, it will enhance the tendency to love a brand. On the other hand, if
there is NWOM regarding the brand, then it is certain that consumers will
develop negative attitudes toward such brands. However, the present
research study argues that if the consumer is emotionally stable, then this
negative association of NWOM with brand attitude will weaken as it could
be argued that emotionally stable individual would pay less attention to
NWOM and literature has also argued that emotionally stable individuals
tend to recover from negative emotions quickly (Li & Ahlstrom, 2016).
Further, existing literature suggests that brand anthropomorphism posi-
tively leads to brand attitude (Zhang et al., 2020). We argue that if the indi-
vidual is emotionally stable, then there is a high probability that if the
brand is anthropomorphized/humanized then these emotions may get
extended to a positive brand attitude, thereby strengthening the relation-
ship between brand anthropomorphism and brand attitude. On the other
hand, as posited in the present study that NWOM would negatively lead to
brand love, we further ague that if the individual is emotionally stable, then
there are chances that this negative relationship would weaken as emotion-
ally stable people make affective bonds with a brand (Garg et al., 2016) and
as revealed by Swaminathan and Kubat Dokumaci (2021), there exists an
inverse relationship between emotional stability and NWOM. This implies
that emotionally stable people have less consideration for NWOM, how-
ever, they have tendency to make affective bonds with a brand and hence,
we propose the moderating impact of emotional stability on the relation-
ship between NWOM and brand love.
Further, the existing literature suggests that consumers tend to purchase
those brands more which seems to be human-like (Laksmidewi et al., 2017)
and very often, consumer’s emotional response impacts their purchase inten-
tion (Ketkaew et al., 2021). Building on this literature, the present study
argues that emotional stability would lead to a stronger relationship between
brand anthropomorphism and purchase intention as those who are
emotionally stable and find the brand anthropomorphism as favorable, would

tend to have a positive purchase intention. On the contrary, as demonstrated
in the existing literature that NWOM would have a negative impact on pur-
chase intention (Curina et al., 2020), we argue that if the consumer is emo-
tionally stable, then there are chances that this negative relationship would
get weaken as emotionally stable individual are less likely to pay attention to
NWOM. Therefore, the present study hypothesizes:
H5: Emotional stability moderates the association of brand anthropomorphism with brand
love as it would lead to a stronger relationship between brand anthropomorphism and
brand love.
H6: Emotional stability moderates the association of NWOM with brand attitude as it
would lead to a weaker relationship between NWOM and brand attitude.
H7: Emotional stability moderates the association of brand anthropomorphism with
brand attitude as it would lead to a stronger relationship between brand
anthropomorphism and brand attitude.
H8: Emotional stability moderates the association of NWOM with brand love as it
would lead to a weaker relationship between NWOM and brand love.
H9: Emotional stability moderates the association of brand anthropomorphism with
purchase intention as it would lead to a stronger relationship between brand
anthropomorphism and purchase intention.
H10: Emotional stability moderates the association of NWOM with purchase intention as
it would lead to a weaker relationship between NWOM and purchase intention.
3. Research methodology
3.1. Data collection
The data for the present study was collected through an online survey
administered to consumers between May to July 2022. The questionnaire
link was floated across LinkedIn, and Google mail. Before the final study, a
pretest was conducted with 30 participants applying convenience sampling
and afterwards, modifications in wording to improve the interpretation of
the statements were made. The questionnaires were then sent to approxi-
mately 700 respondents. A total of 426 responses were received, and after
deleting 26 unfilled responses, the total sample size came to 400 responses.
The data were collected from the respondents who intend to purchase a
luxury car in the near future. A filter question was inserted in the begin-
ning of the questionnaire that asked the consumers if they wish to own a
luxury car. The respondents who did not wish to own were excluded from
the study (Figure 1).
In the survey, we conceptualize luxury car brand as brand which not only
provides functional value (such as comfort and safety features) but also
Figure 1. Conceptual model of the study.
experiential value (personal expression and gratification) and symbolic value

(social status and prestige). We enlisted a few examples of car brands such as
BMW, Audi, and Jaguar which are considered as luxury car brands in the
Indian automobile market (The Economic Times, 2022). Respondents were
then asked to recall a luxury car brand which they saw in an advertisement
(print/online) very recently and subsequently wished to purchase. Based on
that brand they were asked to answer the questions. The sample consisted of
28.25% women and 71.75% men. The majority of the respondents were from
the age group of 25-35, as it comprised almost 53.5% of the total sample size.
Table 1 demonstrates the demographic profile of study’s respondents.
3.2. Measurement of constructs

For the measurement of NWOM, a four items scale given by Hashim and
Kasana (2019) was used. Brand anthropomorphism has been measured by
the scale proposed by Waytz et al. (2010). The scale contains five items.
Three items measuring brand attitude were adapted from Hwang et al.
(2021). Carroll and Ahuvia (2006) five-item scales were used to measure
brand love. Three items measuring purchase intention were adapted from
Table 1. Demographic data.

Frequency Percent
Gender
Male 287 71.75
Female 113 28.25
Age
25–35 yrs 214 53.5
36–45 yrs 143 35.75
46–55 yrs 38 9.5
55 yrs & above 5 1.25
Annual income (in USD)
12000–16000 139 34.75
17000–20000 95 23.75
21000–24000 58 14.5
25000 & above 108 27
Hwang and Griffiths (2017). Emotional stability was measured by seven

items using a scale provided by Li and Ahlstrom (2016). The questionnaire
consisted of 27 questions covering various items. The study items were
measured on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1¼ Strongly Agree to
5¼ Strongly Disagree (Table 2).
4. Data analysis
4.1. Construct validity and reliability tests
The present research first tested the construct reliability followed by con-
struct validity. The construct reliability was obtained as all composite reliabil-
ities surpassed the threshold of 0.70, as suggested by Nunnally and Bernstein
(1994). After testing the composite reliability of constructs, convergent valid-
ity was estimated. The results revealed that convergent validity for all the
study constructs was good because the average variance extracted (AVE) of
all study constructs was above 0.50 (Fornell & Larcker, 1981). Factor loadings
of the focal constructs were statistically significant (Hair et al., 2010; Table 2).
Discriminant validity was established as the square root of AVE values
was higher than the off-diagonal correlations as presented in Table 3
(Fornell & Larcker, 1981).
4.1.1. Common method bias

Further, Harman’s single factor test was used (Podsakoff et al., 2003) to
test the bias. Results reveal no bias, as the total variance extracted by one
factor is 36.812% (Table 4).
4.1.2. Structural model

The path analysis revealed the robustness of the conceptual model, as sug-
gested by researchers like Hair et al. (2011; Table 5). The results of the
hypothesis testing are given in Table 6.
Table 2. Variables and factor loadings.

CFA SEM
Variables (References) Measurement Items Mean S.D. Loadings Loadings
Negative Image and WOM I pay attention to any negative 5.17 1.681 0.834 0.869
(Hashim & Kasana, 2019) feedback I receive about this
luxury car brand.
This luxury car brand would be 5.16 1.754 0.851 0.866
boycotted by me, if I hear
anything bad about this brand.
This luxury car brand may not be the 5.83 1.518 0.843 0.882
one I would purchase, if I hear
bad things about this brand.
Regarding my relationship with this 4.59 1.835 0.782 0.782
brand, I am filled with anger,
guilt, and embarrassment.
Brand anthropomorphism I think that this luxury car brand is 4.56 1.711 0.912 0.912
(Waytz et al., 2010) emotional.
I think that this luxury car brand is 4.93 1.694 0.780 0.780
self-conscious.
sociable.
honest.
I think that this luxury car brand has 4.90 1.672 0.832 0.832
good intentions.
Brand attitude (Hwang et al., I feel that this luxury car brand is 4.22 1.877 0.840 0.840
2021) favorable.
I feel that this luxury car brand is 3.76 1.924 0.939 0.929
positive.
I feel that this luxury car brand is 3.47 1.920 0.872 0.885
good.
Brand love (Carroll & Ahuvia, I feel good about this luxury car 4.17 1.732 0.722 0.723
2006) brand.
This luxury car brand can make me 4.17 1.790 0.800 0.801
happy.
I love this luxury car brand. 3.91 1.853 0.912 0.913
I have become passionate about this 3.52 1.884 0.938 0.937
luxury car brand.
I have become very attached to this 3.53 1.973 0.927 0.927
luxury brand.
Purchase intention (Hwang It is very likely that now I will buy 4.01 1.786 0.979 0.979
& Griffiths, 2017) this luxury car brand.
It is probable that now I will buy this 4.10 1.716 0.884 0.884
luxury car brand.
It is very certain that now I will buy 3.64 1.921 0.902 0.902
this luxury car brand.
Emotional stability (Li & I am a person who can recover from 4.80 1.602 0.816 0.816
Ahlstrom, 2016) negative emotions quickly.
I calm down quickly after trivial 4.97 1.530 0.772 0.772
incidents.
I am not influenced by negative 4.46 1.598 0.911 0.912
emotions.
I can get upset easily. 4.18 1.636 0.770 0.770
I can easily feel as if I am facing 4.48 1.500 0.892 0.892
imminent disaster.
I can panic easily. 4.23 1.759 0.872 0.872
I can get anxious easily. 4.40 1.598 0.917 0.916
4.1.3. Mediation analysis for brand love and brand attitude

Using model 4 in the PROCESS macro in SPSS Version 26, the present study
performed mediation analysis (Goldring et al., 2022; Trivedi et al., 2020;
Zacharia & Spais, 2017). The results revealed that consumers’ brand love
Table 3. Reliability & validity of the constructs.

CR AVE MSV MaxR(H) NWOM BANTH BA BL PI
NWOM 0.736 0.565 0.037 0.823 0.652
BANTH 0.905 0.657 0.302 0.915 0.077 0.810
BA 0.915 0.783 0.614 0.931 0.131 0.534 0.885
BL 0.952 0.869 0.728 0.958 0.121 0.549 0.783 0.932
PI 0.945 0.851 0.728 0.968 0.191 0.545 0.742 0.853 0.923
Table 4. Common method bias- Harman’s single factor test.

Total Variance Explained
Initial Eigenvalues Extraction Sums of Squared Loadings
Component Total % of Variance Cumulative % Total % of Variance Cumulative %
1 9.939 36.812 36.812 9.939 36.812 36.812
2 3.183 11.789 48.601
3 2.386 8.836 57.437
4 2.164 8.013 65.450
5 1.423 5.270 70.720
Table 5. Robustness of the conceptual model.

Observed Threshold
Chi Square 326.184
DF 140
CMIN/df 2.329 <3
p-value 0.000 >0.05
CFI 0.951 >.95
RMSEA 0.078 <0.05 .10
PCLOSE 0.6494 >0.05
Table 6. Hypothesis testing.

Hypotheses Estimate S.E. C.R. P Support
H1 Brand love <— Brand anthropomorphism .907 .115 7.872 Yes
H2B Brand attitude <— NWOM -.143 .107 1.343 .179 No
H2 Brand love <— NWOM -.132 .116 1.135 .257 No
H1B Brand attitude <— Brand anthropomorphism .704 .103 6.830 Yes
H3 Purchase intention <— Brand love .623 .069 9.076 Yes
H4 Purchase intention <— Brand attitude .103 .071 1.455 .146 No
H1A Purchase intention <— Brand anthropomorphism .043 .064 .680 .496 No
H2A Purchase intention <— NWOM -.135 .062 2.162 Yes
represents significance at 1%.
mediates the relationship between brand anthropomorphism and intention to

purchase and it also mediates the relationship of NWOM with purchase inten-
tion. Further, the analysis revealed that brand attitude mediates the relation-
ship between brand anthropomorphism and NWOM with purchase intention.
Thus, hypotheses H3a, H3b, H4a, and H4b were supported (Tables 7 and 8).
4.1.4. Moderation analysis for emotional stability

Using Model 1 in the PROCESS macro in SPSS Version 26, the present study
conducted moderation analysis. The results, presented in Table 9 showed that
emotional stability moderates the association of brand anthropomorphism
Table 7. Results of mediation analysiss.

BANTH! BL ! PI
b se t p LLCI ULCI
BANTH! BL .6947 .0624 11.1264 .0000 .5717 .8178
BANTH! PI .0424 .0560 .7564 .4502 -.0680 .1527
BL ! PI .8449 .0486 17.3661 .0000 .7490 .9408
Total effect (H3a) .6290 .0690 9.1148 .0000 .4932 .7654
NWOMfi BL fi PI
NWOM! BL -.0888 .0888 1.0003 .3183 -.2637 .0862
NWOM! PI -.0941 .0505 1.8644 .0636 -.1937 .0054
BL! PI .8622 .0386 22.3256 .0000 .7861 .9383
Total effect (H3b) -.1707 .0916 1.8643 .0636 -.3511 .0098
BANTHfi BA fiPI
BANTH! BA .6325 .0717 8.8179 .0000 .4911 .7738
BANTH! PI .2767 .0658 4.2057 .0000 .1470 .4064
BA ! PI .5575 .0535 10.4184 .0000 .4521 .6630
Total effect (H4a) .6293 .0690 9.1148 .0000 .4932 .7654
NWOMfi BAfi PI
NWOM! BA -.0867 .0946 -.9143 .3616 -.2736 .1002
NWOM! PI -.1127 .0663 1.6992 .0907 -.2435 .0180
BA !PI .6683 .0475 14.0659 .0000 .5747 .7620
Total effect (H4b) -.1707 .0916 1.8643 .0636 -.3511 .0098
Source: Author’s own compilation.
Table 8. Indirect effects.

b se LLCI ULCI
BANTH! BL ! PI .5870 .0586 .4713 .7024
NWOM! BL ! PI -.0765 .0890 -.2379 .1092
BANTH! BA !PI .3526 .0605 .2405 .4800
NWOM! BA! PI -.0579 .0718 -.1931 .0929
Table 9. Results of moderation effect by emotional stability.

Coeff SE t p LLCI ULCI Support
BL<-BANTH 0.2482 0.8584 2.8815 0.0044 0.7815 4.1655
BL<-ES 0.2782 0.1879 1.4807 0.1402 0.6886 0.0921
BL<-ESBANTH (H5) 0.0961 0.0406 2.3672 0.0188 0.0161 0.1761 Yes
BA<-BANTH 0.0932 0.3054 0.721 0.4717 1.9328 4.1622

BA<-ES 0.029 0.3289 0.0882 0.9298 0.6773 0.6193
BA<-ESBANTH (H7) 0.1064 0.0638 1.6992 0.0907 0.0173 0.2341 Yes
PI<-BANTH 0.2308 0.2952 0.7817 0.4353 0.3512 0.8128

PI<-ES 0.0882 0.318 0.2775 0.7817 0.5285 0.715
PI<-ESBANTH (H9) 0.0786 0.0617 1.2744 0.2039 0.043 0.2001 No
BL<-NWOM 0.1543 0.3691 0.4182 0.6763 0.8818 0.5732

BL<-ES 0.5682 0.412 1.3791 0.1693 0.2439 1.3803
BL<-ESNWOM (H8) 0.0016 0.0748 0.0209 0.9833 0.1458 0.149 No
BA<-NWOM 0.4251 0.1663 2.5564 0.0113 0.7529 0.0973

BA<-ES 0.0979 0.192 0.5096 0.6109 0.4764 0.2807
BA<-ESNWOM (H6) 0.1004 0.0345 2.9107 0.004 0.0324 0.1683 Yes
PI<-NWOM 0.5591 0.3776 1.4807 0.1402 1.3034 0.1852

PI<-ES 0.2769 0.4215 0.6569 0.512 0.554 1.1078
PI<-ESNWOM (H10) 0.0677 0.0765 0.8846 0.3774 0.0831 0.2185 No
with brand love. Further, emotional stability has a moderating effect on the
relationship between NWOM and brand attitude. Results further revealed that
emotional stability has a moderating effect on the relationship between brand
anthropomorphism and brand attitude. Thus, H5, H6 and H7were supported
in the study. However, results revealed that emotional stability has no moder-
ating impact on the relationship between NWOM and brand love, brand
anthropomorphism and purchase intention and NWOM and purchase inten-
tion. Thus, H8, H9and H10 were not supported in the study.
5. Discussion
The results revealed that brand anthropomorphism leads to brand love.
This finding was in line with Rauschnabel and Ahuvia (2014). This finding
implied that if consumers perceive the brand as anthropomorphic, it evokes
positive emotions such as love and affection. This may be because consum-
ers relate more with a brand which is emotional or congruent with their
beliefs. The present study argued that NWOM would have a negative
impact on brand attitude, however, the results revealed an insignificant
impact though it is a negative relationship. This was not in line with
Casado-Dıaz et al. (2020). This may be because the consumers do not
essentially form their attitude considering the negative information heard
about a brand from peers or other consumers. Also, because the relation-
ship between brand attitude and consumer’s purchase intention is strong,
NWOM doesn’t significantly impact brand attitude.
Further, the results revealed, contrary to the argument, an insignificant
relationship between NWOM and brand love. Building on Rodrigues et al.
(2020) and Relling et al. (2016), we argue that the insignificant relationship
between NWOM and brand love is justified by considering the consumer’s
passion for the brand. Rodrigues et al. (2020) argued that the consumers,
who are passionate toward a brand, tend to demonstrate lower negative feel-
ings toward a brand. Also, this could also be because of a strong relationship
between brand love and purchase intention. However, the relationship was
negative. The hypothesized relationship between brand anthropomorphism
and consumer brand attitude was found to be significantly positive. This
finding corroborated the findings of Zhang et al. (2020). This finding implied
that in the case of an anthropomorphized brand, the tendency of consumers
to have a positive brand attitude is very high. The present study showed a
very strong association of brand anthropomorphism with brand attitude. As
hypothesized, brand love leads to purchase intention, implying that if the
consumers have developed a love for the brand, then it is very likely that con-
sumers will decide to purchase the brand because of the positive feelings
associated with it. This finding is corroborated with results revealed by
Sarkar and Sreejesh (2014). Paradoxically, to our expectation, the study

revealed a positive association between brand attitude and intention, however
the relationship was found to be statistically insignificant. This finding was
not in line with Park et al. (2010). But it was in line with Paul and Bhakar
(2018) and Hsu and Lin (2016) who revealed that the relationship between
attitude and intention is positive but yet insignificant. Interestingly, the pre-
sent study revealed that brand anthropomorphism positively leads to pur-
chase intention; however, the relationship is insignificant. This was not in
line with Laksmidewi et al. (2017). This revealed that there exists no direct
relationship between consumer brand anthropomorphism and intention to
purchase, implying that if the product is anthropomorphized, it is not neces-
sary that it leads to intention to purchase, thereby highlighting the import-
ance of brand attitude and brand love as mediating variables. Further, as
hypothesized NWOM negatively leads to intention. This corroborated the
finding of the study conducted by Curina et al. (2020). This finding implied
that if there is spread of negative information about a brand, then it is very
likely that consumers would not purchase the brand.
5.1. Mediation and moderation results

The results showed that consumer’s love for brand strongly mediates the
relationship between brand anthropomorphism and intention to purchase.
As mentioned, the direct path between brand anthropomorphism and
intention was found to be insignificant. However, with the inclusion of
brand love, the relationship became significant as well as stronger. This
finding posits a very important implication for the marketers that it is not
sufficient if the brand is anthropomorphized, brand love also must be
developed for that particular brand. If the consumers do not have love for
the brand, then it is very likely that if the brand is anthropomorphized or
non-anthropomorphized, it would be immaterial for the consumers.
Therefore, it could be understood that brand love substantially leads to the
purchase intention of consumers. Further, the results revealed that consum-
er’s brand love mediates the relationship between NWOM and consumer’s
intention to purchase. This finding implied that even if there is NWOM
for the brand, consumers would continue to purchase the brand, if they
have the love for that particular brand.
The present study revealed that brand attitude mediates the relationship
between brand anthropomorphism and purchase intention. This finding
reveals an interesting implication that if consumers have a positive attitude
toward a brand and the brand is anthropomorphized then their intention
toward the purchase of the brand is higher. However, if they do not possess
a positive brand attitude, then their intention toward the purchase of the
brand, be it anthropomorphized or non-anthropomorphized, is insignifi-

cant. Further, the results also revealed that brand attitude mediates the rela-
tionship between NWOM and purchase intention. This research finding
implied that even if there is NWOM for the brand and consumers have a
positive attitude toward a brand, then there is a high probability that con-
sumers would likely purchase the brand. To summarize, brand love and
brand attitude are strong mediators as they both explain the relationship
between brand anthropomorphism, NWOM and intention to purchase.
In terms of moderation analysis, the present study tested the moderating
impact of emotional stability. The results revealed that emotional stability
has a moderating impact on the relationship between brand anthropo-
morphism and brand love. As argued in the present research study, it was
found that emotional stability leads to a stronger relationship between brand
anthropomorphism and brand love. This may be because if the consumer is
emotionally stable, which is a trait of his/her personality being stable, and
the product or brand is anthropomorphized, then it would lead to a more
positive association with the brand and would evoke more positive feelings
such as love toward a brand. The argument posited by the present study is
hence validated and tested. Further, the results revealed that emotional sta-
bility moderates the relationship between NWOM and brand attitude. As
argued, the negative association between NWOM and brand attitude would
weaken in the presence of emotional stability. This research finding revealed
that considering the personality of the consumer, if the consumer is emo-
tionally stable, then it is very likely the negative impact of NWOM would
be decreased as may be consumers would not consider or pay attention to
NWOM in that case and hence his attitude toward the brand would not be
highly negative. Further, results revealed that emotional stability moderates
the relationship between brand anthropomorphism and brand attitude. This
may be because emotionally stable consumers tend to prefer anthropo-
morphized products because it activates positive affection toward a brand
(Ma et al., 2021) and their attitude toward the brand is positive (Verbeke &
Kenhove, 2002). Results revealed that emotional stability does not moderate
the relationship between NWOM and brand love. Study results revealed
that emotional stability does not moderate the relationship between brand
anthropomorphism and purchase intention. This may be because the direct
impact between brand anthropomorphism and purchase intention was
found to be insignificant implying consumers do not purchase a brand just
because it tends to be like a human and hence, there is a possibility that
emotional stability does not strengthen this relationship. Further, results
revealed that emotional stability does not moderate the relationship between
NWOM and purchase intention and it doesn’t weaken this relationship. To
summarize, the present research study unraveled the role and relevance of
an individual’s personality traits of a consumer in terms of brand context

specifically in case of brand anthropomorphism and NWOM. As posited in
the present study, the results revealed that emotional stability is a strong
moderating variable. In the presence of stable emotions, the positive and
significant association of brand anthropomorphism with brand love
strengthens and the negative association of NWOM with brand attitude
weakens. Also, the relationship between brand anthropomorphism and con-
sumer’s brand attitude strengthens in presence of stable emotions.
6. Research implications
The present study posits mainly five research implications which will add
to the existing literature on brand love. Firstly, the study has been con-
ducted within the backdrop of brand love for luxury cars. Our limited
knowledge suggests that the wealth of literature on brand love has not yet
attempted to examine brand love of consumers with respect to luxury cars.
Existing studies on brand love have majorly focused on luxury fashion
brands (Siew et al., 2018), luxury wines (Correia Loureiro & Kaufmann,
2012) and luxury hotels (Sreejesh et al., 2016). The present study is first of
its kind, which has examined brand love for luxury cars.
Second, the present study has added to the wealth of literature on brand
love by testing and validating the psychographic characteristics of the con-
sumers such as emotional stability. As mentioned, there existed a dearth of
literature which has examined the personality of consumers within the con-
text of brand love. Therefore, the present research study is a novel attempt
as it has studied the moderating impact of emotional stability.
Third, the studies focusing on brand love and luxury consumption studies
have been conducted majorly in Western countries which are developed econo-
mies. Further, as posited by the previous studies, the findings of those studies
may not be generalizable to non-Western cultures (Semaan et al., 2019) as con-
sumer behavior differs across cultures and generational cohorts (Katz, 1960).
Therefore, considering the notion that India is an emerging market, brand love
within the context of luxury cars is an interesting avenue of research.
Fourth, building on the systematic review conducted by Gumparthi and
Patra (2020), it has been mentioned that the theoretical foundation of
majority of the brand love studies has been built on theories such as
Attachment Theory (Sreejesh et al., 2017), Social Identity Theory (Liu
et al., 2018) and Motivational Theories (Thakur et al., 2018). Therefore, the
present research study extends the existing wealth of literature related to
brand love, by testing and validating a different and rarely used theory
within this context that is theory of reasoned action. In conjunction with
TRA, the present study found a strong mediating impact of attitude on the
relationship between brand anthropomorphism and purchase intention and

on the relationship between NWOM and purchase intention. Further, in
line with TRA, attitude showed a positive impact on purchase intention but
paradoxically insignificant. Therefore, as the present study aimed to test
theory of reasoned action as till now, it has not been deeply studied within
the context of brand love; we believe that this study validated the employ-
ability of TRA in brand love context.
Fifth, we make a significant contribution by exploring the mediating
influence of brand love and brand attitude and the moderating role of con-
sumer’s personality trait that is emotional stability within the context of
brand love for luxury cars. Exploring such moderators and mediators can
help the future scholars in developing a clear and specific understanding of
consumer behavior associated with brand love.
7. Practical implications
The findings of the present study offer five implications for brand manag-
ers of luxury cars.
First, the findings suggest that brand marketers in order to increase con-
sumer love for the brand must consider humanizing their brands. Brand
anthropomorphism can be inculcated in various ways such as brand per-
sonification (Apple) and brand metaphors (Burger king). Further, this can
be attained by employing first-person communication such as the one used
by Audi: “Following your own rules. Audi A6”. The extant literature shows
using such metaphors results in more reliability with the brand and con-
sumers develop some sort of congruence between them and the brand.
Building on the study conducted by Aggarwal and McGill (2007), it’s not
only the nonphysical characteristic or elements through which brands can
be anthropomorphized; marketers can also focus on physical characteristics
of the brand. In this case, the physical features of luxury cars can be
worked upon to give them a human feel. Moreover, existing studies also
suggest that anthropomorphism is perceived as enjoyable to the consumers
(Han, 2021; Mishra et al., 2022). However, as already highlighted by
authors like Puzakova and Aggarwal (2018), consumers develop negative
attitudes toward brand when it is anthropomorphized because of perceived
salient distinctiveness motives, which implies that consumers perceive
anthropomorphism as enjoyable only if it is favorable. Therefore, marketers
must carefully utilize such strategies for luxury brands. Further, as the
results reveal, marketers need to have consistent communication across the
platforms regarding the humanization of brands. This would help in build-
ing more credibility and trust toward the brand and it would help in
inducing brand love and consequently it may lead to purchase intention.
Second, in terms of NWOM, our findings suggest a non-purchase inten-

tion of luxury cars. It is recommended to the marketers to concentrate in
addressing the disputes as and when they occur. For instance, luxury man-
agers should be aware that the diffusion of negative information about the
luxury brands could be deleterious for the brand. The sales force must be
trained to ensure the customer disputes are tackled instantly in both online
as well as offline medium. For instance, brand managers of luxury cars can
focus on maintaining the effectiveness of the complaint redressal system/de-
partment wherein, in case a consumer has a bad experience with the brand,
the issue can be solved more quickly, this will not only stop the spread of
NWOM, but would also help in retaining the customer. For instance, luxury
car brand: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has its client complaints procedure
which is highly committed to producing and delivering products and serv-
ices of the highest standard. The department tries its best to help resolve
the situation in a fair and transparent way by investigating and examining
all filed complaints with due competence, diligence, and without any bias
thereby obtaining additional and useful information as and when necessary.
Third, further, in terms of brand love, our findings revealed a very
strong relationship between brand love and purchase intention. Brand love
is necessary as the results reveal that if consumers have love for the brand,
then the impact of NWOM has no substantial negative impact on con-
sumer perception toward brands. This is because if the consumers have
passion toward a brand, then there are high chances that they may ignore
NWOM against a brand. Therefore, marketers must try to enhance brand
love for luxury cars. This may be done by addressing the issues on time
and must try to humanize the brand; this would ensure an element of cred-
ibility and relatability with the luxury car brand. Further, as the present
study showed, if the brand is anthropomorphized, if consumers do not pos-
sess love for the brand, it would not lead to purchase intention. Hence,
marketers must accentuate brand love.
Fourth, in terms of brand attitude, though the results showed an insig-
nificant relationship between attitude and intention, hence we cannot rule
out positive impact and therefore we believe that the marketers must focus
on establishing a positive attitude toward such luxury car brands. To
achieve this, marketers can highlight a sense of personalization in their
communication strategies, this would enhance a close relationship between
the consumers and brand. For instance, in communication strategies,
research shows that usage of second person pronouns in communication
helps in fostering the brand attitude of consumers (Cruz et al., 2017).
Fifth, the most critical and vital element of the present research study is
the consumer personality trait: emotional stability. Our findings reveal that
emotional stability has a very critical role in brand love for luxury cars.
Our limited knowledge suggests that this is a first study of its kind which
has tried to examine the moderating role of personality trait that is emo-
tional stability within the context of luxury car brands. Emotional stability
not only helps in fostering brand love, but also helps in reducing the
impact of NWOM on brand attitude. This suggests emotional stability of
the consumer is a double-edged sword with which marketers can increase
brand love and brand attitude and hence, increase purchase intention for
the luxury cars. The marketers need to understand that there is a need to
pay attention to the emotional aspects of the consumers as it potentially
yields positive results such as brand love and brand attitude. Marketers can
inculcate positivity in their communication strategies such as retraining of
emotions. For instance, BMW accentuates in their marketing communica-
tion that it doesn’t just build cars, rather the brand is more focused on cre-
ating emotion, enthusiasm, fascination, and thrills among consumers.
Therefore, marketers must induce effective strategies to accentuate positive
emotions of consumers as it has huge implications for the brands.
8. Limitations and directions for future research

The present study has a few limitations. First, since the current research
study focused on only one geographical region that is India which is an
emerging economy, the findings may have limited generalizability.
Therefore, the future research should validate the proposed model in other
countries. Second, the present research employed a cross-sectional survey
which is based on self-reported measures that are often subject to biased
responses. Therefore, future studies may address this limitation by using
different methods such as experimental research. Third, the present
research study was conducted within the context of brand love for luxury
cars only; hence future research studies may test and validate the concep-
tual model of the present research study across different contexts. This will
ensure a holistic overview of brand love of consumers. Fourth, the present
study did not focus on a particular luxury car brand; therefore, future stud-
ies can be conducted with a specific car brand.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
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Journal of Promotion Management

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Demystifying Brand Love for Luxury Cars: Testing

Saubhagya Bhalla & Mohit Pathak

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/10496491.2023.2165213

Published online: 10 Jan 2023.

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Demystifying Brand Love for Luxury Cars: Testing the

CONTACT Saubhagya Bhalla saubhagyab@iima.ac.in Marketing Area, Indian Institute of Management

favorable brand evaluations are triggered when negative human schemas

The present research study could contribute to the existing literature on

create emotional connection with consumers, which has significant ramifi-

2. Literature review and hypotheses

2.1.1. Conceptualization of brand love

consumer behavior literature, Shimp and Madden (1988) discussed various

2.2. Hypothesis development

entity and hence consumers perceive brands as plausible relationship partners

2.2.3. Mediating variables: Brand love

anthropomorphism and negative word of mouth has rarely been studied.

2.2.4. Brand attitude

2.2.5. Moderating variable

show strong emotional reactions under stressful circumstances” (Church

emotionally stable and find the brand anthropomorphism as favorable, would

Figure 1. Conceptual model of the study.

experiential value (personal expression and gratification) and symbolic value

3.2. Measurement of constructs

Table 1. Demographic data.

Hwang and Griffiths (2017). Emotional stability was measured by seven

4.1.1. Common method bias

4.1.2. Structural model

Table 2. Variables and factor loadings.

4.1.3. Mediation analysis for brand love and brand attitude

Table 3. Reliability & validity of the constructs.

Table 4. Common method bias- Harman’s single factor test.

Table 5. Robustness of the conceptual model.

Table 6. Hypothesis testing.

mediates the relationship between brand anthropomorphism and intention to

4.1.4. Moderation analysis for emotional stability

Table 7. Results of mediation analysiss.

Table 8. Indirect effects.

Table 9. Results of moderation effect by emotional stability.

BA<-BANTH 0.0932 0.3054 0.721 0.4717 1.9328 4.1622

PI<-BANTH 0.2308 0.2952 0.7817 0.4353 0.3512 0.8128

BL<-NWOM 0.1543 0.3691 0.4182 0.6763 0.8818 0.5732

BA<-NWOM 0.4251 0.1663 2.5564 0.0113 0.7529 0.0973

PI<-NWOM 0.5591 0.3776 1.4807 0.1402 1.3034 0.1852

Sarkar and Sreejesh (2014). Paradoxically, to our expectation, the study

5.1. Mediation and moderation results

brand, be it anthropomorphized or non-anthropomorphized, is insignifi-

an individual’s personality traits of a consumer in terms of brand context

relationship between brand anthropomorphism and purchase intention and

Second, in terms of NWOM, our findings suggest a non-purchase inten-

8. Limitations and directions for future research

luxury fashion brands. Journal of Promotion Management, 23(6), 872–888. https://doi.