Two studies of consequences and actionable antecedents of brand love

Brand love is a recent marketing construct, which has been shown to influence important marketing variables such as brand loyalty and word-of-mouth. Although this knowledge is academically interesting, its managerial relevance depends on the identification of actionable antecedents of brand love. This study adds to the understanding of the managerial potential of brand love by proposing and testing two actionable antecedents of brand love: Brand identification and sense of community. The study uses the Partial Least Squares approach to structural equation modelling to analyze data from two survey-based studies. The study tests two conceptual models using data for six different brands. The results show that brand identification and sense of community both have a positive influence on brand love, which in turn has a positive influence on brand loyalty and active engagement. These findings form the basis for a discussion of the use of image extensions and market shielding to strengthen brand identification and sense of community- with the purpose of elaborating and building brand love. © 2010 Macmillan Publishers Ltd.