Navigating Relationship Norms: An Exploration of How Content Strategies Improve Brand Valuation over Time

摘要

Advertising both builds upon and benefits from the relationship between consumers and brands. In three longitudinal studies this research explores the cultivation and effects of this relationship and demonstrates that, when consumers are in an exchange relationship with a brand, ownership duration leads to higher self-brand connection, which subsequently translates into heightened brand valuation. In contrast, this effect is not observed for consumers in a communal brand relationship (Study 1). Further, results show that brand singularization, operationalized as content strategies that engage consumers to provide product reviews (Study 2) or to create consumer-generated advertisements (Study 3), enhances the effect of brand relationship norms, especially when the norm is exchange in nature. Our findings provide important insights to help advertisers design advertising campaigns that use brand relationship norms and singularization to engage consumers and subsequently increase brand valuation.