Abstract

The literature on emotional relationships with brands has been steadily growing for the past decade, however in most cases researchers focus on brand initiated actions in order to test their effects on the strength of those relationships with their customers. The purpose of this research is to explore brand relationships from a generally neglected perspective, that of the consumers with which brands are attempting to build strong emotional bonds. A series of individual difference variables were added to a model incorporating previously known antecedents to strong brand relationships in order to examine the added effect that these might have in encouraging or discouraging consumers to engage in deep emotional relationships with their favorite brands. Although some of the variables showed significant effects, the overall results showed that individual difference variables had very little explanatory power when used in conjunction with the previously established antecedents. Theoretical as well as managerial implications of these results are discussed as well as potential avenues for future research in related lines of questioning.