Loading...
DEVELOPING AND DIMINISHING BRAND FAITH: CONSUMER-BRAND RELATIONSHIPS BUILT ON SPIRITUAL MOTIVATION
Citations
Altmetric:
Abstract
This dissertation examines the concept of brand faith, a process of believing in, valuing, and committing to a brand that enhances consumers’ existential meaning, reflecting a contemporary form of spirituality. It explores how consumers find existential meaning and a sense of identity through their relationships with brands, particularly as traditional religious affiliations decline. Through interpretive analysis of interview and netnographic data, this research investigates the initiation, progression, and regression of brand faith, providing insights into the spiritual motivations that underpin consumer-brand relationships.
Brand faith is linked with a belief system where consumers imbue brands with spiritual significance, integrating them into their life narratives. This process extends beyond conventional brand relationship constructs, offering a pathway for consumers to achieve spiritual fulfillment. The dissertation identifies how brands can serve as spiritual entities, providing a sense of purpose and belonging, and how they can mirror the roles of traditional religious structures in modern consumer life.
The findings suggest that brand faith can progress through intuitive attraction to a deep-rooted identity element, with stages of reflection and affirmation that align with consumers’ aspirations and lifestyles. However, the journey is not linear, as brand faith can regress when brands fail to live up to consumers’ spiritual expectations. This dynamic underscores the complex interplay between personal narratives and brand ethos.
The dissertation concludes that brand faith represents both empowerment and vulnerability for consumers, filling spiritual voids yet making their well-being dependent on commercial narratives. It calls for brands to responsibly navigate their influence on consumers’ spirituality and identity. Theoretical implications are discussed, expanding consumer-brand relationship theories to include spiritual dimensions and addressing managerial strategies for nurturing brand faith.
Type
Dissertation (Open Access)
Date
2024-05