In an increasingly competitive market, brands are searching for more than just customer satisfaction—they’re aiming for something deeper: brand love. But what exactly does it mean to “love” a brand, and how can businesses cultivate this emotional connection?
A groundbreaking study by Batra, Ahuvia, and Bagozzi uncovers the real meaning of brand love by going beyond simple comparisons to interpersonal love. Through qualitative interviews and quantitative modeling, they identified seven key components that form a prototype of brand love:
- Self–Brand Integration: Loved brands reflect and enhance personal identity.
- Passion-Driven Behaviors: People invest time, money, and emotion into the brand.
- Positive Emotional Connection: There’s a deep emotional bond—beyond just liking.
- Long-Term Relationship: Consumers envision staying connected to the brand for years.
- Attitude Strength and Confidence: Strong, confident feelings about the brand.
- Anticipated Separation Distress: The thought of losing the brand causes discomfort.
Positive Attitude Valence: Overall, the brand is viewed highly in every way.
Importantly, quality perceptions act as an antecedent to brand love, while loyalty, word of mouth, and resistance to negative information are powerful outcomes.
The research shows that brand love is more than a passing emotion—it’s a multifaceted relationship involving behavior, identity, and values. For marketers, this means moving beyond one-size-fits-all strategies and focusing on building emotional, personalized, and consistent brand experiences.
A loved brand isn’t just used—it becomes part of who the customer is. And when that happens, loyalty follows naturally.
Batra, R., Ahuvia, A., & Bagozzi, R. P. (2012). Brand love. Journal of Marketing, 76(2), 1–16.
