Exploring the dichotomy between brand addiction and brand love: a comprehensive analysis

Abstract

Purpose: Brand love and addiction reflect two levels of commitment to the relationship between the consumer and the brand. The usual assumption is that brand love is positive and brand addiction is negative. Yet, is this always the case? This study investigates an alternative, more nuanced view where brand love and addiction can be both positive and negative. Different conditions are studied to assess this alternative view, considering harmonious passion, obsessive possession, love for material possessions and the relationship after a scandal. Design/methodology/approach: The study involved a survey of 417 respondents in Vietnam. We employed a two-stage approach to test the validity and reliability of the measurement model and structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the proposed hypotheses. We further analyzed the mediation effects using the bootstrapping method. Findings: The findings support our proposed nuanced view where both types of passion positively influence both brand love and addiction. Further, we find that brand love has both positive and negative outcomes. Similarly, brand addiction has both positive and negative outcomes. These relationships are demonstrated considering, in particular, two outcomes: brand support after a scandal and love for material possessions. The findings further show that brand love and addiction have similar mediating roles. Originality/value: The current study challenges the usual assumptions that brand love is positive and brand addiction is negative. Interestingly, the study shows that, under many circumstances, brand love operates similarly to brand addiction and vice versa. Therefore, we suggest a more nuanced, comprehensive viewpoint on brand love and addiction and their relationships with passion, emotional attachment and consumer behavior.