The influence of brand activism in brand love to promote brand advocacy in the fashion industry

Universidade do Minho Escola de Economia e Gestão Eduarda Miranda Durães The influence of Brand Activism in Brand Love to promote Brand Advocacy in the Fashion Industry outubro de 2024 UMinho | 2024 Eduarda Durães The influence of Brand Activism in Brand Love to promote Brand Advocacy in the Fashion Industry Eduarda Miranda Durães The influence of Brand Activism in Brand Love to promote Brand Advocacy in the Fashion Industry Dissertação de Mestrado Mestrado em Gestão e Negócios Trabalho efetuado sob a orientação do Professor António Joaquim Araújo de Azevedo Universidade do Minho Escola de Economia e Gestão outubro de 2024 ii COPYRIGHT AND CONDITIONS OF USE OF THE WORK BY THIRD PARTIES This is an academic work that may be used by third parties if internationally accepted rules and good practices are respected regarding copyright and related rights. Thus, the present work may be used by the provisions of the license below. If the user needs permission to be able to make use of the work under conditions not provided for in the indicated licensing, he/she/they should contact the author, through the RepositóriUM of the University of Minho. License granted to users of this work Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives CC BY-NC-ND https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ iii STATEMENT OF INTEGRITY I hereby declare having conducted this academic work with integrity. I confirm that I have not used plagiarism or any form of undue use of information or falsification of results along the process leading to its elaboration. I further declare that I have fully acknowledged the Code of Ethical Conduct of the University of Minho. iv A influência do ativismo de marca no amor à marca para promover a defesa da marca na indústria da moda. Resumo Este estudo investiga como o Ativismo de Marca que influencia o Amor à Marca e, por consequência, a Advocacia da Marca, a Intenção de Compra, e a Disponibilidade para pagar dos consumidores. No contexto atual, onde as marcas estão cada vez mais envolvidas em questões sociais, os consumidores tornam-se mais sensíveis à autenticidade do ativismo de marca. Assim, o modelo conceptual deste estudo verifica se diferentes abordagens de ativismo de marca, neste caso o Ativismo da Marca Autêntico e o Inautêntico, afetam as emoções dos consumidores e geram comportamentos específicos que refletem o apoio à marca, mais concretamente, o Amor à Marca. O modelo proposto posiciona o Amor à Marca a ligar o Ativismo de Marca aos comportamentos desejados dos consumidores. Quando os consumidores percebem que o ativismo de uma marca é autêntico, o seu nível de Amor à Marca tende a intensificar-se, o que, por sua vez, aumenta a sua predisposição para recomendar a marca, adquirir produtos e pagar um valor superior. Este processo sugere que o envolvimento emocional é crucial para gerar apoio e lealdade em torno da marca. Este estudo foi feito através de dois cenários, implementados num questionário online. Por meio de vinhetas, a autenticidade da marca foi manipulada criando um cenário destinado à autenticidade e outro à inautenticidade. Da amostra final de 103 participantes realizou-se uma análise descritiva de todas as variáveis, de seguida, foi utilizado o teste alfa de Cronbach para examinar a consistência interna das escalas e por fim, também se realizou um teste t de amostras emparelhadas e o coeficiente de correlação de Spearman. Os resultados confirmam que o ativismo autêntico tem um impacto significativo no fortalecimento das relações entre consumidores e marcas, mas é importante destacar a importância de ser reconhecido como autêntico, porque se não for o caso, a marca pode sofrer as consequências, dando início ao processo de Boicote da mesma. Palavras-chave: Ativismo de marca, Amor à marca, Defesa da marca, Intenção de compra, Vontade de pagar v The Influence of Brand Activism in Brand Love to promote Brand Advocacy in the Fashion Industry. Abstract This study investigates how Brand Activism influences Brand Love and, consequently, Brand Advocacy, Purchase Intention, and Willingness to Pay of consumers. In the current context, where brands are increasingly involved in social issues, consumers are becoming more sensitive to the authenticity of brand activism. Thus, the conceptual model of this study verifies whether different approaches to brand activism, in this case Authentic and Inauthentic Brand Activism, affect consumers' emotions and generate specific behaviours that reflect support for the brand, more specifically, Brand Love. The proposed model positions Brand Love as the link between Brand Activism and consumers' desired behaviours. When consumers perceive a brand's activism to be authentic, their level of Brand Love tends to intensify, which in turn increases their predisposition to recommend the brand, purchase products and pay a higher price. This process suggests that emotional involvement is crucial to generate support and loyalty around the brand. This study was carried out using two scenarios, implemented in an online questionnaire. Through vignettes, brand authenticity was manipulated by creating a scenario for authenticity and another for inauthenticity. A descriptive analysis of all the variables was carried out on the final sample of 103 participants, then Cronbach's alpha test was used to examine the internal consistency of the scales and finally a paired samples t-test and Spearman's correlation coefficient were also conducted. The results confirm that authentic activism has a significant impact on strengthening relationships between consumers and brands, but it is important to highlight the importance of being recognised as authentic, because if this is not the case, the brand could suffer the consequences, starting the brand Boycott process. Keywords: Brand Activism, Brand Love, Brand Advocacy, Purchase Intention, Willingness to Pay vi INDEX Statement of Integrity ......................................................................................................................... iii Resumo ............................................................................................................................................. iv Abstract .............................................................................................................................................. v List of figures .................................................................................................................................... viii List of graphs .................................................................................................................................... viii List of tables ...................................................................................................................................... viii List of abbreviations ............................................................................................................................ x Chapter 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Framework And Relevance Of The Research ............................................................................ 1 1.2. Research Problem And Objectives ............................................................................................ 1 1.3. Dissertation Structure .............................................................................................................. 2 Chapter 2. Literature Review ............................................................................................................... 3 2.1. Brand Love .............................................................................................................................. 3 2.2. Brand Activism ........................................................................................................................ 5 2.2.1. Absence Of Brand Activism ............................................................................................... 6 2.2.2. Silent Brand Activism ........................................................................................................ 6 2.2.3. Authentic Brand Activism .................................................................................................. 7 2.2.4. Inauthentic Brand Activism ............................................................................................... 8 2.3. Brand Advocacy ...................................................................................................................... 8 2.4. Willingness To Pay ................................................................................................................... 9 2.5. Purchase Intention .................................................................................................................. 9 Chapter 3. Methodology ................................................................................................................... 11 3.1. Conceptual Model And Hypothesis ......................................................................................... 11 3.2. Research Problem And Objectives .......................................................................................... 12 3.3. Research Paradigm ............................................................................................................... 13 3.4. Research Design ................................................................................................................... 13 3.4.1. Survey ............................................................................................................................ 14 3.4.1.1. Survey’s Structure ................................................................................................... 14 3.4.1.2. Variables’ Operationalization .................................................................................... 15 3.4.1.3. Population And Sampling ......................................................................................... 18 3.4.1.4. Data Analysis Procedures ......................................................................................... 19 3.4.2. Research’s Ethics ........................................................................................................... 19 Chapter 4. Data Analysis .................................................................................................................. 21 4.1. Survey ................................................................................................................................... 21 vii 4.1.1. Database Debugging ....................................................................................................... 21 4.1.2. Sample Characterization ................................................................................................. 21 4.1.3. Construct Analysis .......................................................................................................... 26 4.1.3.1. Internal Consistency And Normality Analysis ............................................................. 26 4.1.3.2. Respondent-Brand Relationship Description .............................................................. 27 4.1.4. Conceptual Model Analysis ............................................................................................. 40 4.1.4.1. The T-Test And Wilcoxon Signed Ratings Test ........................................................... 40 4.1.4.2. Correlations ............................................................................................................. 43 4.1.4.3. Hypothesis Validation Summary ............................................................................... 47 Chapter 5. Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 49 5.1. Results Discussion ................................................................................................................ 49 5.2. Theoretical And Practical Implications .................................................................................... 50 5.3. Limitations And Directions For Future Research ..................................................................... 51 Chapter 6. References ...................................................................................................................... 52 Chapter 7. Appendices ..................................................................................................................... 56 Appendix 1. Original Survey (Portuguese) ...................................................................................... 56 Appendix 2. Original Survey (English) ............................................................................................ 66 Appendix 3. Translation Of Scales To Portuguese .......................................................................... 75 Appendix 4. List Of Brands That Survey Respondents Chose For The Questionnaire ....................... 78 4 manufacturers, offering guidance and oversight. Also, brand love emerged as a crucial factor in the development of a robust emotional bond between consumers and brands (Burnasheva et al., 2019). Because it contributes toward establishing a longer-lasting personal bond with their customers, creating trust, favourable behavioural intentions and also loyalty (Khalid et al., 2023). The article by Burnasheva et al. (2019) states that it was initially claimed that the research model of the consumer-object relationship was the same as the interpersonal love theory of Sternberg (1986) framework, which suggests that brand love is made up of three elements: commitment, intimacy, and passion (Albert and Merunka, 2013). Carroll and Ahuvia (2006) state that a different set of research has examined brand love without concentrating on the interpersonal theory of love, which includes the following dimensions: passion, attachment, positive emotions, and assessments and affirmations of love for the brand. But although love is often thought to be multidimensional, their measurement for it is unidimensional, which means it might not fully reflect the complex construct inherent in love (Albert et al., 2008). While there are significant similarities and distinctions between brand love and interpersonal love, according to Rauschnabel et al. (2024). A meta-analysis of neuroscience research was carried out to examine the distinctions between brand, romantic, and parent-child love. They discovered that positive feelings are connected to all three kinds. This significant neurological relationship between love and one's self-concept complements study on both interpersonal love which finds that a major psychological mechanism behind love happens when a person integrates a love object into their selfconcept. Nonetheless, Rauschnabel et al. (2024) claims that brand love and interpersonal love are not the same thing. When compared to parental love, brand love activates more strongly in the brain regions responsible for evaluating quality, indicating that brand love is more reliant on the recipient's positive evaluations of the object of love. Romantic love was also found to have considerably higher levels of desire, longing, and craving than brand love. This implies that although people can experience a great deal of enthusiasm for a brand, that passion is still significantly less potent than people feel for romantic partners (Rauschnabel et al., 2024). Customers develop a strong affinity for a brand for a variety of reasons; Khalid et al. (2023) list the following as some of the most significant: the brand's history, essence, and prestige, but it doesn't necessarily show positive buying behaviour. However, according to Ahuvia et al. (2022), the causes are social in nature and anthropomorphic. Rauschnabel et al. (2024) conclude that the reasons are as follows: 5 superior and esteemed, deeply engaged, expressive of identity, innovative, unique, sensual, and enigmatic, credible, and compassionate. Prior research has demonstrated the importance of brand loyalty in management. Rauschenabel et al. (2024) found a positive relationship between brand love and the following attributes: scepticism regarding bad brand information, forgiveness toward the brand, readiness to pay a premium for the brand, and positive word-of-mouth. According to Khalid et al. (2023) there is also positive correlation between brand love and the following: consumer engagement, positive brand advocacy and finally positive brand loyalty (Khalid et al., 2023). Businesses are looking for new ways to strengthen their relationships with customers in order to promote enduring personal ties, such as: brand trust, positive behavioural intentions, and brand loyalty. All of this is possible with brand love. Some businesses attempt to accomplish this by using sensory experiential marketing strategies and social media influencers (Khalid et al., 2023). Additionally, research indicates that when brand activism is successful and customers see it as authentic, businesses can benefit from increased customer loyalty, which in turn leads to high levels of emotional attachment (Ahmad et al., 2022). 2.2. Brand Activism Brand activism is the term used to describe when companies and brands take an activist position and openly share their opinions on a subject or problem. Legal, business, political, economic, social, and environmental are the six kinds of brand activism that have been identified. In addition to drawing in the target demographic, these kinds of events generate conversation about the brand in the general public, increasing customer loyalty, trust, and positive perceptions of the company (Nguyen et al., 2022). It has been demonstrated that participating in brand activism by businesses and brands improves marketing results, gives them a competitive edge, and increases willingness to buy, purchasing intention, and perceptions of product performance (Nguyen et al., 2022). According to Cammarota et al. (2023), brands view this as a chance to set themselves apart from competitors by generating value for all parties involved, including shareholders and non-shareholders. Brand identity and activism are connected, and this frequently determines how successful an activism campaign is (Cammarota et al., 2023). As a result of Brand Activism, there are risks involved, especially the possibility that the practice may be viewed as being inauthentic (Mirzaei et al., 2022; Schmidt et al., 2022; Vredenburg et al., 2020). Customers may, therefore, sometimes choose to boycott a business if they think its practices are 6 dishonest. Authenticity is a crucial element of a brand activism strategy that is effective. Therefore, in order to avoid boycotts by stakeholders and customers, businesses should be careful when deciding which social causes to promote (Cammarota et al., 2023). If they consider brand activism to be authentic, consumers can demonstrate their support for the brand through purchases, or rather through buycott (Mirzaei et al., 2022). Considering the aforementioned, buycotting is a purposeful strategy to reward behaviour in which customers deliberately purchase goods from companies they believe to be performing ethically (Cagampan et al., 2022; Neilson, 2010). Conversely, a boycott is the opposite action, with the intention of penalizing brands by causing them harm (Neilson, 2010). In this situation, customers express their displeasure with the brand's activities by refusing to purchase particular items (Cagampan et al., 2022; John & Klein, 2003). Reproductive rights, public health, sexual harassment, LGBTQIA+ rights, gun control, immigration, systemic racism, climate change, and gender equality are some of the most contentious issues that consumers disagree on the most (Coe, 2015; O'Brien et al., 2018; Vredenburg et al., 2020). The four distinct brand activism types are: Silent Brand Activism, Absence of Brand Activism, Authentic Brand Activism, and Inauthentic Brand Activism (Vredenburg et al., 2020). 2.2.1. Absence of Brand Activism According to Vredenburg et al. (2020), businesses in sectors that do not depend on aligning with social causes to establish brand legitimacy are usually those that do not engage in brand activism. Additionally, those firms lack a social brand mission and values, do not use activist marketing language, and have not yet incorporated prosocial corporate practices into their approach to the marketplace. 2.2.2. Silent Brand Activism Currently, the brands linked to this type of Brand Activism are smaller brands with less market power. Companies that have a silent brand activism typically include socio-political causes in their strategic emphasis or fundamental mission. Yet, they are more likely to work discreetly behind the scenes, developing integrated, long-term beneficial corporate practices that are intrinsic to their mission and core values (Vredenburg et al., 2020). 7 Typically, companies at this stage are the most successful, if they were to run activist campaigns, with consumers finding their campaigns authentic, because they already had that pro-social brand purpose, values, and practices to go along with their activist messages, and those same actions would be proven by all the efforts made previously (Vredenburg et al., 2020). 2.2.3. Authentic Brand Activism To begin, authentic brand activism is a goal and value-oriented strategy in which a brand takes a nonneutral stance on institutionally contested socio-political problems in order to achieve social change and marketing success (Vredenburg et al., 2020). An authentic brand activism involves truthful alignment of the activist marketing messaging with purpose and value-driven prosocial corporate practice, serving as a necessary catalyst for social change and ends up delivering the greatest brand equity outcomes. Brand activism allows consumers to know signals about a company's position on a socio-political issue. and when those signals appear to be authentic, it can lower consumers’ information costs and perceived risk associated with choosing a brand. This in turn increases consumer-expected utility, in which consumers view the brand as delivering added value (Vredenburg et al., 2020). To avoid retaliation, which might include diminishing trust (Portal et al., 2019), damaging the brand image, harming reputation, and harming company outcomes, it is essential to possess qualities like commitment, transparency, and authenticity (Mirzaei et al., 2022; Uysal & Okumus, 2022). Furthermore, because socio-political concerns are often emotional, firms can anticipate higher levels of consumer love for their products if their authentic activism messaging strikes emotionally with consumers. This is because brand love comes from higher degrees of emotional attachment (Ahmad et al., 2022). If employees consider a strategy to be inauthentic, the outlined strategy is damaged and proves to be less effective (Vredenburg et al., 2020), compromising the brand and its subsequent relationship with consumers (Cammarota et al., 2023). Especially at a time when environmental, political, and social issues are regularly discussed, both consumer criticism and scepticism, as well as dubiety about brand activism, are on the rise (Mirzaei et al., 2022). In the worst case, it also damages brand credibility. In contrast, the feeling of authenticity predicts positive consequences such as increased customer loyalty (Eyada, 2020), value creation (Schmidt et al., 2022) and a significant impact on brand trust (Vredenburg et al., 2020). 8 2.2.4. Inauthentic Brand Activism Brands in the inauthentic brand activism category currently utilize activist marketing messaging to express their support for socio-political topics. However, such brands' support is perceived as deceptive, inauthentic, or even dishonest because they lack stated brand purpose, values and either do not demonstrate significant prosocial corporate behaviours (Vredenburg et al., 2020). Inauthentic brand activism can have a detrimental impact on brand equity by creating undesirable brand associations and erroneous signals; it can also appear to be misleading customers. These consequences can be risky and complicated for a company to be a part of, and this all results from the fact that consumers increasingly have an increased transparency of brand behaviour (Vredenburg et al., 2020). 2.3. Brand Advocacy Within the customer journey there are the following phases: pre-purchase, purchase, and post-purchase. The post-purchase phase includes the advocacy phase, which consists of recommending the brand to other people, turning customers into brand evangelists (Kim & Park, 2020) or advocates, when they get deeply involved and passionate with a certain brand (Bhati & Verma, 2020). In recent years there have been also some changes in the decision phases, considered by authors, the most recent being the following: Aware, Appeal, Ask, Act and Advocate, these five phases are called the 5A's (Kim & Park, 2020). This change occurred due to new technologies, time is changing and with it so are the actions of consumers. They are increasingly more informed but at the same time more distracted, and more purchases now are made in the online world but never forgetting the offline. Although all the phases are important, the last one, advocate, is the most powerful because it is the one that most affects other customers' decision to buy. A customer who is deeply involved with a brand becomes an "advocate" of that brand. A company that does not have this type of consumer is at a great disadvantage (Bhati & Verma, 2020). Several authors also claim that consumer advocacy, rather than repeated purchasing behaviour, is a superior indicator of customer loyalty (Mazzarol et al., 2007). Active and emotional connection, as well as voluntary and constructive dialogue, are all included in advocacy. Brand evangelists often feel an emotional connection to their beloved company; they tend to overlook negative aspects of the brand and shield it from criticism, enjoying the benefits of being a part of the online community (Burnasheva et al., 2019). 9 There are also other concepts very similar to Brand Advocacy, such as Brand Loyalty and Brand love. Both these concepts are not considered better than Brand Advocacy, because if they were characterized by phases, they would be in the phases prior to Brand Advocacy. In fact, it has been studied that brand love promotes brand advocacy (Tueanrat et al., 2021). 2.4. Willingness to pay Willingness to pay, WTP, is the highest amount a consumer is prepared to spend on a given quantity of a product or service. Because WTP reflects the product's inherent value in monetary terms, the consumer is apathetic about purchasing at that price (Schmidt & Bijmolt, 2019). One of the greatest benefits of implementing brand advocacy tactics for their companies is that their supporters will repay them with their trust. Because many consumers are prepared to pay more, businesses may choose to publicize price increases for their goods or services. When consumers trust a business, they will always tell others about their positive experiences, which lowers the cost of acquisition for the business (Urban, 2004). 2.5. Purchase intention Purchase intention is the consumer's true desire for commodities. Consumer concerns and the likelihood of buying the goods were combined to determine purchase intention. Prior studies discovered a high correlation between purchase intention and brand or product preference and attitude. Conditions that affect purchasing intention were indicated by individual perspectives regarding personal preferences and unforeseen circumstances. The higher the purchase intention, the more a customer wants to buy a product (DAM, 2020). There are several steps a consumer can take before deciding to make a purchase, these steps can be the following: attempting to learn more about the product, and also assessing it and deciding whether or not to purchase it (Stankevich, 2017). In most cases, the act of investigating, contrasting, and evaluating brands leads to the choice to buy (Stankevich, 2017). Purchase intention and authenticity are correlated (Nunes et al., 2021). A brand's favourable perception among consumers increases the probability that they will buy it (Napoli et al., 2014). This doesn't seem the case when consumers lose trust in brands that are political or when activist messaging is viewed as fake, affecting their ability to purchase decisions (Vredenburg et al., 2020). 10 Brand advocacy also seems to be connected to the promotion of the brand in terms of its quality and the characteristics of its products in general, which in the future also helps to develop the purchase intention of other consumers and potentially influence their attitude towards buying the products of that specific brand (Hassan et al., 2016). Decisions to maintain a relationship with a brand and intentions to repurchase or switch to other brands are more closely related to emotions. If a company has the power to create a Brand Love connection with its customers, it can create a unique bond and a form of loyalty. This is because brands give their customers a sense of identification as well as the chance to display their personality, and for the brand it is important to recognise the quality of the product so that manufacturers can provide the guaranteed product to create repeated purchases and build a stronger bond (Hassan et al., 2016). Brand Trust also greatly influences a consumer’s attitude towards purchase, loyalty, and advocacy. Brand Trust has a great influence on customers’ approaches and related to behaviours like making purchases, loyalty, brand value, Brand Commitment, and brand referrals (Hassan et al., 2016). 11 Chapter 3. Methodology This chapter begins by explaining the conceptual model and its hypotheses, followed by the research problem and the research objectives, the research paradigm, and the research design. It also includes the questionnaire structure, data collection procedures, and the methodology for data analysis, concluding with a discussion on research quality and ethical considerations. 3.1. Conceptual Model and Hypothesis The conceptual model (Figure 1) assumes that brand activism, being authentic activism, is an antecedent of Brand Love, which in turn can lead to greater Purchase Intention, Brand Advocacy and Willingness to Pay. The five variables included in the conceptual model were explored theoretically in the Theoretical Framework chapter and gave rise to four hypotheses. Each of these hypotheses establishes the existence of a relationship between two variables, which can be tested using the appropriate statistical analysis. It is in the course of these tests that it will become possible to answer the main research question. H1 (Hypothesis 1): Brand Activism is positively correlated to Brand love. H2 (Hypothesis 2): Brand Love is positively correlated to Purchase Intention. H3 (Hypothesis 3): Brand Love is positively correlated to Brand Advocacy. H4 (Hypothesis 4): Brand Love is positively correlated to Willingness to Pay. Brand Love Purchase Intention Brand Advocacy Willingness to Pay Brand Activism H1 H2 H3 H4 Figure 1: Conceptual Model 12 3.2. Research Problem and Objectives The primary aim of this study is to investigate the complex relationships between Brand Activism, Authentic Brand Activism, Inauthentic Brand Activism, Brand Love, Brand Advocacy, Purchase Intention and finally Willingness to Pay within the fashion industry. For this reason, the following research problem was chosen: “How can brand activism influence Brand Love to promote Brand Advocacy in the fashion industry?” In view of the above research problem, the following objectives were defined: I. Examine the Impact of Brand Activism on Brand Love: This objective focuses on understanding how different types of Brand Activism, Authentic and Inauthentic, affect consumers’ emotional connections to fashion brands. By analysing consumer perceptions and responses, the study seeks to determine the conditions under which Brand Activism fosters Brand Love. II. Analyse the Role of Brand Love in Fostering Brand Advocacy: This objective aims to explore the mediating role of Brand Love in the relationship between Brand Activism and Brand Advocacy. It will assess how strong emotional ties to a brand can lead consumers to advocate for it, influencing their willingness to recommend the brand to others. III. Evaluate the Effects of Brand Love on Consumer Behaviour: This objective investigates the influence of Brand Love on critical consumer behaviours, including Willingness to Pay a premium and Purchase Intentions. Understanding these dynamics will provide insights into the economic implications of emotional attachment to brands. IV. Identify Consumer Perceptions of Authenticity in Brand Activism: This objective seeks to uncover how consumers define and perceive Authentic versus Inauthentic Brand Activism. By examining these perceptions, the study aims to illuminate their impact on Brand Love and overall brand engagement. 13 V. Analyse Consumer Sensitivity to Brands Engaged in Social Causes This objective aims to investigate the degree to which consumers value and prioritize brands that actively engage in social causes. The study will assess consumer attitudes toward brands that demonstrate attentiveness to social issues, examining how this engagement influences their purchasing decisions and overall brand perception. By pursuing these objectives, this study aims to contribute some insights into the dynamics of Brand Activism and its impact on consumer behaviour in the fashion industry. 3.3. Research Paradigm The design of this research is marked by quantitative methodology, using techniques that aim to quantify the data and work it into a statistical analysis. The quantitative methodology was chosen because it is aimed at objective studies and also because it is generally used for topics related to the customer journey, according to the following authors Becker & Jaakkola (2020). The questionnaire is a widely used and useful tool for collecting information, providing structured data, often numerical, and can be used without the presence of the researcher (Cohen, Manion, & Morrison, 2007). 3.4. Research Design Since Brand Activism is the initial factor influencing Brand Love, it is the independent variable in the conceptual model of this study. Customers' emotional reactions are triggered by this independent variable, laying the foundation for future encounters. The objective of brand activism is to comprehend how it may provoke an emotional response that results in shifts in consumer views. The mediating variable that connects Brand Activism to the dependent variables is Brand Love. This variable assesses how Brand Activism affects behaviour and evaluates the emotional bond between the customer and the brand. According to the paradigm, Brand Activism influences Brand Love, which in turn influences dependent behaviours by rising or falling. Because they represent customer behaviours that differ based on the degree of Brand Love, the variables Brand Advocacy, Purchase Intention, and Willingness to Pay are dependent variables. Since they reflect 20 The data was analysed and interpreted using the methods and approaches that the literature strongly suggests, with the goal of verifying the findings whenever feasible. Ultimately, the findings are contrasted with the existing literature. 21 Chapter 4. Data Analysis 4.1. Survey Several analyses were performed in order to measure all the data accurately and test the research hypothesis. In order to better characterize the sample, examine each question and response in greater detail, and determine the means and standard deviation, a descriptive analysis of all the variables was first conducted. The Cronbach's alpha test was then used to examine the scales' internal consistency. To thoroughly investigate the relationship between the variables in the conceptual model and test the hypothesis, a paired samples t-test and Spearman's correlation coefficient were used in a second phase. 4.1.1. Database Debugging The survey application gathered a total of 214 responses. However, only 103 fitted the defined criteria. The deleted responses were mainly because the answer was incomplete, due to the fact that in the middle of the questionnaire they would abandon it. 4.1.2. Sample Characterization Moving on to the sample, more precisely to the gender of the respondents of the questionnaire, we can analyse in Graph 1 that the percentage of women corresponds to 51.5%, that of men to 47.6% and there is 1% of the population who identified themselves as ‘Other’. As Graph 2 shows, the most frequent age among the sample is 15 and 16 years old. This could be explained by the prevalence of a younger age group in the channels through which the survey was distributed, and the researcher’s network. However, this variable has a mean of, approximately, 32 years, this indicates that there are also older respondents in the survey, pulling the average age upwards despite the high frequency of younger participants, and a standard deviation of 14,931. 51,5%47,6% 1,0% 0,0 20,0 40,0 60,0 Feminine Masculine Other Percentage (%) Gender Graph 1: Respondent's Gender, by percentage 22 With regard to the area of residence, it can be concluded that 72.8% of respondents are from Braga, the second area with the most responses is Porto, with around 17.5% of respondents. The remaining percentage of 9.7% is divided between the districts of: Beja, Coimbra, Viana do Castelo, Aveiro, Castelo Branco and finally Faro. As shown in Graph 4, 58.3% of the survey participants are unmarried, followed by 31.1% who are married, 5.8% who are divorced, 2.9% who are civilly married, and the remaining respondents who selected "Other". 36 32 13 10 10 2 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 [ 14 - 25 [ [ 25 - 35 [ [ 35 - 45 [ [ 45 - 55 [ [ 55 - 65 [ [ 65 - 75 [ Number of respondents Age 72,8% 17,5% 2,9%1,9%1,9%1,0%1,0%1,0% 0,0 10,0 20,0 30,0 40,0 50,0 60,0 70,0 80,0 Braga Porto Beja Coimbra Viana do Castelo Aveiro Castelo Branco Faro Percentage (%) Area of Residence Graph 2: Respondent's Age, by percentage Graph 3: Respondent's Area of Residence, by percentage 23 The Graph 5 shows that 38.8% of the respondents to the questionnaire have a High School diploma, 25.2% have a bachelor’s degree, 22.3% have a master's degree or higher, and finally 13.6% only have the Basic School. Looking closely at the Graph 6 we can see that most of the respondents to the questionnaire are students (32%), while the rest of the professions are spread fairly evenly across several areas, such as: administratives, engineers, financial professionals, teachers, etc. 58,3% 31,1% 5,8% 2,9% 1,9% 0,0 10,0 20,0 30,0 40,0 50,0 60,0 70,0 Single Married Divorced Civil partnership Other Percentage (%) Civil Status 38,8% 25,2%22,3% 13,6% 0,0 10,0 20,0 30,0 40,0 50,0 High School Bachelor Master or above Basic School Percentage (%) Education Level Graph 4: Respondent's Civil Status, by percentage Graph 5: Respondent's Education Level, by percentage 24 The majority of respondents (30.1%) in Graphic 7 do not have any income, which is likely due primarily to the fact that the majority of respondents were students. 20,4% earn between 821 and 1200 euros per month, and 20,4% earn between 1201 and 1600 euros per month. Additionally, only 2.9% are paid less than 820€ per month net. 32% 13% 8% 8% 7% 6% 5% 4% 4% 3% 3% 3% 2% 2% 2% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% Student Admnistrative Other Engineer Financial professional Teacher Retired Fashion Health Commercial Entrepreneur Human Resources Public worker Marketing Mechanic Percentage (%) Occupation 30,1% 2,9% 20,4%20,4% 12,6% 3,9% 9,7% 0,0 5,0 10,0 15,0 20,0 25,0 30,0 35,0 No Income <= 820€Between 821€ and 1200€ Between 1201€ and 1600€ Between 1601 and 2000€ Between 2001€ and 2400€ > 2400€ Percentage (%) Monthly Net Income Graph 6: Respondent's Occupation, by percentage Graph 7: Respondent's Monthly Net Income, by percentage 25 We have two percentages of 23.3% for the amount of money respondents wanted to spend on clothing each month: 50€ and 100€. The amount of 150€ for clothing per month is the third-highest response with 13.6%. The average amount that the respondent to this question spends on clothing each month is 82.62€. “Can you think of any advertising campaigns associated with important social causes? If so, which brand and which cause?” is one of the questions asked in this questionnaire. 13% of those surveyed provided an example of a social campaign that had an impact on them, whereas the remaining respondents did not. Nike's sustainability campaign, the Wells campaign, and the Intimissimi campaign for breast cancer were cited, among others. Lastly, when asked which social cause they believed should be featured in fashion advertisements, the respondents gave the following responses: 35% for the environment, Human rights came in at 28.2%, followed by anti-war at 19.4%, gender equality at 10.7%, and racism at 6.8%. 5,8% 1,9% 3,9% 1,0% 7,8% 1,0% 2,9% 23,3% 2,9% 1,0%1,9% 23,3% 3,9% 13,6% 1,9%1,0%1,0%1,9% 0,0 5,0 10,0 15,0 20,0 25,0 0 15 20 25 30 35 40 50 60 70 80 100 120 150 200 250 575 Did not answer Percentage (%) Monthly Spent on Clothes (€) Graph 8: Respondent's Monthly Spent on Clothes, by percentage 26 4.1.3. Construct Analysis 4.1.3.1. Internal Consistency and Normality Analysis It is important to confirm that the data obtained from the study are of high quality before beginning to analyse it. Cronbach's alpha will be used to achieve this. By using this method, the internal consistency of the scales may be verified, yielding a number between 0 and 1, the closer the scale's elements are to 1, the more correlated they are with one another. Although many publications suggest varying Cronbach alpha levels, a cut-off threshold of 0.7 appears to be generally agreed upon (Pestana & Gageiro, 1998). That's why it was employed in this study. It was feasible to examine the internal consistency of each construct as shown in Table 6. Table 6: Cronbach's Alpha of the scales used in the survey Construct Items Cronbach’s Alpha n Brand Love T0 6 0.903 103 Brand Love T1 6 0.930 103 Brand Love T2 6 0.945 103 Brand Advocacy T0 3 0.955 103 Brand Advocacy T1 3 0.979 103 Brand Advocacy T2 3 0.987 103 Brand Activism T1 8 0.963 103 Brand Activism T2 8 0.984 103 35,0% 28,2% 19,4% 10,7% 6,8% 0,0 5,0 10,0 15,0 20,0 25,0 30,0 35,0 40,0 Environmental Human Rights Stop War Gender Equality Racism Percentage (%) What do you think is the most important social cause to be in fashion ads? Graph 9: Respondent's most important social cause, by percentage 27 Analysing the table above, Table 6, we can say that all our variables have an excellent Cronbach's Alpha, this can be concluded because all the variables have a number superior to 0,9. We can therefore conclude that these variables are well correlated and that there is consistency in the questionnaire carried out. 4.1.3.2. Respondent-Brand Relationship Description Every customer has a different relationship with their preferred brand, with certain levels of Brand Love, Purchase Intention, Willingness to Pay and Brand Advocacy associated. This relationship and the emotions that come with it may vary with time and with the influence of external factors, which is one of the factors under study in this research. First in the questionnaire, when asked to name a brand that they particularly liked, the answers were, as expected, very distinct (see Appendix 4 for the extensive list). However, Zara, Massimo Dutti, Nike, Adidas and Bershka were the five brands most cited (with 15, 9, 7, 6 and 6 responses, respectively). The initial brand love levels of the sample (referring to their preferred brand, individually), were measured in the degree of agreement, where 1 means “Not at all” and 7 means “A lot”. When analysing those brand love levels, as can be seen in Table 7, three statements stand out: “To what extent do you feel you desire to have that brand's products or services?” (M=5.41, SD=1.38), “To what extent do you believe that you will be using that brand's products or services for a long time?” (M=5.68, SD=1.10), and “Please, express your overall feelings and evaluations towards the referred brand.” (M=5.71, SD=1.04). The largest proportion of responses (31.10%) to the statement "To what extent do you feel you desire to have that brand's products or services?" was in point 6, with 73.80% of responses in the positive range (from 5 to 7). Accordingly, the statement “To what extent do you believe that you will be using that brand's products or services for a long time?” has 33,00% of answers positioned on point 6, with 82.50% of all answers in positive points. The question of " Please, express your overall feelings and evaluations towards the referred brand." had the largest portion in point 6 again, with 90.30% of answers in positive points. The other questions also had very favourable results. Apart from the question ‘Suppose that the brand were to go out of existence. To what extent do you feel anxious?’ where the positive points had a percentage of only 44.70%. These results were as expected, as consumers tend to have high levels of brand love for brands of their preference. 28 Table 7: Brand Love T0 Results α = 0,903 Relative Frequency M SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 To what extent do you feel that using that brand's products or services says something "true" and "deep" about whom you are as a person? 6,8% 6,8% 8,7% 23,3% 22,3% 18,4% 13,6% 4,57 1,69 To what extent do you feel you desire to have that brand's products or services? 1,9% 1% 4,9% 18,4% 18,4% 31,1% 24,3% 5,41 1,38 To what extent do you feel emotionally connected to the brand? 6,8% 5,8% 11,7% 16,5% 22,3% 24,3% 12,6% 4,65 1,70 To what extent do you believe that you will be using that brand's products or services for a long time? ----- 1% ----- 16,5% 22,3% 33% 27,2% 5,68 1,10 Suppose that the brand were to go out of existence. To what extent do you feel anxiety? 19,4% 12,6% 9,7% 13,6% 18,4% 14,6% 11,7% 3,90 2,04 Please, express your overall feelings and evaluations towards the referred brand. ----- 1% 2,9% 5,8% 28,2% 38,8% 23,3% 5,71 1,04 We will now compare the Brand Love data after being exposed to a positive brand activism scenario. As we can see in the Table 8 the questions that stand out the most are ‘To what extent do you believe that you will be using that brand's products or services for a long time?’ (M=5.87, SD=1.319) and ‘Please, express your overall feelings and evaluations towards the referred brand.’ (M=5.90, SD=1.217) because both had a large proportion of responses on the positive side, 82.50% and 85.5% respectively. One factor that changed in Brand Love T1, after being exposed to the scenario with authentic Brand Activism, was that all the questions obtained a greater portion on the positive side than on the negative 29 side, unlike Brand Love T0. In other words, we can conclude that Authentic Brand Activism increased Brand Love. Table 8: Brand Love T1 Results α = 0,930 Relative Frequency M SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 To what extent do you feel that using that brand's products or services says something "true" and "deep" about whom you are as a person? 8,7% 1,0% 9,7% 17,5% 9,7% 25,2% 28,2% 5,07 1,859 To what extent do you feel you desire to have that brand's products or services? ----- 3,9% 4,9% 17,5% 8,7% 20,4% 44,7% 5,71 1,493 To what extent do you feel emotionally connected to the brand? 5,8% 6,8% 5,8% 20,4% 13,6% 18,4% 29,1% 5,01 1,834 To what extent do you believe that you will be using that brand's products or services for a long time? ----- 1,9% 3,9% 11,7% 15,5% 21,4% 45,6% 5,87 1,319 Suppose that the brand were to go out of existence. To what extent do you feel anxiety? 20,4% 4,9% 7,8% 14,6% 12,6% 15,5% 24,3% 4,38 2,223 Please, express your overall feelings and evaluations towards the referred brand. 1,0% 1,0% ----- 12,6% 16,5% 28,2% 40,8% 5,90 1,217 Finally, Brand Love was analysed once again, this time after being exposed to Inauthentic Brand Activism. The questions that stood out the most were: ‘To what extent do you feel that using that brand's products or services says something “true” and “deep” about whom you are as a person?’ (M=3.51, SD=1.782) 36 Table 16: Willingness to Pay T2 Results Relative Frequency M SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 I would be willing to pay a higher price for Brand X over other brands. 20,4% 18,4% 15,5% 20,4% 11,7% 7,8% 5,8% 3,31 1,799 The price of Brand X would have to go up quite a bit before I would switch to another brand of clothes. 19,4% 18,4% 12,6% 23,3% 12,6% 8,7% 4,9% 3,37 1,777 I am willing to pay a lot more for Brand X than other brands of shoes and clothes. 23,3% 18,4% 12,6% 20,4% 13,6% 6,8% 4,9% 3,22 1,798 To complement the Willingness to Pay, another question was added to the questionnaire, this time with the aim of finding out how much consumers were willing to pay at each stage of the questionnaire, in other words, seeing if the authenticity and inauthenticity scenarios have an influence on the value given by consumers. More specifically this question asked how much consumers were willing to pay for jeans. Table 17 shows that the price available varied with the scenarios, with consumers initially willing to pay €68.99, but once an authenticity scenario was introduced this value increased to €71.47, whereas the most drastic change was with the inauthenticity scenario, where the value dropped to €55.99. Table 17: Maximum price in euros consumers were willing to pay in T0, T1 and T2 M SD Maximum price in euros in T0 68,99 105,589 Maximum price in euros in T1 71,47 104,667 Maximum price in euros in T2 55,99 107,032 The initial Purchase Intention, as was recommended the sample was measured through a single-item question, with 4 points, where the first point was “I would intent to buy the brand in the future”, point 2 was "I would plan to purchase this brand" 3 was "I would attempt to purchase this brand" and finally 4 was “I would certainly purchase this brand”. 37 The initial Purchase Intention (M=2.88, SD=1.191) has a clear predominance of answers shown in higher levels (52.40%). Table 18 also shows that 50.50% of those percentual points are placed at point 4. These findings are consistent with every other finding and to be expected, since consumers are more inclined to spend money on companies they like (Bagozzi et al., 2017). Table 18: Purchase Intention T0 Results Relative Frequency M SD 1 2 3 4 Purchase Intention 14,6% 33,0% 1,9% 50,5% 2,88 1,191 When presented with the scenario with an Authentic Brand Activism (M=2.93, SD=1.174), most of the sample chose positively, with 60.19% on the two higher points. So, we can conclude that a genuine Brand Activism can have a positive correlation on the Purchase Intention variable. Table 19: Purchase Intentions T1 Results Relative Frequency M SD 1 2 3 4 Purchase Intention 16,5% 22,3% 11,7% 48,5% 2,93 1,174 Finally, when submitting the Purchase Intention through a process of an Inauthentic Brand Activism we see that it has a negative correlation to it. We can assume that because most of the sample chose negatively, with 52.43% on the point 1 and 2. Table 20: Purchase Intentions T2 Results Relative Frequency M SD 1 2 3 4 Purchase Intention 31,07% 21,36% 22,33% 22,33% 2,37 1,160 The Brand Advocacy, as was recommended by Badrinarayanan and Sierra's (2018), the sample was measured through a four-item question, with seven points, where 1 was ‘Totally disagree’ and 7 ‘Totally Agree’. The initial Brand Advocacy was measured without any influence from Brand Activism. 38 The last question ‘I always say positive things about this brand to others online.’ (M=5.46, SD=1.399), this question stands out the most as it has the highest average. But all four questions have a positive response, with more than 70% in points 5, 6 and 7. This shows that employees already tend to be Brand Advocates for the companies they have chosen, even before they are subjected to Brand Activism. Table 21: Brand Advocacy T0 Results α = 0,955 Relative Frequency M SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 When asked for my advice, I suggest this brand to others online. 1,9% 1,9% 4,9% 19,4% 13,6% 34,0% 24,3% 5,40 1,430 This brand is the first brand I recommend to others online. 2,9% 5,8% 4,9% 14,6% 19,4% 35,0% 17,5% 5,17 1,541 I often recommend this brand to others online. 6,8% 2,9% 3,9% 14,6% 15,5% 35,0% 21,4% 5,19 1,686 I always say positive things about this brand to others online. 1,9% 2,9% 3,9% 13,6% 16,5% 38,8% 22,3% 5,46 1,399 Analysing the Brand Advocacy responses now with scenario 1 as Influence, we can see that the positive responses have increased slightly, as have the averages for each question. Taking the example of the question already analysed above ‘I always say positive things about this brand to others online.’ (M=5.75, SD=1.582), we can see that the average has increased slightly, as has happened with all the other questions. In conclusion, Authentic Brand Activism is positively correlated to Brand Advocacy. 39 Table 22: Brand Advocacy T1 Results α = 0,979 Relative Frequency M SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 When asked for my advice, I suggest this brand to others online. 1,0% 5,8% 7,8% 11,7% 9,7% 17,5% 46,6% 5,62 1,669 This brand is the first brand I recommend to others online. 2,9% 3,9% 7,8% 11,7% 6,8% 24,3% 42,7% 5,59 1,694 I often recommend this brand to others online. 5,8% 1,9% 6,8% 13,6% 7,8% 17,5% 46,6% 5,54 1,814 I always say positive things about this brand to others online. 1,9% 2,9% 5,8% 13,6% 5,8% 23,3% 46,6% 5,75 1,582 Finishing with the last variable to be analysed, Brand Advocacy that was subjected to a scenario with Inauthentic Brand Activism, as with all the other variables it is to be expected that all the questions have a higher proportion of negative than positive responses and this can be proved by looking at Table 23. Analysing the specific case of the question ‘I always say positive things about this brand to others online.’ (M=3.75, SD=1.813) in this scenario, 64.90% of unfavourable responses were obtained (points 1, 2,3 and 4), while in the previous scenario the exact opposite happened. So, it can be concluded that Inauthentic Brand Activism is negatively correlated to Brand Advocacy. Table 23: Brand Advocacy T2 Results Part 1 α = 0,987 Relative Frequency M SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 When asked for my advice, I suggest this brand to others online. 15,5% 16,5% 13,6% 18,4% 21,4% 4,9% 9,7% 3,67 1,844 This brand is the first brand I recommend to others online. 15,5% 18,4% 12,6% 24,3% 15,5% 6,8% 6,8% 3,53 1,765 40 Table 24: Brand Advocacy T2 Results Part 2 α = 0,987 Relative Frequency M SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 I often recommend this brand to others online. 15,5% 15,5% 15,5% 18,4% 20,4% 7,8% 6,8% 3,63 1,788 I always say positive things about this brand to others online. 12,6% 17,5% 14,6% 19,4% 19,4% 6,8% 9,7% 3,75 1,813 4.1.4. Conceptual Model Analysis 4.1.4.1. The t-test and Wilcoxon Signed Ratings Test Prior to verifying whether the proposed hypothesis can be accepted or rejected based on the correlation between the constructs, a paired samples t-test was performed using measures collected at three distinct points in time: initially (To), following the introduction of the first scenario (T1), and following the introduction of the second scenario (T2). This was done to see if the respondents' feelings as they completed the survey varied in a way that would be statistically significant. Along with statistical values like the mean difference (M), standard deviation (SD), and significance (Sig), the table displays significant changes in Brand Love (BL), Willingness to Pay (WTP), Purchase Intention (PI), Brand Advocacy (BA), and Brand Activism (BAct) over several time points (T0, T1, and T2). The mean difference between Brand Love at T0 and T1 is negative (M = -0.36699, t = -5.941, p < 0.001), suggesting that Brand Love increased throughout this time. The mean difference from T1 to T2 is positive (M = 1.53398, t = 9.415, p < 0.001), indicating that Brand Love decreased between these two times. But as the positive mean difference (M = 1.16699, t = 8.106, p < 0.001) shows, it also declines throughout the longer time span from T0 to T2. The negative mean difference (M = -3.58586, t = -3.29334, p = 0.001) indicates an increase in the highest price that customers are ready to pay between T0 and T1. The highest price willingness decreases significantly between T1 and T2 (M = 16.37374, t = 5.78999, p < 0.001). All things considered, the decrease from T0 to T2 (M = 13.10309, t = 4.54734, p < 0.001) indicates that consumers are gradually becoming less prepared to pay for the brand. 41 The mean difference between Purchase Intention at T0 and T1 is negative (M = -4.05882, t = -57.32422, p < 0.001), suggesting that Purchase Intention increased throughout this time. The mean difference from T1 to T2 is positive (M = 4.57576, t = 42.55322, p < 0.001), indicating that Purchase Intention decreased between these two times. But as the positive mean difference (M = 0.54000, t = 4.49559, p < 0.001) shows, it also declines throughout the longer time span from T0 to T2. The mean difference between T0 and T1 for Brand Advocacy is negative (M = -0.32282, t = -5.086, p < 0.001), suggesting that customer advocacy increased throughout this time. Nonetheless, a notable fall in advocacy is indicated by the positive mean difference (M = 1.98058, t = 10.065, p < 0.001) between T1 and T2. Advocacy decreases for the entire time frame from T0 to T2 (M = 1.65777, t = 10.212, p < 0.001). Likewise, there is a significant decrease in Brand Activism from T1 to T2 (M = 2.03034, t = 10.909, p < 0.001), which indicates that consumers are becoming less involved with the brand's activism. According to this analysis, all of the variables rise when the scenario of real brand activism is displayed but fall when the scenario of inauthentic brand activism is displayed. Table 25: Paired Samples Test Statistics Part 1 Pairs M SD Means' SD t df Sig (2 tails) Pair 1 BL T0 - BL T1 -0,36699 0,62691 0,06177 -5,941 102 0,000 Brand Love T0 4,841 1,373 Brand Love T1 5,208 1,567 Pair 2 BL T1 - BL T2 1,53398 1,65361 0,16293 9,415 102 0,000 Brand Love T1 5,208 1,567 Brand Love T2 3,674 1,600 Pair 3 BL T0 - BL T2 1,16699 1,46116 0,14397 8,106 102 0,000 Brand Love T0 4,841 1,373 Brand Love T2 3,674 1,600 Pair 4 WTP T0 - WTP T1 -3,58586 10,83363 1,08882 -3,29334 98 0,001 Maximum Price T0 68,99 105,589 Maximum price T1 71,47 104,667 Pair 5 WTP T1 - WTP T2 16,37374 28,13763 2,82794 5,78999 98 0,000 Maximum Price T1 71,47 104,667 Maximum price T2 55,99 107,032 42 Table 26: Paired Samples Test Statistics Part 2 Pair 6 WTO T0 - WTP T2 13,10309 28,37931 2,88148 4,54734 96 0,000 Maximum Price T0 68,99 105,589 Maximum price T2 55,99 107,032 Pair 7 PI T0 - PI T1 -4,05882 0,71509 0,07080 -57,32422 101 0,000 PI T0 2,87 1,191 PI T1 6,93 1,180 Pair 8 PI T1 - PI T2 4,57576 1,06991 0,10753 42,55322 98 0,000 PI T1 6,93 1,180 PI T2 2,37 1,160 Pair 9 PI T0 - PI T2 0,54000 1,20118 0,12012 4,49559 99 0,000 PI T0 2,87 1,191 PI T2 2,37 1,160 Pair 10 BA T0 - BA T1 -0,32282 0,64420 0,06347 -5,08600 102 0,000 Brand Advocacy T0 5,30 1,424 Brand Advocacy T1 5,63 1,641 Pair 11 BA T1 - BA T2 1,98058 1,99715 0,19678 10,06500 102 0,000 Brand Advocacy T1 5,63 1,641 Brand Advocacy T2 3,65 1,770 Pair 12 BA T0 - BA T2 1,65777 1,64756 0,16234 10,21200 102 0,000 Brand Advocacy T0 5,30 1,424 Brand Advocacy T2 3,65 1,770 Pair 13 BAct T1 - BAct T2 2,03034 1,88879 0,18611 10,909 102 0,000 Brand Activism T1 5,50 1,264 Brand Activism T2 3,46 1,597 After analysing the ranks Table 27, it is mandatory to verify if the observed differences between all measurements are significant. As Table 37 demonstrates, all conclusions taken above are significant (p =0,000). The majority of variables experience a rise between T0 and T1; these include Brand Love (Z = - 5.142, p = 0,000), Willingness to Pay (Z = -5.391, p = 0,000), Purchase Intention (Z = -9.296, p = 0,000), Brand Advocacy (Z = -4.812, p = 0,000). The only variable that decreases is Brand Activism (Z = -7.624, p = 0,000). In the timeline of T1 to T2 every variable suffers a decrease, Brand Love (Z = -7.100, p = 43 0,000), Willingness to Pay (Z = -6.123, p = 0,000), Purchase Intention (Z = -8.822, p = 0,000) and finally Brand Advocacy (Z = -7.395, p = 0,000). The last timeline is T0 to T2, and can also be found decreases for all the variables, being them: Brand Love (Z = -6,601, p = 0,000), Willingness to Pay (Z = -5,219, p = 0,000), Purchase Intention (Z = -4,121, p = 0,000), Brand Advocacy (Z = -7.556, p = 0,000), Table 27: Statistics from the Wilcoxon Signed Rating Test Pairs Z Sig (2 tails) Pair 1 Brand Love T0 – Brand Love T1 -5,142b ,000 Pair 2 Brand Love T1 - Brand Love T2 -7,100c ,000 Pair 3 Brand Love T0 - Brand Love T2 -6,601c ,000 Pair 4 Willingness to Pay T0 - Willingness to Pay T1 -5,391b ,000 Pair 5 Willingness to Pay T1 - Willingness to Pay T2 -6,123c ,000 Pair 6 Willingness to Pay T0 - Willingness to Pay T2 -5,219c ,000 Pair 7 Purchase Intention T0 - Purchase Intention T1 -9,296b ,000 Pair 8 Purchase Intention T1 - Purchase Intention T2 -8,822c ,000 Pair 9 Purchase Intention T0 - Purchase Intention T2 -4,121c ,000 Pair 10 Brand Advocacy T0 - Brand Advocacy T1 -4,812b ,000 Pair 11 Brand Advocacy T1 - Brand Advocacy T2 -7,395c ,000 Pair 12 Brand Advocacy T0 - Brand Advocacy T2 -7,556c ,000 Pair 13 Brand Activism T1 – Brand Activism T2 -7,624b ,000 a. The Wilcoxon Signed Ratings Test. b. Based on positive ranks. c. Based on negative ranks. 4.1.4.2. Correlations The hypothesis of the conceptual model was tested using Spearman's Correlation Coefficient, a nonparametric test, since the sample does not have a normal distribution. This test examines one or more variables to determine the direction and degree of their relationship. A value of one on the Spearman Coefficient scale denotes a positive perfect correlation. The range of values is -1 to 1. In the same way, a positive outcome indicates that both variables grow as one does. According to the same line of 44 reasoning, an inverse relationship exists between two variables when the result is negative when one variable varies in the rises and vice versa. The null hypothesis for this test is that there is no correlation between the variables. Therefore, the goal is to disprove the null hypothesis. The results must be significant, which occurs when p < 0.05, in order for this to be possible. Brand Love, Brand Advocacy, Purchase Intention, Willingness to Pay, Age, Monthly Income, and Monthly Clothing Expenditure are among the variables measured at T0 that have correlation coefficients shown in this table. A single asterisk (*) indicates a significant correlation at the 0.05 level, whereas two asterisks (**) indicate a significant correlation at the 0.01 level. We can better comprehend the connections between these important brand-related variables by interpreting these correlations. As seen in Table 28, there is a strong and significant correlation between Brand Love T0 and Brand Advocacy T0 (r = 0.783), suggesting that consumers who have higher Brand Love also have stronger advocacy behaviours. Furthermore, there is a moderate correlation between Brand Love and the following variables: Age (r = 0.256), Income (r = 0.322), Willingness to Pay (r = 0.240), Purchase Intention T0 (r = 0.490), and Monthly Clothing Expenditure (r = 0.439). According to these findings, customers who have a stronger bond with a brand (Brand Love) are more likely to support it, be prepared to pay more, and generally spend more money on apparel. Purchase Intention T0 (r = 0.449), Willingness to Pay T0 (r = 0.260), Age (r = 0.320), Income (r = 0.368), and Monthly Clothing Expenditure (r = 0.363) all exhibit strong positive correlations with Brand Advocacy T0. This suggests that greater brand advocacy is associated with higher income levels, stronger purchase intentions, and greater willingness to pay. It is interesting to note that age and brand advocacy are positively correlated, indicating that older consumers might be more inclined to support a brand. Finally, Willingness to Pay T0 has a positive correlation with Monthly Clothing Expenditure (r = 0.462), Age (r = 0.241), and Income (r = 0.285). This implies that consumers who are older and have greater incomes are more likely to be willing to pay more for a brand's goods, and that this willingness to pay is closely linked to the average amount of money that consumers spend on apparel. 45 Table 28: Spearman's Rho - Matrix of Correlation for T0 Correlations 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (1) Brand Love T0 1 ,783** ,490** ,240* ,256** ,322** ,439** (2) Brand Advocacy T0 1 ,449** ,260** ,320** ,368** ,363** (3) Purchase Intention T0 1 0,152 0,173 ,258** 0,116 (4) Willigness to Pay T0 1 ,241* ,285** ,462** (5) Age 1 ,707** ,221* (6) Income 1 ,272** (7) Monthly Clothing Expenditure 1 **. The correlation is significant at level 0.01 (2 ends). *. The correlation is significant at level 0,05 (2 ends). In Table 29 we can see that Brand Advocacy T1 and Brand Love T1 have a substantial positive correlation (r = 0.811), suggesting that consumers who have a strong emotional attachment to the brand are also more likely to support and promote it, just like in Table 28. Furthermore, there is a moderate correlation between Brand Love T1 and Purchase Intention T1 (r = 0.551) as well as Willingness to Pay T1 (r = 0.274). This suggests that brand attachment affects both the desire to buy and the willingness to pay, although to a lesser extent than the relationship with advocacy. There is also a moderate correlation between Brand Activism and Brand Love (r = 0.688), this suggests that an Authentic Brand Activism can promote Brand Love. Additionally, a favourable connection (r = 0.619) between Brand Activism T1 and Purchase Intention T1 (r = 0.362) is shown, suggesting that genuine brand activism influences customers' purchase intentions and support. There is also a slight correlation (r = 0.304) between Willingness to Pay T1 and Monthly Clothing Spending (r = 0.443). This implies that consumers who spend more on apparel are also more likely to pay for the brand, but the impact of higher income levels is smaller but still noteworthy. It's interesting to note that there is a considerable correlation between Net Monthly Income and Age (r = 0.707), suggesting that older consumers often earn more money. These relationships show how emotional ties and financial considerations impact brand loyalty and advocacy, with purchasing power influencing willingness to pay. 52 Chapter 6. References Ahmad, F., Guzmán, F., & Kidwell, B. (2022b). Effective messaging strategies to increase brand love for sociopolitical activist brands. Journal of Business Research, 151, 609– 622. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.07.031 Ahmadi, A., & Ataei, A. (2022). Emotional attachment: a bridge between brand reputation and brand advocacy. 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Se necessitar de mais alguma informação, por favor contacte-me através do email: [email protected]. Obrigado pela colaboração. Part I Q1. Por favor, escreva o nome da marca de roupa que recorda quando se fala de Amor à Marca, por outras palavras, uma marca que adora e que voltaria a comprar. Por favor, escolha a marca em questão de forma adequada e correta, porque será a marca que usaremos no decorrer do questionário. ________________________ Q2. Responda às seguintes perguntas relativamente à marca que respondeu anteriormente, para ser mais fácil iremos chamar à marca "Marca X": De modo algum Moderadamente Muito Até que ponto sente que o facto de utilizar os produtos ou serviços dessa marca diz algo "verdadeiro" e "profundo" sobre quem é enquanto pessoa? o o o o o o o Até que ponto sente que deseja ter os produtos ou serviços dessa marca? o o o o o o o Em que medida se sente emocionalmente ligado à marca? o o o o o o o Até que ponto acredita que vai utilizar os produtos ou serviços dessa marca durante muito tempo? o o o o o o o Suponha que a marca deixa de existir. Até que ponto sente ansiedade? o o o o o o o Por favor, faça uma avaliação geral dos seus sentimentos em relação à marca X. o o o o o o o 57 Q3. Quais são as suas intenções de compra? o Gostaria de comprar da marca no futuro. o Tenciono comprar desta marca. o Eu tentaria comprar desta marca. o Eu certamente compraria desta marca. Q4. Qual é a sua disponibilidade para pagar? Discordo totalmente Indiferente Concordo totalmente Estaria disposto a pagar um preço mais elevado pela marca X do que por outras marcas. o o o o o o o O preço da marca X teria de subir bastante antes de eu mudar para outra marca de roupa. o o o o o o o Estou disposto a pagar muito mais pela marca X do que por outras marcas de calçado e roupa. o o o o o o o Q5. Qual seria o preço máximo, em euros, que estaria disposto a pagar por umas calças de ganga da marca X? _____________________________ 58 Q6. Responda às seguintes perguntas que representam a Advocacia da Marca. Discordo totalmente Indiferente Concordo totalmente Quando me pedem conselhos, sugiro esta marca a outras pessoas na Internet. o o o o o o o Esta marca é a primeira marca que recomendo a outras pessoas online. o o o o o o o Recomendo frequentemente esta marca a outras pessoas na Internet. o o o o o o o Digo sempre coisas positivas sobre esta marca a outras pessoas na Internet. o o o o o o o Part II O cenário descrito abaixo é fictício. No entanto, analise-o e responda às perguntas como se se tratasse de uma situação real. A marca (escolhida por si previamente) decidiu lançar uma campanha em que 15 coleções daquele ano seriam feitas de roupa recicláveis. Também se propôs a atingir objetivos ambiciosos de sustentabilidade até 2027, como a redução do consumo de matérias-primas e a transparência na comunicação da sua pegada ambiental ao mercado. A marca decidiu ainda doar 15% das suas vendas anuais a instituições que ajudam a limpar o oceano, para ajudar a criar um futuro para um mundo menos poluído. Q7. Em seguida, perguntamos-lhe o que pensa sobre o desempenho da empresa que escolheu e o cenário descrito acima. Discordo totalmente Indiferente Concordo totalmente A mensagem de ativismo da marca X é genuína. o o o o o o o A mensagem de ativismo preserva o que a Marca X significa para mim. o o o o o o o A mensagem de ativismo capta o que torna a Marca X única para mim. o o o o o o o 59 A mensagem de ativismo da marca X está de acordo com os valores e crenças da empresa. o o o o o o o A empresa está a ser fiel a si própria nas suas ações de Responsabilidade Social Corporativa. o o o o o o o A empresa está a defender aquilo em que acredita. o o o o o o o A empresa é uma empresa socialmente responsável. o o o o o o o A empresa preocupase em melhorar o bem-estar da sociedade. o o o o o o o Q8. Responda às seguintes questões para medir o seu amor à marca: De modo algum Moderadamente Muito Até que ponto sente que o facto de utilizar os produtos ou serviços dessa marca diz algo "verdadeiro" e "profundo" sobre quem é enquanto pessoa? o o o o o o o Até que ponto sente que deseja ter os produtos ou serviços dessa marca? o o o o o o o Em que medida se sente emocionalmente ligado à marca? o o o o o o o Até que ponto acredita que vai utilizar os produtos ou serviços dessa marca durante muito tempo? o o o o o o o Suponha que a marca deixa de existir. Até que ponto sente ansiedade? o o o o o o o Por favor, faça uma avaliação geral dos seus sentimentos em relação à marca X. o o o o o o o 60 Q9. Quais são as suas intenções de compra? o Gostaria de comprar da marca no futuro. o Tenciono comprar desta marca. o Eu tentaria comprar desta marca. o Eu certamente compraria desta marca. Q10. Qual é a sua disponibilidade para pagar? Discordo totalmente Indiferente Concordo totalmente Estaria disposto a pagar um preço mais elevado pela marca X do que por outras marcas. o o o o o o o O preço da marca X teria de subir bastante antes de eu mudar para outra marca de roupa. o o o o o o o Estou disposto a pagar muito mais pela marca X do que por outras marcas de calçado e roupa. o o o o o o o Q11. Agora que está a par da campanha da Marca X, qual seria o preço máximo, em euros, que estaria disposto a pagar por umas calças de ganga da marca X? _____________________________ Q12. Responda às seguintes perguntas que representam a Advocacia da Marca. Discordo totalmente Indiferente Concordo totalmente Quando me pedem conselhos, sugiro esta marca a outras pessoas na Internet. o o o o o o o Esta marca é a primeira marca que recomendo a outras pessoas online. o o o o o o o Recomendo frequentemente esta marca a outras pessoas na Internet. o o o o o o o Digo sempre coisas positivas sobre esta marca a outras pessoas na Internet. o o o o o o o 61 Part III O cenário descrito abaixo é fictício. No entanto, analise-o e responda às perguntas como se se tratasse de uma situação real. Agora, a marca (escolhida por si anteriormente), depois de ter lançado uma campanha de preocupação com o ambiente, surgiram notícias concretas de que a empresa estava a utilizar nas suas roupas materiais que poderiam causar problemas de pele e prejudicar assim os seus consumidores. Mas também estavam a pôr em risco os rios ao deitarem os seus resíduos na água. Como resultado das ações da marca, as pessoas começaram a revoltar-se nas redes sociais, provocando uma vaga de ódio contra a marca. Q13. Em seguida, perguntamos-lhe o que pensa sobre o desempenho da empresa que escolheu e o cenário descrito acima. Discordo totalmente Indiferente Concordo totalmente A mensagem de ativismo da marca X é genuína. o o o o o o o A mensagem de ativismo preserva o que a Marca X significa para mim. o o o o o o o A mensagem de ativismo capta o que torna a Marca X única para mim. o o o o o o o A mensagem de ativismo da marca X está de acordo com os valores e crenças da empresa. o o o o o o o A empresa está a ser fiel a si própria nas suas ações de Responsabilidade Social Corporativa. o o o o o o o A empresa está a defender aquilo em que acredita. o o o o o o o A empresa é uma empresa socialmente responsável. o o o o o o o A empresa preocupa-se em melhorar o bemestar da sociedade. o o o o o o o 68 Part II The scenario described below is fictitious. However, analyse it and answer the questions as if it were a real situation. The brand (chosen by you in advance) decided to launch a campaign in which 15 of that year's collections would be made from recyclable clothing. It also set out to achieve ambitious sustainability goals by 2027, such as reducing the consumption of raw materials and being transparent in communicating its environmental footprint to the market. The brand also decided to donate 15% of its annual sales to institutions that help clean up the ocean, to help create a future for a less polluted world. Q7. Next, we ask you what you think about the performance of the company you have chosen, and the scenario described above. Totally disagree Indifferent Totally agree Brand X activism message is genuine. o o o o o o o The activism message preserves what Brand X means to me. o o o o o o o The activism message captures what makes Brand X unique to me. o o o o o o o Brand X’ activism message is in accordance with the company's values and beliefs. o o o o o o o The company is being true to itself with its CSR actions. o o o o o o o The company is standing up for what it believes in. o o o o o o o The company is a socially responsible company. o o o o o o o The company is concerned about improving the well-being of society. o o o o o o o 69 Q8. Answer the following questions to measure your brand love: Not at all Moderately Very Much To what extent do you feel that using that brand's products or services says something "true" and "deep" about whom you are as a person? o o o o o o o To what extent do you feel you desire to have that brand's products or services? o o o o o o o To what extent do you feel emotionally connected to the brand? o o o o o o o To what extent do you believe that you will be using that brand's products or services for a long time? o o o o o o o Suppose that the brand were to go out of existence. To what extent do you feel anxiety? o o o o o o o Please, express your overall feelings and evaluations towards the referred brand. o o o o o o o Q9. What are their purchasing intentions? o I would intent to buy the brand in the future o I would plan to purchase this brand o I would attempt to purchase this brand o I would certainly purchase this brand Q10. What is your willingness to pay? Totally disagree Indifferent Totally agree I would be willing to pay a higher price for Brand X over other brands. o o o o o o o The price of Brand X would have to go up quite a bit before I would switch to another brand of clothes. o o o o o o o I am willing to pay a lot more for Brand X than other brands of shoes and clothes. o o o o o o o 70 Q11. Now that you are aware of the Brand X campaign, what would be the maximum price, in euros, that you would be willing to pay for a pair of Brand X jeans? _____________________________ Q12. Answer the following questions that represent Brand Advocacy. Totally disagree Indifferent Totally agree When asked for my advise, I suggest this brand to others online. o o o o o o o This brand is the first brand I recommend to others online. o o o o o o o I often recommend this brand to others online. o o o o o o o I always say positive things about this brand to others online. o o o o o o o Part III The scenario described below is fictitious. However, analyse it and answer the questions as if it were a real situation. Now, the brand (chosen by you earlier), after having launched a campaign to concern itself with the environment, has come to light with concrete news that the company was using materials in its clothes that could cause skin problems and thus harm its consumers. But they were also putting rivers at risk by dumping their waste into the water. As a result of the brand's actions, people began to revolt on social media, sparking a wave of hatred against the brand. Q13. Next, we ask you what you think about the performance of the company you have chosen, and the scenario described above. Totally disagree Indifferent Totally agree Brand X activism message is genuine. o o o o o o o The activism message preserves what Brand X means to me. o o o o o o o The activism message captures what makes Brand X unique to me. o o o o o o o Brand X’ activism message is in accordance with the o o o o o o o 71 company's values and beliefs. The company is being true to itself with its CSR actions. o o o o o o o The company is standing up for what it believes in. o o o o o o o The company is a socially responsible company. o o o o o o o The company is concerned about improving the well-being of society. o o o o o o o Q14. Answer the following questions to measure your brand love: Not at all Moderately Very Much To what extent do you feel that using that brand's products or services says something "true" and "deep" about whom you are as a person? o o o o o o o To what extent do you feel you desire to have that brand's products or services? o o o o o o o To what extent do you feel emotionally connected to the brand? o o o o o o o To what extent do you believe that you will be using that brand's products or services for a long time? o o o o o o o Suppose that the brand were to go out of existence. To what extent do you feel anxiety? o o o o o o o Please, express your overall feelings and evaluations towards the referred brand. o o o o o o o Q15. What are their purchasing intentions? o I would intent to buy the brand in the future o I would plan to purchase this brand o I would attempt to purchase this brand o I would certainly purchase this brand 72 Q16. What is your willingness to pay? Totally disagree Indifferent Totally agree I would be willing to pay a higher price for Brand X over other brands. o o o o o o o The price of Brand X would have to go up quite a bit before I would switch to another brand of clothes. o o o o o o o I am willing to pay a lot more for Brand X than other brands of shoes and clothes. o o o o o o o Q17. Now that you are aware of the Brand X campaign, what would be the maximum price, in euros, that you would be willing to pay for a pair of Brand X jeans? _____________________________ Q18. Answer the following questions that represent Brand Advocacy. Totally disagree Indifferent Totally agree When asked for my advise, I suggest this brand to others online. o o o o o o o This brand is the first brand I recommend to others online. o o o o o o o I often recommend this brand to others online. o o o o o o o I always say positive things about this brand to others online. o o o o o o o Q19. Gender o Feminine o Masculine o Other Q20. Age: _______________ Q21: District of residence o Aveiro o Beja o Braga o Bragança o Castelo Branco 73 o Coimbra o Évora o Faro o Guarda o Leiria o Lisboa o Portalegre o Porto o Santarém o Setúbal o Viana do Castelo o Vila Real o Viseu o Região Autónoma dos Açores o Região Autónoma da Madeira Q22. Civil status o Single o Non-marital partnership o Married o Divorced o Widowed o Other Q23. Level of Education (completed) o Basic Education (up to 9th grade) o Secondary education (up to 12th grade) o Bachelor's Degree o Master's / Doctorate Q24: Occupation / Profession: __________________ Q25: Net Income Level, per month: o No own income o Up to 820€ o Between 821€ and 1200€ o Between 1201€ and 1600€ o Between 1601€ and 2000€ o Between 2001€ and 2400€ o Over 2400€ Q26: Estimated monthly spending on clothes (in euros) ______________________ Q27: Can you think of any advertising campaigns associated with important social causes? If so, which brand and which cause? ____________________________ 74 Q28: Which of these causes do you think is the most important and should be defended by clothing brands' advertising campaigns? o Environmental o Racism o Gender Equality o Human Rights o Against War 75 Appendix 3. Translation of Scales to Portuguese Table 32: Scale used to measure Brand Love translated to Portuguese Brand Love Author Original Scale Scale in Portuguese Bagozzi, Batra and Ahuvia (2017) To what extent do you feel that using that brand's products or services says something "true" and "deep" about whom you are as a person? Até que ponto sente que o facto de utilizar os produtos ou serviços dessa marca diz algo "verdadeiro" e "profundo" sobre quem é enquanto pessoa? To what extent do you feel you desire to have that brand's products or services? Até que ponto sente que deseja ter os produtos ou serviços dessa marca? To what extent do you feel emotionally connected to the brand? Em que medida se sente emocionalmente ligado à marca? To what extent do you believe that you will be using that brand's products or services for a long time? Até que ponto acredita que vai utilizar os produtos ou serviços dessa marca durante muito tempo? Suppose that the brand were to go out of existence. To what extent do you feel anxiety? Suponha que a marca deixa de existir. Até que ponto sente ansiedade? Please, express your overall feelings and evaluations towards the referred brand. Por favor faça uma avaliação geral dos seus sentimentos em relação à marca X. 76 Table 33: Scale used to measure Brand Activism translated to Portuguese Brand Activism Author Original Scale Scale in Portuguese Alhouti, Johnson and Holloway’s (2016) Brand X activism message is genuine. A mensagem de ativismo da marca X é genuína. The activism message preserves what Brand X means to me. A mensagem de ativismo preserva o que a Marca X significa para mim. The activism message captures what makes Brand X unique to me. A mensagem de ativismo capta o que torna a Marca X única para mim. Brand X’ activism message is in accordance with the company's values and beliefs. A mensagem de ativismo da marca X está de acordo com os valores e crenças da empresa. The company is being true to itself with its CSR actions. A empresa está a ser fiel a si própria nas suas ações de Responsabilidade Social Corporativa. The company is standing up for what it believes in. A empresa está a defender aquilo em que acredita. The company is a socially responsible company. A empresa é uma empresa socialmente responsável. The company is concerned about improving the well-being of society. A empresa preocupa-se em melhorar o bem-estar da sociedade. Table 34: Scale used to measure Purchase Intention translated to Portuguese Purchase Intention Author Original Scale Scale in Portuguese Choi et al. (2020) I would intent to buy the brand in the future. Gostaria de comprar da marca no futuro. I would plan to purchase this brand. Tenciono comprar desta marca. I would attempt to purchase this brand. Eu tentaria comprar desta marca. I would certainly purchase this brand. Eu certamente compraria desta marca. 77 Table 35: Scale used to measure Willingness to Pay translated to Portuguese Willigness to Pay Author Original Scale Scale in Portuguese Netemeyer et al. (2004) I would be willing to pay a higher price for Brand X over other brands. Estaria disposto a pagar um preço mais elevado pela marca X do que por outras marcas. The price of Brand X would have to go up quite a bit before I would switch to another brand of clothes. O preço da marca X teria de subir bastante antes de eu mudar para outra marca de roupa. I am willing to pay a lot more for Brand X than other brands of shoes and clothes. Estou disposto a pagar muito mais pela marca X do que por outras marcas de calçado e roupa.