Brand Love: A Unitary or Multiplex Phenomenon?

Brand love can be considered as the most intensive consumer brand relationship. It has become a hot topic in research as well as in marketing practice. Surprisingly, the fundamental question whether brand love is a unitary or multiplex phenomenon has not been answered yet. To address this question, we conducted one qualitative and two quantitative studies. Building on Schwartz’s universal value theory, we developed a typology of different brand love relationships. Six distinct brand love types were identified: self-esteem enhancing brand love, hedonic brand love, inner-harmony-creating brand love, self-determined brand love, performance-boosting brand love, and preserving brand love.