Antecedents and consequences of Apple brand love

Abstract

For many years, satisfaction was the main goal of marketing strategy. However, later studies showed that satisfying consumers was not enough for a company to succeed in a very competitive market. Thus, the concept of brand love arose. Therefore, the study of the factors that lead consumers to feel love for a brand has become increasingly important, because nowadays consumers develop emotional and passionate relationships with brands. The purpose of our study is to identify the main antecedents and consequences of Apple brand love. Based on a sample of 215 respondents, we used the structural equation model. The antecedents of Apple brand love are hedonic product, experience, and satisfaction with the brand. As consequences of Apple brand love, brand loyalty and brand word-of-mouth were analyzed. The results showed that the purchase of a hedonic product, brand experience, and brand satisfaction are essential for consumers to nurture love for the Apple brand. In turn, hedonic product is also an antecedent of brand experience and brand satisfaction while brand experience also proved to be crucial in achieving Apple brand satisfaction. In turn, love for the Apple brand and satisfaction with this brand generate loyalty and positive word-of-mouth. Finally, loyal consumers speak positively about the Apple brand.