Reconceptualizing brand authenticity and validating its scale
Date
2016-06-13
Authors
Akbar, Mohammad Muzahid
University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Management
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Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Management
Abstract
Brand authenticity represents the integration of a brand’s perceived originality, honesty, quality, and admirability. In contemporary brand management, brand authenticity is considered to be a new customer consciousness, which can attract new customers while retaining the existing ones, by offering a genuine and worthwhile brand experience. This study reconceptualizes brand authenticity as a second-order formative-reflective construct with four dimensions (i.e., originality, honesty, perceived quality, and admirability). A scale for brand authenticity was proposed based on existing scales, and was then tested on data collected on Goodwill using Mechanical Turk. SmartPLS (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the Hierarchical Component Model by the repeated indicator approach (Mode A). This study found that brand authenticity is formatively comprised of four theorized dimensions and that the brand authenticity scale is valid and reliable. A positive impact of brand authenticity as well as customer-brand identification on support intentions was supported. Customer-brand identification was a partial mediator between brand authenticity and support intentions. The major contribution of this study will be in improving the conceptualization of brand authenticity by unifying the fragmented literature on the topic and also presenting a well-synthesized scale.
Description
Keywords
brand authenticity , customer-brand identification , hierarchical component model , non-profit brand , PLS-SEM , attitude toward helping others , support intentions