Leveraging the potential of word of mouth: the role of love, excitement and image of the brand

Abstract

This study seeks to test a research framework designed to explain the direct effects of fashion brand love, image and excitement upon word of mouth in two different contexts. Using data collected from two different countries (the United Kingdom and Switzerland), the survey instrument was tested for reliability and validity using confirmatory factor analysis. Hypotheses were then developed related to the consumer-brand relationship across the two countries, which were then tested using structural equation modeling. The findings showed that there is a significant relationship between excitement and brand image, brand love and word of mouth. This is particularly true in both samples. The impact of brand image on word of mouth was not found to be significant in the two countries in the study. The primary limitation of the study is that the two sampled countries were European. Additionally, the results of the study present a preliminary investigation that can only be validated through further research. The study explains the relationships among different branding constructs to maximize word of mouth in a wide range of market environments. Although aspects of consumer–brand relationships have been heavily studied in the US market, much less research exists across markets in a non-US context. This paper redresses this imbalance.