News • 05.02.2021

They're just not that into you

Consumer-brand relationship insights for marketers and brand communication

The dark silhouettes of a woman and a man in front of a red sunset...
Source: Travis Grossen/Unsplash

Researchers from Western University, Indiana University, and Washington State University published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that deals with communication strategies towards consumers that have a certain connection to a brand.

The study, forthcoming in the Journal of Marketing, is titled "They're Just Not That Into You: How to Leverage Existing Consumer-Brand Relationships through Social Psychological Distance" and is authored by Scott Connors, Mansur Khamitov, Matthew Thomson, and Andrew Perkins.

Marketing managers want consumers to form strong connections with their brands. This is reflected in the prevailing brand-management approaches that seek to continually move consumers from weak relationships to stronger ones where the consumer is more attached, connected to, or in love with a brand. But a scan of the marketplace and the branding literature makes it clear that such relationships are rare and that many consumers are relationship-averse or content with the status quo. That is, many consumers likely are unreceptive to marketers' relationship-strengthening tactics. The implication is that marketers are often fixated on building the types of relationships that countless consumers simply do not want, in essence choosing a potentially wasteful relationship-upgrading strategy unaligned with consumer preferences.

This study highlights the value for marketers to embrace the relationship status quo. As Connors explains, "We […] show advantages, like increased consumer spending, by employing communication tactics tailored to consumers' existing relationships with the brand. We focus on the idea of psychological distance as a way of conceptualizing how close to or far from a brand that consumers themselves feel." Because it is such a pervasive idea, and because it can be measured robustly with a single, theoretically-informed item, psychological distance has exceptional practical power.

For example, the research shows that if managers understand the psychological distance between consumers and brands, they can match that distance with different kinds of language in their marketing communications to form a mindset congruency. When the psychological distance to a brand and choice of language are congruent, information about that brand is more easily processed, which improves outcomes like brand spending and charitable donations. Khamitov adds, "Specifically, if consumers feel psychologically distant to a brand, we find they respond better to abstract, high-level language, whereas we find that concrete language is preferred among consumers who feel very close to a brand."

As an example, one of the studies finds that for more distant brands, donations were 67% higher when an advertisement featured high-level, abstract (compared to low-level, concrete) language, whereas for closer brands, donations were 88% higher when the ad featured low-level, concrete (as compared to high-level, abstract) language.

Another study documents that for more distant brands, consumers paid 35% more for a product when they saw an ad featuring abstract (versus concrete) language, but for close brands, consumers paid 28% more when the ad featured concrete (versus abstract) language.

Source: American Marketing Association

related articles:

popular articles:

Thumbnail-Photo: MikMak rolls out e-commerce acceleration platform...
12.06.2023   #e-commerce #retail

MikMak rolls out e-commerce acceleration platform

Platform offers brands insights that drive business performance

MikMak, the leading e-commerce acceleration platform for multichannel brands, today announced the launch of MikMak 3.0. The enhanced platform enables commerce and conversion opportunities across every consumer touchpoint, along with more advanced ...

Thumbnail-Photo: New GS1 Germany requirements in force for better data quality...
12.06.2023   #online trading #digitization

New GS1 Germany requirements in force for better data quality

Brands facing new challenges to providing product content to German retailers through the GDSN

GS1 Germany released two new requirements impacting brands selling food/beverage (and food-adjacent) products to the German market aiming at increasing product data quality passing through the Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN). ...

Thumbnail-Photo: Grove Co. announces new retail partnerships with Kroger, Costco and...
08.06.2023   #retail #sustainability

Grove Co. announces new retail partnerships with Kroger, Costco and Hannaford

Leading sustainable consumer products company increases in-store presence at 450 additional brick & mortar locations

Grove Collaborative Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: GROV) (“Grove” or “the Company”), a leading sustainable consumer products company and Certified B Corp, today announced another significant retail expansion for Grove Co., its ...

Thumbnail-Photo: Be different – be successful
24.08.2023   #brick and mortar retail #customer satisfaction

Be different – be successful

10 examples of how retailers can differentiate themselves in the market with unique shopping experiences

The grey blob – no one wants to be part of it. Small and medium-sized retailers in particular need unique selling propositions to be able to assert themselves against the competition from companies worth billions. But what can ...

Thumbnail-Photo: LVMH and Epic Games announce strategic partnership...
22.06.2023   #e-commerce #digitization

LVMH and Epic Games announce strategic partnership

Companies aim to transform Maisons’ creative pipeline and customer experiences

At the Viva Technology show, LVMH announced a partnership with Epic Games, creator of Fortnite and Unreal Engine, to transform the Group’s creative pipeline and bring customers new types of immersive products discovery experiences. This ...

Thumbnail-Photo: Beyond the Green Buzz: How to become truly sustainable in retail...
09.08.2023   #retail #sustainability

Beyond the Green Buzz: How to become truly sustainable in retail

Branding, sourcing, and ethics – Insider insights for retailers

Sustainability is today's corporate catchphrase. Yet, discerning genuine efforts from mere claims can be challenging. But how can consumers be sure that sellers genuinely walk the talk? Enter El Green Mall ...

Thumbnail-Photo: Social Commerce: Community sells?
04.10.2023   #online trading #sustainability

Social Commerce: Community sells?

Why the community approach is replacing fast delivery among customer demands and what that means for you.

For a long time it was said that fast or even "same day delivery is the key". For Fabian Mischler, this is no longer the only key to satisfied customers. In an interview, the CEO of the social commerce platform ooblee told us why community ...

Thumbnail-Photo: 5 tips for successful TikTok marketing for your online store...
06.09.2023   #online trading #marketing

5 tips for successful TikTok marketing for your online store

How to gain loyal fans for your brand

TikTok is the Wild West of social media: Everything is moving at lightning speed and you only have a blink of an eye to captivate users. If you spend a lot of time on TikTok, you'll know right away...

Thumbnail-Photo: Automation: Is this the future of shopping?
06.06.2023   #brick and mortar retail #food retail

Automation: Is this the future of shopping?

On the shortcomings and advantages of autonomous store concepts

Grocery shopping and self-service – the Blockstore Group combines the necessary with the pleasant and helps retailers implement autonomous and automated store concepts. In particular, the Finnish start-up helps to install a suitable ...

Thumbnail-Photo: Scary and clever - marketing for Halloween
20.09.2023   #brick and mortar retail #online marketing

Scary and clever - marketing for Halloween

How do you make the most of 31 October for your business?

Small means, big effect: On Halloween, you can get in touch with your customers in a playful and not too serious way....