The millennial generation, also known as Generation Y, is those born between 1980 and 2000. This generation was born in the digital age and seems to have as common denominators a systematic connection to the world, a strong need for active participation in this world, and they undertake more creative activities. This study is about young adults, those between the ages of 15 and 35.
Adolescence constitutes a decisive stage of transition in the development of identity when individuals confront the permanent conflict between the need to belong to a group, and to identify with its choices and, at the same time, to achieve autonomy, individuality, and differentiation, which the literature recognises as a process of assimilation and individualisation.
Cutright (2012) recognised the role those religious beliefs (and their intensity) have, particularly, in how individuals deal with the uncertainty and vulnerability which seems to impact consumer choices. Several lines of evidence have suggested religiosity influences individual behaviour; for example, Morgan and Lewis (2017) analysed how the treatment of moral issues in the media influenced individual creativity, and found that morally ambiguous stories decreased the creativity of individuals with a high creativity trait, thus refuting the logic that ‘witnessing moral ambiguity will aid in divergent thinking by priming individuals to perceive grey areas between categories’ Garner (2015) also shed light on the subject by examining the level at which farmer-customer relationships, community ties and morality related to commodification. Consumers often connect themselves to brands in the same way that religious followers relate to their religions (Sarkar & Sarkar Juhi, 2017; Wang et al., 2018). This consumer-brand relationship can exist on different levels, from brand satisfaction to brand passion, and from brand love (BL) to brand addiction (Albert & Merunka, 2013; Daniels et al., 2020).
For this study, a quantitative methodology was employed in this research. A questionnaire was used to assess the relationships between ICV and BL mediated by RC. An email survey was chosen because this is the fastest and most effective method of data collection, they have a large geographic coverage, and they ensure respondents’ anonymity.
The data were collected between May and June 2018 through an online survey using convenience sampling (n = 215). In April 2018, we conducted a pre-test with 104 university students; the participants were asked to identify a brand for which they had a strong emotional attachment, from a set (Adidas, Levi’, Nike, Abercrombie, among others). These brands were chosen because they are identified in the literature as relatively representative and transversal to several styles.
Research has shown that consumers establish emotional connections with brands, like the relationships they develop with other people. Thus, the importance of BL has increased, especially in recent years as it has been shown to promote the competitiveness of products and brands and to better explain consumers’ attitudes towards brands. Moreover, feelings and emotions enhance consumers’ acceptance of, and solidify, brands in their minds (Albert & Merunka, 2013; Albert et al., 2008; Batra et al., 2012) in terms of commitment to the brand
This study offers some important managerial and practical contributions to managing ICV, RC, and brand relationships in the context of the millennial generation. As markets become more competitive and more innovative, managers may see the potential value of consumer RC as a market segmentation tool through which to promote expressive relationships with their customers. Moreover, given the value of Generation Y to marketers, these results might provide a useful guide for marketing decision-making, on the basis that they specifically assess ICV, and the role played by religion, as predictors of the level of involvement and BL of young adults.
Article details
Generation Y and Brand Love: Understanding the Effects of Individual Cultural Values and Religious Commitment
Paula Rodrigues, Ana Sousa, Isabel Torres
First Published May 19, 2022
Research Article
DOI: 10.1177/09732586221092637
From Journal of Creative Communications