Does the Choice of Brand Positioning Strategy Matter in the Creation of Brand Love? The Mediating Role of Brand Positioning Effectiveness

Abstract

To understand how brand love can be created, this study examines the effect of brand positioning strategies (benefit brand positioning strategy, feature brand positioning strategy and surrogate brand positioning strategy) on brand love, by conceptualizing brand positioning effectiveness as a mediator. The proposed conceptual model was empirically studied with the responses of 607 young consumers from private universities in Pakistan. This study finds evidence of complementary mediation of brand positioning effectiveness between brand positioning strategies, and brand love in the context of high street fashion retail brands. For the brand managers, this study implies that the development of an interpersonal consumer-brand bond can be developed by employing benefit brand positioning strategy, surrogate brand positioning strategy and feature brand positioning strategy. This, as a result, also indicates the effectiveness of all three of these brand positioning strategies.