Brand addiction’s mediation of brand love and loyalty’s effect on compulsive buying: the case of human brands

Abstract

This study focuses on examining the role of celebrities as human brands and their endorsements by integrating the Self-Expansion theory. We propose a pioneering model that explores how brand addiction mediates the connections between brand love, brand loyalty, and compulsive buying, while considering the influence of self-expansion (self-esteem, self-congruence, and self-brand identification). Using structural equation modelling, we applied maximum likelihood estimation to analyse data collected from an online survey of 902 consumers. The results validate that brand addiction mediates the relationship between brand love, brand loyalty, and compulsive buying in the context of human brands. Moreover, we found that self-congruence and self-brand identification positively impact brand love by facilitating self-expansion. Additionally, our findings demonstrate that brand love and brand loyalty significantly contribute to the development of brand addiction. By integrating the Self-Expansion theory, this research highlights the importance of self-expansion in driving brand love, while emphasising the influence of brand addiction in compulsive buying. The research included the findings’ theoretical and managerial implications for human brand.