Brand equity, brand loyalty, brand affinity, there are many constructs used by marketers to measure the strength of the relationship with their consumers. However, it was in 2006 that a new concept was introduced (Carroll & Ahuvia, 2006) – Brand Love – which created a way to study the emotional attachment of a consumer to a brand.
Carroll and Ahuvia proposed a brand love scale consisting of 10 items: (1) “this is a wonderful brand”; (2) “this brand makes me feel good”; (3) “this brand is totally awesome”; (4) “I have neutral feelings about this brand” (reverse-coded); (5) “this brand makes me very happy”; (6) “I love this brand”; (7) “I have no particular feelings about this brand” (reverse-coded); (8) “this brand is a pure delight”; (9) “I am passionate about this brand”; and (10) “I am very attached to this brand.”
The study found that brand love (of satisfied consumers) was greater in product categories perceived as more hedonic, rather than utilitarian, and for brands that offer more in terms of symbolic benefits, precisely the characteristic of lifestyle brands. Brand love is linked to higher levels of brand loyalty and positive word of mouth, both of which can perhaps swing the tide for sustainable brands in these categories.
“You don’t love because, you love despite; not for the virtues, but despite the faults.” – William Faulkner.
And that’s what makes the concept of Brand Love so powerful for sustainable lifestyle brands. It goes beyond satisfaction and loyalty to represent a strong emotional tie that influences consumer behavior such as advocating your brand to others, resistance to negative information, and importantly, a willingness to pay a premium. For categories where buying is on impulse and not a well thought-out, carefully evaluated decision, brand love can tip the needle in a brand’s favour.
A useful cue can be derived from (Kumar et al., 2020) who studied natural products (including food, cosmetics and other FMCG goods) and found that lack of trust in “natural” product labeling and suspicions about the “naturalness” of these products may cause health-conscious and environmentally aware consumers to have a negative image of these products, thereby eroding brand love. As indeed with any other kind of love, building Trust is an essential step to increasing brand love. A clear guide for brands to work on consistent and clear communication around aspects of the production cycle, sourcing, culture and marketing to build consumer trust.
Further, the results indicate that the perceived benefits of natural products can increase brand love if it meets the consumers’ expectations, despite the usual convenience barriers – the difficulty in sourcing the products at nearby retail outlets, or delay in deliveries, or lack of uniformity.
The same study confirms that Natural Content is positively associated with brand love. The absence of additives, as well as the existence of natural ingredients, can cause consumers to become passionate about the natural product brand they use and increase their attachment to it, pointing to key messaging needs that non-food categories could lean into as well. Communicate what you don’t have, as well as what you have.
(Magano et al., 2024) when studying sustainable jeans found that when consumers view the brand as contributing to their personal image and identity, their emotional connection to the brand strengthens, as did communicating authentic environmental concern. The dominant theoretical explanation for how brand love operates in lifestyle contexts is the self-congruity theory — the idea that consumers choose brands that match their self-concept.
Another interesting aspect that sustainable brands can play up is their innovation quotient. (Fazal‐E‐Hasan et al., 2025) reveal significant causal effects of perceived brand innovativeness on brand love and repurchase intentions. In the same breath, integrating emotional appeals with a commitment to sustainability was found to enhance consumer engagement and encourage repeat purchases.
Is it a coincidence, you think, that for sustainable brands that are born out of sheer passion and commitment, ‘tis love that will save the day?
References
Carroll, B. A., & Ahuvia, A. C. (2006). Some antecedents and outcomes of brand love. Marketing Letters, 17(2), 79–89. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11002-006-4219-2
Fazal‐E‐Hasan, S. M., Adil, M., Ahmadi, H., Abid, M., Sadiq, M., Mortimer, G., & Amrollahi, A. (2025). Fostering Love for Innovative Sustainable Brands: A Multi‐Study, Multi‐Method Approach. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 24(3), 1405–1420. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.2472
Kumar, S., Dhir, A., Talwar, S., Chakraborty, D., & Kaur, P. (2020). What drives brand love for natural products? The moderating role of household size. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 58, 102329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102329
Magano, J., Brandão, T., Delgado, C., & Vale, V. (2024). Brand Love, Attitude, and Environmental Cause Knowledge: Sustainable Blue Jeans Consumer Behavior. Sustainability, 16(5), 1840. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16051840
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.
