How Consumers' Self-Construal Affects Their Intention to Endorse Brands on Social Media

• In Event: Research Exploring Individual Differences

Abstract

Brands often seek endorsements by consumers on social media (e.g., likes on Facebook). But what drives consumers to make online endorsements? Based on the assumption that online brand endorsements serve identity-signaling goals, and that people with different self-construals seek to signal their identity in different ways, this research explores the relation between self-construal and people’s intention to endorse brands online in three studies. As brand endorsements are a way of signaling group membership with similarities among its members, and people with high interdependence seek to express similarity to and connectedness with others, we propose that interdependence has a positive effect on people’s intention to endorse brands online. Using two different measures, we demonstrate that a high level of interdependent self-construal indeed positively affects consumers’ intention to endorse brands online (studies 1 & 2) and that this effect is mediated by an increased perception of brand symbolism (study 3).

Authors

• Stefan F. Bernritter, Amsterdam School of Communication Research, University of Amsterdam

• Annemijn C. Loermans, VU U Amsterdam

• Peeter Verlegh, U of Amsterdam

• Edith Gloria Smit, U of Amsterdam