We review a growing body of research in consumer behavior that has examined when
consumers humanize brands by perceiving them as like, part of, or in a relationship with …

This article provides the first systematic literature review specifically about consumer-brand
relationship types since the foundational paper on brand relationships was published in …

Chatbots have become common in digital customer service contexts across many industries.
While many companies choose to humanize their customer service chatbots (eg, giving …

The current research examines consumers' responses to sensory endorsements from virtual
influencers. The authors reveal that consumers perceive virtual and human influencers to …

There is a growing need to understand how consumers will interact with artificially intelligent
(AI) domestic service robots, which are currently entering consumer homes at increasing …

Purpose Brand love is perceived as one of the main objectives in brand management.
Nevertheless, research into the factors influencing brand love are scarce. This paper aims to …

Highlights•Strong, positive relationships are not as frequent as marketers would like.•The
formation of strong bonds brings unanticipated risks for consumers and brands.• …

Although past research has shown that anthropomorphism enhances consumers' attraction
to a brand when social-connectedness or effectance motives are active, the current research …

Brand anthropomorphism is recognised as an important construct in marketing, yet it lacks
clarity in operationalisation and valid measurement. The objective of this research, therefore …

This article discusses the past, present, and future of brand research. We begin by reviewing
three historical eras of branding development in the past: the information, attribute, and …