Brand relationship idiosyncrasy: the peculiar bonds consumers have with brands they love and hate

• Ano de defesa: 2026
• Autor(a) principal: Alves, Antonio Pedro Cruz Costa
• Orientador(a): Strehlau, Vivian Iara
• Tipo de documento: Tese
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: por
• Instituição de defesa: Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing
• Programa de Pós-Graduação: Programa de Doutorado em Administração com Concentração em Gestão Internacional
• Departamento: ESPM::Pós-Graduação Stricto Sensu
• País: Brasil
• Palavras-chave em Português: relacionamento com marcas, branding, relações idiossincráticas da marca, comportamento do consumidor, gestão de marcas
• Palavras-chave em Inglês: brand relationship, branding, brand relationship idiosyncrasy, consumer behaviour, brand management
• Área do conhecimento CNPq: CIENCIAS SOCIAIS APLICADAS::ADMINISTRACAO
• Link de acesso: http://tede2.espm.br/handle/tede/920

The objective of this work was to investigate the peculiar and idiosyncratic relationships that consumers foster with brands, either negative, positive, neutral, or ambiguous. Our research revealed how brands work as beacons of self-identity, carry symbolic meanings, function as relationship partners, emphasise polarised feelings, and trigger negative behaviours and emotions. Drawing on a phenomenological approach, we applied a range of qualitative methods to investigate consumer-brand relationships, including in-depth interviews, netnography, and secondary data. We contribute to theory by identifying and defining 34 new or less theorised idiosyncratic relationships, such as therapists/patients, crooks/suckers, guilty pleasures, and agnostics. A second contribution regards how these relationships help consumers with their identity projects, influencing their individual and social selves. The third contribution concerns a proposal for a framework to explain negative consumer-brand relationships, encompassing dark brand personalities, appraisal of events, elicited emotions, flawed relationships, and coping mechanisms and behaviours. This work also has social implications regarding mental health (e.g., bullying and addiction), consumer rights protection, and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.