IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/joreco/v86y2025ics0969698925000992.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Interplay of Imagery: Unveiling the impact of Co-branding anthropomorphized couple imagery on consumer engagement

Author

Listed:
  • Meng, Jinlin
  • Zhang, Jing

Abstract

Leveraging co-branding to engage a broader consumer base has become critical for brands to achieve mutual benefits. Despite the widespread use of anthropomorphized couple imagery in brand collaborations within the Asian market, research on its effectiveness in co-branding remains limited. This study comprises three behavioral studies, including six experiments, that examine the influence of anthropomorphized couple imagery on consumer behavior in co-branding settings. The findings reveal that anthropomorphized couple imagery significantly enhances consumers’ perceptions of brand fit, increases purchase intentions, and stimulates the spread of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), particularly among consumers with lower real-world intimate relationship satisfaction. Furthermore, the study shows how luxury and mass-market brands use this imagery in collaborations to enhance consumer engagement. This study explores how consumers in Asia respond to anthropomorphized couple imagery, providing brand managers with innovative insights for designing co-branding campaigns.

Suggested Citation

  • Meng, Jinlin & Zhang, Jing, 2025. "Interplay of Imagery: Unveiling the impact of Co-branding anthropomorphized couple imagery on consumer engagement," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:86:y:2025:i:c:s0969698925000992
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104320
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969698925000992
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104320?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:86:y:2025:i:c:s0969698925000992. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-retailing-and-consumer-services .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.